HPPD

[UK777]

Hi there all, sorry if this sort of stuff has been posted about before. Been suffering with HPPD symptoms for some years now, until recently iv never really looked into it as it really hasn't caused me much distress until now. Iv always had the floaters, flashes of light, after images and geometric patterns when in a dark room. But recently the visual snow has seemed to have gotten worse and also the flashes and stats appear every few minutes all day everyday. Along with this now i find it hard to read or concentrate on anything as it just starts to move around, few instances when iv been talking to someone their faces starts to move just like when your tripping. So i try not to focus on anything for too long. Along with this now some coloured objects just seem to be extra vivid. Also the tinnitus has become unbearable. Optitions have done multiple eye exams and have ruled out any problems with my eyes, at first I was looking online and thinking brain tumour ect but i dont have any headaches or any other symptoms of a tumour. Doctors are pretty useless waiting for a callback because they didn't have a clue as to what it could be, so i done some more digging online and come across HPPD and then I started to put things together. 

 

Not used any physcadelics in over 2 years now but that was off the back ofna few years of heavy substance use mostly MDMA, ketamime but also use of LSD, 2CB,2CI, Cocaine, Salvia. Anyone else in the UK had a diagnosis from what I see online there not much info regarding this in the uk, cheers. 

[Jay1]

Welcome, has anything triggered this spike in symptoms? Stress?

As always, avoid all drugs, caffeine, eat healthy, exercise and avoid any undue stress.

I got an initial diagnosis in Portugal, then went to a neurologist in Birmingham when I moved back to the UK and they (somewhat begrudgingly) allowed me to carry on with my clonazepam prescription. GPs here seem to be pretty useful and try to play you off as depressed or psychotic, so I would just go straight to a neurologist. 

[UK777]

Thank you for the reply, nothing i can put my finger on. Last 2 years id say iv been leading healthy life, took up running and muay Thai. Had a concussion 2 years back, but had scans on that and didn't show any damage to the head as such. Doctors seem pretty focused on blaming this for the cause but i literally have no Headaches that accompany my HPPD symptoms or any other symptoms that accompany concussion or post concussion syndrome. Hopefully the doc is going to get back to me tomoz. 

 

Woke up last night as i do most nights and just saw green geometric patters all over my ceiling that's the worst iv had them in years 

[SomebodySomewhere]

And here I thought it was just U.S. doctors that were useless, looks like it's a worldwide thing.

Old joke: you know why they call them General Practitioners? Because they're just practicing. *ba-dum-tshh*

Jay1 asked the right questions, I'll expand: any use of alcohol, and herbal supplements, are you staying home more than usual due to Covid (if so, how much time in front of a computer or smart phone screen?), any changes in your relationships?

Anything that has changed recently at all, even if it seems very insignificant, is worth thinking about,

[UK777]

17 hours ago, Swartz said:

And here I thought it was just U.S. doctors that were useless, looks like it's a worldwide thing.

Old joke: you know why they call them General Practitioners? Because they're just practicing. *ba-dum-tshh*

Jay1 asked the right questions, I'll expand: any use of alcohol, and herbal supplements, are you staying home more than usual due to Covid (if so, how much time in front of a computer or smart phone screen?), any changes in your relationships?

Anything that has changed recently at all, even if it seems very insignificant, is worth thinking about,

Gave it some thought and i had been having some alcohol recently nothing in excess only 1 or 2 cans on weekends. I usually have 0 alcohol, iv dropped down on coffee consumption 1 cup in the morning, may have to ditch that too. Iv tried to dramatically drop screen time also due to covid and not being able to do much sucks!!

Does anyone else have any depersonalization issues due to the HPPD? 

[SomebodySomewhere]

Well, 1 or 2 cans on weekends probably isn't the culprit, but you never know. Coffee can definitely be a culprit, even one cup. Maybe try decaf? It still has caffeine in it, just not as much.

I'm guessing it's your screen time, that's the number one thing that causes me problems. Things I've found that help if you don't want to cut down the time you're spending, is simply take a break every half hour or so for a good 5 minutes then return to it. Also, if you have any blue-light filtering or anything like that on your computer or smart-phone, try turning that on, as well as turning down the brightness of the display (I've definitely noticed the brighter the display, the more I have problems).

I have depersonalization and HPPD as well, though the depersonalization has been getting better (don't know why, just time I guess). In terms of depersonalization, again, the more I'm focusing on a screen for a prolonged period, especially if I'm doing something like playing a video game with realistic graphics, the more that's likely to happen.

Edited October 19, 2020 by Swartz

[Jay1]

18 hours ago, UK777 said:

Does anyone else have any depersonalization issues due to the HPPD? 

Oh yes! Probably my worst symptom. I hate it with a passion. I feel like i'm floating in a bubble half the time.

I just got an Oculus Quest 2 too, and that really isn't helping with the dpdr! Gonna have to limit it a lot.

[UK777]

23 hours ago, Swartz said:

Well, 1 or 2 cans on weekends probably isn't the culprit, but you never know. Coffee can definitely be a culprit, even one cup. Maybe try decaf? It still has caffeine in it, just not as much.

I'm guessing it's your screen time, that's the number one thing that causes me problems. Things I've found that help if you don't want to cut down the time you're spending, is simply take a break every half hour or so for a good 5 minutes then return to it. Also, if you have any blue-light filtering or anything like that on your computer or smart-phone, try turning that on, as well as turning down the brightness of the display (I've definitely noticed the brighter the display, the more I have problems).

I have depersonalization and HPPD as well, though the depersonalization has been getting better (don't know why, just time I guess). In terms of depersonalization, again, the more I'm focusing on a screen for a prolonged period, especially if I'm doing something like playing a video game with realistic graphics, the more that's likely to happen.

Blue light filter is on and going to start putting my phone down a fair bit more. Just sad because with covid lockdown i can't even leave my hosue only to go to work

 

With the depersonalization it comes in fits and starts, like today in work i was really concentrating and then "bang" I felt like I was just observing what i was just watching over myself from outside, one of the strangest feelings ever. 

 

How long have you been suffering with HPPD for? 

[UK777]

5 hours ago, Jay1 said:

Oh yes! Probably my worst symptom. I hate it with a passion. I feel like i'm floating in a bubble half the time.

I just got an Oculus Quest 2 too, and that really isn't helping with the dpdr! Gonna have to limit it a lot.

Honestly one of the strangest feelings ever to me it always gives me a feeling of being on ketamime just floating and observing my own actions from above. 

 

Amd goodluck with that Oculus man! I put one on once and it spun me out abit too much take it easy don't want your symptoms to flare up

[SomebodySomewhere]

48 minutes ago, UK777 said:

Blue light filter is on and going to start putting my phone down a fair bit more. Just sad because with covid lockdown i can't even leave my hosue only to go to work

 

With the depersonalization it comes in fits and starts, like today in work i was really concentrating and then "bang" I felt like I was just observing what i was just watching over myself from outside, one of the strangest feelings ever. 

 

How long have you been suffering with HPPD for? 

I know, Covid sucks, it makes living life a lot tougher. That tends to be how I become depersonalized too, one second I'm fine, then yep, "bang". I know it well.

I've had HPPD since January 2007.

[Jay1]

It's worth noting the pandemic when looking for reasons for a spike too (not having the illness, but just the stress and strangeness of the whole situation). It's gonna have an effect on everyone in some way or another.