Camnabis withdrawal psychosis?

Unusual Beliefs
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This might take awhile to read, bare with me… but thank you to everyone who reads this and helps me!

Well my life of hell started about the first day of november… I got a really bad sickness (strep) and was dying(not literally) probably the sickiest ive ever been in my life. I couldn’t eat couldn’t even do anything or hold food down… This lasted about a month, finally went away thought i was better than i ended up with this… Something i self diagnosed myself as Labyrinthitis ( an inner ear virus that causes vertigo and all these weird symptoms starting a week after being really sick) Went to plenlty of doctors… Probably every doctor in the hospital, and couldn’t figure out what was wrong! Found myself at the doctors office everyday, not being about to figure out why i couldn’t breath, why I was having this severe vertigo and all these weird symptoms… An ent is supposta diagnose all this but my ent was really lousy and just blew me off after seeing him twice, thought i had menieres disease which is basically what i have only never goes away…(had i guess) so i was really really scared, depressed, and having the worst aniexty for this whole month… I couldn’t even get out of bed without feeling like i was drunk and this all affected me and gave me so much emotional stress because i felt like it would never go away… well it did, atleast still is slowly getting better. But right when this was getting better here is where the psychosis starts…

About my 4th week of having this, and two weeks of stopping cannabis ( very very very heavy user, everyday all day for the past 3/4 years) I was watching a show called “I almost got away with it” and the episode i was watching had a story about a kid killing his whole family, this really bothered me and all i could think to myself is “how could someone do something like this” than randomly i started getting these anixious scared thoughts like " what if i would go crazy and do this" and “go hurt your family” which was really scaring me… woke up my mom made her sleep with me and went to a shrink the next monday (this was a Friday)

So my first trip to the shrink(the best one i could find who wasn’t just a pill pusher) basically told me i have something called “cannabis withdraw psychosis” from being dependent on cannabis for that long and than just randomly stopping… along with the stress and aniexty i was having from everything else they just mixed up and caused me to have “psychosis” … didn’t know how much i believed him, since ive stopped before for the same amount of time once or twice in the past and this never happened… Had have thoughts like this before but it was once after i tried highly potent weed for the first time… the next day i couldn’t stop hearing this voice saying"your gay" all day… and once after watching a really violent tv show i thought i was gonna kill my little brother ( i never would i couldn’t harm a fly) this was about 3 years ago and the gay one was about 4/5… These happened for a day or maybe three but i wasnt stressed or having anything wrong with me back at the time so i shortly went back to normal and nothing happened since than. He prescrbied me 1mg Ativan 2/3 times a day… and too see him in two weeks. Took these pills and it made me feel better, made me feel like i was kinda starting to get over the psychosis ( i was wrong) I was dumb and ate a weed cookie a couple days after this appointment just to see how it affected me, the high was normal, but after it my psychosis was as bad as its been since the first day of having this. Thats when i knew i would never in my life touch weed again.

The next appointment i had with him he basically told me the same thing, assured me i didnt have schizophrenia(this was my biggest fear)… and that this would eventually (go away) as long as i kept away from weed. Prescribed me 2mg 4 times a day ativan, didnt know this was a mistake! Started taking them and it almost felt like i had my life back, the psychosis was still there but not anywhere to as close as bad as before. Than ended up doing research about the pills and realized it can actually cause really really bad psychosis if you get dependent on it(thats just what i need). This terrified me, i stopped taking the pills completely for one day and oh the side affects were miserable. Ive only been on Ativan for three weeks total, had sever vertigo and dizziness like i was gonna faint. Thought my labs was coming back ( it wasn’t) because the dizziness was constant.My psychosis was horrible that day, so bad that my mom forced me to start taking a 1mg pill to relax me because i was having a panic attack from it. Now i am currently taking 1 1mg pill a day, trying to eaze myself off it and start dealing with all this with no pills. My body doesn’t react to pills good, so i figured i might as well do this the natural way if its actually from cannabis (cranberry juice lots of it and excersise)

Any thoughts about this? My brain feels constantly weird… LIke I cant think of words i want to say sometimes, or as if im not myself and watching my life through a video camera. I also have been getting this random “whole body numbness” feeling, like a feeling that im paralyzed or that i was numbed by the dentist only my whole body… has happened the day after i took the weed cookie, or sometimes when my aniexty is really really bad (it has been bad since im only on the 1mg ones, they help but one a day isnt much) im terrified that something is seriously wrong with me because i have some head pains (this could be from the labs) and want all these thoughts to go away. The thoughts are a “what if” thoughts followed by a commanding voice telling me to do the what if demonitic thing… followed by my conscious saying “youd never do that chase”… Sadly along with all this i lost my grandpa a week ago, making this a lot harder for me. Im in touch with reality and know whats going on, but whatever im doing i feel like when i look back to think about it it didn’t happen because im so foggy and not myself. This is honestly the scariest and worst feeling i have… I just want my life back! When im distracted on my phone or computer the thoughts arnt really there as much… it’s mostly when i over think or am having really bad aniexty… or when i just wake up and feel like im brain dead because i cant think of what i want to say.I also will sometimes randomly get music playing in my head (auditory hallucinations) and feel like i see stuff at the coner of my eyes that isn’t really there (like my cat being there when she’s not, ill look double check see shes not there and know it was just a hallucination) plus i know the voices arnt real which according to my doctor is a really good sign. Has anyone else experienced this “cannabis psychosis” and what was your outcome? I dont wana be on any antipyschotics because of how my body reacts to medicine… unless this is something permeant and i have to! I just feel like i lost my life and everyday is the biggest struggle… nothing can make me happy besides getting my health back.I cry my eyes out everyday to my parents not knowing why this is happeing to me me or what is wrong with me and my body (im still having some weird body affects, tremors, heart palps, headaches in weird places and such)

Also today I didn’t get any sleep last night to go surf good waves early this morning… Boy was that a mistake. The whole time in the water I was talking to myself, blurring out weird noises ( I slid off my board and after I blurted out skippy sloppy boppity) and kept saying it like 4 times… Don’t know if this was because I got no sleep and it just messed up my psychosis even worse or I’m going schizophrenic or something because I was talking to myself and saying weird stuff like that…

Thank you for reading my story of my last three months of hell!
any response will make me feel good, talking to people about this seems to really help me :slight_smile:

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Chaserick, From what you wrote, it sounds like you are going through alot. It also sounds like you are connected to resources and willing to follow through on getting the health care and medical treatment you need to feel better.

Everything that helps physical health helps mental health: quality food, enough sleep, exercise, not using intoxicating substances, lowering stress.

There are lots of causes of psychosis. Reactive psychosis often resolves with medical treatment.

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Thanks for the response! You’re right I’m honestly going through hell right now :neutral_face: I just Wana be normal again! But yes I’m doing everything I can to try to get my life back

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Tell this to a doctor. We’re a bunch of Internet strangers without medical degrees. Also, you’re posting on a site intended for schizophrenia support, not support for cannabis users. The advice you do get here may not be applicable to your condition.

Pixel.

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You’re right… This guy has me having an aniexty attack “ilovethaifood” because I’ve had chylamida for the past two years and he makes me think that that’s why I have all this and that it’ll end up never going away. Literally just woke up my whole family crying because of that person… ■■■■■■ up to mess with the mental I’ll

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@Chaserick

I’m sorry this is hitting you… and I’m sorry your suffering…

I hope you can go talk to a professional psychiatric doc… print out what you wrote here and let a professional know.

Here is one idea that I hope helps… stress makes it all worse. My head circus really acts up when I stress about symptoms… or glitches.

You ended up with a bit of word salad… don’t stress on it. The more you stress… the worse it gets.

Glad your a surfer. Being out in the ocean has saved my head many times… away from chaos and city noise…

Some times I see my Sz like a wave… starts way out beyond the horizon… get’s big and outrageous… I try to ride it out… and then it fades back down and goes away.

Good luck and I hope you feel better soon.

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You literally terrified me I hope you’re happy

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Thank you for the kind words :slight_smile: being in the ocean really does help me get my mind off things… I don’t even know if its schizophrenia yet… I have no clue tbh. I try to talk to doctors about it just seems like they kinda blow me off… I’ve complelty lost my hope in all doctors. I’m seeing a really good psychologist who I have an appointment with tomorrow… Going to see what he has to say about chylamida and messing with my brain

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Hey, there’s a substance abuse forum on psychforums, just google it, someone might help you there.

In my opinion you need to follow the treatment, or ask for a new antipsychotic. My cousin had psychosis and only went away with meds, one can not wait it out.

Good luck.

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It sounds like you have a lot going on.

Pot made my Sz WAY worse… quitting was a living hell… but at the same time… using was a living hell too. It was a no win situation

I’ve never heard of chlamydia affecting the brain… it’s a fairly benign bacterial infection… pain in the butt…but it’s not the big bad.

But quitting pot… that is huge brain change. I’m glad your doing it… but it’s still a huge brain change. Maybe an addiction counselor might have some answers for you

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thanks for the help, and i read if it is “cannabis psychosis” it will go away once the weed has left my body complelty… just terrified its not that and its schizophrenia

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you’re making my hell of a night a lot better, i appricate it! I quit usuing before this all started happeing so it does seem like it’s a possibility that its causing my psychosis… i was under heavy stress and aniexty along with quitting… Just dont want it to be “schiz from chylamida” or something worse… My shrink promised me it wasn’t schizophreina because how in touch with reality i am and how i know my deliusions and stuff arnt real… But it could just be because the disease is just starting out and thats what freaks me out the most… Mental illness is probably the hardest thing ive had to ever deal with in my entire life. I feel for every suffer out there.

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Well if it is sz you will just find coping mechanisms for it. Meds help a lot and some therapies are good also.

I’m rooting for you that it’s not sz.

I don’t know about those other symptoms you have though, @shutterbug is right, we’re not doctors we can’t diagnose you with anything.

Good luck man

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Seems like just talking to my psychiatrist helps me feel so much better about everything. I just really don’t Wana be on antipsychotics because how weird my body reacts to all meds… Worst case it’s schiz but I pray to God it’s not. No one in my family has it but there’s still that 1% chance I could get it and with my luck I feel like it could happen

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I’ve honestly never heard of chlamydia causing mental illness.

However, Getting yourself a clean bill of health is never a bad thing…

Anxiety can trigger psychosis… and your under a lot of anxious stress. The brain twists easily… panic can do a number.

Please… the more you panic… the more you stress… the more the head circus will act up.
Try to calm… try to decompress… and take care of yourself.

Just so you know… there are many degrees of Sz… there are some members on here who are up for Doctorate programs… in great shape… they just have to get through their day differently. (enter @mortimermouse )

There are also members who are married… run their own business… have kids… (enter @shutterbug)

Don’t stress about the diagnosis until you actually get it. Even IF you do… it’s not the end of the world. there are better Aps out there… and some more research has been finding that sometimes good therapy helps people cope and keeps med doses low.

Again… don’t get into a panic

and talk to a professional. Good luck

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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/15922095/
This is what kinda worried me, but you’re right getting healthy and feeling like less it wrong with me will really help my aniexty… I know it won’t be the end of the world, my mom actually works with a girl who has it and she doesn’t even take any meds… Just gets occasionsal voices and ignores them when she does. I know worst case I’ll be able to make it through anything with the strong family support I have… But the aniexty really does play a roll in my psychosis… When I take the Ativan it almost makes the psychosis low to minimum! But I still get the confused thoughts along with it. My life’s hell right now I honestly don’t know how to put it any other way… I just hope I can look back on this in a year and say “wow I’m happy I got through all that”

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Sorry for terrifying you. My intent was not to mock you, in fact, it was to inform you and wish you a speedy recovery. I apologize for being frank.

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Not at all, you’d be surprised what things medical personnel avoid telling you so as not to hurt your feelings.

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Too much to read here, but you should take note that psychosis and anxiety make what is called a vicious cycle.

They fuel one another and make each other worse, which starts first doesn’t change that fact, but if it’s anxiety that is really getting to you and a doc is having you take Ativan, you have an anxiety element to your psyche.

I have both anxiety and schizophrenia. One makes the other worse. Chicken or egg doesn’t matter, both are medicated for me.

If you are diagnosed with schizophrenia, it’s gonna be because you show plenty of symptoms for at least six months. If you don’t, then you cannot and will not become slapped with the diagnosis, which is the best outcome.

I just woke up and took Xanax and Propranolol just to function. Had my coffee, now having a nicotine lozenge.

Don’t get started on nicotine if you haven’t already. We actually feel and perform better on it, people with psychosis do. In fact between 80 and 90% of people with schizophrenia smoke a fair amount. Most of them around a pack a day. Nicotine does a number of things, and one of those is practically fixing our cognitive impairments. It also decreases sedation from meds. It is bad for you, don’t start it. I used to smoke a ton and I have been quitting, cutting way back and trying alternatives for seven months while doing cardio to tune myself up.

So if you do get diagnosed, don’t go buy a carton of Marlboro and light up and hasten your death. No. Don’t do that. That’s a common pitfall, and most people with what we have reach out to tobacco because it is at every gas station and legal and it seems to help, but it kills you, so don’t do that.

I didn’t read this whole thread, it’s too long and I just woke up and had my coffee, but if you have questions, I might just have an answer, so feel free to ask me. I can say that I life a productive life despite chronic paranoid schizophrenia, and I can also say that I know what I am doing and feel obligated to share how I cope. I also feel obligated to share how others cope, because I have my case and my lifestyle and others have theirs, and the right life is not identical for each of us.

Good luck, and remember that you aren’t alone. If you do get diagnosed, I can refer you to some excellent manuals and workbooks on what to do in regards to who to tell you have the illness if you decide that you would benefit from telling people.

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Thank you for the reply! Sorry I wrote so much on here, I just don’t know how to feel and this is all making me terrified. I don’t smoke any tobacco as it is, so that isn’t a concern. Had a psychologist appointment today and he’s putting me on .5 Xanax instead of the Ativan, because how Afriad I am of making my psychosis worse from the Ativan withdraw…
I have a couple questions for you tho…
When your schiz started were you aware of all the voices and delusions were only part of the psychosis or did you think it was real?

Have you ever heard of any cannabis withdrawal psychosis ? Does the make sense to what I am dealing with

Have you ever heard of not cured chylamida causing the ear problems I’m having and mental health issues? The artitcle I posted about say non cured chylamida can lead to schiz

How do you cope with it? Are you on a bunch of pills or do you usually just ignore the voices? Anything like aniexty stress or depression makes my psychosis 20x worse sadly. Coping with all this is terrifying me and making me feel like such a weak person