My first post here will be a story about my experience with cannabis use and schizophrenia
i was a bright, academic and popular medical student. During my first year of medical school I decided to try cannabis from somebody. Immediately after taking the first hit I had a panic attack - I felt I could not move. My mind went totally blank, and I sat motionless staring at the lava lamp. This lasted for approximately two minutes before I felt fine again
After this initial episode I was fine and returned home. The following week was a nightmare - I had severe paranoia - I felt people walking past me in the street were psychically attacking me and that my thoughts could be read
I researched a little on the topic and came across paranoid personality disorder. Since then my personality changed completely - I became withdrawn, had constant false ideas of reference and believed I was fighting against the devil 24/7. I was obsessed with praying and spiritual rituals - I believed I was protecting myself against the devil by doing all of this. My attendance at medical school dropped, I was suspended, but I felt my parents had set me up so I became aggressive and hostile towards them
This hostility and aggressiveness continued at home leading to a total breakdown in familial relations
When I returned home I was admitted to a psychiatric ward where I was given an anti-psychotic. My psychotic symptoms disappeared but I was left feeling devoid of any emotion, and no motivation to carry out activities
It felt like my brain had been lifted out of my body - I felt like just a ‘body’ with no emotions or personality
At present I am on Aripiprazole + Sertraline and have noticed some improvement in that my feelings and motivation are returning but I still don’t feel pleasure
My advice to anyone is to stay away from cannabis - it seems to have triggered full scale schizophrenia in me
Looking forward to your replies and thoughts from others with similar experiences
This is why they need to put cbd in all cannabis. Thc without the cbd isn’t neuroprotective. I’m not saying to smoke weed, but if they legalise it with equal amounts or more of cbd in it, then maybe some people wouldnt get these panic attacks.
One Labour Party in uk wanted to legalise cannabis, but the cannabis plants would have to have at least equal parts of cbd in it. This could really help protect the damage thc causes and lessen or even prohibit the damage.
It’s a tough debate. Schizophrenics should avoid thc by itself, I think.
I smoked for 3 years, and then tried skunk which is stronger and it screwed me over, I went into hospital, was put on olanzapine, within two months I stopped my medication and started smoking again, then went back into hospital and learnt my lesson to stay on meds and not smoke weed lol
I had a similar adverse reaction the first time I tried cannabis, completely abrupt appearance of negative symptoms, most notably an inability to speak or think. This lasted for several hours, the next day I began to have mild delusions.
Half a year later I tried an herbal antidepressant which triggered a florid psychosis in me. But it was cannabis at the beginning which flipped the switch for me. If I could have avoided it I would never have descended into madness.
Each different chemical substance can really have a dramatically varied effect on different people. While a tiny amount of edible cannabis was the tipping point for me many other people my age sit around and smoke all day with no bad effects.
I also experienced some return of my feelings on aripiprazole, I’m currently on it. I used to get a couple hours every month where I felt emotionally completely normal with the exception of alogia. Those happy times have ceased in the past couple of months, now I feel totally flat all the time. I tried decreasing my aripiprazole to 5mg, no significant difference from 30mg, or 20 or 15 or 10. In fact, I feel like I’m developing issues paying attention. And the anhedonia is always there as well. Of course, its only been a bit more than a week.
I take 0.5mg once a week of abilify, but I’m also taking risperidone consta injections every 2 weeks. The abilify completely eliminates risperidone side effects. And abilify gives me energy.
I was on risperidone for a while and couldn’t tolerate the prolactin side effects.
I don’t know what else I would take alongside the aripiprazole microdose.
What are the advantages of doing it that way? Does the aripiprazole help with extrapyramidal symptoms from risperidone? That’s a major concern for me, TD and the like. Risperidone is a harsh D2 and 5ht2a blocker. Meaning it would have many extrapyramidal effects.
Are you sure microdosing aripiprazole is useful? .5mg a week seems like so little. I know I possibly need to be on some antipsychotic with it, but aripiprazole has the best side effect profile for me. If anything a little seroquel every couple of days.
I have been formally diagnosed with schizophrenia. My positive symptoms are in remission, but I suffer greatly from the negative symptoms.
Has anyone had any luck with Sarcosine for negative symptoms?
I’m considering switching from Aripirazole to Olanzapine as the research suggests it is better in treating cannabis-induced psychotic states but I don’t want to lose the stimulating effects of Aripirazole
I also feel stimulated, but also flattened on aripiprazole. The flattening is much stronger for me, but individuals react to different drugs differently at different times.
If you go off aripiprazole theres no guarantee it will help you the same way it did the first time next time.
Give that wellbutrin a try but be cautious, some people on here report it making psychosis worse.
Also consider antipsychotic dose reduction, if positive symptoms are in remission this can be an option if discussed with a psychiatrist. Too high a dose of antipsychotic can exacerbate negative symptoms, also aripiprazole has a very long half life so some psychiatrists advise taking it every other day or so (I’m not advising this!) just to put emphasis. Also with a long half life dose reductions are less likely to produce withdrawal symptoms, kind of like with prozac.
Here in Arkansas they are setting up for medical marijuana which the voters passed. The psychiatrist who does my meds management therapy group says marijuana is contraindicated with people with schizophrenia.
0.5mg goes a long way with me. When I was first on risperidone consta I had panic attacks, major shortness of breath and major weight gain. The second time round on risperidone I added abilify 0.5mg, and I’m completely (sort of) normal, and I have no side effects of risperidone, thanks to abilify.
When I was only taking abilify, I used to have to take 20mg of it, and that turned me into a zombie. I felt mentally numb in those high doses. So the doctor put me back on risperidone consta, but this time round I added abilify in micro dose ( I guess I have very low tolerance) and I live a fairly decent life with no side effects from risperidone. My prolactin levels are normal now but when I took risperidone without the abilify many years ago, I had man boobs and everything.
I guess Abilify modulates all these chemicals and hormones.
If I take more than 1mg of abilify it starts to feel very weird, like a morbid kinda feeling.
Also, the effects of abilify last me years.
I actually take 0.5mg of abilify once a week for 8 weeks, then I stop taking it for a year of 2. That’s how it effects me, the effects last years for me. I couldn’t handle risperidone consta before, but now I can with abilify.