Drug induced psychosis or schizophrenia?

Lounge
1

I started smoking pot at a young age 13. By the time I was 16 I moved on to cocaine. By the time I was 18 I was doing heroin. A typical day would be wake up at 3 pm and smoke weed. By 6 pm take some acid. By 10 pm I’d need something to mellow me out so I took xanax and smoked heroin by 2 am I was downing a fifth until I knocked myself out.

After a long night of this kind of behavior I walked in the door and collapsed in front of my step brother with a seizure. I came to and told him to get off the phone with 911.

I started becoming paranoid. I was literally coming unglued. I started tying my bedroom door shut when I went to bed. I was having hallucinations in my sleep. I thought my step dad was messing with my head. One night I grabbed a butcher knife I thought it was him or me. I stood outside his bedroom one night and came really close to doing him in.

I was completely out of my mind. I walked past my step sister and she said something to me I don’t remember what. I turned around and grabbed her by the throat. My step brother grabbed a knife.

Everybody in the house was on pins and needles because of me. I got paranoid to the point I quit going out. I pretty much locked myself in the basement. Things were so volatile my step dad threatened my mom with a gun. He was arrested and my mom got a restraining order against him.

I thought since I quit doing drugs maybe I’d get better. 6 months went by and I kept getting more and more paranoid. My mom bought a hamster. She thought something cute and fuzzy would make the house better.

I actually thought the hamster was part of the conspiracy and I thought about killing it.

I made a noose out of an extension cord and my mom saw it. She convinced me to go to the hospital.

She never told the doctors about my drug use and since I was hearing voices they just labeled me as paranoid schizoeffective.

I’m glad I never went through with any of my horrible plans. After getting out of the hospital I got better. I thought I didn’t need meds anymore and 30 days after stopping I had another psychotic break. I ended up in the hospital for another 2 weeks.

It’s been 25 years and I have no thoughts of harming myself or anyone. I get some hallucinations and delusions but I have a lot of insight and can recognize it.

I often wonder if this was drug induced schizophrenia or I had it and the drug use made it worse?

2

Yes, maybe
it was drug induced.
Stay away from drugs

1 Like
3

I’ve been drug free ever since. I have a new found appreciation for reality.

4

Are you otherwise functioning? Like working?

5

Definitely drug induced. The drugs fried your brain. There is no severe drug addict in the world that doesn’t end up with brain damage or schizophrenia in the long run.

6

Drugs had consumed so much of my life when I got out of the hospital I felt lost. I went to state run rehabilitation services with help finding a job. They did a psyche evaluation and said I was unfit to work. I got a job on my own. I spent 8 years in the workforce but couldn’t hold a job. I was to mentally unstable and I have behavior problems. I have school records going back to 3rd grade that the school even had me labeled as mentally disturbed. I don’t really cause problems at home. I just mostly want to be left alone.

7

This topic was automatically closed 14 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.