My story (drug induced vs schizophrenia)

Health and Recovery
1

Hey! :slight_smile: :slight_smile: I shared my story here few times, but this time I want to share it in a bit more detailed way.
So my pscyhosis PROBABLY was drug induced, because whenever I was smoking a pot it was getting worse, and I was smoking a lot- so I was like “diving into deeper and deeper psychosis” everyday, and then my brother gave me meth, which sent me to a very long, year and a half psychosis.

Now I am for almost five years on aripiprozole (dosage is changing all the time), and after four months I will be trying to cut off my medication. I am reaally worried, because it’s actually strange if psychosis was so long just because it was caused by drugs… I am not sure if its schizophrenia, or simply was drug induced psychosis… Till this day I am not sure if I have any symptoms…
I want to say I am sharing this to not get somekind of an answer- I am simply sharing for the sake of being calm. (sharing makes me feel more calm)
So after four months I will be sure whether I am able to live without medications or not.

I need to mention there was one incident, two years ago- when I was without medication for a week and did one mistake- I tried smoking weed altogether with cutting of my medication and started talking to the ghosts. literally I was talking to the ghosts. SO yeah, I probably will never be sure whether my situation got worse because of pot, or because I stopped my medication for a week.

Maybe someone has similar stories here? People who are not sure whether it’s drug induced psychosis or schizophrenia?

Sorry that my english is not always understandable… not my native language.

3 Likes
2

I was originally drug induced, but now its schizophrenia

3 Likes
3

So sorry to hear… :confused:

4

I already had SZA for a few years before trying weed. I tried it once and had a psychotic break a week later. Now my SZA is much worse.

1 Like
5

Sorry to hear :frowning: I notice that many SZA cases are somehow a bit connected to drugs…

1 Like
6

I did mdma one night, I can’t even remember how much.

How old were you at the psychosis onset?

7

Umm, I remember very well I was 15 when I began to notice syptoms (already smoking weed), and sixteen and half when it all started. When I was seventeen I was not allowed to leave my home (doctors recommendation) because it was a HUGE HUGE psychosis. It was really bad.

3 Likes
8

So sorry to hear you were so young

I’m glad you feel you may be able to come off the medication (hopefully under psychiatric supervision). That must mean the aripiprazole is doing some good perhaps… Maybe even healed it.

1 Like
9

Yes, my doctor (and of course me, also) is waiting for the summer- because her recommendation was to wait for five years and wait for a really calm moment in life to cut aripiprozole.(i will be graduating from college) I really hope that somehow I will be able to cope without pills… :slight_smile:

5 Likes
10

Weed gave me psychosis when I was 15 or 16 in 2006 I think. I would also get paranoid and anxious about getting caught with weed and that people would know I was high because my eyes always got really red. I didn’t get schizophrenia until 2013.

I hope you can come of meds. That’s a goal of mine.

2 Likes
11

Granted it was drug induced what will you do? Will you be able to say no if some friend offers you a joint to smoke?

12

Yes. As an example before my pscyhosis I was smoking everyday, during five years in my remission almost never smoked (only during the time I tried to cut off medication and last summer ONCE). Last time I believe I was smkoking one joint last summer. :slight_smile: And yeah, I am able to say no. :slight_smile: Thanks for asking.

1 Like
13

Hope for you the same too!! :purple_heart:
Same, while I was smoking it sometimes made me paranoid that others will notice… bad memories, bad trips.

1 Like
14

I feel like we’re blaming the pot for everything and ignoring the meth part.

I’m not saying weed can’t cause psychosis, it definitely can in some people,

But methamphetamine?

It makes every user crazy.

Much more high risk.

And a much more likely culprit.

That stuff erodes your very soul.

9 Likes
15

:frowning: Yess… Indeed it made my psychosis terribly worse.
As for an example, (without my permission) I was given waaay bigger dose than it normaly has to be,
Imagine, normal dose for begginner is like… I guess from 30mg-100mg,
I was given freaking 1 g from my brother :frowning: (10x bigger than normal dose)
I could be dead now, from what I know. I not only went into psychosis, but I was… vomiting for like 6-7 times the other day after meth.

2 Likes
16

Glad you survived that.

A lot of people don’t.

Very dangerous.

4 Likes
17

Yeah a lot of my friends smoke with no issues and it’s just relaxing for them. For me it’s like an acid trip.

18

I tried smoking pot with schizophrenia (before i used to without incident) i got elevated voices and a panic attack no more for me

1 Like
19

So are you recovered somewhat now? Did you ever quit using weed?

1 Like
20

Mine was drug induced. I was abusing prescription meds, and a lot of different factors combined contributed to my psychosis

2 Likes