Continuing the discussion from All over the US:
New user @Mikehda is looking for advice on how to cope with paranoia. All the medication they have tried doesn’t seem to be helping. Does anyone have any tips?
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My anxiety and paranoia go hand in hand. So treating the anxiety can help the paranoia too.
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Learn triggers. Avoid triggers. Work on thought processes. Instead of “I am scared”---->“I must be in danger”---->“I’m not safe” change to “I am scared”---->“This is my mental illness causing my brain to dump chemicals. This is a temporary phenomenon that will pass and I will help it pass by doing calming activities.”—>“I am safe.”
Those are my non med tactics. Also if it’s only APs that don’t work, benzos also helped me tremendously.
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@Mikehda says they have tried Clozaril, abilify, seroquel, risperidone, depakote, zyprexa, invega, and haldol.
Some anxiety meds you could try are gabapentin, propranolol, other beta blockers, and benzos. Benzos are controlled substances, and have a high potential for addiction and abuse. So you need to be careful with them. I use gabapentin, which is milder, but still effective for me.
I also use neurofeedback, which @Rhubot mentioned in the other thread. Here is how it works. I put a sensor on my forehead, which measures brain activity in my prefrontal cortex. That’s where rational thought happens. Then, I watch an exciting movie. The movie slowly makes the prefrontal cortex shut down and activates the limbic system, where emotions happen. When my brain activity drops too low, the movie pauses and I have to calmly concentrate on raising my brain activity to turn the movie back on. Over time, this trains me to be able to lower my emotional response and activate my rational thinking at will. Paranoia shuts down your rational thinking and activates your emotions, so this therapy has been great at getting me to calmly work through my paranoid feelings. I used this method for seven years on its own before I found a medication that works for me. I still use it as an adjunctive therapy.
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Polypharmacy is an option that has helped me. Also an AD helps me with obessionality.
My paranoia is rooted in social anxiety.These thoughts have helped me:
I cannot make everyone happy, so it’s okay if someone is not happy with me.
People are much more concerned about themselves than they are of me. Thus even if someone really does seem to targeting me it comes from their own insecurity.
To some degree I have to let myself be vulnerable to whomever I feel is persecuting me. I find that when I switch my focus from others to myself it’s helpful.
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Here are some tricks I use when I’m feeling an attack of paranoia coming on:
I perform a task with simple, easy to follow steps, such as doing a load of laundry or baking cookies. Focusing on the steps instead of my paranoia helps me think more clearly.
I put an ice pack on the back of my head. This lowers activity in the limbic system by cooling the area, which gives your prefrontal cortex a chance to re-engage.
I pretend to try and levitate something. I won’t get frustrated, because I already know it’s impossible, but focusing directly on one object helps me block out the feelings of paranoia and anxiety.
I take ten deep breaths, breathing in through the nose for four seconds, and out through the mouth for eight seconds. This lowers my adrenal response to the paranoia, and gets my hormones back in sync with the idea that my life is not in danger.
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A pdoc once said paranoia was a big cause of my anxiety. I would question whether that is completely true. With the social anxiety I can see the SA-paranoia connection, but I can’t see the general anxiety- paranoia connection .
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My current doctor assumes paranoia can cause anxiety but not the other way around. I am not so sure - my paranoia virtually disappeared on clonazepam.
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I think anxiety can precipitate paranoia, for sure. If I am anxious, my ■■■■■■■ brain will find a reason, even if it’s not true, or even likely.
He could try sodium benzoate or Cannabidiol (CBD). Though I don’t really like CBD because it didn’t help me, but everyone is different and CBD might work for him.
The simple task thing works fantastically well for me too. That’s why my job at the lab was so stabilizing to me I could go into work totally out of it and crazy but by the end I’d be clear headed and calm because it’s just repetitive mindless work but still something you need to focus on somewhat.
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This isn’t about medication, but maybe if he used some reality testing to see if his paranoid fears are real it might help. For instance, if he thinks a guy driving by in a truck is plotting to kill him, he could ask a friend or a family member if they know of anyone who is mad at him and means him harm. If he thinks some guy hates him, he might ask something like - “Did I seem rude just now?” Maybe he could find other ways of dispelling his fears. — Just a thought.
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Thankyou everyone. Ive tried ativan and gabapentin and the ativan works best but ive stopped using it because it was becoming addictive. My paranoia started from an incident that happend round 3 to 4 years ago where i was hanging out with people who were involved with using and selling drugs. Long story short a gun was pulled on me but i got away unharmed. Here where it gets complicated… Ive seen numerous doctors due to multiple hospitalizations and one doctor said i may have severe ptsd but most doctors say its schitzophrenia. Ive even done ect treatments but with no success. My case manager says to challenge my thoughts to prove to myself they are in fact false and have no truth. Thanks everyone
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It can be both… ptsd and sz that is. Not saying it is. Just that it does happen.
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Have an evaluation by your family doctor to rule out any underlying medical issues and then see a psychiatrist.
Paranoia is a symptom that can occur in a number of illnesses. Treatment depends on the illness that is causing this symptom.
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My coping strategy is to use a safe-word to tell my brain, “that’s enough ya sadist!” 
It works if you use a name that elicits a different emotional response, a crush’s name or something.
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