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how long until my HPPD goes away

BenzosBudOrBooty

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Jun 21, 2010
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my first bout with lsd i had a really bad trip and got kinda bad HPPD for a while, especially when i smoked weed, but it eventually went away.

now ive done lsd 7 or 8 times this year and shrooms 5 times. i didn't have anything like a bad trip but after the recent batch i had, i kind of have HPPD (i think cleaner acid is less likely to cause it). it's really not too bad, but when I smoke weed I get an uncomfortable feeling in my head that feels like acid. it's annoying more than anything. and it's especially apparent when i'm driving after smoking weed. it's been like 2 months since i took acid. i've had it before and i know it goes away, but how long? i wanna go back to smoking weed and feeling normal. anyone experience similar feelings? thanks for your input.
 
May be a difficult question to answer... For some the effects linger semi-permanently, for others they ease very quickly. I suspect the longer that you can abstain from smoking, the quicker the symptoms of HPPD will ease.

You may simply be triggering flashbacks with your smokes though, if you're only suffering "HPPD" when you smoke herb then I am not certain that makes what you're experiencing HPPD rather than simple (!) flashbacks!
 
May be a difficult question to answer... For some the effects linger semi-permanently, for others they ease very quickly. I suspect the longer that you can abstain from smoking, the quicker the symptoms of HPPD will ease.

You may simply be triggering flashbacks with your smokes though, if you're only suffering "HPPD" when you smoke herb then I am not certain that makes what you're experiencing HPPD rather than simple (!) flashbacks!
Interesting. I did a little research and flashbacks are actually more rare than HPPD. The first time I had issues with flashbacks or whatever, TWICE, i had a completely full blown trip, with a come down and everything, when I took prescription drugs and then smoked weed not too long after, during the ensuing months after the bad trip I had.

I had a REALLY bad trip though. I also would have tracers and an acid feeling in my head at times when I was trying to sleep, when I was driving (idk focusing on the road makes it come on), and when I was especially smoking weed.

I ended up in the psychatric ward for 50 days because of the bad trip, and then when I got out, I smoked weed not too long after again, and the feelings were mostly gone from that point on.

Since then I've done two 10 strips without any flashback like feelings ensueing. But then I did another 10 strip or 15 tabs a couple months after that and I've been getting this feeling. But they weren't bad trips at all. I didn't even smoke on these recent 10-15 tabs. Shit is weird.

It's a risk I was willing to take though. I used to enjoy my flashbacks but now I'd rather not have them, but I guess it's not the worst thing in the world. Thanks for your post.


And please don't tell me "YOU SPENT 50 DAYS IN THE PSYCHIATRIC WARD AND YOU'RE STILL DOING PSYCHADELICS" because it was a really unfortunate situation, it really wasn't my fault that I had a bad trip. Now I trip alone, because there's some people you can't trust. Some people ruin lives for fun (well some kids do at least).
 
my first bout with lsd i had a really bad trip and got kinda bad HPPD for a while, especially when i smoked weed, but it eventually went away.

now ive done lsd 7 or 8 times this year and shrooms 5 times. i didn't have anything like a bad trip but after the recent batch i had, i kind of have HPPD (i think cleaner acid is less likely to cause it). it's really not too bad, but when I smoke weed I get an uncomfortable feeling in my head that feels like acid. it's annoying more than anything. and it's especially apparent when i'm driving after smoking weed. it's been like 2 months since i took acid. i've had it before and i know it goes away, but how long? i wanna go back to smoking weed and feeling normal. anyone experience similar feelings? thanks for your input.

You should not drive after ingesting psychedelics or any drugs for that matter. It puts you and others at risk, please don't do it.
 
You should not drive after ingesting psychedelics or any drugs for that matter. It puts you and others at risk, please don't do it.

Jesus! Indeed it does, & is probably one of the single most irresponsible things a drug user or drinker can do whilst or near to being intoxicated!

I think flashbacks can just "occur", whether or not the sufferers trips have or haven't been pleasant. Obviously a trip to the psyche ward suggests a seriously unpleasant experience, but flashback &/or HPPD symptoms are, if I'm correct, an after-effect of drugs use & not necessarilly related to the enjoyment or otherwise of the experience.

Hope you're getting your head around shit :) Look after it, with all due respect, if you make informed choices then you have to live with both the seen & unforseen consequences.
 
It is quite possible it will never go away. I have visual disturbances (static / melting objects / lingering afterimages) still to this day since taking 2-cb 8 years ago. It does not get better, taking certain drugs makes it alot worse temporarily. Learn to live it.

(as as side note, gabapentin/pregabalin and benzos will help with most of these symptoms but I don't think it's worth using addictive drugs for)
 
sounds to me like you need a break from all drugs, weed included...

try to stay clean for a while, see if it helps.

noone can predict how hppd takes to go away or indeed if it will at all...
 
I've had minor HPPD since forever (before touching anything). But I have to focus to see it. Your trip probably just made it easier to spot. It's really just artefacts produced by how your brain interprets the data it receives.

And yes, abstaining from drugs will probably make it harder to spot.
 
Crazycatman has the right idea. A lot of "HPPD" occurs is because the human visual system is a very complex mishmash of eye and brain working together. It's not really a sign of physical damage, it's more of a sort of PTSD.

It's impossible for us to say when you'll "get better". Just remember, with drugs like psychedelics and cannabis expectation effects are strong - if you expect you're going to feel shitty, you probably will. If you've gotten better in the past there's no reason you won't get better this time. Sometimes after using LSD people's "tolerance" for weed goes down somewhat (the experience gets more intense) and they get foggy-headed with less cannabis than before. The solution in that case is to smoke smaller amounts, and try to not let the anxiety get to you, until your body reaches equilibrium.

It would help if you elaborated a bit:
When does the feeling appear? before, during, or after smoking? About how long does it last? Does the uncomfortable feeling occur in any other situations?
Are you fed, hydrated, well rested? Are you anxious or nervous about something? Do you normally smoke cigarettes or use caffeine?
How much do you normally smoke in one session? Does taking an Advil, or Tylenol help? Does drinking water help? Eating a salty snack?
 
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What is HPPD really I never had it and never knew anybody who had it and I thought flashbacks are a myth.
Wouldnt this disappear once you stop paying attention to the symptoms for a while?
 
wiki said:
Hallucinogen persisting perception disorder (HPPD) is a disorder characterized by a continual presence of sensory disturbances, most commonly visual, that are reminiscent of those generated by the use of hallucinogenic substances. Previous use of hallucinogens by the person is necessary, but not sufficient, for diagnosis of HPPD. For an individual to be diagnosed with HPPD, the symptoms cannot be due to another medical condition. HPPD is distinct from flashbacks by reason of its relative permanence; while flashbacks are transient, HPPD is persistent.

Generally, HPPD gets better over the long term if you stop worrying about it.
Flashbacks are more of a stress-recall thing, like PTSD, where your mind will revisit stressful memories. It's more common in people who've had really traumatic trips and don't integrate them well.
 
What is HPPD really I never had it and never knew anybody who had it and I thought flashbacks are a myth.
Wouldnt this disappear once you stop paying attention to the symptoms for a while?

I know people who experience flashbacks and/or HPPD.
The warning still remains true, that they could potentially cause accidents.
Flashbacks may first present themselves long after first using psychedelics, and are probably less regular than HPPD.
I would classify flashbacks as a brief intense memory from a previous trip.
Symptoms of HPPD are frequent in my experience. Caring about your symptoms is another matter.
I would classify HPPD as experiencing the same visual effects you have during trips.
Again, HPPD symptoms seems common after a few trips and can be brought about without the use of psychedelics.
 
I think it's important to not attach emotions to the visual disturbances that HPPD brings. Because it really is just visual disturbances in my experience, it's not "flashbacks" or some kind of psychosis waiting to happen. It's not going to make you trip again when you smoke weed or do other drugs. However in my experience doing other drugs, especially NMDA antagonists or traditional serotonergic psychedelics/weed will aggravate the condition temporarily, causing after effects lasting anywhere from a few hours to a month.

@OP in my experience psychedelics/dissociatives alone have the tendancy to lower tolerance to weed drastically for several days and sometimes weeks after use, HPPD or not. I think you should try reducing your dosages.
 
(i think cleaner acid is less likely to cause it)
...based on what facts?

It just happens, and it does not depend on whether you had a bad trip or if your acid was "clean". The more you pay attention to it the more it becomes a problem, otherwise it can be hardly noticeable (usuaully). If its really bothering you then you need to stop smoking marijuana and taking hallucinogens. It may actually go away after a while (if you do stop using), but no one can tell you how long.
 
(i think cleaner acid is less likely to cause it)

False!

but how long?

Judging by what you said and the fact you are coherent enough to type, and your screen name.... I would guess 1-3 months of healthy diet and exercise would clear this up. Exercise is key in fighting HPPD.

You have Benzos in your screen name if you are trying to fight HPPD and recreationally use benzos you are fighting a loosing battle.
 
sekio hit the nail on the head in my opinion. I've had visual disturbance issues for most of my life, and recreational substances of any kind tend to aggravate them (and less use=less disturbance). I also have "regular" and optic migraines, and the rise of fall of the frequency that I have those matches pretty closely to the rise and fall of the frequency with which I notice visual issues, so I often find relief in the things that help my headaches - lots of rest, water, and healthy food. Keeping a healthy blood pressure also helps. If you are worried about your health, I always recommend visiting a doctor as well.
 
(i think cleaner acid is less likely to cause it)
HA!

Anyway, it's not predictable. Just don't let it bother you. I find the less I pay attention to it the more likely it is to recede. I still have HPPD but it's not really even there because I've learned how to keep it from overcoming my vision. And if you keep getting it then you should make the choice to stop using psychedelics completely or continue to get HPPD.
 
You do not have HPPD, trust me. It's just a mild change in your perception. If cannabis is amplifying it then stop smoking for a few (realistically one) weeks. Try smoking when you feel the set and setting is right and eventually things should go back to feeling normal. If you are not waking up with voices in your head or bats flying all over the place I wouldn't worry, small-large changes in visual and mental perception are common from psychedelic substances, people have been pushing HPPD like it's AIDS... before they had a name for it the shit was just called psychosis... The best thing to do is to not think about it and you will calm down.
 
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