Adderall and HPPD?

[Sykoknot]

I have HPPD (Hallucination Persistent Perception Disorder).
I'm currently on 20mg non-time release Adderall. I've noticed a large drop in HPPD symptoms. Im curious as to anyone else who has experienced this and if there is any reliable information on the subject.

My intuitive thought about it is that it keeps you more focused on other things and less on the obscure subtle visual changes produced by HPPD. Something with focusing or distracting your mind? Hmm...

All legitimate replies are very appreciated

P.S. Depite my post count i have scoured this site many times, so please don't be deterred because I'm a new member.

 

[RedRum OG]

adderall makes things less trippy... i know how dumb that sounds but idk the scientific word. like i could be baked, take 30mg adderall and then i'd be sober. so im not surprised its helping your hppd

 

[onmyway]

I did a quick search on your disorder and it is referred to as a "disinhibition of visual processing related to loss of serotonin receptors on inhibitory neurons". I think that amphetimines in general have MAOI action, so there should be an increase of serotonin.

I also thought about how some antipsychotics can cause parkinsons-like symptoms because they are dopamine receptor antagonists, and I think dopamine is related to "disinhibition" of motor neurons in your brain. Maybe increasing the dopamine reduces disinhibition in your visual system somehow?

 

[diche]

if you were taking more than 20mg then maybee we have something here.

 

[negrogesic]

There seems to be a short term sharpening of vision, followed by some visual disturbances when it wears off....

Always skeptical about these HPPD cases....

 

[theWorldWithin]

^Really, Negro I am frankly surprised to hear someone of your education does not view HPPD as a credible phenomenon. Do you care to elaborate as to why you are suspicious of it?

As for the original question that is difficult and rather counter intuitive as in most individuals all stimulants worsen HPPD symptoms significantly. Perhaps you do not have genuine HPPD and being high just takes your mind off of a psychosomatic phenomenon.

 

[vortex30]

Always skeptical about these HPPD cases....

I wouldn't be seeing as I've got the disorder. I think a lot of people say they have 'HPPD' when really its just visual disturbances that don't impact their life but are just a bit annoying. I've ALMOST dropped the D for myself but its still pretty impacting and I'm definitely never doing psychedelics again.

 

[Sykoknot]

I have done in-depth studies into HPPD. Its much more than visual distortions, its having an emotional attachment to the distortions. It increases my sensitivity to all emotions, especially anxiety.

I would love to get ahold of ibogaine. I have heard many things on its ability to cure HPPD, though have yet to find any legitimate data on the subject.

 

[ZzZzZ]

I wouldn't say I have HPPD, but I do do a bunch of psychedelics and whenever I close my eyes I have closed eye visuals, colors, patterns, etc. When I put in a couple of snus pouches (pasteurized tobacco used like dip) and close my eyes there are no colors which are always there other times. It is complete blackness, I see no tracers or anything. After the tobacco buzz wears off, the colors and tracers come back. I use tobacco off and on and just started using snus (on my 5th or so can). Before I found snus my nicotine consumption would come from on average 1 cigarette every 2 days.

 

[seep]

your disorder...is referred to as a "disinhibition of visual processing related to loss of serotonin receptors on inhibitory neurons". I think that amphetimines in general have MAOI action, so there should be an increase of serotonin.

You realize that monamines and monamine receptors are 2 different things.

To OP: the system of cognitive, neurological and electrophysiological events that leads to perceptual disturbances is complex, ouroboric and poorly understood, but it seems counterintuitive that a psychostimulant would ameliorate perceptual disturbances. Vigilance is heightened. The fight/flight/fright response is amplified. Then again, since moderate amphetamine use treats daytime parahynagogia, and DPH is frequently mistaken for HPPD, then the benefits you report may not be mere placebo. I'm guessing you don't even experience phosphenes?

 

[onmyway]

yes, but increasing serotonin could help compensate for having less receptors.
Sort of like how cholinesterase inhibitors work with myasthenia gravis.

Somebody else made a point about needing more than 20mg. That is probably a pretty good point.

 

[Sykoknot]

I'm guessing you don't even experience phosphenes?

I do..
Usually as i fall asleep and waking up.
Sometimes cannabis can induce the effect as well.
Though in most of the reading i have done, phosphenes are unrelated to HPPD.

 

[qhqhzn]

5 year HPPDer here. Findings are that amphetamines and some (but not all) derivatives do reduce symptoms personally, albeit temporarily. The only other "recreational" things that do are benzos, GHB, and oddly enough, mephedrone. There is a rumour going around on a well known HPPD website that coke also reduces symptoms.

 

[qhqhzn]

I do..
Usually as i fall asleep and waking up.
Sometimes cannabis can induce the effect as well.
Though in most of the reading i have done, phosphenes are unrelated to HPPD.

Phosphenes are sort of "independent" of HPPD. Similar to floaters and visible white blood cells. Both are obviously entopic phenomena which happen in everyone but manifest more severely with HPPD. My belief is that the the filters which Dr. Abraham believes are not functioning, filter out both neurological noise (that induce visual snow and so on) and "real" phenomena like floaters.

People with mild HPPD tend to get just entoptics plus some visual snow. When my HPPD was more severe, I got the other symptoms including colour changes, flashes of light, and so on, but the floaters, entoptics, ghosting and snow remain after my gradual recovery.

 

[Sykoknot]

Oh another note, the comedown of the Adderall seemed to INCREASE the HPPD for the duration of the comedown.

I've heard amny rumors of Ibogaine doing wonders for HPPD. Can anyone confirm that?

 

[Sykoknot]

Phosphenes are sort of "independent" of HPPD. Similar to floaters and visible white blood cells. Both are obviously entopic phenomena which happen in everyone but manifest more severely with HPPD. My belief is that the the filters which Dr. Abraham believes are not functioning, filter out both neurological noise (that induce visual snow and so on) and "real" phenomena like floaters.

People with mild HPPD tend to get just entoptics plus some visual snow. When my HPPD was more severe, I got the other symptoms including colour changes, flashes of light, and so on, but the floaters, entoptics, ghosting and snow remain after my gradual recovery.

2/3 of HPPD is noticing a common visual phenomena that most filter out. In a sense HPPD is knowing whats actually there.

 

[seep]

2/3 of HPPD is noticing a common visual phenomena that most filter out. In a sense HPPD is knowing whats actually there.

But this the very definition of Low Latent Inhibition. LLI has 2 major causes: psychosis and/or dopamine agonism. This is what I meant by counterintuitive.

Oh BTW, I meant do you get phosphenes while on amp?

No sleep deprivation, excessive daytime sleepiness, cataplexy, anterograde amnesia, delusion, dissociative episodes, depersonalization, paranoid ideation?

 

[Gormur]

i don't think i have hppd but i do have flashbacks or little visual and mental dissociative moments daily. they are much less pronounced and frequent while on my scripted amps.. altho if i stay up for any length of time past the 20hr mark, i start to trip out to the point where i may as well be on a good dose of sid. everything becomes foreign and detached, visual and aural hallucinations are persistent..

types of experiences i have - with and without sleep (more extreme without, obv) - shifting or melting patterns, strobe-light effect (flashing light- in a regularly lit room), clearly defined afterimages (especially in a well-lit room), 'lava floor/ceiling effect', auras around people, dissociation/detachment from my body, breathing objects, glowing lights, things randomly seem to vibrate, music sounds different-altered metallic pitch- and comes from nowhere sometimes, and other things like that.

sometimes it's really enjoyable, other times it causes a lot of emotional unrest. i didn't have the stress association before starting amps tho, so the feeling could have more to do with being strung out in general

-on an unrelated note, SSRI/SNRIs and antipsychotics gave me crazy visuals and mental distortion, but not in a pleasant way, ever..tho they were definitely LSD-inspired to say the least

 

[seep]

Gormur: 296.64

 

[qhqhzn]

But this the very definition of Low Latent Inhibition. LLI has 2 major causes: psychosis and/or dopamine agonism. This is what I meant by counterintuitive.

Oh BTW, I meant do you get phosphenes while on amp?

No sleep deprivation, excessive daytime sleepiness, cataplexy, anterograde amnesia, delusion, dissociative episodes, depersonalization, paranoid ideation?

I came across low latent inhibition when I was researching HPPD, and discussed it with my shrink, who said it was more like a psychological profile than a neurological condition like mine. She is a bit of a woo-woo and not a scientist but argued that it would present differently, and most significantly, across all sensory modalities (which HPPD definitely doesn't).

Edit: to throw you further off I was mis prescribed typical antipsychotics (dopamine antagonists, specifically thioridazine) by my GP who had never heard of HPPD and just thought I was insane. During that two day period where I tried them, it made me a lot worse.

In the time I've had HPPD the people whose symptoms I can most easily relate to are mainly knowledgeable people (friends who are medical/nursing students) with epilepsy and migraines with aura. In some cases, they have described speed as being helpful. There's a cloudy-mindedness associated with HPPD and DP/DR, as well (in real life, outside diagnostic books, there are a thousand other symptoms) which could be helped by stimulants.

I definitely don't recommend taking stimulants if you have HPPD. The only drug proven to help is clonazepam. A quick look at the hppd online drug use forum shows some people have totally different reactions to different psychoactives.