Schizophrenia?

[Clear Skye]

A couple months back I noticed my first symptoms of hypnagogia while stoned, when I thought I heard someone calling my name, when obviously no one was. Then a couple weeks ago I started seeing shadow people while high. Then just last week I was watching cartoon imagery on my wall for a little while. Someone told me these are symptoms of mild schizophrenia interacting with marijuana. Is this true? I just want a second opinion before I start taking this seriously. I'd really appreciate any feedback.

 

[molly897]

weed can bring out schizophrenia in certain people. do you have bad vision? i get visuals because i can't see well when i'm high. but the hearing thing i'm not sure i'd definitely talk to a psychologist about it. it's very genetic though and in most cases always from genetics

 

[Clear Skye]

weed can bring out schizophrenia in certain people. do you have bad vision? i get visuals because i can't see well when i'm high. but the hearing thing i'm not sure i'd definitely talk to a psychologist about it. it's very genetic though and in most cases always from genetics

I have pretty bad visual snow (it's more like static now) and I get after images and burn ins, or I'll see random specks of light appear and disappear. I also wear glasses, if that matters. I'm just confused, as all these symptoms seem individually not to be a big deal, but I'm not sure if it's because I have all of them that maybe it's an issue. I don't think I'm crazy, in a traditional sense, but at the same time it might explain some things...

 

[molly897]

if it gets worse i would cut back on the weed. it doesn't sound like you're enjoying yourself while high haha

if you don't have schizo/bipolar symptoms while not high i wouldn't be too worried. but weed can inflame it so you don't want it to get worse/permanent. my husband saw light spots for months after too much MDMA and this year he finally said it went away

 

[villian]

A couple months back I noticed my first symptoms of hypnagogia while stoned, when I thought I heard someone calling my name, when obviously no one was. Then a couple weeks ago I started seeing shadow people while high. Then just last week I was watching cartoon imagery on my wall for a little while. Someone told me these are symptoms of mild schizophrenia interacting with marijuana. Is this true? I just want a second opinion before I start taking this seriously. I'd really appreciate any feedback.

You need to remember marijuana is a hallucinogen, even if it is relatively mild one. I remember back in the day when I first started smoking and used to get really high I routinely would hear things (like my name being called). Seems to me you are just getting really high. Like someone else mentioned though there are studies showing that marijuana can bring out schizophrenia in some people but I don't really think that is the case here. If you plan to continue getting high I would just keep an eye on it.

 

[Clear Skye]

You need to remember marijuana is a hallucinogen, even if it is relatively mild one. I remember back in the day when I first started smoking and used to get really high I routinely would hear things (like my name being called). Seems to me you are just getting really high. Like someone else mentioned though there are studies showing that marijuana can bring out schizophrenia in some people but I don't really think that is the case here. If you plan to continue getting high I would just keep an eye on it.

This is basically what I thought, but the person I was talking to seemed very sure about it, so it kind of unsettled me. I guess I'll try and proceed with caution, but how would I know whether the marijuana is interacting with some latent schizophrenia within me? I've had close to every symptom of schizophrenia whilst high at different times over the years (fleeting delusions or fucked up speech patterns. Though my friends kind of also get the messed up speech thing) but I just assumed that's what getting high involved, it's never been all at once or been too overwhelming. Are there any warning signs I should look out for?

I also suffer from depression and anxiety, and I've toyed with idea of Schizophrenia before but never took it seriously. I'm just a little spooked that someone else thinks I may have it. I can't tell if other symptoms I have that might be attributed to some other disorder may actually be part of schizophrenia. I'll be seeing a shrink within a couple of weeks and I'll probably bring it up regardless, but I'm not sure what to think in the mean time.

 

[MrRoot]

I would kick out the weed as a full blown schizophrenia is not a thing you would want. It feels being normal but in the you are just in your dreamland and lose the connection to the real world and need full time observation and help to get through normal things. I had a girl friend who occassionally had schizophrenic perioids and seeing how she behaved was not really the best moments of my life. She has been on the psych ward for last three years and believes that she is a princess on a castle and the nurses are her servant maids.

And she started having those perioids after mild use and ended up in the ward after 6 months of daily weed usage with over 4 grams daily.

I would take take those presymptoms seriously. I dont do weed as I am bipolar.

 

[paranoid android]

Cannabis especially strong Sativa strains can heighten anxiety and much of the symptoms you described including hypnagogia as well as visual snow. I used to get very bad sleep paralysis where i would not be able to move, i could hear things and sometimes see things that where hallucination or real and i would more often then not feel the presence of someone else in the room just out of eye sight. Sometimes i would catch a glimpse or something but that was it. That is called the "old hag" where i am from and it's pretty common. Note that at this time i was mostly clean except for opiates taken as needed.

I had depersonalization and derealization really bad as a result of the generalized anxiety and since i had social phobia when i would be in a crowded place it felt like i was watching myself from afar. I also used to get it into my head that there where people lying in wait out in the dinning room, kitchen, etc during the night and sometimes i would be afraid to open my eyes if i woke up at night because i was afraid something would be there.

I finally gave in and saw a GP/therapist about it and i thought for sure that she was going to say schizophrenia. But nope she assured me i was not at all schizophrenic and that the symptoms i was experiencing where caused by my anxiety. So i was prescribed clonazepam for it and after a few days it was like looking at the world through new eyes. It took a few days or almost a week for the depersonalization/derealization to fully lift but it was not until it did that i realized just how bad my anxiety was.

I would highly suggest not smoking anymore weed and to go and talk to a doctor about it. One sad thing is some unenlightened doctors pass symptoms off as just use of illegal drugs no matter what the illegal drug in question is. Some of them don't seem to make the distinction between weed/hash and crack for fuck sakes 8) . So i would say give up smoking cannabis yourself and if your symptoms do not go away or atleast improve after abit of time then go see your doctor. If this is becoming unbearable id say go and see your doctor ASAP.

What medications if any are you on by the way? Some psych meds can make these symptoms worse or cause them out of the blue.

I would kick out the weed as a full blown schizophrenia is not a thing you would want. It feels being normal but in the you are just in your dreamland and lose the connection to the real world and need full time observation and help to get through normal things. I had a girl friend who occassionally had schizophrenic perioids and seeing how she behaved was not really the best moments of my life. She has been on the psych ward for last three years and believes that she is a princess on a castle and the nurses are her servant maids.

And she started having those perioids after mild use and ended up in the ward after 6 months of daily weed usage with over 4 grams daily.

I would take take those presymptoms seriously. I dont do weed as I am bipolar.

In my unmedical opinion (as noone here is a doctor much less a psychiatrist) it sounds alot more like a anxiety disorder then a schizophrenic one but i definitely agree that giving up the cannabis would be the best option at this point. Few things are worth losing your sanity over and weed is not one of them.

Interesting that you mention the fact that you have bipolar disorder as i do as well. Cannabis especially strong indica strains like kush help my bipolar alot especially the racing thoughts. It also helps the hypomania, mania, mixed states as well as depression. If it where not for cannabis i would most likely be completely insane even more so

But that is just how it affects ME and everyone reacts differently.

 

[Eyes On the Roll]

you will know you have it if these symptoms start to happen when your sober. but the trick is, you won't even think the voices or hallucinations are not real, you will probably not even realize you've become schizophrenic, until family members start hearing you talk to things or act differently, thats usually when people start to get help

i used to smoke weed every day, all day for a few years, however i went on probation for a short period and had to quit, now i cannot smoke weed at all because it completely freaks me out and makes me unreasonably paranoid. I am also bipolar

 

[fifleman]

Stop ingesting drugs, marijuana and everything. Center your body and let your mind naturally restore its' natural balance. Marijuana exacerbates certain pre-existing mental conditions, schizophrenia included.

Enlighten yourself through the world, not drugs.

 

[tealmoose]

I'd say go off the marijuana for a few months and see how you do. I haven't smoked in over a week now, I experience some signs of schizophrenia in addition to it running in the family. A week later and I still experience anxiety, panic, paranoia, hear voices occasionally, mood swings, and even have mild fleeting visual hallucinations (very rare though). Of course, it's only been one week.

 

[n3ophy7e]

A couple months back I noticed my first symptoms of hypnagogia while stoned, when I thought I heard someone calling my name, when obviously no one was. Then a couple weeks ago I started seeing shadow people while high. Then just last week I was watching cartoon imagery on my wall for a little while. Someone told me these are symptoms of mild schizophrenia interacting with marijuana. Is this true? I just want a second opinion before I start taking this seriously. I'd really appreciate any feedback.

Hi Clear Skye, I know I'm a little late to the thread but I'd just like to really stress to you what others have said. You should seriously consider taking a good long break from all recreational drugs. As molly said it doesn't sound like you're actually enjoying being stoned for the most part anyway, plus we only get one brain so we have to look after it!! Give your brain a rest from all drugs for a good few months, longer if necessary, and hopefully you will notice an improvement.

As a side note, when people tell you things such as hallucinations are a definite sign of schizophrenia, you need to stop and think for yourself how reliable their information is. What are their sources? Have they really researched the topic at hand? Or have they perhaps just heard it once on like a radio segment or a TV show, and perhaps misinterpreted the information? I'm not saying that your friend is lying, but with serious claims such as that you're developing schizophrenia, you should do your own research and speak to a professional before you get worried about it.
Oh, and also, even though hallucinogenic substances have been known to trigger/bring out schizophrenia in people, it's actually amphetamines which are more reknown for causing/triggering schizophrenia (as another side note).

With any psychedelic drugs e.g. LSD, DMT, marijuana etc etc, you can experience visual, tactile, auditory and even taste/smell hallucinations. You can also experience paranoia, psychosis and paranoid delusions. These all happen to be symptoms of schizophrenia as well, but that doesn't mean you're schizophrenic. It just means you've taken an hallucinogenic substance and you're tripping.

If you have these symptoms when you're sober, and if they are increasing in frequency/intensity, and/or if you have a family history of schizophrenia (ask both of your parents if you don't know), you should seek some professional help.

Let us know how you're going

 

[Cyc]

This is basically what I thought, but the person I was talking to seemed very sure about it, so it kind of unsettled me.

I think the person you're talking to was kind of a dick, because that is an unsettling thing to say to someone, especially if you don't know what the heck you're talking about.

I think you're fine. If you're worried, lay off the weed for a while and take inventory of how you feel. Schizophrenia is irrational, and you sound very rational. Put it this way. If you were really going crazy, you wouldn't know it.