Post PVD Paranoia

Hi everyone,
I had a good time on friday night at QBH. Some friends came up from adelaide and it was good to see them again. One of them has been dropping and doing a bit of speed on the side for about a year now.. and never has really had a bad come down. IMO he has a weak mind and always used to get a bit paranoid on weed. This weekend, however, things all went a bit crazy and now everyone is getting very worried.
Early in the night we were doing a bit of speed, and he probably didnt have more than a point / point and a half of base. Then throughout the night he took an orange dove and a white diamond.. followed by a few puffs off a joint in the morning. Everyone thought he was fine-he certainly looked fine at about 730 am when we left.
Looking back, it seems he was getting a bit paranoid in the club, but it didnt worry me too much (mentioned something about undercovers following him around--i said dont worry give me the drugs let me deal with it)... it wasnt until he got back to a friend's house that he started going really nuts. he didnt sleep and was edgy, and a friend put on an adam sandler movie to help him sleep... he ended up thinking "they made the VCD just to get at him", and that "they knew so many things they shouldnt have known" (it was adam sandler for @#$%s sake)... by saturday night when i met up with him again it was clear that he was in a deep state of psychosis--it was quite unreal.
everyone that we were with im sure he was comfortable with before hand, he's been my best friend for i cant even remember how many years, and he was also with his cousin. he wasnt around strange people and before the night he was saying how good he felt to be in melbourne etc etc
Saturday night i gave him some temazapam in an attempt to give him some peace, but he didnt take them until about 4am--slept for 8 hours and i hoped he would be better in the morning. he seemed better and i was relieved. however today, back in adelaide it's back-- he wont talk on the phone because they can hear him, they are out to get him, all his friends are in on it, he cant trust anyone.
I am really worried, as is his family and friends in adelaide... i have always been of the thought that if you cant handle it, dont take it... and he always seemed able to handle it. I'm just wondering what other peoples' experiences are with this type of thing, and if it will last, should i worry, should i start planning to leave the country after his family send hitmen after me (they think i introduced him to drugs), how long this usually lasts.. etc.
thanks very much in advance

Had a friend who had the exact same problem about 6 months ago. In a club and he thought that every person in the place was an undercover cop (He had never been like this before). He used speed dope and weak E's on a weekly basis. All you can do is try to help him slow down and even take a break for a while (Month or more). If he doesn't take anything you may find that he comes back to normal in a day or so. Failing that he may wish to see a drug coucilor.
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To the one you feel in the metronome of your mind.
Does it offend you that our rhythm looks strange.
Or causes your thinking to be re arranged.
Could it be that you would understand this beat to which we dance
more clearly had you been given a chance
So as you struggle to find the feel with your feet
Ask yourself can you dance to my beat!

It sounds like you must get your freind to a psych as soon as possible. His paranoia could be the result of numerous factors, which have to be explored. Hopefully its temporary, but you cannot rule out the possibility that that the drugs have precipitated some form of latent schizophrenia. He is having delusions of persecution, and some of his symptoms sound disturbingly similair. Is there a history of psychiatric problems within his family? In any case, as far as treatment goes, the sooner the better. Even if it is just for his benefit, paranoid delusions make for a living hell. If you want whats best for your freind, don't delay. Antipsychotic drugs and therapy can help.
As for his family, well... They are not going to be too pleased with you (even if it is not your fault) but if you show genuine concern, then they should appreciate your help and honesty.
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The woods are dark and deep, and you have miles to go before you sleep...

i have had this exact same paranoia a fair few times. I worked out exactly why i was thinking this way, and why i was thinking everybody around was undercover cops etc or whateva, and then it wasnt a problem cause i realised why i was thinking it. That is the way to overcome it i reckon.
I found it fun at the time when i got paranoid like this tho. its like playing mind games with yaself sort of.

hehe well my friend had what you would probably call psychosis rather than just paranoia... he wanted to jump out my 18th floor window didnt seem like a game to him
hes still pretty messy at home..
apparently getting better tho..lots of support..family all involved now

Had this once for a week. Caused by too much partying, not enough sleep, then a couple of bad caps right at the end of summer holidays.
Went crazy for a week... full range of schitzophrenic and bipolar symptoms, as well as others. Have had it once since, but now that I know what it is, its easy. At the time I honestly thought I was losing my mind. Also came with some auditory/visual hallucinations (like seeing those things from Ghost that drag people into hell sneaking up on me, then when I turn around, they shrink away, waiting for me to turn back - that went for 2 or 3 days straight). Nothing pleasant. Paranoid delusions like driving home at 160 because I convinced myself during the ride that my girlfriend had a bloke over and I wanted to catch them.
Ended up being referred to a doctor by uni counsellors, then being put on suicide care ("are you sure you can drive") and then being referred to a shrink as a an urgent case. By the time that the appointment came, I was back to my old self again, and it seemed like a dream.
Keep a real watch on your friend - after a few days of this the delusions seem REAL - even if you sorta knew that they probably werent at the beginning. My thoughts are with him and you.
Note: I have read that amphetamine abuse can lead to a condition indistinguishable from schitzophrenia. I would believe this.

it seems very real at the time. but once u realise what it is it no longer seems real anymore. I would have to agree ya get it after doin it a bit overboard.

Had the same thing happen with a friend a couple of years ago. My friend was so bad that he even went and saw a top perth lawyer and asked the lawyer to help him get away from "them". We laugh about it now but at the time it was one of the most scariest experiences my group of friends has ever had to deal with.
Our friend almost died of hyperthermia after sleeping in a creek in the middle of winter in a state of paranoia trying to hide from the imaginary police. He even covered himself with mud to hide from the "infra red camera's"
Luckily after alot of sleep and some sensible talk he snapped out of it. The whole episode lasted about 3 days.
He has taken drugs since but hasnt had relapses of any kind.
I would suggest that you try and get someone he feels safe around to stay with him and ensure that he gets lots of sleep. Then after he does try and get that person to talk some sense into him. Other than that theres not much you can do.
Try doing the above first though. Taking him to a mental hospital before giving him a chance to come good could do more harm than good. Imagine how freaky going to mental hospital would be if he's already paranoid!
I have heard of people totally losing the plot after that happening.