Paranoid or Psycotic or Something

[appelza]

Hi,

I'm a 20 year old white male from South Africa.  I've recently moved back home after having lived in Cape Town for about a year and a half.

I started taking psycoactive drugs like Mushrooms, LSD and MDMA, and less frequently: Coke and Methamphetime.  The last few times with any drug, I'd get extremely paranoid, hear voices, see things, so I stopped.

I'm back home now, and I'm feeling extremely awkward.  I've never had any problems going out and being social, now I have a million insecurities.    It's been two months now since any drugs, I don't feel any withdrawl at all.  I just get sudden paranoia attacks that last around 5 minutes, when they happen I can't focus on anything I was focused on.  If people speak to me while I'm having an attack I become 'slow' and need to really focus hard to let go of the paranoia and act normal.  I've read that when you stop taking, the paranoia goes away.

I'm starting to fear I've simply unlocked a hidden mental illness by using all those drugs and its too late now.  The thing is, I _KNOW_ it's paranoia.  I immediately recognize it when it happens, and discredit it, but it still lasts.  I can't make it go away until it goes away.  It also varies, it can be a simple thought about someone having wispered something about me, or full blown panic like "I'm not even a human, just some experiment gone wrong and everyone is in on it, I can't ask them if I'm just being paranoid, because even if they say yes, if it was true thats what they would say to avoid being caught out!"  Those are the worst, it doesn't happen as frequently, and I always feel stupid when it's over, because then I become aware of how absurd it is.

I have a great job, great friends and no debt. I don't know why I'm getting paranoid, I don't even have enemies!  I'm honest aswel, so don't think I have guilt either.

I'd appreciate any advice, or questions if you need more details.

Thanks!

[appelza]

Hi again,

I went to see a doctor, and I got haloperidol, degranol and orphenadring.  All of this after 15 minutes of questions, I feel better, but I didnt get any ssri's (didnt ask either though).  Can you tell me what you think of the meds I'm taking?

Cheers!

[Roger Gould, M.D.]

These kind of flashbacks of acid trips are not uncommon.  Ask your doctor about ssri antidepressants that will help you restore your serotonin level in your brain, and that should stop it.  You don't have to stay on these antidepressants more than a few months.