Hello fellow forum goers: I wanted to reach out here for three reasons
1: To hopefully selfishly find someone with medication reactions like myself that may have found lasting improvement from something I haven't tried yet.
2: To inform other users of what might work based on my own experience.
3: While this post was originally for DPDR and Schizoid I'm adding it here because my reactions to medications are not just unique. But seem to be unique to PSSD sufferers. PSSD reddit and PSSD forum is the only place I've seen partial windows and rebound effects manifest like this and to these medications.
I am 35 and have been schizoid since I was roughly 12 or 13. I’ve been diagnosed and have all the classic symptoms along with many of the more nuanced ones seen on these forums. I understand why a lot of schizoids don’t seek help. I spent nearly my entire life believing other people were the problem. Overly emotional, illogical creatures that lacked objectivity that I simply couldn’t get along with. Much better for me to sit back and just observe humans like a science experiment. Then, purely by accident I experienced my first day without Schizoid and DPDR in over 2 decades. It was fully resolved and lasted all day. Within seconds of waking up and seeing resolution I realized I had a serious issue and that the problem was not everyone else but me. I had been alive. But I wasn't living. I had gone from zero emotions and seeing as people as objects to a full depth and breadth of emotions. People became people instead of objects. No longer was socializing a math problem. It was a natural connection that effortlessly flowed as I took in their humanness for what seemed like the first time my senses worked. I could see. Objects and my environment were sharp and crisp. I could feel the sunlight on my back for the first time since I was a kid. The environment had an emotional component to it I didn’t even know existed. After this experience I have been desperate to make it a lasting change. Pandora’s box was opened and it was absolutely painful to see what I had been missing and how much of my life had been wasted. It seems as though if DPDR wasn't a factor I wouldn't be a schizoid at all. I have all the classic DPDR symptoms as well. If it's a well known symptom of DPDR then when I say below it is resolved you can assume that symptom is resolved if its well known. For more specific ones I'm happy to answer in the comments.
MEDICATIONS
All medications below have only provided me temporary relief. They also only work when I am fresh. Meaning I have not taken them in a while or taken drugs recently with similar mechanisms.
1: Cyproheptadine: This is the medication that first resolved my DPDR. It was purely by accident as I bought this stuff for appetite stimulation. When avoiding other substances that alter 5HT (SSRIs, agonists, antagonists, modulators) this medication works for me 100% of the time and resolves the all symptoms entirely. I take a single 4mg tablet at night and the 5th day after waking up I am resolved for the entire day. It's give and take though. The days in between my mood is noticeably lower and I'm agitated. With how effective it is though it's almost always worth it.
2: Clomipramine: The first time I took this I was fixed for four days with a potency that rivaled cyproheptadine on the first and second day. Nowadays it typically only mostly fixes me the first day and partially the second day. I have to be pretty fresh from 5HT altering medications for it to work. Usually after about 3 weeks of chronic use it makes my symptoms worse. Keep in mind though that I have unusual reactions to medications and that is not the norm. This would probably the medication I would suggest to try more than anything because of how well it resolves symptoms when it does.
3: Buproprion: This medication is an interesting one. The morning after the first day of taking it I am usually resolved for most of that day. However continued/chronic use always make my symptoms substantially worse. Particularly the vision and emotional flatness.
4: Pristiq: Moving up doses on this medication will resolve me for a day. Chronic use makes symptoms worse. Occasionally if I haven't taken anything in a long time it will somewhat help for the first few days.
5: Modafinil: I can get a day or two of partial, but significant resolution if I haven't taken it in a while. Chronic use induces unpleasant side effects but so far has never made symptoms worse.
6: Zyprexa: Chronic use of fairly large doses has made the vision and hearing part of DPDR noticeably better but that's it. When lowering dose or discontinuing I get partial symptom relief in all areas.
7: Palmitoylethanolamide: An OTC supplement. Taken at night relieves some of the anhedonia symptoms the next day. I can generally take this two days in a row and see results.
8: MDMA: During a trip, it has no effect on DPDR. It can break down some social bariers in a meaninful way but its not the same as real relief. Several days after taking it though I find significant relief in all areas.
NOTEABLE MENTIONS
1: Vraylar: This does not relieve DPDR or schizoid. It did however increase how often I would have emotions. Though the emotions would still lack depth.
2: Seroquel: Same as above. Albeit with less consistency.
3: Saffron: Very rarely I have found it can produce micomoments of clarity. Like a hole was being poked in the veil.
4: SSRIs: Makes symptoms worse and drops my mood to hell no matter how much time I give it.
5: Klonopin: Makes sensory symptoms worse. The following day I find slight relief in this area.
6: Lamictal: With how popular this one is I thought I would include it. I have been up to 400mg and it's had no effect on DPDR positive or negative. Absolutely destroys my memory.
7: Ashwagandha: Continual dosing of this at 600mg worsens DPDR and schizoid substantially between 2 and 3 weeks.
Temporary resolution of all symptoms anyone?
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Re: Temporary resolution of all symptoms anyone?
Hi! To figure this out more specifically you need the dopamine receptor agonist group D2/3 as a probe. It is these receptors that most often cause depersonalization in combination with low serotonin ( high serotonin+D2 would cause a different condition- morality disgust paranoia). I would still look at HDAC2.
Clomipramine and cyproheptadine are stronger D2/3 antagonist and weaker D1 antagonist. It is possible that there is a rapid upregulation/rebound of D1+continuous blockade of D2/3 when the drug goes down slightly, but when it is fully withdrawn the rebound of D2/3 strongly worsens symptoms and is worse than it was.
Clomipramine and cyproheptadine are stronger D2/3 antagonist and weaker D1 antagonist. It is possible that there is a rapid upregulation/rebound of D1+continuous blockade of D2/3 when the drug goes down slightly, but when it is fully withdrawn the rebound of D2/3 strongly worsens symptoms and is worse than it was.
Re: Temporary resolution of all symptoms anyone?
I have actually gone the D2 and D3 route. I have tried some exceptionally potent D2 antagonists and gotten no rebound. I even took them at the beginning of a window and it did not diminish the window.
I have also tried potent D2 and D3 agonists while fresh and had no effect.
D2 may have a role here. But I spent a LONG time looking for that magic receptor. I have quite a bit of evidence at this point that it is an entire pathway thats screwed up and not a single receptor.
I believe that it is the same pathway that PSSD sufferers have an issue with as my reactions to pharms (i didnt list all of them above) are the same and these forums are the only place Ive seen those types of reactions.
I have also tried potent D2 and D3 agonists while fresh and had no effect.
D2 may have a role here. But I spent a LONG time looking for that magic receptor. I have quite a bit of evidence at this point that it is an entire pathway thats screwed up and not a single receptor.
I believe that it is the same pathway that PSSD sufferers have an issue with as my reactions to pharms (i didnt list all of them above) are the same and these forums are the only place Ive seen those types of reactions.
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