# Rx and Rec Drugs that can cause DP



## Dreamer

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/468728_print

*This is on Medscape. You need to register informally to access the 
full article.*

*Medication-Associated Depersonalization Symptoms: Report of 
Transient Depersonalization Symptoms Induced by Minocycline*

*Philip R. Cohen, MD
South Med J 97(1):70-73, 2004. ? 2004 Lippincott Williams & 
Wilkins*

Posted 03/10/2004
--------------------------------
*Medications Associated with Depersonalization Symptoms
This table is at the end of the article, including a very detailed 
bibliography.
(This includes both Rec drugs and Rx drugs. The article notes that 
this induced DP is reversed when meds are discontinued. Obviously this 
is not the case for everyone.)
Best,
D*

*"Alcohol
Antihistamines
Antipsychotics
Anxiolytics - (Anti-anxiety medications)
Benzodiazepines
Caffeine
Carbamazepine
Fluoxetine
Fluphenazine
Hallucinogens
Indomethacin
LSD
Marijuana
Meta-chlorophenylpiperazine
Minocycline (this article)
Nitrazepam
Sodium pentothal*
-----------------

*Abstract*
Patients with depersonalization disorder experience episodes in which 
they have a feeling of detachment from themselves. Symptoms of 
depersonalization may occur in individuals who have other mental 
disorders, or who have various medical conditions, or who have taken 
certain medications.

A woman developed depersonalization symptoms after initiation of 
minocycline therapy. Her symptoms ceased after treatment was stopped 
and recurred when she restarted the drug. Medications that have been 
associated with causing symptoms of depersonalization are presented and 
the postulated pathogenesis by which some of these drugs induced 
depersonalization symptoms is discussed. Medication-associated 
depersonalization symptoms typically resolve once the inducing drug has 
been withdrawn.

*Introduction*
Psychiatric syndromes that consist of disruptions of aspects of 
consciousness, environmental awareness, identity, memory, or motor 
behavior are classified as dissociative disorders.[1]

Depersonalization disorder is a dissociative disorder characterized by 
persistent or recurrent episodes in which the individual has a feeling 
of detachment or estrangement from one's self. Although their reality 
testing remains intact, the person may feel like they are living in a 
dream or like an automation.

*Depersonalization disorder cannot be diagnosed if it is part of another psychiatric condition or if it is secondary to a medical disorder or if it is caused by a drug.[1-7]*

*In contrast, transient depersonalization symptoms may occur in 
association with several mental disorders, medical conditions, or 
medications.[1-42]*

Minocycline is a semisynthetic tetracycline derivative that is well 
absorbed after oral administration.[43-45] Since it penetrates well 
into sebum, secondary to its high lipid solubility, it is commonly used 
in the treatment of acne vulgaris.[46] The potential profile of 
minocycline-associated adverse sequelae has been established.[43-51]

Central nervous system-related side effects that may occur in patients 
treated with this medication include headaches, light-headedness, 
pseudotumor cerebri (also referred to as benign intracranial 
hypertension, which clinically presents with blurred vision and 
headache), and vestibular disturbances (such as ataxia, vertigo, and 
dizziness).[43-46,52-54]

A young woman with minocycline-induced transient depersonalization 
symptoms is described. Her symptoms began after initiating treatment 
with minocycline, ceased after stopping the medication, and recurred 
after restarting the drug.

Other medications that have been associated with causing symptoms of depersonalization are summarized and some of the postulated mechanisms for the pathogenesis of these drug-related symptoms are discussed.

*Conclusions*
Individuals may develop depersonalization symptoms after medication 
administration. Depersonalization symptoms appeared in a woman after 
starting minocycline therapy and resolved once the drug was stopped; 
subsequently, the symptoms promptly recurred when she rechallenged 
herself with minocycline and permanently resolved after the medication 
was discontinued.

The pathophysiology of minocycline-associated depersonalization 
symptoms remains to be established. However, alternative mechanisms of pathogenesis?not necessarily mutually exclusive?have been hypothesized for some of the other medications associated with inducing 
depersonalization symptoms: *hypersensitivity of the serotonin system, 
drug-related metabolic encephalopathy, panic disorder-related etiology, 
and substance-induced temporal disintegration possibly secondary to 
increased levels of brain activity.*

*Medication-associated depersonalization symptoms typically resolve 
once the inducing drug has been withdrawn."*


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## Dreamer

From the article, the DSM-IV, the Merck Manual, and the ICD-9 ... is it 9 now? -- anyway

*"Depersonalization disorder cannot be diagnosed if it is part of another psychiatric condition or if it is secondary to a medical disorder or if it is caused by a drug."*

Per this DSM-IV definition, if any of us experience other symptoms w/our DP, and it was CAUSED by a Rec/Rx [edit] drug, we do not have Depersonalization *Disorder*. This is "Primary" DP. It would seem few if any members of this board have Primary DP.

Dr. Sierra at the IoP is trying to research Primary DP in order to understand the basic mechanism, but finding actual individuals w/PRIMARY DP is difficult. These individuals apparently have tumors/lesions, etc. He has also gone back to study any literature on true Primary DP patients.

Go figure. This really confuses me.
Also, traisient DP is apparently very common in the population-at-large w/out any psychiatric diagnosis or disability. This transient DP is not disabling socially or occupationally.

Hmm.
D :roll: 
I'm outta' here.....


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## GavinD

Well I know I keep banging on about it, but I had dp years before I had any other psychiatric problems. And I wasn't taking any drugs at the time it started. There seemed no reason for it whatsoever...so maybe I am one of these rare people with primary DP. Who Knows.

g


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## Dreamer

Gavin when the DP first came on, you had no anxiety, no depression, no panic with it at all? You weren't an anxious person, etc? And now do you have anxiety, panic, etc. This is a sticky wicket.
Best,
D :shock:


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## jc

i had dp before i took meds so logically speaking i cant blame the meds....
thanks for the email btw dreamer,im back on track :wink:


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## Dreamer

Glad to hear it mate


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## Guest

I got then well... *Something* after I smoked a joint 3 years ago!, I started taking meds, it helped, i smoked again, and used more meds. I am currently using Effexor XR 150mg + 100mg Xanax -- not 10mg 100mg! I am trying to get of it. So what do I have? The "tapering of the Xanax definately causes DP/DR. :roll:

So i assume i will fall under the categoray secondary DP?? For the side effects of Xanax? But what obout the joint i smoked? Is that then: *substance-induced temporal disintegration.
* :?:


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## lone wolf

I guess I belong to the category of primary DP, as 15 years ago (1989) I first started feeling detached from my surroundings I didn't use any drugs, not even alcohol. Also I didn't have anxiety, depression or other psychological symptoms, only this feeling of being like asleep while awake or being behind an invisible icy wall, which separates me from my surroundings. I was 14-yr-old when I started feeling like this and now am 29 yrs... I was surprised to hear that primary DP is a rare phenomenon, as it must be the case with me. :shock: Any others?


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## Martinelv

100mg of Xanax ? A day ? Really ? That's the equivalent of, er, well, a LOT of Valium. At least 1000mg a day....that can't be right. 1000mg of Valium a day would knock out a horse, several horses !!


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## GavinD

I'm with you Ninnu, I've been on this board for nearly a year and it's taken me this long to realise that people who had DP before any other problems are rare as a lottery winning unicorn.

Yes Dreamer, I had no probs whatsoever before DP came. It was the most stress free time of my life. I'd graduated from uni the year before and I was building up my portfolio at my own pace (i wanted and still do, to become an illustrator) but there was no pressure on me financially. I was enjoying life.

I know the exact date the switch went in my brain...March 8th 2000. I was just sitting in a pub half way down my first pint of guiness (that night) when all of a sudden it felt like the world had become distanced and flat, like I was somewhere else, or like I was half asleep and half awake. Of course this bothered me, but eventually as the days went on I tried just to get on with my life and hope it would go away. But IT never did, instead my life and my motivation slipped away and I guess that's what created my panic disorder, when things gradually built up and up and I realised this thing might stop me from doing all the things I'd dreamed of doing. Now, that seems to be under control with Efexor, but the DP is there as always.

gav


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## lone wolf

Hi Gavin, I'm in the same boat. I remember I used to read lots of biological etc. literature when I was under 14-yr-old, also I used to draw every day. But since I started feeling DP/DR, those things that had interested me lost some of their meaning, as I couldn't feel much enthusiasm anymore. Nowadays I'm not much into natural sciences during my spare time, as I need to read the stuff for exams - but I draw & plan my scifi comic when I have free time. The only thing is that I have to press me to draw - never having natural inspiration for anything. *sigh* I only hope I would feel it though, someday...so I keep trying. At least I have learned never to wait for the inspiration, cuz then you have to wait forever and will never draw anything... :wink:


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## peacedove

I also have primary DP. My first experience with it was when I was six. No drugs, no alchohol, nothing. I was sitting in the car with my family thinking about God when it happened. Ninnu I like your quote.


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## lone wolf

Thanks Peacedove - I do not remember anymore where I found the quote, but I have been using it with a couple of years. It is nice to meet other people with primary DP too, in that way I don't feel so much out of place here. This forum is great, though it seems I stay sometimes too much time online, when I have spare time.


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## Guest

The first time it happened to me was when I was about 17 and just watched a scary movie at a friends. I came home and my house I had grown up in just didn't seem familiar anymore. I kept petting my cat and was totally freeked out. I was up all night. When my parents woke up I told them what was going on. They asked me if I'd ever taken LSD and I admitted I had. They called some therapist on the phone and she told them I was having an acid flashback and that it might go away soon or may last forever, you just never know. This REALLY freaked me out! It was gone by that evening.

I also got it from smoking pot and thinking it was laced. It was last for a couple days.

I also got it once when I was 18. I was in Job Corp. When I got up and went outside it was wierd because the place was quite and I didn't know where everyone was. Then I noticed police dogs on the football field. I wasn't aftaid this time. I just felt like I was in a dream and I couldn't wake up.

I wonder then, If this is my primary problem as well. Hmmmmm....

Carla


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## sixtiessoul

I don't mean to start an all out "No, you don't mean ME" war here, but I personally believe that since this illness is considered psychobiological, that the chemical part of the illness, is VERY crucial to the onset, induction, or root cause of DP/DR in general. The brain, though well studied, is not greatly understood by the concepts of science, and potential of it. I think of everything chemically. Even those who say "Well I had DP before taking drugs." DID you? Were you ever anaesthitized for a common childhood mishap, surgery, illness? Tonsils being taken out, wisdom teeth being removed. Chemical, common for causing DP/DR I've read. What about pregnant women? Drugs used for pain of labor? etc.

Not to mention the non-foreign-body substances that make us see what we see, do what we do. We are only the product of our bodies make-up. That means to me, synapses firing. I don't find it at all unusual that those things could become damaged and muddled up. (Perhaps it was learning about the nervous system in adv. 4th grade, and how if 2 neurons touched one could die, or have stroke). Anyways, trauma victims, the removal of the psyche, ego, superego, ID. It seems to me, that EVEN if you believe in a "higher" power, don't you think there's an all inclusive answer that...well even if that's the case, in this existence, these are the bodies we've been given, and unfortunately they've malfunctioned...

Gives rise to the idea that one might be handicapped, or some such, and many different issues raised, that lead back to a chemcial disorder, that gives rise to a psychological disorder that gives reciprocation (through anxiety) to a bigger chemical disorder, and so on and so on, in reciprocal.

That is, and just always has been my contention, from Cannabis-induced souls who HATE the sound of Jimi Hendrix now, to blokes on a bicycle ride who suddenly had the sun just become "too bright" for them. Psycho-BIOLOGICAL.

Thanks for all the really good info dreamer.

(Benzodiazepams work for me...Klonopin...so, maybe it's not all inclusive...since at the time, that was what was working for everyone, circa...00'/01' right?)

Cheers!

Doug / Sixtiessoul (that70sboy/ dj)


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## sixtiessoul

I don't mean to start an all out "No, you don't mean ME" war here, but I personally believe that since this illness is considered psychobiological, that the chemical part of the illness, is VERY crucial to the onset, induction, or root cause of DP/DR in general. The brain, though well studied, is not greatly understood by the concepts of science, and potential of it. I think of everything chemically. Even those who say "Well I had DP before taking drugs." DID you? Were you ever anaesthitized for a common childhood mishap, surgery, illness? Tonsils being taken out, wisdom teeth being removed. Chemical, common for causing DP/DR I've read. What about pregnant women? Drugs used for pain of labor? etc.

Not to mention the non-foreign-body substances that make us see what we see, do what we do. We are only the product of our bodies make-up. That means to me, synapses firing. I don't find it at all unusual that those things could become damaged and muddled up. (Perhaps it was learning about the nervous system in adv. 4th grade, and how if 2 neurons touched one could die, or have stroke). Anyways, trauma victims, the removal of the psyche, ego, superego, ID. It seems to me, that EVEN if you believe in a "higher" power, don't you think there's an all inclusive answer that...well even if that's the case, in this existence, these are the bodies we've been given, and unfortunately they've malfunctioned...

Gives rise to the idea that one might be handicapped, or some such, and many different issues raised, that lead back to a chemcial disorder, that gives rise to a psychological disorder that gives reciprocation (through anxiety) to a bigger chemical disorder, and so on and so on, in reciprocal.

That is, and just always has been my contention, from Cannabis-induced souls who HATE the sound of Jimi Hendrix now, to blokes on a bicycle ride who suddenly had the sun just become "too bright" for them. Psycho-BIOLOGICAL.

Thanks for all the really good info dreamer.

(Benzodiazepams work for me...Klonopin...so, maybe it's not all inclusive...since at the time, that was what was working for everyone, circa...00'/01' right?)

Cheers!

Doug / Sixtiessoul (that70sboy/ dj)


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## shadowness

that was indeed a very inetersting read...

i had an allergic reaction to Venlafaxine...i only took two 75mg (on seperate days)...it was for anxiety and depression...

and i had major symptoms....skin burning...throat closed...could not breathe...loosing sight...numbness...pins and needles...thumping racing heart....hot cold sweats....disorientation...dizziness tot he point of collapsing....pains all over...the whole lot on the leaflet...

it think it is safe to say it was the scariest moment of my life... :shock: 

it was the first time i had experienced dp/dr...

and since i have not been the same...

my anxiety has been much worse since then...

and i am sure it was the trigger to my dp/dr...despite when the tablets had left my system i think i was ok...shortly after....

but that was not doubt due to the relief of getting the chemicals out of my body...

so now i am petrified to go on any meds...

i panic if i have to take a pain killer! :roll:

but if meds caused it....i am trying to find a non-med solution to solve my dp/dr problem.

my doctors and therapists just keep telling me that it could not have been the trigger as i was experiencing unreality symptoms before i took them...

but at least before those tablets i did not check out my heart rate all the time or check my breathing or felt completely detached from myself and my surroundings!

sorry...a simple post has turned into a rant :? :roll:

i hope i can find a solution without meds...


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## shadowness

that was indeed a very inetersting read...

i had an allergic reaction to Venlafaxine...i only took two 75mg (on seperate days)...it was for anxiety and depression...

and i had major symptoms....skin burning...throat closed...could not breathe...loosing sight...numbness...pins and needles...thumping racing heart....hot cold sweats....disorientation...dizziness tot he point of collapsing....pains all over...the whole lot on the leaflet...

it think it is safe to say it was the scariest moment of my life... :shock: 

it was the first time i had experienced dp/dr...

and since i have not been the same...

my anxiety has been much worse since then...

and i am sure it was the trigger to my dp/dr...despite when the tablets had left my system i think i was ok...shortly after....

but that was not doubt due to the relief of getting the chemicals out of my body...

so now i am petrified to go on any meds...

i panic if i have to take a pain killer! :roll:

but if meds caused it....i am trying to find a non-med solution to solve my dp/dr problem.

my doctors and therapists just keep telling me that it could not have been the trigger as i was experiencing unreality symptoms before i took them...

but at least before those tablets i did not check out my heart rate all the time or check my breathing or felt completely detached from myself and my surroundings!

sorry...a simple post has turned into a rant :? :roll:

i hope i can find a solution without meds...


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## dreamcatcher

i also belive a have got dp through meds. i went to the gps with a pain in my head, which i now think was tension, iwas given carmazapine 100mg 2 times a day, they knocked me out totally, i only took 6 tabs, and that was 11 months ago. the gps reckon that the dp would be short term will the meds left my system, i think they were wrong, i use to enjoy life, icould come and go as i pleased, take my kids out, socialize, but now i hate been in, i cant go out on my own, isuffer from chronic anxiety, depression and panic attacks, hopefully the meds i am now on will help, and the community mental health team are trying to help me get some confidence, but its a long slow process, heres hoping we are all better soon and able to live life to the full once again.


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## dreamcatcher

i also belive a have got dp through meds. i went to the gps with a pain in my head, which i now think was tension, iwas given carmazapine 100mg 2 times a day, they knocked me out totally, i only took 6 tabs, and that was 11 months ago. the gps reckon that the dp would be short term will the meds left my system, i think they were wrong, i use to enjoy life, icould come and go as i pleased, take my kids out, socialize, but now i hate been in, i cant go out on my own, isuffer from chronic anxiety, depression and panic attacks, hopefully the meds i am now on will help, and the community mental health team are trying to help me get some confidence, but its a long slow process, heres hoping we are all better soon and able to live life to the full once again.


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## Inflammed

I was a normal human

Recreational Drugs brought DP
DP brought Anxiety
Anxiety brought Anxiety (level 2)
Anxiety (level 2) brought DR and worsten DP
DP/DR maintained Anxiety
DP/DR made me use Xanax
Xanax got things 10X worst as they were
Took me 6 months to overcome the Xanax addiction and withdrawal.
Still having some withdrawal symptoms from Xanax like heart pain and extreme dizziness....
Xanax have got my DP/DR to a higher level

NOrmal people fight over their lives, to get a good work or having friends or enjoying life....I only have the energy to fight this beast.

A storm in the temple of the mind.


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## Inflammed

I was a normal human

Recreational Drugs brought DP
DP brought Anxiety
Anxiety brought Anxiety (level 2)
Anxiety (level 2) brought DR and worsten DP
DP/DR maintained Anxiety
DP/DR made me use Xanax
Xanax got things 10X worst as they were
Took me 6 months to overcome the Xanax addiction and withdrawal.
Still having some withdrawal symptoms from Xanax like heart pain and extreme dizziness....
Xanax have got my DP/DR to a higher level

NOrmal people fight over their lives, to get a good work or having friends or enjoying life....I only have the energy to fight this beast.

A storm in the temple of the mind.


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## Guest

The biggest offender by a wide margin is LSD. I only took it twice. Thats all my mind needed to collapse. DXM, X, Tranqs, pot, alcohol, SSRIs, adderall, all screw with my trip.

The only drugs i can take are benzos, painkillers and nicotine. Not like I condone any of them. I'm 1/100th the user I used to be.


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## Guest

Haha, i love that site


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## Guest

NOrmal people fight over their lives, to get a good work or having friends or enjoying life....I only have the energy to fight this beast.

this is EXACTLY how i feel. I swear i said the same thing today


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## Guest

moving thread to top


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## Guest

oh, by the way, dp/dr hit me after taking the drug Accutane (for acne)


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## Guest

I had my first experience after being given Compazine for a stomach bug to stop my vomitting.

It lasted about 2-3 days.

Then, I took Melatonin for a few weeks, it triggered it.

I went on Lexapro (SSRI) for anxiety and ever since it kicked in, have lived in a DP/DR state.


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## livinginhell333

i had dp after smoking weed, but still had feelings, although mostly of anger and irritation still was happy and excited over certain things. then had a nervous breakdown/panic attack psychotic episode. whatever you want to call it and have never been the same. i think the antipsychotics made my dp worse or something. they made me have no feelings and i still have no feelings. or maybe i took so much energy and adrenaline out on the hospital visits and the anxiety that followed, that i just don't feel any anxiety/excitement/feelings anymore because i overworked my mind and body and spirit and its telling me its had enough, so everything is taking a break. my mind, body soul, consiousness, everything, just because it doesn't want to deal with stress anymore. i just want to by myself again.


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## Guest

Hello,

I don't know if others have had this same experience but this is what really triggered my dp and subsequent panic attacks. I used to smoke a tonne of marijuana, then one night I smoked a joint with my girlfriend, just a tiny one. That's when things got really wierd. I was incredibly stoned in a bad way (the stuff was obviously laced) and the television was on and I felt as though the people in the program were talking specifically to me (don't laugh, it's scary as hell). I turned off the TV and my girlfriend was petting my head trying to calm me down (she was messed up too but not nearly as badly). That's when I got my first taste of depersonalization. I felt like she was reading my thoughts, almost as if we were the same person. Then I started to think that my whole life up to that point had been a big dream and I was about to wake up alone. That was 6 years ago and recounting it churns my stomach.

I realize I'll likely never be able to get back to the way things were before my dp but I would love to be able to take this power and harness it instead of it controlling my life.

Thanks for listening,

Paul


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## David Kozin

Please take the study, so we can collect all of these results for drug-induced DP and DR. - dk


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## someguy

... I got it from too much nutmeg :shock:


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## Scattered

I tried nutmeg. It had a very strange, kind of sedating effect. It also made me feel a bit paranoid. Good to see I wasn't the only person shoving condiments down my throat to get a cheap "high". Not that its a good thing, but I don't feel as desperate.


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## someguy

No, mine was accidental. I put too much into a pie.


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## Scattered

LOL. thanks.


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## Guest_

.


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## agentcooper

my dp was triggered by taking a combination of allegra d (allergy medicine) and ortho-tri-cyclen (which is a birth control pill). i had missed a couple of days of my ortho-tri-cyclen so i took 2 in one day...which is what the instructions recommend. now, i'm not on any thing, but i still have mild to moderate dr because my hormones are out of whack...


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## Guest

Bad trip just ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Seeker

I have used MDMA as a spiritual drug for the past 5 years, (once every six month) and every use i would take up to 6 pills in a 1.5 to 2 hours time gap..Prior to the last time, I had no problems whatsoever, and things were under control..the worst that would happen after such a trip is waking up a bit depressed, which usually fades away in a day or two..
However, the last time I did about a year and a half ago, things didn't feel the way they should, which I think those were of a bad quality.. Since then, my life has been upside down; things started to gradually get out of control, and instead of getting rid of that abnormal state of mind in the follwoing couple of days, it seemed like those side affects, have grown bigger to become what i have come to learn as DP.
Has anyone had a similar experience, and is there a way to reverse it? 
Thanks


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## enoeht

Ninde said:


> I guess I belong to the category of primary DP, as 15 years ago (1989) I first started feeling detached from my surroundings I didn't use any drugs, not even alcohol. Also I didn't have anxiety, depression or other psychological symptoms, only this feeling of being like asleep while awake or being behind an invisible icy wall, which separates me from my surroundings. I was 14-yr-old when I started feeling like this and now am 29 yrs... I was surprised to hear that primary DP is a rare phenomenon, as it must be the case with me. :shock: Any others?


I think I might have primary DP also. I think I got it sometime in grade school, and that was way before I ever touched any form of drug. I'm going to call around today and see if I can find a psychiatrist familiar with the subject. I'm sure it's not going to be easy to find one who won't want to blame the problem on something else, but I'm absolutely sure it began after a serious fall in which I did damage to my skull. That was when I was in 1st grade I believe, and I'm 36 now.


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## mind^partizan

It seems that in my case the DP is a secondary disorder. I started feeling detached about 3 months after Dec 8, 2005 (when my extreme anxiety started) during that time i was taking an anti-psychotic - zyprexa , it was 5 or even 10mg... I think this is zyprexas job. It made me feel strange right from the beginning, and progressed i guess. DP didnt dissapear till now, even when i dont have any anxiety, nor OCD, nor taking zyprexa any more. I just take Effexor 187.5mg, i dont know what effect can effexor have on this... :roll:


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## BellaMIA1

Martinelv said:


> 100mg of Xanax ? A day ? Really ? That's the equivalent of, er, well, a LOT of Valium. At least 1000mg a day....that can't be right. 1000mg of Valium a day would knock out a horse, several horses !!


I don't think they prescibe Xanax that high, it's usually 1 mg to 2 mg. They don't even like to prescibe the 2 mg. because it's addictave at that dosage. Are you sure it was mg.?


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## Rated

Hi. I'm new.
I was suprized to learn that this disorder could come from drug use.
I've smoked MJ from time to time and there have been times I really thought there was something... not right about it.
I can't blame it all on that because I know that a lot of it came on before then, but.
I guess it was a combination.
I'm so happy to have found this site and other people like me. It really gives me hope.


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## candidacatalino

I am so happy, yet sad for those who have this terrible disorder, to find that other people have this. I am on 100 mg. zoloft, and 25 mg of seroqual. I have had dp for 30 years. It's awful and I never wanted to tell anyone cuz of fear of them thinking I am "nuts". I deal w/ it by sleeping, writing, sometimes just bursting out into tears. I never did any type of drug. It happened to me after an abortion when I was 19; came over me a little at a time, taking away my appetite. It sucks!! 
-Candida A. Catalino


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## Angelique

Well I really dont know where to begin. I suppose I am scared would be the most valid thing to say. I have been doing so much searching the last couple months on what happened to "me" or shall I say what is happening to me everyday. I know that I am a victim of something, in probably its worst form. DP makes alot of sense. I think it was a combination of a bad mushroom trip that I recovered from but then started taking an acne medicine called accutane, and in the midst of a phone call ....I started to lose control. This nothingness I feel everyday for everything and everyone might have to be the rest of my life. I just tell myself to play the actress (referring to my old self). Luckily I have documented my experience, so I have a reference. I joined this sight in hopes to talk with people and to maybe find ways of coping. I don't understand how to live this life anymore. It doesnt seem like its mine after "DP" stripped me of my dreams, my sense of self, my ambition, my courage, my drive, my love, and my happiness. I feel trapped and there is no way out and everyone around me is unfortunatly in it with me. Please Help


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## norm14104

whitegoldenqueen said:


> I got then well... *Something* after I smoked a joint 3 years ago!, I started taking meds, it helped, i smoked again, and used more meds. I am currently using Effexor XR 150mg + 100mg Xanax -- not 10mg 100mg! I am trying to get of it. So what do I have? The "tapering of the Xanax definately causes DP/DR. :roll:
> 
> So i assume i will fall under the categoray secondary DP?? For the side effects of Xanax? But what obout the joint i smoked? Is that then: *substance-induced temporal disintegration.
> * :?:


 :shock: There is NO WAY you are taking 100 mgs of Xanax my friend else you would be dead. That much Xanax is NEVER prescribed, EVER. That is the equivalent of 1000 ozs of hard liquore and so I say you are plain out of your mind trying to gain attention as a addict in motion.

Sorry, but you can never live even detoxing from that much. Get off this forum and get to rehab yesterday.


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## NorrinRadd

Interesting about the Minocycline in the first post. I've read it can cause "vestibular" issues, and those can be related to dp/dr.

I have generally assumed my dp/dr is "primary." However, I did take quite a bit of Terramycin in my youth and teens -- enough to permanently stain my teeth gray. Since Terramycin is, like Minocycline, a Tetracycline-derivative, I wonder if there may be some relationship there.


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## wednesday

i took minocyclene for acne when i was 13 until i was a sophmore in high school
i wish the dermatologist wouldve told me this could happen if i took it


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## catherinejulia

I BELIEVE EFFEXOR XR IS ONE OF THE CAUSES OF MY DP. I HAVE BEEN ON IT FOR YEARS AND MY DR EVEN SAID HE THINKS IT IS FROM THAT. I AM CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF GOING OFF EFFEXOR FOREVER AND I CAN'T WAIT.


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## dc5_dapper

well im 19 years old, and I guess im primary dp.. I dont quite unederstand (im high right now so that doesnt help) but I got this feeling about a year or more about when my friend tricked me into thinking a bowl of salvia was weed, I hit it and hit it hard and went into another world, demnsion whatever you want to call it all I know it wasnt on this planet experience, and it felt like a pain you would get when your sentenced to hell.. anyway ever since that experience my life has been blurry and when I was takin philosophy in college I would feel really really weird un real and what not.. I had gotten a huge panic attack the day I turned 19 cuz I was extremely high and I felt unreal, and since I was high everythin was movin and trippin me out.. but my question is since my DP is primary what does that mean, that theres no cure.. stop doin the drug? cuz I stoped for 7 months prior to the panic attack but post the salvia trip and it wasnt that bad but since that panic attack I felt the blur and quit for at most 2 months... I feel like dieing some days and no one in my life probably has a clue


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## egodeath

Dreamer said:


> From the article, the DSM-IV, the Merck Manual, and the ICD-9 ... is it 9 now? -- anyway
> 
> *"Depersonalization disorder cannot be diagnosed if it is part of another psychiatric condition or if it is secondary to a medical disorder or if it is caused by a drug."*
> 
> Per this DSM-IV definition, if any of us experience other symptoms w/our DP, and it was CAUSED by a Rec/Rx [edit] drug, we do not have Depersonalization *Disorder*. This is "Primary" DP. It would seem few if any members of this board have Primary DP.


I think the DSM-IV criteria stating "depersonalization disorder cannot be diagnosed...if it caused by a drug" means that one doesn't have DPD if they are _under the influence_ of a drug, but if they discontinue the drug for a long period, they do, in fact, have DPD. Someone on a high dose of LSD could not be diagnosed with DPD even though they would show many of the symptoms. However, if the LSD wore off and the person discontinued use of the drug, yet still exhibited symptoms, then they could be diagnosed with the disorder.


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## Cathal_08

what about ecstasy? is it likely to trigger DP or make it worse for someone with DP already, i never took any drugs not even prescribed drugs, the only things i have taken is weed and alcohol.
but if i was to try anything it would likelty be ecstasy...so will it make it much worse?


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## egodeath

Maybe, maybe not. I wouldn't recommend it.


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## Cathal_08

egodeath said:


> Maybe, maybe not. I wouldn't recommend it.


yeah i guess it wouldnt be a good move, cheers for your advice


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## newuser20

Caffeine?
One or two cups, maybe one in the morning, one in the evening,
wont hurt right?
I mean like 6-8 oz cups lol.


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## dxstarr

Word of valuable advice for dp/dr ers...dont EVER eat food with marijuana....ever! itll send you into a state of unending TORTURE


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## ASr992

Hey guys, my name is Paul and this is my first post...

My DP just a few months ago after I smoked some pot that I am sure was laced (I had smoked pot numerous times before). I ended up wandering alone through NYC, which triggered a panic attack on top of my feelings of depersonalization. I was certain I was going insane and when the feeling refused to pass I even considered suicide. Eventually I wandered into a hotel lobby where the door man called the ambulance for me. I was discharged later that night. It had seemed like an eternity, but only about 4 hours had passed. During the following week or two, I was a mess. I had feelings of depersonalization come and go and I picked up smoking cigarettes to calm my nerves. In general my feelings of depersonalization seem to be under control except when they result in panic attacks. I have had five panic attacks with very similar experiences to my original experience since then. Three have been under the influence of maurijuana, once was actually in a dream, and once was in school which was an absolutely awful exerience.


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## JumpJump

Ketamine should be called The Depersonaliser.


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## egodeath

JumpJump said:


> Ketamine should be called The Depersonaliser.


It is a dissociative...


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## JumpJump

Yeah, it does what it says on the tin.
Keep away.


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## Carrie

Normally when pot is laced, it is laced with PCP (phencyclidine/angel dust/embalming fluid). My first DP experience was PCP induced and my later DP experiences have to do with PCP put in the weed I smoked. DP is common among PCP users even when it is put in the pot.


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## S.Snake

hey guys, new to this forum

i found out i had DP about a month ago this is my story but although might be a little off-topic it has some connections to it.

it started one night when i smoked some marijuana(that night i smoked more than i should have) and i got really high. i had lots of stress because i was not comfortable with the sensation of being that high. i have done weed before but it was always smaller "dosages" and it never really did much other than making me feel tipsy-ish.

so anyways that night i went home, then i got on the bed and i couldn't sleep. i was sweating and just feeling very anxious. i managed to get a few hours of sleep but it completely threw off my sleep pattern. as i got up i got the foggy mind feeling, i had lost my appetite and things just felt foreign. i went to a doctor(at a local walk in clinic) to tell him about what was going on and he told me i was experiencing effects of withdrawal and he said that what im experiencing is usually what people experience before they become addicted to something. he told me that he could put me on benzos but he would rather not do it, and told me to relax enjoy myself, and if it gets worse to check out my family doc.

that weekend i was going to my friends cottage(im from toronto, canada btw) and i avoided alcohol, and I had a very hard time sleeping. everything i was doing while i was there felt like a dream almost but a week later i was actually snapping back into reality, recently i had a few drinks(a couple of beers and a couple of shots) and got a little drunk i didnt get any sleep that night and i got the feelings of DP again however to a smaller degree.

my friend had also experienced DP at one point in his life when he was given marijuana laced with pcp which he had to be hospitalized, after that he had DP for a few months and he told me about it.

so perhaps in my case and my friend's case we both got it because of drug use.


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## hellokitty

Btw what does Rx and Rec Drugs mean?
I got my Dp in Dec 2008, but as I had anxiety since 2006 and was taking some meds [AD, anxiolytics, antipsychotics], I don't know if it was caused by any meds or for too much stress. I know both can cause Dp, so now Idk what was my Dp root. At that time I'm not really sure, but I think I was taking Lexapro, Rivotril and Risperidone. Thanks for reading and hope you all get better soon. Peace.


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## S.Snake

hellokitty said:


> Btw what does Rx and Rec Drugs mean?
> I got my Dp in Dec 2008, but as I had anxiety since 2006 and was taking some meds [AD, anxiolytics, antipsychotics], I don't know if it was caused by any meds or for too much stress. I know both can cause Dp, so now Idk what was my Dp root. At that time I'm not really sure, but I think I was taking Lexapro, Rivotril and Risperidone. Thanks for reading and hope you all get better soon. Peace.


rec means recreational

so stuff like EX, weed, etc etc


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## WelshMan

Hi Guys.

Id just like some advice on this because its nice to FINALLY know what I have, after being diagnosed as depressed and bipolar, which i wasnt really too sure on.

I used cannabis daily at 15 and 16
at 17 and 18 i used esctasy every weekend (heavily)
at 21 I was a heavy alcoholic, daily drinking 8 pints. I used that anitidepressant, the common one (my mind is blank)
at 23 I was heavy on cocaine. going through a good few grams a week, on the stuff at least 3 or 4 times a week.
at 24 I found nootrpins. I thought they would make me more clever. They helped me to make a cup of tea quicker.

Ive travelled asia and australia. Ive had a panic attack in the middle of sydney (im from the uk) and didnt know what to do. I am constantly anxious. I analyse everything. Even though I have an iq of 140 I cant hold a steady job down, as I constantly think people are out to get me. The only thing that seems to make me feel normal is alcohol, but the hangover the next day brings more DP, which leads to more anxiety, which leads to more drinking...I'm pretty sure I've had a nervous breakdown or two but managed to get myself out of it.

I totally believe in the chemical imbalance theory. I only started to feel like this after I took the nootropins. I tried Effexor recently and it felt like I was off my head on Es (more than normal) after 2 days of tabs...anyone who says this is not possible due to them needing to take 3 weeks to effect, im more than happy for you to come around mine and watch me while I take on. Tried beta blockers, dont do anything significant for me.

I'm a smart, intelligent person, who makes friends easily. I just have trouble keeping them due to my constant anxiety and inability to share how I'm feeling when I feel like this. Help?


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## hellokitty

S.Snake said:


> rec means recreational
> 
> so stuff like EX, weed, etc etc


Thanks SSnake!


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## Mirage

I can understand how certain drugs can induce or intensify a DP experience

I've had DP for as long as I can remember. However, for the two years I took antidepressant and anxiety medication, I ceased to experience any such experiences; instead, I entered a perhaps more troublesome schizophrenic state and have been more prone to schizophrenic symptoms under the influence of drugs ever since.

About half a year after I stopped the medication the DPD returned.. Its crippling at times, but its more comforting to be able to distinguish alleged reality in contrast to being tortured by vivid and convincing hallucinations

the only drug that amplifies DP symptoms to the extent of literally paralyzing my body where I cant use any of my senses or tell who or where i am.. is marijuana :s

does anyone else experience this?


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## christeltje

Wow what why was that not in the Patient information leaflet. 
I took tetracycle based antibiotica for 6 months minocycline to.
Before that i was dp free for a year. I thought that it was 
coincidence, that i came back. Or that i was never really cured at all.
After that i never regained awareness again.

Damn drugs,,, Fuck docters, if i had known i would have quit earlier.








It was soo bad, what i had then.

So it did help what i did..... I hate the docters.


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## nowhereboy

My DP started to come on when i was getting stoned but at first i almost found it pleasant and it didnt worry me. Man if only i listend to the warning signs. I got it major one night after a silly amount of ecstacy and Ketamine. Not only was i tripping balls/panicing i went through the most intense DP ever. Nothing felt real. This caused all my anxiety because even though i snapped out of this feeling a little, it was IMPOSSIBLE to forget.


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## Valvor

I for one do not have dp, or atleast i think...that it only occurs when i get nervous, and start to think about it, that is why i keep myself distracted from these thoughts... i had smoked pot for three years straight enjoyed it greatly, never had any issues...then one day after smoking a fat bowl, i came home and just look around, and it felt as if everything were magnifyed, and when i moved it was almost as if i was lagging, (Mote i was not under the influence, it had been a hour after i smoked, i can tell when im high)... so now everytime i smoke this occurs, and it also occurs on occasion when i think about it occuring it really freaks, me out...

exuse my horrible english.


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## stillhaventfound

hm, the only drugs from this list I've taken are Benadryl--my doctor prescribed it for allergies, and eventually I needed it to sleep, so I took it every night for at least 4 years (just stopped)--and minocycline. I've had increased emotional/mental stress since taking them, but I'm not sure if that could have caused it?

I remember having a ~profound existential moment~







for the first time when I was 6. I remember it vividly. I'd been laying on my parents' bed one afternoon, looking out the window when I was suddenly struck by how amazing it was just to _be_, how strange it was to be someone, Sarah. It was actually not a negative experience at all and has probably shaped me more than I've given it credit for, now that I think about it. So I wouldn't say that was DP, but it was a tendency to think like that that's led to my DP symptoms. (Not entirely sure whether I really have it or not.)

Social avoidance, for sure, has lead to these feelings too. And just the idea that--how do you know which behaviors, characteristics, interests, etc. are really _you_? I think it's the tendency to be introspective, to not be impulsive that makes people prone to DP. plus all these chemicals...we take in so many neurotoxins not even on this list: fluoride (in tapwater), preservatives, pesticides, etc.

went a little off-topic, sorry.


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## cbeck

Dreamer said:


> From the article, the DSM-IV, the Merck Manual, and the ICD-9 ... is it 9 now? -- anyway
> 
> *"Depersonalization disorder cannot be diagnosed if it is part of another psychiatric condition or if it is secondary to a medical disorder or if it is caused by a drug."*
> 
> Per this DSM-IV definition, if any of us experience other symptoms w/our DP, and it was CAUSED by a Rec/Rx [edit] drug, we do not have Depersonalization *Disorder*. This is "Primary" DP. It would seem few if any members of this board have Primary DP.
> 
> Dr. Sierra at the IoP is trying to research Primary DP in order to understand the basic mechanism, but finding actual individuals w/PRIMARY DP is difficult. These individuals apparently have tumors/lesions, etc. He has also gone back to study any literature on true Primary DP patients.
> 
> Go figure. This really confuses me.
> 
> Also, traisient DP is apparently very common in the population-at-large w/out any psychiatric diagnosis or disability. This transient DP is not disabling socially or occupationally.
> 
> Hmm.
> 
> D
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm outta' here.....


Hey D,
I have lesions on my brain on the last 3T MRI. My DP came out of nowhere. Must be one of the rare ones. What was the old board that used to be here? Andys board? I remember you, Rev., Mother Hen and KCS. Have you found much relief in Lamictal?


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## perd

pot can also trigger dp even when its not laced


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## natasja

In regards to the DSM-IV definition of Primary DP... And the point that it's only Depersonalization Disorder if the symptoms aren't caused by any drug... I think it's important to clarify the difference between "caused" and "triggered."

I read "Feeling Unreal: Depersonalization Disorder and the Loss of the Self" by Daphne Simeon and Jeffrey Abugel. I found it very helpful and recommend to others dealing with DP or with family members dealing with DP. Anyway, in the book they talk about people who have Depersonalization Disorder that was triggered by marijuana use, for example. It's unfortunate that the DSM-IV is kind of vague in laying out the criteria, but I think here there is a point of distinction between "caused" and "triggered".

For example, if the symptoms are being caused by marijuana use, that implies you're currently high and during your high are experiencing symptoms of DP... this clearly would not mean you have DP Disorder; many people experience such symptoms when high on marijuana.

Now, if your DP is triggered by marijuana, that implies that the onset came on suddenly after smoking marijuana, and the symptoms persisted long-term, long after the drug was no longer in your system. I'm no doctor but I think that in this case, the person in question actually does have Depersonalization Disorder. What do other people think?

As someone whose symptoms were triggered by mefloquine (a malaria prophylaxis) and have persisted months after I stopped taking the drug with no change in severity... I personally feel that I should count as someone with Primary Depersonalization Disorder. Any thoughts? I am just trying to understand it all.


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## nickv

So does this mean if you got it from drugs you have it forever ?!?


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## Bjorn

Zypreza!


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## natasja

nickv said:


> So does this mean if you got it from drugs you have it forever ?!?


Not necessarily. The study I read about a woman who got it from Chloroquine (a malaria prophylaxis) said that for her the symptoms came on abruptly after taking the drug, then slowly faded away over a period of 4 months. I think it's different for everyone. There's no easy solution that you can plug in to say what causes DP and what makes it go away.


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## lesliekathryn

Ok, some help please..ive overstimulated myself with all this!
what is primary dp again? Getting confused...if I have epilepsy, does this mean I dont have dr?? I think I do...i have to really talk mysrlf into just going to the store...then, I find ive just convinced myself to NOT to go...its so frustrating!


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## lesliekathryn

Oh boy..overwhelmed...need a break from this...its all too familar, just freaking myself out
Be back latter....


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## meme

My depersonalization came after a panic attack that was the result of several weeks of using my college roommate's Adderal XR 30 mg prescription. She let me try it as a study aid and I became convinced that I could accomplish anything on this new lifesaver. It being the first time I had tried a stimulant (other than being a coffee addict, which I still am), the initial high was borderline manic. I begged my mom to let me get a prescription, thinking I could easily get straight A's and go to med school now. My mom did quite a bit of research and told me that use of stimulants was dangerous and even the ADHD "disease" was probably made up by profit seeking pharmaceutical companies preying on vulnerable innocent children. I was forced to stop taking it when I went home for Thanksgiving and began feeling extremely anxious. After a couple days, the anxiety rolled into a full blown panic attack, along with depersonalization. I was ready to check into a mental health clinic, but instead was able to get through it with talking to my mom and kava-kava. My mom had to keep convincing me that I wasn't going insane as I obsessively googled the symptoms. She taught me breathing and relaxation exercises and stayed up with me for 48 hours before I was able to sleep. The depersonalization lingered on as my body finally normalized before finally disappearing.. Now that I know what a panic attack feels like, I am able to meditate and control my breath when I feel the anxiety that precedes it. I know now that I can never take stimulants more potent than caffeine and feel lucky to have returned to "normal". Maybe I never would have had a panic attack if I hadn't experimented with Adderall, but at least I am able to keep them at bay.


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## ladybugs212

This sounds similar to my story that i had posted earlier.... it happened at 15 now im 32 and still going through it and its getting worse.... have u found any treatmnt for this? Can this be fixed? I just started to see a psychologist cause of this..

My DP just a few months ago after I smoked some pot that I am sure was laced (I had smoked pot numerous times before). I ended up wandering alone through NYC, which triggered a panic attack on top of my feelings of depersonalization. I was certain I was going insane and when the feeling refused to pass I even considered suicide. Eventually I wandered into a hotel lobby where the door man called the ambulance for me. I was discharged later that night. It had seemed like an eternity, but only about 4 hours had passed. During the following week or two, I was a mess. I had feelings of depersonalization come and go and I picked up smoking cigarettes to calm my nerves. In general my feelings of depersonalization seem to be under control except when they result in panic attacks. I have had five panic attacks with very similar experiences to my original experience since then. Three have been under the influence of maurijuana, once was actually in a dream, and once was in school which was an absolutely awful exerience.[/quote]


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## clockwork8

DXM gave me very severe DP/DR at a high dose (500+ mg), and I had a panic attack because of how intense the feelings were. At a more moderate dose (270 mg) it still caused mild versions of the same feeling, almost enough to panic but not quite. It also caused lasting feels of dp and anxiety for 6-8 weeks after using which would happen pretty frequently, usually a few times per day at varying intensities. Sometimes intense enough to give me panic attacks.

I mean it's a dissociative, so that is expected, but I didn't expect that it would come with so much anxiety. I would not try this drug again, and would also not recommend it due to other negative effects like nausea. I took it for a psychedelic experience and there was hardly even anything psychedelic about it. I saw really vague patterns when I closed my eyes at one point on 270 mg, and that's about it.Otherwise it was just nausea, vertigo, dp/dr, confusion, inability to pee, uncomfortable body numbness that made it hard to walk... nothing really good or interesting feeling. Some people have good experiences but it seems like a significant portion do not.

Xanax helped me get over the lasting dp and anxiety after effects. It didn't completely stop dp, but it relieved the fear very well. One time it actually made me feel more dp, but I had taken it about 30 times and that only happened in one case. And it didn't even feel bad really, because there was no fear along with it, it was just a little weird.


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## winterphantom

My DPDR was induced by Lexapro and various strings of SSRIs.


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## luctor et emergo

Induced by weed, hash, shrooms and after Klonopin withdrawal more intense than ever.


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## TDX

> As someone whose symptoms were triggered by mefloquine (a malaria prophylaxis) and have persisted months after I stopped taking the drug with no change in severity... I personally feel that I should count as someone with Primary Depersonalization Disorder. Any thoughts? I am just trying to understand it all.


There is a case-report where a fairly low dose of Lamotrigine (and Escitalopram) put mefloquine-induced depersonalization into remission:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0033318214001297


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