# DP after dehydration



## akb63 (Nov 28, 2006)

So I'm new to this forum, but I've been having these panic attacks randomly for about three months since they started.
I was smoking mary j with some friends of mine in the woods outside my neighborhood, and before we all took our last hits I blacked out. First of all I was stoned completely outo f my mind, but I was also dehydrated. The feelings I got were like.. I was trapped between twoplaces, it all felt like deja vu that never ended and I just wanted to kill myself. I tried actually heh, but thank god I didn't.
Anyway, yes yes that whole incident was completely.. horrible, but this post is supposed to be about depersonalization.
I think my dp has a bunch of different causes. I read somewhere it could be caused by marijuana, and that might be partly the case for me as I'm sure that shit we smoked that day probably fried my brain a bit heh. But the only times I really got the loss of reality was when I was thinking about things. Like, deep things. Like creation of the universe.. what happens when we die.. stuff like that. Stuff that's impossible to know 100% sure.
NORMALLY my panic attacks happened through that. But occasionally they'd come out of the blue.
Also whenever I get deja vu, I feel like It's about to happen. And normally I do get dp if I don't somehow stop the deja vu.
And one last thing that causes it (I think) would be things that remind me of my "dry spell" (when I was dehydrated) >.<
Like, One time I was at a playground with my two friends I smoked with that day, and it was quiet and we were just sitting in the car. I was in the front seat, the other two were in the backseat, completely silent other than the rustling of leaves from the wind. And that triggered another panic attack. My heart pretty much stopped, I got wide-eyed and just walked out of the car and just kind of.. walked around a bit; it went away. I believe it's because the night I smoked that weed like... I remember standing and listening to the leaves and trying to think of what I should do, and I felt my friends' presence behind me. 
Anyway, those are the main causes for my panic attacks I think.
I've got pretty bad anxiety so that's probably another thing :/
I tried seeing a psychologist but she didn't help much. She tried giving me antidepressants, but I don't really think that would help me much. I'm not depressed I'm just scared and anxious all the time.
The dp is starting to go away but I'm still afraid I'm gonna have more.

(You don't have to read this part ) But uh, my dp is normally where everyone feels fake around me, as if they have no minds of their own. It feels like everything is being controlled or something, and I'm coming out of the story to look at everything in a different view, and realizing that supposedly all of this is just fake. My sense of hearing is enhanced normally, and I just feel like crying. I can definately understand why some people commit suicide from having these. BUT at other times my dp is more like deja vu. It's more panic than anything, but everything also feels fake. Everything feels fake and I feel as if it's all happened before. Normally it's my first description, but the "deja vu" kind has happend a few times.

Annnyway, I'm sure no one really read all that lol and I'm alright with that.
But if you _did_ read that... is there anything you know of that might help me? any sort of drug is kind of last resort for me.. so anything other than seeing a doctor I guess.


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## yesemina (Jul 12, 2005)

Hey there, I have bad anxiety too and have had DP a few times in my life. It definitely can be caused by marijuana, as you've probably already found out...but, I get my DP from thinking deeply about things too. I can bring it on myself by doing that so nowadays I try not to go too far into it.

I've been to counselors too and they didn't really do anything for me except to have someone to talk to and maybe give me some tools for coping with my anxiety (although my mom had already given me those because she has bad anxiety too...worse than mine I think). 
I'm on antidepressants and I do think they can help anxiety, not just depression, they give them out for people who are anxious as well. They can help the symptoms of your anxiety and help you to have a positive, more constructive look on your anxiety and that helps you to avoid anxiety. Of course it's better if you don't need any medication, though.

I don't know if you've ever thought about buying a book on dealing with anxiety and panic, that can help with everything because it gives you ways to cope with your anxiety and also helps you to pay attention to the thoughts you have that are pumping up your anxiety and DP (just gotta make sure you get a good book for you).

The things that have helped me the most with my anxiety is having the attitude that it's something I need to work on to make better, and that even if I do get bouts of it now and then, it's okay - because it's just more practice for me to learn how to calm myself down. If you have another attack, who cares - it's not the end of the world and it isn't dangerous, even though it can definitely FEEL like the end of the world. You will definitely get through it. But you do have the power to calm yourself down. Another thing that has helped me the most, of course, is time. After having tons of anxiety you get desensitized to it after a while. 

I got one of my bouts of DP from high anxiety. It was only when I felt really anxious that I would start getting DP (at least in that time period... at other times it was meditation). DP eventually went away for me once my anxiety got better, which will probably help your DP too. Other than that, try not to smoke anymore (obviously), cuz that will cause it. When you are experiencing DP try not to involve yourself in the things you are feeling too much, just sort of flow with it and overall the best thing is learning to have a constructive perspective on it all...which is hard, I know.

Other than that I'd say just try to recognize the thoughts that induce your DP and anxiety and try to stop them in their tracks and either turn it around or just dismiss the thought completely. Try to involve yourself in something else so that it's easier for you to not pay attention to what's going on in your head.

Anyway - long post, and time for me to go to work. Take care!


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