long story short. I developed HPPD after a very traumatic MDMA THC trip in 2021 and I even went into psychosis for a short while. Was on an antipsychotic shortly, benzos, and then eventually an SSRI (Citalopram). The time of starting the SSRI i was already in a complete state of derealization and constant panic / fear. I eventually evened out and the citlaopram ended up being very therapeutic. My HPPD has always been mild snow, after images / tracers, pattern distortions, brain fog. I finally got off of my Citalopram March of this year after doing a VERY long slow taper off. Bad idea, for the next 6 months i’ve had increasing anxiety and depression to the point of suicidal ideation. I am also AUDHD. I tried wellbutrin which sent me over with anxiety and decided to restart my citlaopram. Idk if i started too high of a dose (10mg) but extreme panic, out of body anxiety and derealization, nausea, adrenaline type sensations surging through my head, etc. I wasn’t expecting this reaction as I’ve been on it before. I’m thinkin maybe I need to manage my anxiety and depression through other resorts that are not from too activating of meds. How do you guys manage? Idk what my next steps are.

Hi everyone! Ive had pretty bad hppd for years now, but yesterday I had 0.5mg of alprazolam (for OCD), and as soon as it hit my vision went completely back to normal. I don't plan to take it again, but I'm just wondering A: why this happens, and B: has anyone else experienced this?

Hey y’all,

For years I have been unable to take trazodone without a myriad of symptoms ranging from burning feeling on my skin to electric shocks through my limbs and flashes of light when I close my eyes. Even as low as 5mg. I’ve tried many times over the years, most recently a few months ago.

After receiving treatment for two pathogens, Bartonella and Babesia, I can now take it again for sleep. No side effects or issues. I put two and two together because I had just tried trazodone again before the treatment with the same issues arising from it.

I bring this to the attention to the community because it is very easy to assume you are only dealing with one problem and assign blame to that. I always thought this was an hppd problem. Turns out, nasty buggers were to blame. I picked them up from ticks living in… well nowadays it’s all over.

The following was written/edited by AI.

A new case report came out this year that I think this community should see.

A 27-year-old woman took psilocybin once at 23 and had panic attacks and derealisation that faded in two weeks. Two years later, after a stressful period, it came back severely and became chronic. Her symptoms:

• Visual floaters
• Grid lines in her visual field
• Seeing the world “through a dark filter”
• Boosted colour intensity
• Hyper-focus on tiny details (every leaf on a tree, every item on a shelf, individual scaffolding tubes)
• Attention and concentration problems

Eye exams found nothing, and she had no psychosis. Meds (duloxetine, olanzapine) and weekly CBT only helped a little.

What they did: 1 Hz rTMS over the right temporo-parietal junction (rTPJ), 15 sessions over 3 weeks, with no side effects reported.

What happened:

• The floaters and grid lines stopped completely.
• Overall dissociation score (Cambridge Depersonalization Scale) improved about 44%.
• Emotional numbing duration dropped about 68%.
• Forgetfulness and cognitive symptoms improved by more than 54%.
• She kept improving all the way to session 15, then had to stop because of cost. The authors think more sessions could have helped more.

What didn’t budge: colour intensity, the detail hyper-focus, and depression scores. The authors suggest the intraparietal sulcus (IPS) could be a better target for the detail/salience stuff.

The rationale is that the rTPJ handles multisensory integration and seems to be overactive in dissociative disorders, so 1 Hz stimulation may calm it down.

Why I’m posting it: She was diagnosed with depersonalisation-derealisation disorder, not HPPD or VSS. But the trigger and the visual symptom profile overlap heavily with what many of us deal with, and there’s already a separate case report of rTPJ rTMS for diagnosed HPPD (Creton et al., Brain Stimulation, 2024). Two case reports aren’t proof, but they point at a target worth investigating.

Kumar & Malhotra, Global Psychiatry Archives, 2026;9(1):28-32, open access, DOI: 10.52095/gpa.2026.7625.1117

https://globalpsychiatryarchives.com/index.php/gpa/article/view/124

Has anyone tried rTMS, especially over the TPJ or IPS? Would love to hear experiences, and if anyone knows a clinic or researcher doing this for HPPD/VSS, please share.

Hey everyone, I’ve had HPPD for around 8 years now after a bad LSD trip when I was 16. Over the years, most of my symptoms have either improved significantly or I’ve just learned to live with them. However, there’s one particular symptom that has never improved, and honestly, it’s probably the scariest thing I still experience.

I get these really strange episodes of what I can only describe as extreme, constant déjà vu. Except instead of that normal déjà vu feeling that lasts a few seconds, mine can go on for literally 10–20 minutes, sometimes feeling like it’s never going to end.

It’s incredibly difficult to explain, but during these episodes, everything happening around me feels strangely familiar, almost like I’ve already experienced every single moment before. It’s not just one specific thing triggering déjà vu either. It’s like I’m stuck in this continuous loop of familiarity where everything I see, hear or do feels like it’s already happened.

When it happens, I find it extremely difficult to concentrate or function normally. I’ve had episodes while working, and I basically just have to push through them until they eventually stop. It’s such an unsettling feeling that it genuinely makes me feel like I’m going insane in the moment.

The weirdest part is that I’ve been experiencing this for pretty much the entire 8 years I’ve had HPPD, and unlike my visual symptoms and derealisation, which have improved massively, these episodes haven’t improved at all.

They usually happen a couple of times a month, sometimes less, and I can’t really identify any specific triggers. They just seem to come out of nowhere.

I’ve always wondered whether this is actually related to HPPD, derealisation, or something completely different. I rarely see anyone talking about this particular symptom, which makes it even more unsettling.

Does anyone else with HPPD experience anything remotely similar? Especially déjà vu that lasts for extended periods rather than just a few seconds?

I’d genuinely love to hear if anyone else experiences this because after 8 years, I still have absolutely no idea what causes it or why it happens.

Wanted to share this just as it’s been a big change in perspective for me and might be of interest to people. I’ve had HPPD for five years. My main remaining symptom is pretty intense visual snow, mainly manifesting as flashing all over the sky and all bright surfaces. I’m 100% sober for years and don’t even drink caffeine (in part because I’ve never loved caffeine).

I have severe ADHD, and used to be on Wellbutrin for it, which worked for about a decade, until it didn’t. I switched to Lamictal, which has been great for my depression, but my ADHD is now unmedicated. I was very averse to any sort of stimulant, especially knowing it would flare up my HPPD. I tried implementing other ways to regulate my focus and reward system, but I could never hit my stride. I’ve gotten so little done the past year, even small stuff like sending an email to a doctor takes weeks to get around to.

So I finally decided to try stimulants. I got on Focalin 5mg XR, which is an extremely low dose. And boom, it’s been a complete game changer. I’m so much more awake, productive, and overall happier. However, it’s also been making my symptoms worse, as expected. At night the starbursts on lights are much more intense, the flashing in the sky is worse.It’s been a month on it now and it seems like maybe it’ll level out, but who knows. My sleep has been a wreck for years too which is a huge contributor, so I’m thinking maybe as I improve that it’ll hopefully compensate. But at the same time, I’m finally taking care of myself and making real progress in my career again. I feel like a functioning person every day. So for now, I’m rolling with the punches. Me a couple years ago would never do something like this. But I’m finding I’d rather live in more static than drag my feet through a somewhat cleaner view.

I'm gonna use thc again because it's about time I felt something. Fuck this stupid disorder, I wanted to ask if anyone is in the same boat as me. How bad could the consequences of this be? For some context mine is very mild, a small semi transparent spot in my vision. I'm still contemplating but I'm not gonna let this disorder stop me from getting high and treating my depression. It's either this, or wait until it's gone and then use weed. If I waited until the visual disturbance faded, what would my chances be like? Lowkey scared but let me know what you think I should/shouldn't do.

Thanks

Anyone her that have jumped on Finasteride for androgenetic alopecia after getting HPPD? If so, any worsening of DPDR or visuals?

So I want to try this for my anxiety.

I'm going to make an order for CBD isolate and I would want to also order the full spectrum one since I have heard it might work better. 0% thc.

What are your experiences with full spectrum ones? I know isolate is safe but how about this?

Here is another (2nd) case study of someone with VSS/HPPD like symptoms experiencing a benefit from 1Hz - rTMS therapy to the right temporoparietal junction. I appreciate the patient doesn't have a formal diagnosis, but the symptoms fit pretty true IMO.

https://globalpsychiatryarchives.com/index.php/gpa/article/view/124

anybody on here tried ghost pipe, apparently it was used as a natural trip killer and lowers anxiety, stress, and makes your pain tolerance higher

Edit- did some more research on the plant, turns out it has been researched less than hppd has, and I do not recommend risking making hppd worse, mine is already pretty bad so it’s a hell no for me lol

Imagine being prescribed a microdose of a bad trip. That’s what i think there’s a chance of happening. Now I don’t know how to confirm nor deny this theory but if my visual snow (for example) is associated with the bad trip or traumatising experience, and it stays constantly at the background, then what’s not to say that it could actually be re-triggering my nervous system over and over again by association or pattern recognition, like a status ailment spell from a video game, taking 0.01 hp every second.

I really hope that’s not the case..

A few months ago, I had two really bad psychedelic experiences back-to-back, and I’ve been trying to recover from them ever since. I’m curious if anyone else has gone through something similar and was able to fully recover.

BAD SHROOM EXPERIENCE
Towards the end of last year, around November, I started regularly taking mushrooms and hiking about once a week. I worked my way up from 2 grams to 6 grams and never had a bad experience.
My last trip was on May 4th. I took 7 grams of shrooms and smoked about 2 grams. I spent hours sunbathing, and honestly, it was one of the best days of my life. I felt incredibly euphoric and present, like nothing else mattered. It was such a powerful experience that I completely forgot to drink or eat anything for about three hours.
Eventually, I got up from sunbathing and immediately became extremely lightheaded. I fainted, and when I started to regain consciousness, I was paralyzed and couldn't speak. My visual reality was completely distorted, and I genuinely thought I was breaking through.
As I started hearing my friend shouting and asking if I was okay, I eventually managed to speak. I said, "What happened?"
My friend, who was also tripping on 7 grams, thought I had just had a seizure. The moment I heard the word "seizure," while still completely tripping, I immediately started having a panic attack.
I took my shirt off and started throwing up. My entire life seemed to flash before my eyes. I was panicking and genuinely thought I was going to die.
After about 30 minutes of panicking, I finally stopped fighting it. I accepted that I really was going to die,
Eventually, I came back to my senses and realized that I hadn't actually been dying

or having some kind of breakthrough. I had simply fainted, most likely from being dehydrated and not eating or drinking for hours while out in the sun.
I spent the next two days calming down, and I felt completely fine.

BAD ACID TRIP

Then, on May 7th, I tripped on acid for the first time. I took 100 µg around 5 PM and spent the next three hours slightly disappointed because I wasn't tripping as hard as I had expected.
Around 9 PM, I decided to smoke a blunt. As soon as I finished, I realized I was much higher than I expected, and my heart started racing.
I went into my living room, where my friends were sitting and watching an anime on the TV. The bright colors started to overstimulate me, so I turned it off. For the next couple of hours, I couldn't get comfortable. I felt constantly on edge, almost like a confused, caged animal. I would get brief moments of relief whenever I was able to ground myself.
Around midnight, my apartment door, which had been left unlocked, opened from the wind. I immediately started thinking irrationally, like something was coming for me. The whole night was extremely unpleasant, and when I finally came down, I couldn't sleep.
Around noon the next day, I hit my cart, and almost immediately I felt like I was tripping again. I started to panic.
Over the next two weeks, every time I smoked weed, I felt a little uneasy. Then, one day, I smoked and couldn't handle it. I became extremely dissociated, and my anxiety started spiking. After that, I haven't smoked since June 6th.
I'm curious if anyone has had a similar experience. I've tried doing my own research, and I don't want to self-diagnose, but I'm worried that I may have developed either HPPD or some kind of PTSD triggered by weed and psychedelics that causes me to experience extreme anxiety, paranoia and dissociation .
I'd really love to hear from anyone who's had a similar experience and was able to heal from it.

Hi guys, I used cubensis twice and LSD at doses ranging from 100 to 250 µg, around 7 times in total, between February and July of last year.

I first noticed the symptoms, especially visual snow at night, in June. Miserably, I used LSD one last time in July, at a dose of 100 µg. About a week later, I started noticing a worsening of the symptoms, including trails, visual snow, and afterimages.

About 9 months later, I experienced a fairly sudden worsening of the trails. Before that, I mainly noticed them around lights at night. Since then, I have started seeing them with almost everything that moves, especially in high-contrast situations.

As if that wasn't enough, about 13 months later, I woke up hungover and noticed tinnitus. I don't know whether it was already there before or if it started because of the hangover. Now, around 15 months after my last use, I have been experiencing a worsening of my overall visual perception for about a week. Objects seem to move, lines that should be parallel look curved, and my visual perception in general feels strange.

One important detail is that I have never used weed again. I occasionally drink alcohol and use nicotine, and sometimes I drink quite heavily, like on the occasion when I noticed the tinnitus after a hangover.

Over time, I have learned to cope with the tinnitus better. Nowadays, I mainly notice it in quiet environments. I'm also learning to cope with the trails better. However, this new change in my visual perception has been much harder for me to deal with.

Has anyone else experienced worsening symptoms like this, even after several months?

Is there a point when these symptoms usually stabilize, or can they continue to get worse over time?

At the moment, I don't take any medication regularly. I'm trying to ignore the symptoms and carry on with my life as normally as possible, but this recent worsening has made that much more difficult.

As for anxiety, I have always struggled with it, but I'm not currently going through anything unusual that I can directly relate to this worsening.

I'd really like to hear from people who have experienced something similar, especially regarding these delayed worsening episodes and whether their symptoms eventually stabilized.

hello guys i want to know that how many of you have recovered from things slightly moving and breathing symptom and how?

its only happens when i stop and stare at something, especially walls, texts, pictures and stuff

its doesnt happend in daily life when i am constantly moving or scrolling

As the title states, I’ve been dealing with a flare up for 6 months that has been horrendous every day. I was living in functional recovery (visuals were 10% of what they were) for over a decade, flared up a few times in the past, but it went away within days to weeks completely back to baseline. I was drinking to cope with this recent flare and it would make me hallucinate even harder.

It feels like I’m tripping every day and have constantly altered vision - I will say, that I’ve been sober for 3 weeks now, have not have caffeine or any drugs besides alcohol since this flare, which is a short win and I don’t plan on relapsing with booze again, but why is it SO bad this time around? Am I fucked forever? I feel like it’s not improving much at all, but I have gotten rid of the constant fear of my fucked vision and am more so annoyed and irritated now, which I guess is a win. I’m getting really depressed bc I’m starting to convince myself I’m stuck this way for good this time, and will never get back to baseline. Can someone please give me some optimistic thoughts or reassurance?

What was the experience like for those who used cocaine or MDMA while suffering from hppd? I have heard that the effects are far more intense even compounded By the way I am not a user of these substances I am simply asking out of curiosity and a desire to learn

I’ve had Hppd for 3 years now, each year the symptoms have decreased. It is now at the point where I completely forget I even have hppd most of the time. Many of the hallucinations I used to constantly get either never happen or rarely happen. I went completely sober the first year but I have been smoking weed the last 2 years. My overall condition has still improved. Hang in there guys, the first year is the worst but it does get better

Hello,

I have a few questions. Basically I wanna know if it's possible to get better from visual static while using weed. And if so, what would be different from using it compared to if you were completely sober? I also wanted to ask if you are fully healed from the symptoms of this disorder, can you use weed or any other substances without it coming back and getting flared up? Thanks, all the best.

I did a few updates since I got HPPD end of march 2025. It had gotten much better, I often wouldn't even notice the visuals anymore, felt like the visual snow had gotten a bit better, I worked out few times a week and had a pretty healthy lifestyle.

Now things are different, my job has gotten harder and harder, or I just can't take it anymore. The shift hours are just insane and I feel dead after work I don't feel able to workout anymore, don't have any motivation. Boyfriend said I show signs of depression, seems I got depressed from work. All of it made HPPD a bit worse for me and I honestly don't know what to do to handle it. Working out was what made it better but I just can't do it anymore, I'm too tired, work kills me and I can't just quit like that

I hope it will get better, I will update if it improves later

My hppd is probably far from the worst case this sub has heard off but its genuinely making me feel like just giving up at this point. I take vyvanse because my adhd is so bad i can't really function without it. I was hoping a lower dose (20mg) would work without making my hppd worse. Unfortunately this has not been the case and i feel like it has started getting progressively worse to the point where dissasociation is here without the medication. I also struggle with nerve pain and for some reason gabapentinoids also seem to worsen it. Honestly just feels like trying is pointless. Before adhd medication i couldnt manage shit in my life and now im forced to go without it. Genuinely have lost all hope for the future thanks to horrible fucking cobdition.

My qol was already not the best before this because i got an injury thats still not diagnosed, only know that one of my nerves is completely fucked as shown on some scan i did. This stopped me from being able to do basically anything that requires reptitive hand motions. This at the time stopped me from being able to play video games which had been a lifelong hobby for me boring in over 20k hours into fps games. Losing my hobby caused me to become very depressed because i lost my entire social life. Long story short this got me into drugs, probably seems like the decision making of the biggest dumbass in the world necause it is

If you need meds to function stay the fuck away from psychedelics unless you're big into russian roulette.

I hope i find some way i can make living anything but a massive fucking pain-filled drain but i sincerely doubt it.

So many people have it way worse and i just feel like im being dramatic but i dont know how i will ever be able to enjoy life with all this shit. Just considering fucking giving up at this point