Why oh why this ever became ok, I will never understand completely.
As a teen I remember we used to joke about getting paranoid when high. Now studies support this ‘natural dug’ is not nearly as safe as supposed. Yet it gets legalized for recreational use… Dual dx is common and difficult to deal with but the fact it is so easy to get adds to the frustration you face. I am sorry.
Although he is soon to be 18 and you may lose some of the influence you have remember you can always share information with them. Recently we learned a powerful phrase …“If anything happens you are the last medical professional involved…” They may not like it but it reminds them this is a serious matter and they are accountable.
I only wish there was something similar to use on insurance companies as after finally getting medical professionals on board with the last episode , the insurance company refused continued inpatient care. He is doing ok now, but that was several weeks of hell for us.
Welcome to the forum!
I do not give him money for pot. He has “friends” that give it to him and he’ll collect cans and bottles to get enough money to buy pot. He is not consistently Med. compliant which adds to his psychotic episodes. Lately he has not wanted to participate in therapy or follow-up appointments with his psychiatrist. On top of that the state we live in has laws requiring treatment consent from children age 14 and over. Thank you all for your understanding and feedback.
Unfortunately you are in a bad spot. There is no easy fix here. You must establish long term plans and goals to survive it as a caretaker.
It might be legal but you are in charge of any and all rules in your home. When my daughter brought pot into my home, I called the cops immediately and it scared the hell out of her and that ended. However, that was only a short term fix and did not really help long term as she started shooting heroin… Cant really blame her for it as it was a way to escape SZ… I sent her out of state for a 60 day dual purpose treatment and it worked. In my opinion, you must take a hard stand or it will get much worse with the drugs. Hard love, he must understand that even as an adult when he turns 18 he still lives under your rules or live on the streets. These rehabilitation insurance cash cows are very popular nation wide and they do work for some. We contacted Beaches below and my daughter was on a plane to Florida the same day!!!
Sounds kinda like my brother. He always seemed a little off, but we didn’t know anything was seriously wrong until he totally snapped. Before then, there were little indicators that something was wrong. But everyone was so used to it, they were ignored. Maybe if we had caught it earlier… But we were ignorant. No one in our family had even heard of schizophrenia until it happened. Someone tosses a grenade in your lap and says you have ten seconds to deal with it. And you don’t even know what a grenade is. But, as dark as it seems, there is hope. The mind can heal. I’ve seen that in my brother. It took a long time. 30 years. His mind is still pretty much gone. But at least he’s not trying to kill everyone. I wish I could give a better message of hope than that. But, after 30 years, my brother is docile. That’s a good thing.
He is self medicating with the pot. Of course it doesn’t help things, but he will try anything that gives him some relief. It’s hard not to do this and it’s not the cause of his illness, but people will think it is.
I’m not sure how to say this or if it’s right but we can’t understand what’s happening and our minds aren’t fighting to be our own every day. Our confusion is nothing compared to theirs and trying to figure out what happened and what’s real and who they are.
My goodness 30 years is a long time but I am happy your family has some relief . In hindsight my son had signs something was going at an early age. He began seeing a psychologist at 7 years old and was treated for grief and ADHD. He has had a IEP in school since about 7 as well. Everything became topsy turvy the summer between his 15th and 16th year. I would like to separate this change in him from his regular pot use but I believe they are intertwined. His mood changes are rapid and during the course of a day you could be dealing with several versions of my son. He is the kind caring person I’m used to, singing , dancing listening to music and offering assistance. A couple of hours later he is accusing me of trying to manipulate him in some way or lying about him to others. A few hours later he is yelling and cursing calling me a narcissistic mother trying to control him but could i help him find his phone or the remote control he had minutes before.
You explained yourself very well especially about him using what ever he thinks will make him feel better and that each day he and others suffering with sz are fighting to make their minds their own everyday. I needed to be reminded of that in just that way. Thank you
My daughter was diagnosed 4 years ago, she is 28, and i have found that adding or using sarcosine from Brainvitaminz.com is essential. It makes her feel normal and worked so good that she eventually thought she was well. We are trying to get her back on it now. She won’t use meds bc they make her feel suicidal and fortunately for us she is non violent. She hears voices, stays in her room and reads most of the time. Sometimes she will share a thought that is simply from the sz and then she will act it out, thinking that she gets blessings for doing it. I am sure she does bc God loves all of his children and will not withhold live from the ill. Washing walls all day to get a blessing is mild and this are the things that she does now. She didn’t while on the sarcosine.
This could be my story verbatim. My son believes that pot is the miracle drug too. Only reason he isn’t smoking at present is he was arrested and he’s being drug tested as part of his present situation. I have showed him articles that show it makes the psychosis worse, etc., to no avail. Unfortunately, I think we are both beating a dead horse. It is not legal where I live though medical is up on the ballot for the next vote. Personally, I think it has many good medical uses, but for people who have schziophrenia, it’s definitely off the table or should be. I’m sorry you’re having to go through this. My son was an early diagnosis (informally because doctor didn’t want to label him at such a young age). He was 7 1/2. Presently 17. We’ve been on this road a long time now. If I can be of any help or support, don’t hesitate to reach out. We all need each other on here. Sometimes it is the only way we can get through the tough days. Blessings to you and your family.
Weed has an extremely relaxing effect on the mind and body. It’s kinda like alcohol. A joint once in a great while isn’t going to hurt you. But if you smoke it every day, that’s a totally different story. I did that for years. It feels like it’s helping. Like God’s gift to depression, anxiety, etc. But every day use of weed eventually reaches a tipping point. It starts to cause the very symptoms you’re trying to control. A toke on the bong results in extreme paranoia and anxiety. And no matter how much you smoke, it won’t go away.
That about sums up my life right now, worry ,sadness and anger, I think my anger is going down a little, but my sadness is always lurking in the background of everything I do, and course I am always waiting for the other shoe to drop, even to my son is somewhat stable for today.
I call it the dark side of weed. Everyone thinks it’s totally harmless. And if you only use it once in a while, it is. But if you smoke it every day, all day, the results can be devastating. The calming effect eventually flips in the opposite direction. I eventually managed to get off of it, but it wasn’t a fun process. People also say you can’t get addicted to it. That’s not true. There are terrible withdrawal symptoms - mostly an unbearable anxiety, as your brain learns to cope with it’s normal level of stress without the drug. A person in that condition might need help. You can do it on your own, but it’s not easy. On the bright side, the prognosis is excellent for someone who gets off it. I’ve tried smoking weed a couple times since I quit, and I’m like, “Meh. Why did I think this was so great?” Zero desire to go back.
Hi Kelly - thanks for sharing your experiences. We appreciated and encourage people to share their experiences with products and services that are helpful but at the same time we are generally concerned about people promoting products that they may have a commercial interest in. Can you please confirm that you are not paid or being compensated in any way by BrainVitaminz.
And - can you share what exactly you saw to be the benefits of the sarcosine with your daughter - what exactly did it help with?
More generally - I want to say that there is some good science behind sarcosine as being helpful in schizophrenia and we have a summary of this research here:
There are other companies that sell sarcosine - you can find them using google. BrainVitaminz is an advertiser on our site but we encourage people to do their own research and find suppliers that they find meets their needs.
Hi Lisa,
I haven’t been on in a while. There has been a lot going on. My son was arrested and spent a long weekend in juvinile hall. He does not believe me when I tell him why he was arrested which was he was even more out of touch with reality because he chose to mix alcohol with his Meds. and his pot. He was arrested for public indecency something my son when he is clear headed would never do and he would be up in arms if he saw someone else doing it. He is mostly Med. compliant and continues to smoke weed against my wishes and advice. We’ve had one incident involving alcohol since his arrest but this was two months after his arrest and his recollection of events is limited to put it mildly so he is not making the connection with the alcohol. He is not on probation thankfully. The arresting officer never completed a report so there is lucikly no pending issues related to his arrest. He is still in denial about his disease but making progress. He is back in school has resumed his music lessons and I’m practicing breathing techniques and taking each day as it comes because he will be 18 next month. Thank you for Thor support because it is much appreciated. Judy knowing other people can relate to what my family is going through is comforting.
My heart breaks for you because I’ve been there and gone through exactly what you’re experiencing. My son is back in a group home, serving time for assaulting me and my husband last summer. He is expected to be in there for 7 months. He was home briefly after breaking an ankle and leg while playing basketball at the ju enille correctional facility he was at. It is a difficult road we go down and only those of us who have been there understand what we’re going through. Sending you hugs and hoping you’re having a good day.