My son smoked pot three times and each time he ended up in psycosis in the hospital he was on clozapin resperidol haldol depakote all at different times but just stopped it they dx him as schizophrenic in hospital but never had any mental health issues before he’s been home for 2 weeks now and seems ok except he’s very tired and seems depressed to me but otherwise acting fine so strange we are still seeing a psychiatrist next week to see what’s going on I’m just curious could the pot triggered this? I’m very confused he had adhd as a teenager and odd but was never treated with meds he had a great job but now he’s out of work and was also chatting with some girl he liked but since his hospitalization he lost job and girl could be source of his depression we will see what dr says anyone ever experience this?
Hi , sorry to hear that and trust me i know how hard this is , My son started with pot and was hospitalised once put on anti psychotic drugs and 6 months after that was diagnosed with Schizophrenia, over 2 years has passed and recently diagnosed with schizoaffective and still on AP drugs , not working , isolated and not a life … i am distraught and sometimes i think ‘was it the pot he smoked that made him this way’ and sometimes i think ‘is it the AS that makes him like this’ , i don’t know what’s worse but its heartbreaking . My son was ADD, never took meds , and never had mental problems either .
I know it’s heartbreaking he was perfectly fine until he smoked hopefully when we see psychiatrist he can give us some answers maybe bipolar ? I don’t know it’s so hard with mental health ok well I’ll say a prayer for you 
Drugs can cause drug induced psychosis but it’s my opinion and research that they do not cause sz.
Yes I totally agree but he just doesn’t seem like himself I just wonder if three psychotic episodes caused damage to his brain I’m just gonna keep praying until we see the psychiatrist
Hi Galey. I’m sorry you are going through this.
It’s my understanding that smoking the THC in pot can be a stressor that triggers a psychotic illness, such as schizophrenia. Other stressors can be traumatic events, etc. It is my belief that both of these things may have triggered my own son’s schizophrenia, and it is likely that he was pre-disposed to this illness due to genetics.
It’s also my understanding that the longer a person stays in an acute psychotic state, the more damage it can do to the brain. There’s something called a DUP (duration of untreated psychosis) that’s been well-documented in research. Research suggests that the sooner the treatment, the better the outcome.
Please read and learn as much as you can.
My grandson schizo after smoking pot at least thats whst he says. No family history. He is working fulltime now Clozapine/Clozaril saved his life
Hi Galey,
I’m sorry that you and your son are going through this. Your story sounds very similar to my son. My son has ADHD. I didn’t want him taking meds. I thought as he matured it would get better. But at the age of 16-18 he started drinking and smoking pot. Marijuana laced with oils or LSD can cause psychosis. This is what happened to my son. He was diagnosed with Schizophrenia at the age of 19 and now it’s schizoaffective at 21. Since taking medication he’s not the same person. Very withdrawn and sleeps a lot.
Get a good psychiatrist, ask as many questions as possible. Check your local hospital they may have programs that can give you information. Its been my experience that I have to advocate for my son.
I pray that you get the answers you are looking for and that your son be well.
Hi, I’m so sorry about your son. My son was diagnosed then while living in Colorado he wanted to try pot in an effort to better control his symptoms but it sent him into psychosis so it does have some ability to cause it.
Wow, that is interesting. Are you sure it was just pot or bath salts, something else, also the kind of pot they smoke could have a huge affect. Some are more uppers such as sativa and Indica is a downer that helps them sleep. My 29 year old son quit smoking pot to look for work and that is when his issues exasperated. His delusions got much worse and his paranoia off the charts. Finally his therapist and probation suggested he try an edible. He is very aware of how these things affect him and has chosen to NOT smoke at all for the moment. Think it is more due to the fact that he wants to be in control but we have all witnessed when he smokes just a small amount of Indica he sleeps and his overall demeanor is much better. I hate to think the Dr.s would blame this on pot but again it makes a huge difference as to the kind it was. The upper will definitely make them more paranoid and hyper. Not a good thing. We do not know what triggered our guy at 26. He is unofficially adopted by me at age 22 and did quite well for 3 years then bam… We do believe he has had issues his entire life from being in the foster care system and lots of abuse, neglect and he tends to live in the past instead of present and future. This illness sure kicks butt, so distressing and sad for all.! Hang in there.
Replying to all in regards to this thread. Just something to consider, here in my state (Oklahoma), there was a newscast today about pot here being laced with PCP also known as angel dust. A teenager went nuts at a grocery store in the parking lot, grabbed a lady’s baby and threw it to the ground (in the infant carrier luckily). I don’t believe the baby was harmed. Anyhow, I have one teenager, one 21 year old son and their friends are all warning about this pot circulating here. Just a thought that if it’s circulating here, could be other parts of the US. I think to myself, what kind of monster would lace pot with other drugs? What would be the possible benefit to them? Good grief, as if life isn’t hard enough, we have these drug dealers doing things like this?!
OMG. Some people are plain idiots. Who would do such an awful thing, they have no remorse or morals, sad that some do not think about consequences of their actions.
My grandson said pot started his he then weny on to meth and heroin cause he couldnt take the voices. Glad to say he has been clean for 4 years now. On Clozapine only med tgat worked for him. He i happy and working again
Experienced druggies want it laced…