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I get schizophrenia from smoking pot. But I also know people who get it who've never been pot heads. Something about THC is at the center of this. And also s

I get schizophrenia from smoking pot. But I also know people who get it who've never been pot heads. Something about THC is at the center of this. And also something about age. I used to be able to smoke as much as I wanted and just enjoy it, then one day it started making me crazy.. and I kept smoking for a few years and truly lost my mind. I've heard this story countless times... something (usually around age 20) just snaps, and suddenly THC == paranoia.

tartoran 5y ago
Did your symptoms disappear when you stopped using it?
- seph-reed 5y ago
  It took a while, but yes. And they come back if I smoke again.
Bombthecat 5y ago
I know someone who went through the same thing... Now alcoholic and homeless.. Also around 20...
hirako2000 5y ago
Anecdotal. Causation isn't that simple to establish. What drives people to smoke pot may very well be a factor that Will lead to paranoia or other form of mental instability. Also to note, psycho active drugs are as they are called: psycho active. With prolonged use, tolerance increase, with further use some imbalance occurs especially when not under the influence of that substance. Re establishing that balance takes time. We are very poorly educated when it comes to mental stability, and pharmaceutical treatment is the de facto answer by medical corps. I do hope you get better, just don't forget substance use has an impact on the brain subtle chemistry, that's in a way what makes them attractive in the first place, and this impact doesn't disappear after a day like a hangover. Take some time off stimilant and psychedelics, you will slowly regain your normal self.
KittenInABox 5y ago
Early adulthood is often when schizophrenia disorders start manifesting FWIW.
amanaplanacanal 5y ago
That is about the age when schizophrenia hits, even in people who have never smoked.
mnowicki 5y ago
~18-25 IIRC is the normal age for prodromal schizophrenia to occur(the early phase where symptoms begin to manifest) so that makes sense. If you don't get it by that age it's extremely unlikely to start experiencing symptoms at an older age, there are younger children with schizophrenia but it's still much less common than people first noticing it around their early 20s. And in your first sentence, do you mean you get psychosis or hallucinations from smoking pot? Or literal schizophrenia? Interestingly, around 19-22 years old when I smoked a lot, I had some psychosis-like symptoms, mostly auditory hallucinations. They weren't very disruptive or paranoid-feeling though, it was always the sound of a group of people at a party or backyard barbecue or something standing around laughing & talking, and I could only actually make out like 1/5 words. It felt very real though, I looked out my window countless times to see if my neighbors were having a 2am party in their back yard.
- oneil512 5y ago
  Did you have these when you were high, not high, or both? How old are you now and what has become of them?
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
dkn775 5y ago
Is the paranoia thing schizophrenia? I have similar issue where around 27 no longer could smoke without getting super paranoid. Typically I have found if I am not living right in some way weed will bring the fear of it right out. However are you saying anything along the lines that this paranoia thing is related to schizo?
pmoriarty 5y ago
"I've heard this story countless times... something (usually around age 20) just snaps, and suddenly THC == paranoia." It's common for people to smoke more and more cannabis as their tolerance grows, and higher doses of cannabis can easily lead to paranoia and other adverse mental effects. If these people took a long break and then tried the smallest amount of the weakest pot they could get, they might find that they can enjoy it again without getting paranoid.

tartoran 5y ago

Did your symptoms disappear when you stopped using it?

seph-reed 5y ago
It took a while, but yes. And they come back if I smoke again.

Bombthecat 5y ago

I know someone who went through the same thing... Now alcoholic and homeless.. Also around 20...

hirako2000 5y ago

Anecdotal. Causation isn't that simple to establish. What drives people to smoke pot may very well be a factor that Will lead to paranoia or other form of mental instability. Also to note, psycho active drugs are as they are called: psycho active. With prolonged use, tolerance increase, with further use some imbalance occurs especially when not under the influence of that substance. Re establishing that balance takes time. We are very poorly educated when it comes to mental stability, and pharmaceutical treatment is the de facto answer by medical corps. I do hope you get better, just don't forget substance use has an impact on the brain subtle chemistry, that's in a way what makes them attractive in the first place, and this impact doesn't disappear after a day like a hangover. Take some time off stimilant and psychedelics, you will slowly regain your normal self.

KittenInABox 5y ago

Early adulthood is often when schizophrenia disorders start manifesting FWIW.

amanaplanacanal 5y ago

That is about the age when schizophrenia hits, even in people who have never smoked.

mnowicki 5y ago

~18-25 IIRC is the normal age for prodromal schizophrenia to occur(the early phase where symptoms begin to manifest) so that makes sense. If you don't get it by that age it's extremely unlikely to start experiencing symptoms at an older age, there are younger children with schizophrenia but it's still much less common than people first noticing it around their early 20s. And in your first sentence, do you mean you get psychosis or hallucinations from smoking pot? Or literal schizophrenia? Interestingly, around 19-22 years old when I smoked a lot, I had some psychosis-like symptoms, mostly auditory hallucinations. They weren't very disruptive or paranoid-feeling though, it was always the sound of a group of people at a party or backyard barbecue or something standing around laughing & talking, and I could only actually make out like 1/5 words. It felt very real though, I looked out my window countless times to see if my neighbors were having a 2am party in their back yard.

oneil512 5y ago
Did you have these when you were high, not high, or both? How old are you now and what has become of them?

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

dkn775 5y ago

Is the paranoia thing schizophrenia? I have similar issue where around 27 no longer could smoke without getting super paranoid. Typically I have found if I am not living right in some way weed will bring the fear of it right out. However are you saying anything along the lines that this paranoia thing is related to schizo?

pmoriarty 5y ago

"I've heard this story countless times... something (usually around age 20) just snaps, and suddenly THC == paranoia." It's common for people to smoke more and more cannabis as their tolerance grows, and higher doses of cannabis can easily lead to paranoia and other adverse mental effects. If these people took a long break and then tried the smallest amount of the weakest pot they could get, they might find that they can enjoy it again without getting paranoid.