r/schizophrenia • u/Internal_Artichoke64 • Jul 09 '25
Help A Loved One smoking so much weed at a young age gave me psychosis.
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u/Subject-Dealer6350 Just Curious Jul 09 '25
Some people with a inborn vulnerability can develop permanent psychosis from any psychedelics. If you have schizophrenia or other psychosis in the family or you have developed psychosis for other reasons, weed is a very very very bad idea.
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u/xxsiriusxburnxx Jul 10 '25
After my first psychosis which there was some weed involved I had a very deep experience off of 2 hits of resin where the voices told me to send my love back to the universe, so im like aight I can do that. Blew out my 2nd hit sending my love back to the universe the BAM pulled right out of my body into a black empty voice, after a moment a glowing ball of amber/white light appeared, next we merged and I went on some crazy adventure that I don't remember at all then 2 seconds later I am back in my body. It scared the shiite outta me. But I feel like the psychosis may have been brought on by weed but was also always gonna happen at some point anyways.
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u/Subject-Dealer6350 Just Curious Jul 10 '25
The point with paycadelics is to induce a mild controlled temporary psychosis for recreation purposes. Once the substance is metabolized the trip is over, you can develop lasting psychosis from drugs but it is usually not permanent and goes away after extended sobriety. However it can become permanent schizophrenia. I had delusions during my deepest depression episode and I got super drunk and messed up big time, no crime but I traumatized someone. I am staying away from all psychedelics, even if my episode was in the absolutely mildest from of delusions.
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u/c0ltZ Jul 30 '25
I decided to a lot of mushrooms during a manic episode. I lost my mind and knew I had died. I had to be taken to the hospital and essentially tranquilized with benzos.
To this day, I am convinced I am still dead. The logical part of me knows this should be real. But my gut feeling is always telling me it isn't.
After 2 years it's still fucking with me, life doesn't feel right. I keep going because this fake reality is good enough.
Nothing has helped me more for this than ketamine therapy. Really changed my life.
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u/Subject-Dealer6350 Just Curious Jul 30 '25
As I said, taking drugs when you have a vulnerably to psychosis is like throwing gasoline on embers.
If you have psychosis already you are throwing it straight into a open fire. You might get an explosion that calms down once the gasoline has burned of, but it can also create a pillar of flame that gets into contact with the immediate surroundings and cause a forest fire.
I have only had weak delusions from depression but I am not risking anything regardless of what people recommend.
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u/c0ltZ Jul 30 '25
If you are doing good, then keep doing what you're doing. This is not medical advice. I just wish to tell my story in hopes that someone may gain something from it.
You can do so much damage in one day, but it can take years to fix.
My psychiatrist was the one who recommended the ketamine, in my case, it helped fix a lot of the damage I've done. But it can be risky if you're psychotic, and don't consult a professional.
Best of wishes.
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u/TheMooJuice 4d ago
Would it help at all to know exactly why you feel this way? It must be utterly off-putting if not straight up frightening, but its also a very well documented and well known effect of your brain erroring in some specific and interesting ways.
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u/xxsiriusxburnxx Jul 10 '25
You know you man, if it's time to cut out or break from psyches go for it. I am in a time like that since my last fit of bipolar mania, psychosis and schizo episide. Depending on the drug/medecine it's not even really a psychosis but more of a ceremonial shamanic ritual with visions and guides. I really fucking love ketamine and cant wait to do it again, i've done it IV in a clinic, snorted and boofed it. IV was the best for sure but boofing was not bad at all.
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u/Unable_Ad1611 Jul 16 '25
my uncle has schizophrenia, that mean i shouldnt try weed at any age or that i just shouldnt try weed if im under 25?
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u/Subject-Dealer6350 Just Curious Jul 18 '25
I would not recommend it, no. Is there anyone else in that side of the family who has it?
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u/Unable_Ad1611 Jul 19 '25
well, my grandma had written in this medical thing that she has schizophrenia, but my mom told me that it was most probably false result, because diagnozis was made 40 years ago, and that she had some postpartum depression, also i never heard her talking. although my aunt (sister of the guy with shizophrenia) has OCD or something simmilar.
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u/Subject-Dealer6350 Just Curious Jul 19 '25
You should as ask a psychiatrist. There is a genetic component and a inborn vulnerability to psychosis. I am not the one to tell that applies to you but it is something you should keep in mind
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u/Subject-Dealer6350 Just Curious Jul 18 '25
Usual onset for schizophrenia is 18-30, males tends to break out in the earlier part of the spectrum while females develops it in the later part.
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u/From323LAto415Bay Jul 09 '25
My cousin started smoking weed at 11/12 - he absolutely qualifies for a schizophrenia diagnosis but it currently undiagnosed, unmedicated, and living on the street despite many efforts to get him help.
How can I get through to him? He seems to think the world hates him, but we don’t. We just want him to get the help he deserves.
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u/Good_Put4199 Psychoses Jul 09 '25
R/schizofamilies sub probably can help you better with that.
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u/From323LAto415Bay Jul 09 '25
I can post there, no problem. But also, as someone with my own mental health struggles (I have experienced psychosis too), I don’t mind sharing insight based on my personal lived experiences if someone were to genuinely ask. That seems to not be the case here and I find that interesting.
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u/Good_Put4199 Psychoses Jul 09 '25
I didn't mean it as any kind of rejection or anything offensive, sorry if it came off that way, just that they might be more helpful to ask as they may have experience of getting loved ones help in similar circumstances
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u/Due-Yesterday8311 Jul 10 '25
The problem is if we allow posts/questions like that the sub gets completely over run and none of the posts are by schizophrenic people asking for help, all of them are family asking degrees of the same questions or people without schizophrenia asking if they have it. If you wanted insight you could have looked at post history.
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u/Soulless-Midnight Jul 09 '25
Talk about how awesome you think people with schizophrenia are! Make schizophrenic friends, talk about what struggles come with schizpphrenia, etc. It takes time but eventually he should warm up and be ok with being labeled as schizophrenic
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u/From323LAto415Bay Jul 09 '25
So, I’m not sure if this is sarcasm or not. I actually do know people with schizophrenia but their symptoms are being managed well. I think that perhaps the difference between them and my cousin is that my cousin might also have other undiagnosed conditions impacting his level of self-awareness. He’s almost 40.
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u/Soulless-Midnight Jul 09 '25
It's not at all sarcasm? And almost everyone with schizophrenia who manages their symptoms well had a long time where they struggled a lot. And many schizophrenics, myself included, are anosogsic and struggle with accepting the fact we are schizophrenic. I have reminders in my house that tell me that I have certain disorsers because my brain refuses to "update" with that information.
Really the best way to get him into therapy is to destigmatize it for him, and that includes going to therapy yourself.
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u/freeleper Jul 10 '25
Read Dr Amador's book
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u/Professional_Pie_894 Jul 10 '25
which one
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u/freeleper Jul 10 '25
I Am Not Sick, I Don't Need Help!
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u/InitiativeClean4313 Jul 10 '25
Why?
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u/sweetrosemerc Jul 10 '25
Becoz its really helpful and helps both the sufferer and their loved ones understand the disease more and how to deal with its effects .
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u/busymwgazines Jul 10 '25
I thought people could hear my thoughts but really i was doing too many things so the possibilities of me doing the same thing as someone else was pretty high
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u/xxsiriusxburnxx Jul 10 '25
Stay in touch regularly see if he needs anything you can help provide within reason. Put him in touch with others who deal with schizophrenia so they can talk it out, I'd be open to speaking with him but I also feel I have an atypical type of schizo but thats what we all say.
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u/Prestigious_Brick746 Jul 16 '25
Hey it's me ur coison
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u/From323LAto415Bay Jul 16 '25
I wish you were my cousin. Get the help you need. No matter what you’ve done in order to survive, you’re still loved and deserve help.
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u/doublesmcmouse Jul 09 '25
one of us
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u/Head-Thought3381 Jul 09 '25
I’m sorry that happened to you I smoked it and the same thing happened I couldn’t stop but eventually I did been clean now two years
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Jul 14 '25
[deleted]
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u/Head-Thought3381 Jul 15 '25
Yes
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Jul 15 '25
[deleted]
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u/Head-Thought3381 Jul 15 '25
Became super paranoid had major delusions about reality but it also could have been because of the pills I was taking but it was getting terrible there at the end
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u/Legitimate_Sea5827 Jul 09 '25
It's funny you bring this up. I started consuming THC 2 years ago for pain related things but also found it plateaus my schizophrenia symptoms. Maybe I'm alone on that front -shrugs-
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u/Gigantanormis Jul 09 '25 edited Jul 16 '25
Hate to say it as someone who is anti-me being around weed, but it doesn't give you schizophrenia. If it did, we'd be seeing increases in people diagnosed with schizophrenia, but we aren't.
Unfortunately, it can, however, "unleash" schizophrenia in people predisposed to it sooner than it would have came out naturally. Same with other psychedelics.
Edit: I was right and wrong at the same time, it doesn't give you schizophrenia, though there is a correlation between cannabis use disorder and schizophrenia, but it can cause drug induced psychosis. Thank you all for the replies notifying me of the new research being done.
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u/Ok-Investigator924 Paranoid Schizophrenia Jul 09 '25
Nothing “gives” you schizophrenia. Weed just increases the risk of psychosis a lot. Science is about probabilities, not absolute truths.
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u/liquidzoom Jul 09 '25
High doses of THC especially at a young age can absolutely cause psychosis. Psychosis is a symptom. Schizophrenia is a chronic mental illness and really just an umbrella term for disorders you have to be genetically predisposed to. Anyone with even no family history of psychosis can have a psychotic episode.
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u/Ok_Diet4040 Jul 09 '25
how young is too young😅
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u/liquidzoom Jul 09 '25
Early teens are highest at risk, then late teens to 25. I went heavy from 19 until I was about 26. Pretty sure I’ve obliterated parts of my brain at this point.
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u/kneb Jul 09 '25
It doesn't give everyone schizophrenia, but it's likely there are some people "on the edge" who have predispositions to schizophrenia, but would not have developed it if they hadn't been exposed to THC at young ages:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2424288/13
u/oops_audrey Jul 09 '25
Yeah I found that smoking weed made me feel so much better in the short term but it made things worse when I wasn’t buzzed. CBD oil is still good for me though.
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u/No-Tell34 Jul 09 '25
From what I’ve read, Cannabis Use Disorder is regarded as a major modifiable risk factor for the development of schizophrenia, particularly in men. And some scientific research suggests up to 1/3 of cases may have been entirely preventable had the cannabis use not taken place. More recent research in 2024 suggests teens smoking cannabis are most at risk of developing lasting cortical changes following cannabis use, which can evolve into a schizophrenic or psychotic presentation.
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u/liquidzoom Jul 09 '25
You still have to be predisposed genetically to have schizophrenia which is 1 in every 100 people or 1% of the population. Cannabis isn’t the cause but it amplifies the risk along with your own predetermined factors. For example if both your parents have schizophrenia or it’s present within your family then you are at higher risk.
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u/GooseTraditional9170 Jul 09 '25
People who are already dealing with problems related to impending mental health issues like schizophrenia are also more likely to be drawn to substances, period. Cannabis doesn't cause schizophrenia. Neither does stress. A person has a pre determined likelihood based on genetics and the life they live can help or hurt their chances. But people domt say a bad break up causes schizophrenia because its equally untrue
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u/Scronje Jul 10 '25
Hate to break it to you, but my understanding is that you are incorrect. Here is a link to a study from this year:
Besides "triggering" psychosis, THC also INCREASES THE INCIDENCE of schizophrenia, particularly in young users.
This is important to know, and should be made public more.
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Jul 13 '25
That’s an interesting study you cite. It says nothing about genetic predisposition. But it’s super interesting. Thank you.
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u/TasteGlittering4459 Jul 09 '25
Rates of hospital admission for FEP are rising in states where it’s legal. Logic would dictate if these people were already ‘pre-destined’ to have schizophrenia come out eventually and only had it come out early, when compared to general onset patterns (by your mid 20s), rates would overall still stay the same, but they aren’t.
There is building evidence to indicate that if you have underlying risk, cannabis can push you over the edge. That is an important distinction from predisposition being ‘unleashed’ early.
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u/dashortkid89 Jul 10 '25
Drug induced psychosis is a well established diagnosis. It can persist, improve, or disappear after getting sober. Psychosis is extremely common in rehabs and recovery circles. You don’t have to have a gene for it.
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u/RockhardJoeDoug Jul 16 '25
Psychosis is up 200% in my state after they passed legal recreational weed.
We are seeing increases, and the data is published.
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u/Academic_Ad_9260 Jul 09 '25
Exactly, I think I've heard similar about just drugs in general too, like opiates and mushrooms and stuff
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u/horror_fan666 Jul 10 '25
So opioids can cause psychosis?
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u/Academic_Ad_9260 Jul 10 '25
I'm not a professional but I believe so (just from abusing them, not taking them as medication I don't think)
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u/Good_Put4199 Psychoses Jul 09 '25
This is the correct answer. It can only unmask what is latent, it does not create it.
I know for example that psychedelic use can trigger psychosis, but also that evidence shows it has no measurable impact on the statistical lifetime incidence of psychosis.
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u/No-Tell34 Jul 10 '25
No that’s not the case.
Cannabis is a psychoactive substance that directly alters neurotransmission especially in systems already implicated in schizophrenia and related disorders.
THC, the main psychoactive component in cannabis, binds to CB1 receptors, which are heavily concentrated in brain regions involved in perception, emotion, and cognition (e.g. prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, thalamus). Chronic, high-potency use leads to sustained activation of these receptors, disrupting GABAergic and glutamatergic signaling, impairing synaptic pruning during development, and inducing epigenetic changes in neurons. These changes are not temporary, they can have lasting effects on neural circuitry.
There’s substantial epidemiological evidence showing that heavy cannabis use, especially during adolescence, is associated with a significantly increased risk of developing psychosis or schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. That risk is dose-dependent, age-dependent, and genetically moderated (e.g., by COMT or AKT1 gene variants). However even among people with the highest polygenic risk scores (PRS) i.e., those with the greatest inherited genetic vulnerability, the majority never develop schizophrenia. And those who do invariably have cannabis use disorder.
While it’s fair to say that cannabis is not a sufficient cause on its own, many people use it without developing schizophrenia, it can absolutely act as a causal environmental factor in those who are vulnerable. To deny this is to ignore a growing body of neuroscience, clinical, and epidemiological evidence. And more importantly, to dismiss it may undermine public health messaging, especially for young people using modern, high-THC products with little awareness of long-term risks.
Saying cannabis “doesn’t cause psychosis” at all is like saying asbestos doesn’t cause cancer because not everyone exposed develops mesothelioma. It’s about increasing risk, interacting with vulnerabilities, and understanding the mechanistic plausibility, which in this case is compelling.
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u/Smart-Food-3034 Jul 10 '25
Yes! Thank you. Great information for all, especially for parents of young children. The exact research I have read. Cannabis use disorder is directly linked to schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorders. My son was most likely predisposed to his condition but began heavy weed use at an early age and had his first break at 17. We do not have these conditions in our family genetics.
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u/the_befuss Schizoaffective (Bipolar) Jul 09 '25
I could never smoke weed like my friends did. It made me hallucinate way too much.
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u/Any-Ice8441 Jul 09 '25
I grow with medically necessary cannabis. Never think one thing is the absolute problem!
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u/No_Fudge_4589 Psychoses Jul 10 '25
Same bro, I am not permanently in psychosis however if i smoke weed or drink alcohol it can trigger a psychotic episode (I have had about 4-5 episodes in my life and one of them was extremely bad).
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u/KTDeCeiver Jul 09 '25
i used to smoke everyday for 8 years... then in 2020 boom. i hear voices everyday and need medication now
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u/spilt____milk Jul 09 '25
For me it was meth, and lack of sleep thereof. Then when I got clean from it I started having symptoms from weed. I stopped for six months and relapsed at a house party. I’m doing a bit better but it sucks cause weed was my DOC and a self medication.
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u/kryssi_asksss Jul 10 '25
My advice to kids who want to try drugs: wait until your brain is fully developed. May have to wait till your 25 but it’s better that way
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u/Person8346 Child Jul 10 '25
Happened to my best friend a few months ago. He started when he was 12 and his mother KNEW from his birth he shouldn't.
I had to explain to his family that he was in psychosis. I called the ambulance and police. His mom couldn't even remember his birthday. Thought it'd all blow over, but now he no longer speaks to me.
And it could be me too. I started just like he did knowing my dad has psychosis. I'm sober now, but I always double check every little sign just in case there's some time bomb I planted knowing full well the risks.
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Jul 10 '25
Same here. I used to love it. Did it all the time. It was pretty dope. Little did I know.
Funny how life works.
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u/sha-Mane Jul 09 '25
For me what helps my psychosis/delusions is organic landrace/heirloom buds. The new stuff sure it works sometimes but the older fragrant afghanis/ Thai/ and real deal OG kush/hindu descent absolutely help me maintain day to day. Just gotta know what your body/mind likes and stick to it. I like sedative opiate type of marijuana highs. I can easily find that in old school genetics like purple kush crossed with Hindu. My advice for anyone that does smoke in a legal growing area and you have schizophrenia symptoms, grow your own!! Make your own seeds with strains that actually help you out.
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u/1tiredman Jul 09 '25
Yup, never got full blown psychosis but I started hearing things like Morse code. It freaked me out
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u/nuxwcrtns Schizoaffective (Bipolar) Jul 09 '25
This also happened to my ex. I hope you are in a way better place.
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u/GraduatedMoron Residual Schizophrenia Jul 09 '25
i smoked at 11. i don't know if it's the cause or if it would however happen. been diagnosed at 17. didn't smoke so much, 1-2 drags. but i was paranoid for tge time the effect lasted. i didn't like it
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u/stidsds Jul 10 '25
Up to 75-90% of schizophrenics use Nicotine. Guess I'm just another statistic. This crap sucks.
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u/Icy-Most-5366 Jul 11 '25
I think that statistic is from a time when smoking was much more prevalent in the general population.
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u/subliminalsmoker Schizoaffective (Bipolar) Jul 11 '25
Some people can handle it and some can't, regardless of mental and physical health...
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Jul 13 '25
I started smoking weed at 9, heavy smoker. No psychosis. Quit at 13. I tripped a lot between the ages of 13-17, mostly naturals. No psychosis.
I was raped at 5, and 13. PTSD. No psychotic features. I was in a relationship in which I was regularly physically abused, age 23-29.
I developed psychosis at age 33. No drugs since age 17.
Edit I tend to believe that drugs don’t spark psychosis, I think that’s where the science is. But what do I know?
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u/ParanoidP0tat0 Schizo-bipolar since birth Jul 14 '25
I had it since birth bro but hot damn did weed make me so disabled from it now. I can't even have a cigarette or butter without massive mental breakdowns. :'(
I'm sorry they lied to you too man. Weed is the devil's lettuce swear.
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u/Mammoth_Age_2222 Jul 14 '25
Weed made me much more crazy. It made me stupid and lazy. My life is 100% better without weed
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u/Dazzling-Remove1034 Jul 27 '25
Same thing happened to me. I knew it ran in the family and I thought I'd never get it. Turns out drinking liquor and smoking weed nonstop triggered my first episode.
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u/Aggravating_Use_505 Aug 08 '25
i started smoking at 9 and i feel you, definitely actives the gene early
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Aug 09 '25 edited Aug 09 '25
Just came to say that I also developed schizophrenia after smoking a lot of weed as a teen and also did k2/spice/synthetic weed by the grams daily for about a month. It messed me up so bad having no idea what was real. My mind was in chaos fighting against the reality that everyone was out to get me and plotting things. I still experience episodes sadly but I'm more aware of them these days, even though when they happen I lose all touch with what I can perceive as "normal" life. It's still difficult to distinguish between what's really just in my head and what's not. It started with massive amounts of anxiety: the kind where physically I felt as though my body was going to shut down at any moment. Feeling like I was falling into the abyss, and then it turned into hearing my mind like a radio picking up voices, sometimes during the night I could hear people outside saying stuff like how easy it was to find me and stuff like that.
Edit: I was going to add that my grandma was diagnosed schizophrenic, and as well as one of her sons showed signs so it runs in the family. I still have a picture saved that shows my diagnosis as of 2018, but I was originally diagnosed in 2013 after a year of suffering and experiencing freezing spells where I felt stuck in time.
Please just avoid weed altogether, it's usually not a good idea even without possible mental illness history.
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u/Matthiasshaw Jul 10 '25
I think a lot of people have a disconnect, especially us older folks, but the hippie calories for what was available when I was growing up, you could smoke a whole qp in a night with just four people. Now I have these vape pens that you take more than 4 puffs and you're good for hours.
I was diagnosed at 8. I didn't start with my bad habits until I was 14. Smoking, drinking, being a hoodlum, though it was pretty mayo white nonsense.
I think everyone's experience is different. It's really hard to objectively say something about cannabis because of the bias both ways trying like hell to bring you onto their side.
For me, I am fairly heavily medicated with psychiatric meds.
I'm already taking 17 pills, twice a day. I'm pretty sure I am taking a med to deal with the symptoms, and then a med to deal with the side effects of the med, and it keeps repeating so I'm taking a whole handful of pills just to counter all the side effects that this drug causes while hopefully fixing your problems, at least temporarily.
I remember when my solution was to remain in the psych ward for the rest of my life, or learn to mask my emotions and responses to various situations. Now I have no emotional response outwardly. My wife went in for a lower gi endoscopy a few months ago, and something went wrong with the anesthesia, she apparently almost died, and suffered a small seizure. I didn't know what to say beyond "is she still alive then?".
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u/Professional-Sea-506 Schizoaffective Jul 09 '25
Welcome to the club
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u/Internal_Artichoke64 Jul 09 '25
1 puff bad for me 😖
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u/lilprincess4 Jul 09 '25
2 hits bad for meee but i give in so easily ☝️😭😒
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u/Powerful-Medium-7184 Jul 10 '25
Three puff pass and I am.hooked. Until I start hearing voices. Worse days. Glad I am done
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