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Old Jan 04, 2025, 11:03 AM
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MuddyBoots MuddyBoots is offline
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Member Since: Sep 2020
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Supposedly stimulants (caffeine being an extremely mild one) can cause psychotic symptoms in people already at risk, but in all my years of inpatient and being on units where they serve caffeinated beverages (and some people having literally 10 hospital mugs a day), the only times people have been told to drink less for their health have been the ones with eating disorders who use it to suppress their appetite. Maybe if it's causing anxiety and insomnia it can make hallucinations/delusions/etc worse, but I don't think it would be a direct caffeine->what you're experiencing without anything else at play. Not that cutting back/stopping wouldn't hurt though, other than withdrawal depending on how much you're consuming.

A few months after I started Ritalin (another stimulant), I was asked about my psychotic symptoms which had not gotten any worse. Doc I was talking to said some people's voices actually get better on stimulants (I mean, obviously not crack, bath salts, or meth, but I think he meant adderall/concerta/etc. when at reasonable doses). When I did light therapy, I feel it set off more manic/psychotic symptoms rather than stabilized me too (though not to such an extreme, I was in the hospital so lots of sedatives available), so that's very possible.

VM has good suggestions. Do what you can to keep your mind and body busy with pleasant stuff and do what you can to take care of yourself. Don't forget to eat, hydrate well, shower. Rest when you can. Lately when I'm overwhelmed I get into a dark room under a weighted blanket with whatever song I'm obsessed with that's calming on repeat for a bit and just focus on what I know is real like the feeling of the blanket and the music.

I hope you've slept okay last night and are feeling at least a little better today. We care about you a lot here
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