Hallucinogen-Induced Persisting Perception Disorder: A Case Report.
Javairia Ayyub, Sailaja Nandennagari, Dylan Edelbaum, Jennifer Agbo, Deenuka Nagendran, Luciano Tamayo
Cureus September 1, 2023 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.46262 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | 28-year-old Caucasian male with polysubstance use |
| Intervention | lamotrigine |
| Topics | LSD |
| Keywords | Alpha-2 adrenergic agonists Antiepileptic medications Benzodiazepines Visual perception distortion Flashbacks Visual distortions Visual halluc |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key findings | A patient with HPPD after LSD use improved with lamotrigine, which is the gold standard for treating perceptual disturbances, rather than with first-line alpha-2 adrenergic drugs or benzodiazepines. |
Abstract
Hallucinogen-persisting perception disorder (HPPD), also known as acute hallucinogen-induced psychosis or informally known as "flashbacks," is an unusual condition experienced by patients due to the use of different hallucinogenic substances. Hallucinogen-persisting perception disorder causes many symptoms, predominantly persistent visual perception distortion instead of intermittent distortion. Although different hallucinogens could cause HPPD, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and LSD-like properties seem to be the most common hallucinogens causing the symptoms. In our case report, the patient is a 28-year-old Caucasian male with a long psychiatric and social history of polysubstance use using LSD and cannabis. He started experiencing many of the classic symptoms of HPPD seven months after stopping LSD. The diagnosis is suspected by ruling out all other possible underlying causes with the help of several laboratory and imaging tests. Despite having an extensive psychiatric history of illnesses, the patient's symptoms failed to improve with antipsychotics, confirming that the symptoms were not only due to mental illness. Although supposedly the first-line treatment for HPPD is the use of alpha-2 adrenergic drugs such as clonidine and benzodiazepines, we started to witness improvement in patient's symptoms with the use of lamotrigine, which is the gold standard in treating perceptual disturbance in time and space.
Comparable studies
Other case reports and case series on LSD, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lasting Neuropsychiatric Sequelae of (??)Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (???Ecstasy???) in Recreational Users Persons who ingested large doses of MDMA | 1991 | Case study | n = 2 |
| Further Studies in the Therapeutic Value of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide in Mental Illness Patients with mental illness | 1957 | Case series | |
| Coma, Hyperthermia, and Bleeding Associated with Massive LSD Overdose a Report of Eight Cases People who self-administered large amounts of pure LSD powder intranasally | 1975 | Case series | n = 8 |
| Using a MDMA- and LSD-Group Therapy Model in Clinical Practice in Switzerland and Highlighting the Treatment of Trauma-Related Disorders Patients with chronic complex post-traumatic stress disorder (c-PTSD), dissociative,... | 2022 | Case series | |
| Persistent Palinopsia Following Ingestion of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD) Patients who developed persistent palinopsia after LSD ingestion | 1996 | Case series | n = 3 |
Citations in the library
Cites 6
- Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder: Etiology, Clinical Features, and Therapeutic Perspectives Brain Sciences March 16, 2018
- The “Endless Trip” among the NPS Users: Psychopathology and Psychopharmacology in the Hallucinogen-Persisting Perception Disorder. A Systematic Review Frontiers in Psychiatry November 20, 2017
- LSD-Like Panic From Risperidone in Post-LSD Visual Disorder Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology June 1, 1996
- Hallucinogen-persisting Perception Disorder in a 21-year-old Man. Cureus February 14, 2019
- Schizophrenia and hallucinogen persisting perception disorder: A clinical investigation. American Journal on Addictions April 2015
and 1 more in the library