Hey all, I have a sister that is experiencing extreme paranoia. She has used meth in the past, but not on a consistent basis. She has been having bouts of extreme paranoia for the last two weeks. Doing things like plastering every hole and crack in her bedroom with painters putty and going so far as to take her computer and monitor apart to look for listening and viewing devices. She says she hears people outside her bedroom at night talking about her. Could this be some lasting damage from meth use. Until her meth use she has never presented any psychological episodes like this before. Can you still suffer paranoia two weeks after stopping use?
I remember a friend had these sort of feelings would see things that are not there or hear voices that no one else heard and had trouble trying t0 see what was real and what was just confusing the mind. The person I know had some of these feelings and could not concentrate and also had to get help so he could cope with trying to live a normal life which was hard for him. Meth can be quite dangerous and also, it is quite interesting at what can happen and recovering from it can be hard for some people to do.
It would be hard to tell for anyone of us since none of us are professionals, so my advice would be to have the person checked so you could be sure of what you are dealing with. As for my guess, I would say that it's probably possible that there are remnants of meth effects but it's also possible that the paranoia has already been there laying dormant from the start.
ahhh I did not think about the paranoia being there from the start. I think you may be right. Perhaps the meth use was just a catalyst for the underlying mental illness. Now I suppose its on to the next challenge of trying to convince her to get some help without making her think we are out to get her or trying to lock her away and throw away the key...sigh, sisters. Thank you guys for your responses, that's why I love forums like this. You brought to light a possibility I would have not otherwise thought of.
Oftentimes drug use can bring out underlying symptoms that were previously not visible. It is highly possible that the paranoia your sister is experiencing was indeed already there, as Charli says. Having experienced paranoia and delusions before myself, I can say from personal experience that treatment is very, very possible. I wish you and your sister the absolute best!
Very interesting. Like others have suggested she might have had these feelings of paranoia and Meth may have intensified these feelings. Now will she still be paranoid after she quits? I'm not sure. It really depends on how long she has been using it. Some people I know have been using it for so long that they are no longer the same and act very weird. It will greatly depend on her and how long Meth had a grip on her.
First off let me say how sorry i am that you and you sister are battling this. I've been there myself and it was'nt fun. It was pure hell and torment inside my head. Now im not a doctor or proffessional in anyway but i have lots of experiance and to me it sounds like she may be fighting with meth induced phsycosis. I went through it and it eventually did stop but everyone is different. My prayers for her peace of mind and recovery are with you. Keep us posted on her recovery if you can