help for lad & Paranoia through cannabis use

redwineguzzler

hi all,

I have posted before about son who left home under a bit of a cloud due to smoking Cannabis!

Has been left home since last year - actually done him some good (although didn't think so at the time), he has been off Cannabis for 7 months now, and overall been a nice lad since, BUT... has been left with awful feeling of helplesness, anger and paranoia.

He phoned me at work today in tears - he had taken himself off to GP's today, who did nothing but offer him tablets, (dont know what they were) which he refused, very very tearful and scared....

Will these feeling ever go away mum he asked - I dont know, does anybody know?? please help............

Have offered him to come home, he said no, Dad has gone to see him at the mo, we are very concerned about him.

Any advice out there???

flutterbyuk25

Have a look at this website:

http://www.talktofrank.com/

It's one I recommend to young people that I work with.

Hope he is ok

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redwineguzzler

Will certainly have a look - I gather from your reply you may acually work with people like my son - do these feelings ever go away???

flutterbyuk25

redwineguzzler wrote: »

Will certainly have a look - I gather from your reply you may acually work with people like my son - do these feelings ever go away???

I do work with some teens who have or have had problems with drugs in a youth worker role. However I'm not that clued up on drug effects sorry. We have a specific person come in to talk to them about drugs etc.

I *think* that the feelings of paranoia do go away eventually but it can take years, depending on the amount of drug use at the time.

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System

Is it just paranoia or does he hear voices as well? I only ask as the two can occur together and there's a good website that can help with it ( http://www.hearing-voices.org/ ).

It might be worth seeing another GP? They were probably offering him some anti-anxiety drugs (possibly anti-psychotics but i wouldnt thought they would do this on a first visit)

this website may help
http://www.iop.kcl.ac.uk/apps/paranoidthoughts/default.aspx

Bethankim

I can sympathise,

I have been going through some of it with my son, compounded by other mental health problems.

How old is your son?

I finally managed to get him some help when i went to the gp's with a whole list of things that were going on. Kind of like a time line - it was also at a point when he was off the wall so perhaps i got in quicker..we were refered to the adolescent unit and has been getting help there.

I looked all over the place for support from other parents and after giving up im forming my own group.

When my son is in a bad place i sit and talk, make sure he is as safe as i can, he is on anti deppresants and they are helping along with the psychiatrist support.

His GP will be the doorway so perhaps either you or your husband could go with him, you might have to jump up and down a bit.

Im still finding my own way through it too.

fee free to pm me and if i can offer any more help i will

Beth
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redwineguzzler

He has just turned 20. No he does not hear voices, but Ithink he feels completely out of his depth, he lives local to us, but at the moment is adament he does not want to give up his independance and come back to live with us, where I could see if he wants to talk and open up, where as at the moment he only seems to want to get in touch when he is at rock bottom, and all the time my heart goes out to him at times like this.

I havn't suggested going to GP with him, but will obviously try to talk to him about it - just dont want to alienate him at he moment while he is obviously still angry about the GP visit today.

System

Its understandable that he's angry, i've had some bad experiences (was suicidal-he prescribed me a total of over 200mg of tamazepam and told me i'd feel better after a good nights sleep!) myself with GPs. it was just a case of finding one who had an interest in MH issues.

if there is a local MIND nearby they may be able to offer advice. Also this may help http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mentalhealthinfo/youngpeople/cannabis.aspx and also this might be of some help http://www.rethink.org/living_with_mental_illness/caring/adjusting_to_change/dealing_with.html

redwineguzzler

Have had a text from DH, son has agreed to come here for dinner tomorrow night, I shall print out the above, and see what sort of state he is in when we see him, may be worth giving him the info, even if he dosn't want to read it at the time, im sure he knows this already - we have always talked about pot, etc in the home, hoping not one of our kids would touch the stuff, the others didn't, as far as we know............................ just want him to be ok, and I believe him when he says he has not touched the stuff in the last 7 months, he is really scared - and that scares me too.

System

*hugs* it is scary seeing someone you love go through something so distressing. but its really good that he has managed to stay off it for 7 months, that in itself will have helped even if it doesn't feel like it has yet. all you can do is let him know you're there for him and let him know he has your support and obviously you'll do anything you can to help. see how is at dinner and maybe just give him the info to read in his own time, he can always come back to you if he wants to talk about it more. best of luck with things, i hope he's ok

flutterbyuk25

Do you have a local drop-in health centre? Or a large pharmacy? Many of these stock information cards that may help.

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