Hello scrumhalf76,

You are searching for answers and I hope you find ones that can give you peace of mind in your recovery. Please feel free to ask other questions or write SharePosts here, even if you are not quite ready to make any changes in your drug use or life at this time. We are a welcoming community.

I understand that it's important to you to come to a conclusion about how much of an effect the drug use contributed to your SZ symptoms.  You want to get to the bottom of this "which came first, the chicken or the egg" question.

Sometimes what I say might sound blunt in my replies.  I will get out the hard cold facts and then wrap up with some positive words of encouragement.

Alcohol and drug use do worsen the symptoms of schizophrenia.  I'm surprised you still use pot on a daily basis considering it has this effect.  Also, drug users take more sick days off from work than people who do not abuse substances.  So your productivity plummets.  That is the long way to say that it has totally affected your well-being and will continue to do so.  It is your choice whether you continue to smoke pot.  If that's what you want to do, that's your choice and it's your life so I'm not going to say anything about this. If it were me, I would refrain from any and all street drugs and alcohol, especially because it could lessen the effect of any SZ meds you take, like Geodon or the other anti-psychotics. 

Please though continue to take your SZ meds even if you still use pot.

Marijuana use can cause psychosis; it can cause psychosis particularly in people with a genetic predisposition to SZ.  So the origin of the SZ, to quote a NIMH researcher, could be that "genetics is the gun and drug use pulls the trigger."

As for smoking, it in some way uplifts people with SZ yet again that is not the reason to start or continue smoking, because smoking can also affect the level of SZ medication needed to effectively treat the symptoms.

You may want to find a therapist skilled in MICA patients: Mental Illness Chemical Abuse treatment.

The good news is that recovery from SZ is possible with tools in place like refraining from drug use, getting enough sleep, eating right, taking the SZ meds, working at a job or volunteer work, or going to school.

As you begin to explore your options, I want you to know that other people who have written in to the Connection have been in your shoes and you are not alone.  SZ is not a life sentence, people with this illness can go on to live full, productive lives of their own choosing.

I wish for you all the best.

Regards,

Christina