Spice psychosis

[heartofthorns]

I'm not really sure where the best place to post this is but I thought I would start here. I have a 27 year old son who was smoking spice and got wildly psychotic last October. He spent two months in a mental hospital and has still not fully recovered. He is very child like now. He talks constantly and still has some delusions (thinks he's a record producer, rapper, sports star). He can't concentrate and can't usually even do small tasks without forgetting what he is supposed to be doing. Prior to this he was within a few months of his college degree and was working full time. I'll never lose hope but at the moment, his condition is not looking very good. No doctor has been able to give me any hope for his recovery, I assume because this is so new and not much is known about it.

We are going on six months now and I'm wondering if I should ask his doctor to put him in the hospital and do a complete med wash. I don't know if changing drugs would help or not but clearly the medications he is on are not helping.

Unfortunately, I've met several other families over the last few months who are experiencing the same thing with their loved one and so far, have no found anyone who has come out of a long term psychosis that was induced by smoking synthetic marijuana.

If anyone has any experience with this or knows anyone who has recovered after this long a period of time, please let me know!

Thank you!

 

[Retired]

Welcome to Psychlinks, Heartofthorns!

Sorry to hear about your son's situation with the after effects of his substance abuse.

clearly the medications he is on are not helping

What are the medications he has been prescribed?

Is he under continuous care by a physician?

 

[heartofthorns]

Unfortunately he does not have health insurance so he is seen by the state system here. As far as state systems go, they are actually pretty good and I have been talking with the psychiatrist who saw my son when he did have health insurance on occassion.

He is currently taking the following:

Lithium - 300 mg twice a day (I don't feel like this is even a theraputic dose. I've had his labs drawn and have calls to the doctor in but haven't heard back yet)
Depakote - 500 mgs twice a day (this is putting weight on him - he's gained 20 lbs in the last four months and I'm concerned about this)
Cogentin - 1/2 mg twice a ay
Trazadone- 150 mg per day
Invega sustenna injection (I don't know the dosage on this, only that he gets it once a month)
Risperdal - 3 mg at bedtime

I've been told there is a wide range dosing on the Invega Sustenna so I need to ask the doctor about that.

Thanks for any suggestions ... or hope!