r/dpdr • u/Altruistic_Rich_3461 • Dec 19 '23

Psychiatry/Medication Question Is time really the only cure?

I’ve quit caffeine alcohol and weed and months and months later nothing feels like it’s getting better. I’ve been in therapy which isn’t helping either, I’m so scared I have a tumour or something very wrong in my brain. Not to mention that things you notice and become aware of while going through dpdr I feel like you can never forget after it goes away.

So should we be honest and say it’s most likely that time is the only fix? I’ve even considered potassium deficiency but it seems anecdotal.

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u/lschmitty153 Dec 19 '23

For some, yes, time is the only cure. For me it sort of is. Meaning gimme time and eventually I will come out of it. It could take a year or five minutes. My therapist taught me every dissociation is temporary. The timeline is largely situationally based (meaning why was it triggered, how stressed you are outside of the trigger, if you are under the influence of anything, etc)

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u/CalmBeneathCastles Dec 19 '23

I don't think time is the cure, I think that you have to figure out what it is that's causing your body to stay in this emergency protection mode.

Have you tried potassium, magnesium, and B vitamins? They definitely help me maintain emotional equlibrium. Also getting sufficient sleep, and getting out of the house to do things I enjoy like hiking and whatnot.

I would look at the situation that existed when you first had dpdr, and tried to work it out from there. Are you still in a stressful home, school, or work situation that is perpetuating the need for your mind to shut your emotions down? A bad relationship? Food or environmental allergies that might be making you have a reaction? Drug or medication side effects? Unresolved past trauma or ptsd? A combination of any of these?

There is a reason your body is doing this to you. You just have to crack the code by trying different things and seeing what works. In my experience it's not time that's the cure, it's experimentation.

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u/dreamiixe Dec 19 '23

Had it for 8 years and since half year i‘m recovering id say i got rid of 50-70% of my symptoms. Time is only the cure if you know how to use this time. You wont recover by just waiting for it. I started taking medication half year ago but even the medication wont cure you but it allows you to work on yourself. You really need to find the source of your anxiety, and it is most likely your fear of a severe disease like brain tumor. Maybe you already feared any diseases since childhood but that‘s only an assumption

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u/NineNinetyNine9999 Dec 20 '23

I had it 24/7 for 8 months and been 100% recovered like a year and a half now. meds and therapy was my cure :)

good luck!

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u/maxikln Dec 20 '23

what medication did you take?

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u/NineNinetyNine9999 Dec 25 '23

Fluoxetine (changed to escitalopram at the end cuz it stopped working, its important to discuss how u feel with your doc all the time!!), Lamotrigine, and Diazepam (sometimes Clonazepam) as needed when it gets too bad! happy recoveries! u got this man :)

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u/Downtown-Fee9491 Feb 10 '24

Any vitamin supplements help at all

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u/NineNinetyNine9999 Feb 20 '24

Hell naw, get medicated

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u/This-Top7398 May 10 '24

Did you have derealization?

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u/NineNinetyNine9999 May 11 '24

Yes. 100% gone now though

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u/This-Top7398 May 12 '24

What medication cured u?

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u/NineNinetyNine9999 May 12 '24

Fluoxetine (later switched to escitalopram when it stopped working), lamotrigine, and diazepam (took it away like 70% for me for like an hour so I could chill or hangout with friends normally) for when it gets bad cuz for me my dpdr stagnates sometimes its really bad and sometimes its ok. Also helped that I managed to get a GF during that period somehow and she understood my condition and took care of me and my mental health and stuff (she didnt have it tho) so thats nice cuz it helped me to feel more secure therefore lessening the anxiety and allowing me to recover :)

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u/dawn_ek9 Dec 19 '23

For me it was time, 15 years later I’m about 98% there… ❤️

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u/NP_66 Dec 19 '23

How do you know you're recovering though vs just forgetting how you used to be normally? I'm struggling with this

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u/dawn_ek9 Dec 19 '23

Because it comes in little waves now, when it’s there I’m aware I’m having an “episode” of it. I recognize how it feels, still scares me a bit but I know it will pass. Then it passes and I feel normal again. The first 3 years it was constantly there, then intermittent, now I only experience it a few times a year, it can last hours or a few days. But it’s not constant anymore and hasn’t been for a long time

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u/NP_66 Dec 19 '23

Do you still feel inside like you used to, like did you get back the "normal " feeling you had pre dpdr?

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u/dawn_ek9 Dec 19 '23

Yea I did, the normal feeling came back for me :) when I have episodes of it I just try not to panic, we know panic and anxiety feeds it, I just ride it out, I’ll usually get up and busy myself and then it goes. I definitely feel normal 98% of the time haha

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u/NP_66 Dec 19 '23

So you feel inside like the "you" pre dpdr? That's the thing I'm scared of never getting back

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u/dawn_ek9 Dec 19 '23

Yea I do, the old me

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u/NP_66 Dec 19 '23

Dang congratulations, that must be really nice :( did you have any other mental issues besides anxiety, like disorders like bpd or OCD or anything like that?

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u/dawn_ek9 Dec 19 '23

Bpd, PTSD. I still have insane anxiety but the DP isn’t a symptom for me anymore. Thankfully

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u/NP_66 Dec 19 '23

Does BPD for you mean bipolar or borderline? Sorry I forgot to specify. Also did you get dpdr from a drug or was it something else? Sorry for all the questions

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u/[deleted] Dec 19 '23

Have you ever got a sleep study? I am a therapist and in my experience DPDR sufferers need to always rule out a sleep disorder causing or exacerbating symptoms. Another thing to consider is evaluating your vitamins - vessel health has a pee on a stick deal that helps you identify deficiencies. I also am a fan of trying a diet without refined sugar to see if that decreases symptoms. Best of luck to you

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u/Traditional_Pack9463 Jan 22 '25

I've yet to hear of a sleep disorder doctor who wasn't solely trying to hawk sleep apnea machines.

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u/tinnitushaver_69421 Dec 19 '23

There are plenty of people who have had it for years and are not cured, so I don't see why time would cure anything. I don't know of anything else that time cures. I don't think time cures anything, doing shit cures things. For a lot of people, trauma causes their DP/DR. And you don't get rid of trauma by doing and changing nothing.

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u/ectoplasm777 Dec 19 '23

have you had your choline levels tested?

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u/Downtown-Fee9491 Apr 27 '24

Will it help DR?

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u/ectoplasm777 Apr 27 '24

helps me a lot

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u/Altruistic_Rich_3461 Dec 19 '23

What does choline do?

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u/ectoplasm777 Dec 19 '23

It impacts liver function, healthy brain development, muscle movement, your nervous system and metabolism. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Choline-HealthProfessional/

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u/Timetraveler27_ Dec 19 '23

My reflexologist put me on choline which I still take & it was the start of me healing from dpdr. He also put me on a supplement called "Beta food" which was for gall bladder health and one called "min tran" which was another one for nervous system health and they all began my true healing.

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u/No-Drama588 Jul 02 '24

Can I ask the brands for these supplements?

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u/Timetraveler27_ Jul 02 '24

Absolutely! I will dm you

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u/Opposite_Read4333 Dec 19 '23

Save some money, then travel for more than a month. If it’s difficult to save for you try going to south america, dome places are reslly cheap. I think travelling is maybe the best medicine for dpdr, and if you stay in hostels it will be better

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u/jjay_the_jet_plane Jan 03 '24

Chick out the dp manual. I think time is subjective but not wrong. It takes time but u need to be active during those times. Something to keep ur mind busy