Are there any medications that help heal depersonalization and derealizaiton? Will it help you recover completely or can it help reduce the intensity of DP/DR symptoms?
A question that I often get asked is, “What are some of the medications that are currently available for treating depersonalization disorder (DPD)?” While I tell my clients that there is no medication available for treating DPD specifically, there are some that may alleviate certain symptoms of the illness. In this article, I hope to cover some of the medication available for dealing with DPD and its symptoms.
Before We Proceed
I’m not a medical doctor nor a licensed therapist. Please do your own research and always be sure to consult with a psychiatrist or a medical doctor before consuming any medication.
With that being said, let me reiterate this fact: so far, there has not been any medication developed to specifically treat depersonalization & derealization disorder.
Psychopharmacological medication usually doesn’t deal directly with the root cause of mental illness. Most modern-day medications are aimed at reducing the severity of the symptoms and do not treat the underlying imbalance. Most of the time, these imbalances can be psychological, resulting from years of abuse, trauma from other sources, or sometimes even spontaneous occurrences (spiritual emergencies).
One also needs to be aware of the potential side effects of using medication for treating a mental illness. These side effects can range anywhere from mild nausea and upset stomach, to having suicidal thoughts and ideation.
Medication may also prevent the patient from developing their inner strength, courage, and resilience to go through the motions of an illness. In most cases, people who come through a difficult illness, such as depersonalization, without the help of medication are LESS afraid when the symptoms return.
In my opinion, medication should not be the first resort of a patient dealing with depersonalization, derealization, anxiety, or panic disorder.
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Nonetheless, it is my belief that taking medication for mental illness is fine, as long as one is aware of the above caveats. In some cases, when the severity of the illness is very strong, there is nothing more helpful than having some relief from the mental agony with the help of a prescription pill.
Now that we got that out of the way, let’s dive in and see what medications are available for the treatment of depersonalization (DP) and derealization (DR), and their symptoms.
Naloxone and Naltrexone
You may have heard about Naloxone and Naltrexone in the news being used in case of opioid overdoses, but do you know that they may help with the treatment of depersonalization/derealization as well? Naloxone and Naltrexone are opioid antagonists that have shown some efficacy in treating DPD.
It has been hypothesized that blocking opioid receptors in the brain leads to a decline in opiate-modulated dissociative states. That means taking Naltrexone or Naloxone can lead to experiencing less of dissociative states such as depersonalization, derealization, and their various symptoms.
In one study conducted, three of the fourteen patients who were administered Naloxone were found to be free of depersonalization symptoms, whereas seven showed marked improvement.
In another study, fourteen subjects were treated with Naltrexone and it was found that there was an average of 30% reduction in symptoms.
Both these studies are promising, but it should also be noted that in both cases, the effect was only temporary. When consumption of Naloxone or Naltrexone stops, the symptoms and the illness may return. Currently, no pharmaceutical company is developing a naloxone/naltrexone-based drug exclusively for the treatment of DPD.
Lamotrigine
Lamotrigine is an anticonvulsant and a mood stabilizer. It has been observed that Lamotrigine blocks the release of the neurotransmitter glutamate. Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that transmit signals between nerve cells or neurons. Glutamate release is known to cause dissociative symptoms, such as depersonalization and derealization.
In the two studies conducted with Lamotrigine for treating DPD, one concluded that Lamotrigine showed some treatment efficacy (meaning, it worked), while in the other, the same result was NOT observed.
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs)
SSRIs, such as Prozac, Celexa, Paxil, and Zoloft, are a class of compounds that work on the serotonergic system of the brain (and to some extent the gut, where serotonin receptors are also found). The serotonergic system is thought to play a key role in regulating mood and in mood disorders, such as depression.
For people with DPD, SSRIs have been found to be effective at treating the depression that people often experience along with their depersonalization. This can be helpful because at least now the person may find the motivation to get out of bed and engage with their life. Doing so greatly increases their chances of recovery from DPD.
Whether SSRIs reduce the underlying dissociation is still up for debate. Currently, there aren’t any studies available to show conclusive evidence to support that notion. The only evidence available is anecdotal (coming from someone’s experience). People in various DP/DR forums and groups sometimes claim that SSRIs have been able to alleviate some or all of their dissociation.
In one study, Fluoxetine (also known as Prozac), an SSRI, showed some treatment efficacy in people with depersonalization disorder who also have an anxiety disorder.
Benzodiazepines
Sometimes called “benzos,” these are a class of compounds that are part of the tranquilizer family. Benzodiazepines work with the GABA receptors in the brain, resulting in a sedative, anxiolytic (anti-anxiety), muscle-relaxant effect. Common drugs belonging to this class are Xanax, Klonopin, Librium, Valium, and Ativan.
These compounds are often prescribed for anxiety, panic disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorders.
It has been found that having high levels of anxiety sometimes results in depersonalization, and a person with DPD does experience bouts of anxiety. Because of this link, people taking benzos for DPD do sometimes experience some relief from it. Whether or not these compounds alleviate the underlying dissociation is still in question.
Depersonalization can also bring about panic attacks and obsessive-compulsive thinking, which benzos might work to mitigate. It must be noted that the effects of medication vary widely with patients. While it may help to alleviate a symptom in one person, it does not do anything for the other, or worse, it can exacerbate the symptom for someone else.
Anafranil
Obsessive thinking and having intrusive DP/DR thoughts or imagery is a common symptom of DPD. Anafranil is a drug that has been shown in some studies to help alleviate these kinds of thoughts. This is a compound that belongs to the tricyclics, which are anti-depressants that are older than SSRIs and have more side effects. As in the previous case, Anafranil does not seem to have any effect on dissociation itself.
Conclusion
At this time, there isn’t any psychopharmacological medication that can treat DPD specifically and effectively. All of the above medications may relieve one or more symptoms of depersonalization, but not the underlying illness itself.
In the future, there might be a drug available that can treat DP/DR effectively, although I am skeptical. DPD, like any other mental illness, is not just a result of chemical imbalances in the brain that can be fixed with some pills. It is a complex phenomenon that may arise due to, but not limited to, chemical imbalances, psychological factors, environmental circumstances, and maybe even a spiritual crisis. Taking all of these into account, it is wise not to rely on medication alone for the treatment of DPD. Various forms of therapy often outperform medication when it comes to effectiveness.
I’m curious to know if there has been any medication that has helped you with DPD or its symptoms. Please leave a comment below letting me know what medication has been helpful and how it has helped you. Thanks.
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I have severe depersonalization going on now I suffer from bipolar depression and I am so scared this lost touch with everything I’m in Depakote Seroquel for bipolar and have severe anxiety that I take clonazepam for constant worry not going to get better I’m so scared this frigid so awful disconnect feeling please any feedback
I have severe depersonalization disorder, Anxiety and panic disorder for 7 years I was almost symptom free, as iij was taking clonazepam 3 times a day, in aug,2019 I was taken off clonazepam, as there were policy changes an was put on hydroxazine 25mg an zoloft an they dont even compare to work as good as the clonazepam, my depersonalization is back worse then ever, anxiety attacks happen more an more often now, I really wish I could go back onto clonazepam an feel normal again I have tried with multiple doctors an none will prescribe it to me because of how strick the government has gotten on benzodiazepines, if anyone knows a doctor in Pennsylvania that could prescribe me the medication that actually works an makes me normal please email me .
I’m sorry you’re going through this and yes most doctors are not prescribing maybe you should try a psychiatrist and see if they will help you don’t stop until you get help God bless stay strong I know it’s hard believe me I’ve been suffering for 40 years even before they had a name for it I just called it my weird feeling had to put myself in the psychiatric ward in the hospital for a couple of weeks because I did not know it was happening to me 40 years ago started when I was 22 one of the scariest things that never goes away sometimes it tries to creep through through my Klonopin and yes there is a fear that my doctor will cut me off so I understand your fear which makes it worse God bless I hope you and pray you find relieve🙏
I’m 15 years old and I’ve had depersonalization for almost 6 months nonstop now. It started to happen as a side effect to my bad decision to smoke marijuana. One time I decided to smoke and it has felt like my high just never went away ever since. It was absolutely terrifying at first and now I feel like it is ruining my life and making time go too fast to the point where I can’t comprehend my own life. Please let me know if you have heard of anything similar. Even a similar story would bring me some peace.
hey! im also 15 and i just started having derealization for about a month and a half ago. i got it from eating 100mg of a thc edible. i had a panic attack and severe paranoia which led me to end up in the hospital. its getting worse, i guess, but im getting help. it sucks so much and honestly sometimes i dont think I’ll make it through the day but somehow i do. dont worry though, we’ll both get through this and find peace. <3
hey! i also developed derealization from weed did medication help ur symptoms at all?
To anyone suffering from
Dp bc of marijuana. I suffered for a year and half in 2018-2019. I smoked a dab and my body couldn’t handle it. I suffered in silence for about 6 months bc I didn’t know what was going on until I talked to my dr and she put me on Prozac after being on it for 3 months back in 2018 I was able to finally leave my bed without fear. And have normal conversations with people. My anxiety would be at an all time high esp In the mornings. Towards the beginning of 2019 my symptoms had decreased bc of the Prozac I still felt like a ghost but not enough to where it debilitated me. I was left with intrusive thoughts and excessive worry but I’d take that over feeling like a ghost. I never completely finished taking Prozac I took it for about 3 months. By September 2019 I was 80% healed and by February 2020 I was completely me again . I did smoke weed again on 10/04/2020 and was unfortunately left the same way. All of my dp symptoms came back. I’m not as scared as before but this is getting in the way of my daily life . I feel like I’m back to level 0 when I was basically at the finish line. I feel like a ghost, can’t think clearly have panic attacks wake up with tons of amount of anxiety I barely want to talk to ppl bc I feel like I’m losing control of my life and I just have this overwhelming fear of going crazy. I’m super hyperaware and this has triggered my ocd to become even worse. I’m hoping this goes away faster than before since I’ve gone thru this journey before and know what’s going on. I’ve also gone back on Prozac and was prescribed hydroxyzine. My advice for you guys is don’t wait to ask for help. Dp can vary in severity. If you guys start having intrusive thoughts and can’t get out of bed talk to someone along with panic attacks go get help. Just know your not crazy. This is a response our body does in order to protect us. Force yourself to got outside. I know how scary but is. For this to happen to me again twice makes me hella disappointed. But let’s not give up the less you worry about it the faster it’ll go away.
Hello
I understand completely hang on there, you are not alone! When I was 16 I experienced the same thing after smoking weed and doing mushrooms. I was so terrified, I suffered in silence for so long. I would be terrified to look in the mirror, I cried to my parents that I was worried I was not real and no type of distraction worked. It lasted so long (maybe 1-2 years and I never talked to anyone -it was utter hell.) – I started drinking and doing other drugs trying to get over it but it just didn’t help. Long story short is I am now 43, I Am a licensed professional counselor and a certified A& D counselor. I want to tell you there IS hope!
You are not alone, you are not stuck, you are not going crazy. Nowadays thank God, we can talk about it, even if a lot of people don’t understand. Basically it is the body’s response mechanism to very high anxiety- and is a symptom of anxiety and I know, it can turn to panic and you can have intrusive, repetitive thoughts that if feels you can’t get out of. But..please know its your body’s response to a stimulus- it will not change you forever and I promise you will get and feel re-attached. I never had a counselor back then when I was young so I try to be that person for others nowadays. I encouraged you to look at this symptom just as a piece of regular old generalized anxiety and panic yet is fuled by the DP/DR. It is treatable! Medication for anxiety or your mood can help as well as talking to a therapist- or one who understands and help you find ways to anchor yourself. For me avoiding all stimulants are helpful (even coffee) to this day- it helps lowering the underlying anxiety triggers and believe me, I have never smoked weed or have done hallucinogens since then….I have a healthy terror of it. Staying away from weed and the drugs have actually served me well, without that stuff I was able to go on and live an amazing life. I went to art school, later school for psychology and graduate school for counseling. ( I guess the experience changed me for the better and want to help others.) I am now am a therapist and have lived and travelled all over and have not been plagued by those old thoughts. I can sense anxiety coming back when I am under very high stress- I guess we may carry the fear about having them again yet I work on really managing my anxiety now and pay attention to the early warning signs and have been happily grounded for many years. there is hope! you are not alone and you can and will get through this. take care of yourself <3 much love.
Suboxone helped me for almost 10 years. It wasn’t a complete cure but lessened symptoms dramatically. I quit taking it 6 months ago and feel like I’m right back where I began.
Hi, I’ve gone through DP/DR & I know the he’ll it can cause. I’m wondering, to the author, have you heard of certain antibiotics causing episodes of derealization?
YES!!! I tried monocycline and doxycycline back in 2016 for my acne and I have had depersonliziation/derealization ever since!
I’ve had derealization for 40 years I’m currently taking Klonopin I was on Valium a long with that now just on the Klonopin I recently started Neurontin I wish they would find something to help with this disorder because it is disabling and I feel for everyone on here who is going through this mine will probably never go away I wish they would learn more about this disease so they could find a medication that could stop it not just cover it up and then there’s a fear that my doctor will take me off of the Klonopin I am 61 years old I would probably die from the withdrawals this is really a cruel disease and I will pray for all of those who are suffering it breaks my heart to hear your stories let us all pray for a cure🙏
I to have suffered from this for 40 years. Its always there but I just start to forget about it until I get really stressed and depressed and it comes back. Its chronic. I have been talking Lexapro for years which have stopped working for me. But every year I have a bad flair up where the derealization gets worse and hard to live with. Xanax sometimes helps, But I push to get through it. It really is a terrible disease and I do n’t understand why there isn’t anything out there that can help us. 🙁
Until I came to this site you’re the only person I’ve heard that has had it for decades. I take clonazepam (Klonopin) too. It helps with anxiety but doesn’t stop the DP. There are studies linking it to memory loss and future dementia. Benzodiazepines are only meant to be temporary but I’ve been on them for decades. My new doctor wants me off of them but doesn’t tell you how to deal with severe anxiety and DP. I’ve wanted an answer to my DP for a lifetime.
I have been dealing with depersonalization/disassociation for 4 years now. I noticed my onset of symptoms to start after I had a bad experience with smoking weed and I have had issues on and off for years. It will be debilitating at times and then other times I feel as if it never happened. I have been going through a battle debating if it is my birth control causing it and it being due to an imbalance of hormones. Doctors can’t tell me a thing and just throw me on some antidepressants thinking I’m depressed. I am not actively depressed but disassociation is dang sure causing me to be. I have been in an episode for almost a month and a half now and right when I feel like it’s getting better I go down hill again. I had this long of an episode once before and soon realized it was most likely due to me birth control. I have been having issues with my birth control once again and now I’m just battling on what to do. Maybe it isn’t my birth control and I’m just going crazy who knows. I need help I need peace I need something because I can not live like this for the rest of my life. I try so hard to cope with it but it just ruins my quality of life. I just need to hear some advice or know there are people who feel the same way I do. I feel like I’m going crazy sometimes and no one understands how I’m feeling. Does any one have any suggestions on good medications anything they’ve done that has helped them. ANYTHING..
Hello Mia,
I’m currently dealing with depersonalization and derealization too, I got mine randomly. I woke up one morning and bam I felt the symptoms of Dp/Dr. it first appeared October 1st of this year. However this isn’t my first experience it’s actually my second experience with Dp/Dr. my first experience appeared when I smoked weed in 2012 but after I overcame that episode. I never smoked weed again. So when I got the experience again this year I was shocked because it’s been years since I smoked weed so why is it happening? Well stress. It’s completely harder dealing with it now since I got kids who constantly depend on me. I cried about everyday and even went to the ER because I couldn’t handle the feelings and thought I was going to go insane. Now forward to today I have days were the Dp/Dr feelings aren’t as bad but I have days were I feel like they are so bad that I can’t handle them. I pray constantly and meditate. I hope each and everyone of us overcome this.
Mia, it could depend a lot on the type of weed. Indica vs. sativa. I have to stay away from sativa. It makes me feel like I can’t breathe!
Hi everyone, I’ve had DR for 30 years. For the first 20 yesrs I suffered and doctors just told me it was “stress”. I started on Paxil 30mg, and it took the edge off, but I still have symptoms.
I think it is very important for anyone questioning using medication to treat/alleviate DPDR that some pharmaceuticals can induce DPDR. For me it was Xanax and my doctor not having knowledge on the possibility of this happening when I was told I didn’t need to taper. Please do your research on how pharmaceuticals can harm you! Reach out to different support groups and listen/read some testimonials from people like myself.!.
Thank you all for sharing your hellish experiences. I’ve suffered from unbidden thoughts for 5 or so years, and it ultimately progressed into DP/DR about a year ago. Xanax helps more than any other medication, but it doesn’t really take that awful feeling away. I find it incredibly difficult to describe to other people who haven’t experienced it. My sister is the only other person I know who has experienced it, and it’s less common and less severe when it happens. For me, it has a very weird temporal quality. I find myself feeling like I’m in the incorrect ‘era’ of my life (I’m 47), like I’m in the 90s for a moment, and I do a self-diagnostic (for lack of a better term), and my brain logically knows that it’s not the 90s, but I experience instant panic every time it happens. Each day lately feels more and more ‘fake’ or ‘incorrect’. I’m gutted by all of this and am starting to worry I’ll never feel better. Wierdly enough, I had a complete cessation of symptoms after I took the first Pfizer vaccine. It lasted about 2 amazing weeks, and gradually slipped back into unreality again. Sorry so wordy, I’m just having a really rough time
I have tried many medicines I’ve that years. This started when I was 14. In my 50’s now.
So grateful to know others have this.
I take Effexor. It doesn’t stop it but masked it for me. Helps me to either forget about it or stop the anxiety about it.
i’m only 13 years old and i’ve been suffering with depersonalisation for like 6 months now and i hate it i feel like i’m not real and it stops me from doing so much i have been to so many doctors and they all tell me it’s “stress”but i know what fucking stress is and it’s not stress , i hate it so much and if anyone takes any medication that works for them please tell me!!!
do you know what triggered it? sometimes it can be trauma or drug related. Weed and psychedelics can definitely can bring it on. I think in the end talking to a good counselor is helpful, it is really only a very horrible symptom of anxiety and feeds into the anxiety cycle loop. there is hope!!!
ruby,
See a good psychotherapist as soon as you can. I depersonalized suddenly when I was 13. I saw a therapist who told my parents I would probably outgrow it. I didn’t; I am now in my seventies.
You have to process the emotional issues that brought you where you are. The younger you try to do this the more likely you are to recover. I wish you well.
I just started sertraline 50mg 3 weeks ago. I HOPE it helps!!!!!:'(
can you comment on your experience with the sertraline, please?
Do you think that having an epidural steroid injection, Cipro, cevemiline and toradol the same month could’ve triggered this for me? I’ve been like this 24/7 over 1 year. I’ve never done drugs and had never been diagnosed with a mental illness.
Magnesium and st johns wort
Greetz
I don’t even know where to start; as my mind fixates on what the possible causes are (so I can address them), when it isn’t focused on measuring my level of dissociation.
I’ve been suffering for 5 months. And it’s been hell. It comes in waves. Sometimes tidal waves. I’ve always been fascinated with the brain and it occurs to me that I understand the reason my brain would do this, as a protective mechanism after repetitive traumas in the last year and a half – which surfaced every trauma in my memory. And there are a significant amount.
To me I think one of the main things is a very high level of cognitive dissonance – resulting in an almost impossible place for me to trust others. Particularly in my closest relationships. And then it falls back on me, where if I had actually had my eyes and ears open in those relationships (the ones in adulthood, anyways) I would have been aware of the truth of situations. Which could have avoided the mindf#*k I’m now in.
The question I have is around meds tho. SSRI’s. After extracting myself from a psychologically, emotionally, financially abusive marriage… I was very depleted and depressed. Although I recognize that meds certainly have a place in treating many things – I never wanted to go on meds, but at a very low point, I finally conceded. I didn’t know what else to do.
I went on sertraline for a year for depression and, in hindsight, it wasn’t the right thing for me. I wasn’t followed closely enough and aside from GI issues and being properly suicidal for 2 weeks – I fear that it has altered the function of my brain. There are symptoms I had going on and off Zoloft that are present in my dpdr.
How my eyes were interpreting information was the loudest symptom. But it actually also put me in a state of experiencing life through a veil.
I’ve been off sertraline since 2020 – but with the onslaught of many more significant traumas since then, here I find myself quite severely depersonalized – to the point that when my EI runs out, I am not certain I will be able to return to work. And I can’t help but think the SSRI had something to do with it.
Does anyone else have a connection to taking SSRI’s and it seemingly being correlated? I’ve talked to my GP about this and of course, there are no studies on it. I think this is a very profound possibility – which if true – NEEDS to be shared.
It also makes me more hesitant to try meds to deal with dpdr. If I knew a drug could rid me of this – I wouldn’t miss a beat. I’d be on them yesterday – but the stories of others – mostly – don’t give me a whole lot of hope for chemical treatment.
I can’t wait to be on the other side of it. I go through moments of acceptance that this may actually be my reality for life – but it’s not sitting with me yet.
Denial? Maybe. But I’ve fought some mighty battles and I am not going to roll over for this one. Not yet.
I pray that neuroplasticity and right action be on my side to come back to life.
And I send love and peace to every one of you. You will get through this.
With regard to your comment about SSRI’s, yes I think SSRI’s can cause dissociation. I believe I began to dissociate and panic after a very short course of zoloft. I haven’t been the same since. I’ve been on and off many different meds since to try to fix the issue.
I’ve had DPDR for 37 of my 49 years. Mine stemmed from trauma. It comes and goes, and I have yet to find the trigger. I haven’t found any medication that helps. I research all of the time. I’m hoping something is found to help us in my lifetime so I can have a little bit of a normal life.