Tobias suffered his first psychotic episode during a holiday shortly after starting his apprenticeship. He was in England when he was suddenly overcome by the feeling that someone wanted to poison him. His suspicion grew daily: Who could be "them," and how would "they" manage it? When he returned to Switzerland, he no longer even trusted his own family. "My parents quickly realized that something was wrong and took me to the family doctor," he recalls.
Shortly after he was admitted to a psychiatric hospital, he was diagnosed with "paranoid schizophrenia – presumably cannabis-induced." Tobias had smoked cannabis in his youth: homegrown cannabis, the effects of which he found beneficial. During the psychological evaluation as part of his conscription, he had been warned: "If you continue like this, you'll develop psychosis." He hadn't expected that this would actually happen. And least of all in England, where he didn't use any cannabis at all.
His colleagues didn't recognize him
Shortly after receiving his medication at the clinic, the delusions stopped and he gained insight into his illness. Although he was now significantly better, he was no longer the same. The medication had changed his personality: his colleagues hardly recognized the withdrawn, serious young man. "They said, 'I'm so quiet now, and I'll never be funny again,'" Tobias recounts.
The young man decided to stop taking the antipsychotic on his own, while still using cannabis. The next relapse wasn't long in coming. Discouraged, he submitted to the original plan of the treating medical team, gave up smoking marijuana, and resumed taking risperidone. But he didn't fare well on it. He gained a lot of weight and was constantly anxious, a condition that could have triggered further relapses. To prevent this, he was prescribed benzodiazepines for the anxiety.
Despite all these measures, another relapse occurred shortly after his apprenticeship. The dose of the antipsychotic was increased, and Tobias increasingly resorted to tranquilizers as well: "Nothing helped, I had further relapses, and on top of that, I had to go through withdrawal from the benzodiazepines."
Rebellion and new beginning
But then came the turning point. In 2023, he had a falling out with his roommate. And although he was symptom-free at the time, she wanted to send him to the hospital. "That was the first time since the onset of my illness that I decided for myself: I'm not going to let anyone else take care of me anymore," says Tobias. His love of reggae music strengthened his resolve. He began to identify with the spirituality of Rastafari.
“I haven’t smoked weed for 15 years, and I used to consume CBD with a guilty conscience,” he recalls. “But since I’ve come to see cannabis as a sacred plant, I no longer feel guilty.” The anxiety stopped immediately, he has been spared further episodes so far, he is confident and cheerful again, and he can approach people again.
While his anxiety levels used to spike every few months, even with tranquilizers, they now remain at a low level. He has completely stopped taking benzodiazepines. He still takes an antipsychotic, but has switched to a different medication with fewer side effects.
Help from Medcan
Today he lives alone, works full-time, and maintains his friendships. The now 33-year-old continues to rely on CBD-rich, THC-reduced products. After consulting with the Association Medcan, he now has a doctor's prescription that allows him to buy the flowers at the pharmacy. However, the path to this point wasn't entirely straightforward: "My therapist at the time wasn't allowed to prescribe the medication because cannabis is contraindicated for schizophrenia," Tobias explains. Therefore, he contacted a doctor from the Association. Just like his former therapist, his current psychologist also supports this approach.
Tobias is confident: "I don't know how the doctor would assess it, but in my opinion, I'm cured." He assumes that thanks to the optimally adjusted medication and his good general health, he will never have another psychotic episode.
