Panic Attacks

Well this is it. I'm never smoking weed again. I quit for a while because of panic attacks and I foolishly smoked again the other day thinking it'd all be okay. It's funny how I forget how horrifying a full blown panic attack is.

I won't go into too much detail about the panic attack itself, just know it was one of the worst. My heart was beating extremely fast and I could hear it coming out of my fucking shirt. Luckily I managed to call someone to help calm me down. I still don't quite feel like myself. I'm really not sure what triggers them, but I don't want to test it out to find out.

I miss the way weed used to make me feel. I don't understand what went wrong. I think it was a really bad experience with shrooms. I wish I just stuck with weed. Oh well. I'll still have alcohol. I personally prefer alcohol. Although, I think anyone would chose alcohol over a panic attack.

Anyone else have to quit or know anyone who had to quit because of these? I prey to god that those who have yet to get a drug induced panic attack never do. Because once you have one, they will not stop. I just hope I never get one sober.

 

I used to have VERY bad panic attacks because of weed. So bad that my heart would beat so fast that I would actually pass out and have a seizure, which happened 10+ times, and came close to happening even more times. I've gotten past it though and I'm still extremely potheaded. It never scared me away from weed, and weed has always been worth sticking it out and trying to get past it, even though I'm pretty sure I almost died because it probably came close to overloading my heart lots of times.

 

All you have to do to avoid/cure a panic attack is breath slow and deep, turn the music down, and relax... I had three total: First- my first time getting really high, first time with a bong. Second- smoked while taking Welbutrin. Third- low tolerance+good bud= super stoned. All you have to do is quiet it down, breath slow and deep and relax, sometimes laying down can help too.

 

It's your life.

 

Honey, that might work for you, but I did that for two nights and it didn't really calm me down.
You haven't had a real panic attack if you think you can calm it down that easily. Even if you try to calm down, your heart-rate stays up.

Yes, I've had to quit smoking because of panic attacks.

 

Its all in your head.

Jesus christ, if Marijuana is making you have that bad of panic attacks don't trying any other drugs.

 

^^^actually, weed is the only thing that has ever given me panic attacks, and you know I've tried tons and tons of drugs. haha It may be different for others, but nothing has ever fukt me up quite as much as weed has. I mean I've taken 74 xanax bars within a few hours with not real bad effects, but I've smoked one or two bowls of some super dank and had seizures. lol

 

I have panic attacks all the time, and this has never caused it. Weird, best of luck trying to figure it out.

 

Just wait til it happens to you. You won't be making fun of people then.

 

Yeah man, seriously. I wish I could go back in time and stop whatever it was that caused them. Because I used to laugh, relax, and have a great time just like you. Then one day, I started feeling tense every time I smoked. For no reason whatsoever. I still blame the bad shroom trip as the starting factor. Nowadays the environment is highly influential and usually causes the full-blown panic attacks. But no matter where I am, slight anxiety is unavoidable.

And regarding the other drugs, it is just weed. I did lsd last night and had an amazing time. No anxiety whatsoever. I have yet to do shrooms again sense the bad trip just because I am scared as hell to do it again. "Bad" can not even begin to describe what I experienced. But the panic attacks are just from weed.

You really cannot understand how horrifying and unexplainable these things are until you have experienced one. Like the user above me said, just wait until you get one. I hope you don't, but if you do, it'll be a real mind expander I suppose. It's amazing how our minds can play tricks on us.

 

i think with the correct knowledge and state of mind you could prevent these panic attacks. i am not saying panic attacks are easy to overcome or 'not so bad', i am saying that it isn't impossible to overcome them.

marijuana basically enhances ur emotions and if ur slightly worried before smoking there are high chances its going to go berserk when u smoke a lil weed. of course if u say to urself before smoking after taking a break "i hope i dont get a panic attack this time" its asking to get one. u have to know ur not guna get one, and know that marijuana itself doesnt cause the panic attack, its ur state of mind that creates the panic attack and marijuana triggers the actual thing because it enhances the emotions like i said.

i KNOW that im going to have an increased heartrate when i smoke. i KNOW its impossible to overdose on marijuana. I know my stuff is legit and not laced with random shit. so i KNOW il be fine. so when i feel my heart beating fast, i ignore it cuz its normal.

hopefully this will help u understand a bit and if ever u choose to smoke again, look up marijuana a bit and see how safe it really is and the panic attacks might stop.

 

Exactly the correct state of mind will help
I smoke weed all day every day for years sometimes I get a bit edgy and paranoid but i've never had a panic attack ever

Exactly everytime you get paranoid when you're high tell yourself "I've done this over 1000 times what's to be paranoid about ? "

 

I'm not "making fun" of anyone.

Like the others have said, its all a mental thing.

Like what my friend use to tell me every time I was about to try a new drug. "If you're at least bit worried about it, or you've had stuff on your mind today, don't do it."

I've kept that in my mind these many years, and I've yet to have a seriously "bad" trip on any type of drug, where I couldn't be calmed down.

You are getting panic attacks because you cant control your paranoia. Just take some deep breaths, and remember you're just high on marijuana theres nothing to worry about.

Of course these things could be triggered by subconscious things that have been bothering you. So, take care of your life before you do drugs?

 

You are probably having panic attacks now because like others have said, you have anticipitory anxiety, even if you are not aware of it, you probably are thinking in your head "God, I hope I don't freak out like last time, that would be horrible."

And it is ALL IN YOUR HEAD. YOU cause panic attacks, not marijuana, not having a bad day, not getting in a fight with someone, ITS ALL YOU. This can be frustrating and incredibly freeing at the time knowing that you are the one in the drivers seat through out this all. The "trick" to ending panic attacks is being able to catch your thoughts before you enter the "cycle of panic". The cycle of panic starts when you notice a physical symptom that you then interpret into something dangerous. For example, when smoking weed if you notice your heart beating really fast, instead of just accepting it and letting it pass, your mind takes that as something threatening and flings you into the fight or flight response. THIS is the crucial time in the panic attack, when you start noticing that you are "feeling weird" you need to concentrate on something else like breathing, or running or cleaning even or hacky sack, whatever. Anything physical while reassuring yourself that YES I feel anxious, but I am safe and capable of handling this. If you take the other road, and those physical symptoms lead to thinking "OH SHIT! I'm going to die! I'm going crazy! I'm going to start screaming!" then your body will release cortisol and adrenaline into your blood, making you sweat, making your heart beat faster, making your stomach hurt, dizzy. And this is all well and good, your body is doing what it does when you are about to get hit by a train or attacked by a lion: It's heightening it's senses to get you the fuck out of harms way. The disconnection is that you are not in any danger, and you must realize that. After you stop being afraid of panic attacks, they will stop. They truly will. If you just foat with the anxious feelings that occur pre-panic attack, you will feel better, they will become less frequent and less severe. But I am not minimalizing your situation at all, overcoming panic takes courage, patience and strength, it is a terrifying thing to experience and I've had attacks whilst high when I literally wanted to rip out of my own skin. But know that it CAN get better with time and practice.

Best of luck and shoot me a PM if you want

 

My worst panic attack had me thinking I was gonna fall over dead any second... I ended up having to sit cuz I was feeling like my heart might just pop, I'm just saying that if I get the chance to sit or lay down for a few minutes while I focus on my breathing my panic attack stops and I'm fine.

 

That was a well written post stella.

I agree about the fear of freaking out causes you to freak out. I used to get anxiety attacks every time I smoked starting around February. I went from smoking everyday to nothing for about 2 months, because of it. I don't know the cause. It happened once, then twice, then every time.

Then I picked up a good deal on a whim and pretty much forced myself to start smoking again. The first couple times were misery, but eventually I allowed myself to calm down. I recognized that it was my worry over getting panicky that was the cause of the panic attack, and I started meditating BEFORE I smoked. After feeling one enjoyable high it was like being reunited with a old friend. I haven't gotten an anxiety attack since.

Unfortunately I can't smoke socially at all unless I'm drinking. If I'm not in a relaxed setting then I get too paranoid and withdraw so I don't enjoy myself. People make me paranoid.

 

Stella is right. I had the worst panic attacks I've ever heard of from allowing myself to freak out. I continued smoking, took it slow, and WORKED MY WAY UP to getting absolutely stoned again. The best thing you can do is to get stoned gradually, by taking a hit or two every ten minutes, so as to allow yourself to comfortably adjust to being stoned, then you stop when you feel like you're as stoned as you need to be; slowly, you will get more and more comfortable and will be smokin OZ's per night with no problems, and you may not even notice it. You'll suddenly realize one day "hey......I haven't had a panic attack from being too stoned in a long time". That's what I did, and now I can basically smoke unlimited amounts of marijuana, because i learned not to worry about it.

 

You're right, some of us can't control our anxiety, so some of us shouldn't do drugs (I've already made my decision on that).

 

I'm glad you have that kind of control. Unfortunately when it happened to me I lay down for hours trying to stop it, breathing deeply and trying to sleep and nothing helped.
I think mine might really be a physical thing though, since I've been having circulation problems in my legs lately.

I'm sorry I said you never had a panic attack, that was wrong of me.

 

I think it's all in your head. If you want to smoke again I would suggest toking lightly on a pipe until you feel any effect at all and then just trying to relax and savor the high.

Thinking the way you do, you would never be able to enjoy pot the same way again because of the strong mental connotation to panic and fear. If you know/feel that pot is just going to get you stoned with no adverse side effects, its going to do that. The minds cool like that. Though I can see that being pretty hard for someone who has a lot of paranoia and fear of a panic attack.

I never had a panic attack even in my most stressful situations. I'm also naturally really laid back, so that might do something.