Weed and Anxiety.

Discussion in 'Cannabis and Marijuana' started by Pinback, Dec 4, 2006.

  1. Pinback

    Pinback Member

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    Hello all, just a little background, I'm 19, going to college part-time and I've been smoking weed for about 5 years now. For the first 4 years or so, things were great. I could smoke and not have a worry in the world. I fell in love with it. I was smoking every day, multiple times a day for a couple of years straight. Now, about 6-8 months ago things started to go a bit downhill. I had some RL problems and a lot of built up anxiety about many things. I smoked up late at night, I was alone in my room and I ended up having a panic attack. It was pretty bad, I'm sure if anyone here has had one they know how much they suck. Following that, I took a little break then started up again, but didn't do it as much. About 2 months after that, I ended up having a really bad panic attack and I needed to go to the emergency room. Heart was racing, had really bad indigestion/heartburn and I was completely convinced I had a heart attack. I got tested a bunch and it turned out nothing was wrong, it was all due to paranoia and anxiety.

    Following that, I took about 4 months off smoking. Lately, I toke up maybe once or twice a week at most and I'm a lot more careful. I only vaporize and eat my weed. It seems to help, but there's almost always an underlying anxiety that I know isn't really anything, but it's just there. Cooking with weed seems to have the best results, but I've gone from the person who could smoke anyone under the table to the person who only takes a couple of hits and they're completely stoned and needs to stop. Even after just doing a 1 hitter, I sometimes feel pressure on my chest and start to worry. It's a really big buzz kill. Health-wise I seem to be just fine though, any tests I've gotten have been normal, it's nearly 100% psychological I think. I've been offered to get various medications for anxiety over the past few months, but I'm hesitant. I think it'll just make it worse over long periods of time. The sad part is, weed used to help with my anxiety but now it just potentiates it. I can still toke and get good results decently often when I vaporize/eat, but again, there's nearly always some kind of underlying anxiety, especially on the come-up. I'm much more sensative to it now and it's pretty frustrating.

    Anyways, I was just wondering if anyone has had any similar experiences, or knows anyone who has and any possible tips to maybe overcome it. I know I might get a lot of "dude you should just quit, weed isn't for you" kind of replies, and maybe that's partly true, but this herb means a ton to me, I miss it a a lot. Whether I end up doing it once a day, week, month or year, I just want to be able to enjoy it again.

    Thanks for your time.
     
  2. teh-horace

    teh-horace for your pleasure

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    sometimes you just have to realize that it's time to put the pipe down
     
  3. guitarpeace

    guitarpeace Member

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    the only thing that i have taken to help anxiety is St. Johns Wort but it was in a less commonly found concentrated form but you can find st. johns wort pills at tons of stores. I think that since you have had a panic attack once you are afraid to get it again and it does happen again. Its not the weed it is your mind. Maybe you are afraid of death and you dont realize it. Ive notice for me that getting high the first time in the day is intense but smoking a second time makes me chill. try meditation before getting high and get your heart rate very low. And dont have bad thoughts smile and laugh and have a positive attitude and love life.
     
  4. Stella_Drives

    Stella_Drives Senior Member

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    I know how you feel, man. I have pretty bad anxiety with anxiety attacks occationally and having an anxiety attack while high is a terrifying experience. The first time I got really high, I had an anxiety attack and was convinced I was dying. I always have some anxiety when I'm coming up. This is the crucial time to relax myself so my anxiety doesn't get out of control. I smoke slowwwly (Waiting a minute or two between each hit, then after I stop, waiting another 30-40 minutes if I want to smoke more.) so I can feel myself coming up and know when to stop/ recognize when I am feeling anxious.
    The only things that helps me when I'm high is addressing my anxieties when I'm not high. Meditation is definatly a great way to relax yourself. I'm also on medication for anxiety which is a huge help but obviously, medication isn't the cure, it's more teaching yourself to relax and placing yourself in the right environments. Also keeping busy when high helps me. I'm much more likely to have anxiety/anxiety attack smoking alone in my bedroom rather than if I'm in the woods walking around or with close friends.
    I really hope things work out better and good luck
     
  5. StonerBill

    StonerBill Learn

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    it happens to some people. just live with it ,, or live without it.
     
  6. 420fuchs

    420fuchs speaks the truth.

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    Panic attacks will never stop until you can learn to treat them like nothing. I have had a couple in my life, but my Psychology professor said the more you dwell on it, and worry about it, anxiety builds and builds and guess what, another panic attack. Relax, take up a hobby, exercise regularly, think about things that make you happy. Sometimes changing your negative thought patterns can severely alter your view on life. Also, never feel ashamed to talk to a therapist, it can be one of the most therapeutic things you can do for yourself. It's helped me quite a bit, I am a very different person than I was 6 months ago, and I have a much happier self image, and view on life =)

    Been there, done it, and bought the tee shirt.
     
  7. weedheadmatty

    weedheadmatty Member

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    i've been there too, man, you're not alone...it seems to go in spurts with me...i think we have a tendancy to overanalyze ourselves sometimes...and the bad feelings compound with the ANTICIPATION of bad feelings until you're a shaking hyperventilating headspinning mess...try to remember that these feelings are only temporary, focus on things that bring you joy (like the people in your life you share feelings with) and if that fails, do what a dude i met in AA told me once: move a muscle, change a thought- get up and do something- even something as trivial as washing the dishes or taking a walk- pretty soon you'll feel normal. and for god's sake don't drop acid!
     
  8. jniggs

    jniggs Member

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    It definitely isnt fun... when I first came to college a few months ago, I couldn't smoke without getting extremely paranoid. The walls were screaming at me, I could constantly hear people knocking at my door, and when I would try to just zone out listening to music, I would close my eyes and it would feel like there were cops standing around my bed. Just stuff like that, and obviously then my heart would start beating a mile a minute, and I would really start freaking out. Actually, I started coming to these forums to get some advice about that.

    Anyways, its been a few months now and I'm over it. It was just a really tough stage in my life I think; I had just broken up with a serious girlfriend due to the fact that we were both going our own directions in life. I was really depressed about that, and I always wished there was some way we could have each other, and I got caught up thinking about it. I should have let go, and realized that what we did was best, but it isn't always that easy. Also, going off to college was pretty stressful for other reasons, just family issues, so yeah.

    All in all though, it was in my head. That's not to say the feelings weren't powerful or that they didnt scare me shitless, cause trust me, they did, but it was all a state of mind. Unfortunately, it's not always easy to get out of a certain mind set, so it could take time.

    I don't mean to preach or sound like, "oh I've been there, it will pass"; I really hope it works out for you though. I wish I could give you some really concrete advice on how I got past it, but minds are strange things, so I can't say I really know what changed inside me or how. but eventually it passed, and now I can smoke and feel happy/excited/intellegent, and the only time I get paranoid is when the cops roll by real slow haha. I also feel a general love for life all the time, which I never really felt before, at least not often.

    Good luck, and remember marijuana doesn't equal happiness; for some people, it brings them closer to being happy, others it just makes it harder.
     
  9. guitarpeace

    guitarpeace Member

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    remember that only you can make yourself happy, having money or whatever you think will make you happy is just a temporary fix, everything is subject to change. I believe my panic attacks that i suffered from for 7 years was from depression. I felt fine but deep down I was depressed. What helped me was I found a new perspective of life that comes from the east. Here in america everything is fast and people are living in the wrong way.
     
  10. jniggs

    jniggs Member

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    ^^^^ exactly.
     
  11. teh-horace

    teh-horace for your pleasure

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    these replies are way too long to be in the marijuana forum

    i smell a conspiracy


    haha, :tongue:
     
  12. StonerBill

    StonerBill Learn

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    though, asia is actually to the west of the usa
     
  13. hgh238

    hgh238 Member

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    You aren't alone in this, there are many peope including myself who deal with weed anxiety as I call it, an overall unpleasant horrible feeling when you are high and even when you think about being high you get nervous. The only thing that could help you is some serious therapy or taking a daily benzodiazapine. Anything else just won't help because once you lose the love of getting high it never returns, of course without some serious help or medication. In the end you were never meant to smoke pot consistently and you should quit.
     
  14. gaum

    gaum Elephant Orgy

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    or you should go on a break
     
  15. jniggs

    jniggs Member

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    haha sorry man... after I've been smoking, if I wait maybe 2 hours after being stoned, I just love to write. but right now I'm still stoned, so I'm gonna stop now.
     
  16. xsoulx

    xsoulx Member

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    I think I've actually gone through what youre going through.

    About four years ago I started toking up and I LOVED it. I got caught by my parents, though, and was sent to a therapist that essentially brain washed me into thinking I was "addicted to marijuana." This is ridiculous, because you can only be mentally addicted to pot, not physically. In any case, after my year-long 'treatment' had ended, I was off pot and alcohol for a while. Eventually I started hanging out with my old friends again and I would smoke up, except every time I did I felt this horrible pain right near my heart and I would start bugging out. I was sure I was dying.

    In any case, after two or three times of that happening I decided that I "hate pot" and that from then on I would only get drunk. So I did. I wouldnt smoke up, but omg would I get wasted. In any case, while my friends were high I was drunk and we still got along pretty damn fine.

    Now recently Ive started smoking up again. The first time I really toked up is when my best friend from another state here in the US came to visit; I havent seen him in a while. We smoked ourselves shitless with a lot of my friends and while at first I was a little paranoid, it passed as we were all making jokes and shit. Anyway, he left a little while ago and I continued to smoke. Now Im perfectly peaceful with it, and I get nothing. Sometimes I'll catch my heart beating really fast, but instead of freaking out about it I'd be like "omg dude this is so cool." After that I'd relax a bit but still talk to everybody around me. The pounding would go down and I'd be fine.

    Anyway, I'd suggest taking a nice break from it. The only reason you get these panic attacks is because you're scared of pot, scared of what it MAY cause you to go through. Bullshit my friend, weed will not cause any of that. Take it easy, slow your roll, remember that weed is an awesome relaxing drug and that you're meant for the ride. Whenever you do smoke, I suggest it be with some of the people you love the most. Extra points if theyre really funny. Pop in some Bob Marley and have the time of your life!

    It is hard to just change your state of mind like that, though, so if you need to take a break in order to forget what you've been through - go for it, and I suggest replace weed with alcohol. Thats what I did, and it worked for me. I hope it works for you =]
     
  17. Pinback

    Pinback Member

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    Thanks a lot for all the replies. I think I'm going to take a couple of weeks off, and when I start back up again just use it in moderation and only vaporize and cook with bud. I've been seeing a therapist about my anxiety for a few months and it has helped quite a bit. I've been offered some SSRI's meds, but I decided to hold off on them for a while and see what I can do on my own. I don't really believe in medication unless it's a last resort, and I feel I still have some options open that could help me. I think the more I get things sorted out in my life, my general view on life will be much more positive, therefore I will probably start having better reactions to weed again. Either way I'll be takin' it slow and going to try to keep myself as busy as possible to get my mind on other things.

    I was really glad to see other people with similar experiences and that I'm not the only one out there with it. If anyone else has stories to share about this please do

    Thanks again =)
    PB.
     
  18. 420fuchs

    420fuchs speaks the truth.

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    Benzodiazepines immediately and successfully eliminate anxiety, but you develop tolerance very fast, you need to keep taking more and more, and they are incredibly addicting. Once going off them 99% of the time anxiety and panic come back tenfold. Benzos are NOT a solution to your problem, trust me.


    If you get smoking paranoia, you're not alone. A couple helpful tips I have learned, as I have recently had my first 'bad trip' for lack of a better expression, with marijuana. I had all the same stuff you had.


    * Pace your hits

    * Smoke slow

    * Relax

    * Take your time

    * Be free of distractions (ie; something you SHOULD be doing, work, a term paper, etc.)


    And for God's sake, if your not in a relaxed and happy mood before smoking, JUST DON'T SMOKE!

    If you still have the problem, then smoking might not be for you as much as you probably don't want to hear that, honestly if you take my advice above, and maybe try a few things of your own, and you just can't relax and enjoy it, then why bother?
     
  19. BoeJiglin

    BoeJiglin Member

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    Alot of this has been covered so far just wanted to chime something in....

    My panic highs have come and gone for years, and seem to strike completely randomly... the two best cures Ive found are deeeeeep sloooow breathing for a minute or so, very similar to overcoming shivering from the cold. the other is a task that demands your focus, personally if I just ripped a big sesh and feel uncomfortablly high Ill go sit at the piano for a few minutes, just long enough to have my whole mind dedicated to playing, at this point anxiety seems to vanish.
     
  20. rockon19

    rockon19 Member

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    Wow. What an insightful thread. I feel like the best things have already been said, but I'll share my story too. I have had this exact same problem. I've only been smoking for a year, and it stopped being fun the last few months. It was hard for me to initially put the pipe down because I was so addicted mentally. But I haven't smoked the last few days and feel rejuvinated and full of energy that pot was taking away.(Well, not pot itself, but just my improper use of it)

    I already have bad anxiety and depression, and I would try to tell myself that if I got high I would feel better. NOPE! One thing I've noticed about weed, especially when I'm alone in my bedroom, is that it brings things to surface and a lot of times its things that can be really overwhelming and true at the same time.

    I'm already kind of spacey and out-of-the-moment, and weed makes me even more introverted. When I'm around my friends, I'll be feeling completely normal, then toke, and be completely afraid of my friends, like that they will judge me or something. So i've taken a break, and although I really still want to smoke, I feel like the best thing I can do is just deal with my anxiety and depression and all the things that have surfaced from smoking pot. Once I can be calm and happy when I'm sober, I should be able to enjoy a high again.

    If you have a problem with anxiety, depression, panic attacks etc., marijuana will not make your problems go away, it will only magnify them, and make them even harder to overcome. Weed is not the way out.
     

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