marijuana and anxiety attacks
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NICOLE MATHIS
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Thu Oct 16, 2008 10:10 pm
I smoked pot for 9 yrs and my first anxiety attack happened with a group of my friend on our way out of town, when we sparked up a gar i was smoking for about 5 min and I started feeling really weird, i started panicking I told her to get me to the hospital fast I felt like I was going to die. We were about 30 min from the hospital all my friends were looking at me like what is wrong with you? I didn't know what I wanted to do. I felt like jumping out of the car. I finally told her to stop on the side of the road and I got out in the pouring ran and just stood there. Finally it went away after about 30 min and i feel asleep in the back of the car. I haven't smoked since. If I can quit after nine yrs of smoking a ounce or more a day I know all of you that smoke can. God bless you!
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Tena_Gemini
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Fri Nov 07, 2008 5:53 pm
Tina,
You stated you have smoked pot for one year, about 3 times per day. How about 20 years of smoking more than 6 very large joints (really), per day in the VERY least. It helped my anxiety in some ways, but made it much worse in others. No, it never MADE me have a panic attack, but it calmed me enough to stopped a few. As another person responded to you, it does affect each person differently. Although it helped My Panic attacks, it also contributed to my Agoraphobia much in the same way Crack did when I was actively addicted to it 12 years ago. I suppose my severe drug use led to a biochemical disorder, especially knowing how Crack depletes the brain of Serotonin, and can take up to 7 years after quiting to even BEGIN to build back up to normal levels.Pot may have some of the same effects. Imagine, when we feel good, there is serotonin, and other good endorphines coursing through our bodies that make us feel this way. Well, when you use a stimulant such as Crack, and possibly Pot, it causes our brain to release these endorphines at abnormally high rates. When we come off our "high", naturally, our body is depleted of the normal amount of these "feel good" endorphines which leads to a depression period. THAT is also what causes you to feel WORSE while you are quitting. Your body has to get used to releasing these endorphines on it's own, on your command, so to speak - without the aid of drugs. Take it from someone who has been there, it takes a LONG time to recover from a LONG TIME, VERY HARD HIT Drug Addiction. But you can do this. Look at it as compared to one year, 3 bowls a day - Definitely NOT equal to 6 fat joints a day for 20 years. I have been crack free for nearly 13 years, and pot free for nearly 3 years. You can do this. My withdrawal was being ill tempered, more panic attacks with no way to alleviate them (at that time), a spinning head which made me have to lie down very often, unclear thought process that I could not control at times, and a general feeling that I was really going to do something very bad to myself or someone else. I did nothing bad, the unclear thinking calmed as much as it can when you have untreated anxiety disorder, and the other symptoms eventually went away. Oh, and my doctor had me take 2 benadryl at bedtime in order to replace my need to smoke in order to sleep. The active ingredient, Dipphenahydromine, is not addictive and is also the main ingredient in all over the counter sleep aids. I hope this helps. Good Luck!
You stated you have smoked pot for one year, about 3 times per day. How about 20 years of smoking more than 6 very large joints (really), per day in the VERY least. It helped my anxiety in some ways, but made it much worse in others. No, it never MADE me have a panic attack, but it calmed me enough to stopped a few. As another person responded to you, it does affect each person differently. Although it helped My Panic attacks, it also contributed to my Agoraphobia much in the same way Crack did when I was actively addicted to it 12 years ago. I suppose my severe drug use led to a biochemical disorder, especially knowing how Crack depletes the brain of Serotonin, and can take up to 7 years after quiting to even BEGIN to build back up to normal levels.Pot may have some of the same effects. Imagine, when we feel good, there is serotonin, and other good endorphines coursing through our bodies that make us feel this way. Well, when you use a stimulant such as Crack, and possibly Pot, it causes our brain to release these endorphines at abnormally high rates. When we come off our "high", naturally, our body is depleted of the normal amount of these "feel good" endorphines which leads to a depression period. THAT is also what causes you to feel WORSE while you are quitting. Your body has to get used to releasing these endorphines on it's own, on your command, so to speak - without the aid of drugs. Take it from someone who has been there, it takes a LONG time to recover from a LONG TIME, VERY HARD HIT Drug Addiction. But you can do this. Look at it as compared to one year, 3 bowls a day - Definitely NOT equal to 6 fat joints a day for 20 years. I have been crack free for nearly 13 years, and pot free for nearly 3 years. You can do this. My withdrawal was being ill tempered, more panic attacks with no way to alleviate them (at that time), a spinning head which made me have to lie down very often, unclear thought process that I could not control at times, and a general feeling that I was really going to do something very bad to myself or someone else. I did nothing bad, the unclear thinking calmed as much as it can when you have untreated anxiety disorder, and the other symptoms eventually went away. Oh, and my doctor had me take 2 benadryl at bedtime in order to replace my need to smoke in order to sleep. The active ingredient, Dipphenahydromine, is not addictive and is also the main ingredient in all over the counter sleep aids. I hope this helps. Good Luck!
What memories! My very first panic attack was the result of smoking weed. I was alone in my new apartment abt 300 miles away from my loved ones. I had been smoking weed for about 10 yrs and never had a problem before. I thought weed was helping me stay calm. What a big joke. That faithful night, I was smoking for a few minutes and I instantly felt like I was having a heart attack and for the first time felt agoraphobia. I literally could not focus enough to walk down my hallway to get help. I went to the er b/c i just knew I was dying and they laughed at me and petty much told me to quit smoking. That was about 5 years ago, and I am still tempted till this day to smoke because I was THAT addicted, even tried to smoke but I ALWAYS associate that experince with smoking weed and I instantly have a panic attack from the odor. Lucikly, for me my panic attacks worked to my advantage to get me to kick a serious bad habit.
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goodwillchic
- Posts: 31
- Joined: Mon Sep 29, 2008 11:59 pm
I am really surprised to hear about the trouble people have had with marijuana in connection to their anxiety....especially since in states where medician marijuana is legal, it is sometimes perscribed specifically for anxiety. Do you think it was the drug or a psychological reaction? Especially since some of you smoked for years with no problems, then (in combo with a separate life stressor) experienced problems.
pinkice, im with you, thats how I got my first panic attack too. it was about 3 years ago when i was 17. first weekend of my senior year of highschool, partied a lot, never ever had anxiety at all. partied and smoked some that saturday night(only smoked weed for a month), sunday comes, had my friend buy me and my brother some weed(never had got my own stuff either), roll 2 joints and me and my brother smoke one in the back,then after were done i get in the house and start getting this weird feeling, first thinking it was the high i was getting, but it didnt feel good at all. vision got all close and blurry, couldnt swallow, chest was numb, could feel my heart beat throughout my head, just kept gettting slower and slower like my body was shutting down. had my brother wake my dad up and tell him(which suckd cuz now he knew I was smoking weed), he called 911, was pretty sure i was about to die cuz my heart felt like it took its last beat, then out of nowhere, i jst snap out of it, start to breathe again, heartbeats back to normal, then the paramedics show up and now I just have the actual high feeling . so i ended up going to the ER did some tests, alls good. been having anxiety ever since. seems to get worse when alcohols involved but I wont ever touch weed again. fckd my life up the last 3 years it seems , but kinda a good thing cuz id probably be a huge pothead like my brother is now. it jst makes me mad that I was jst a normal 17 year old before that happend, and after that, Ive felt like an 80 yr old man.
zach avila