Anxiety caused by Marijuana?

Guest · Guest

hi, im 16 and for the last year ive been expieriencing anxiety related symptoms
about a year ago i started going to parties etc. with friends
i tried pot like twice, but very little of it and i never got high
finally one night i tried more pot than usual and i expierienced a bad panic attack
it went away in an hour or two and i was normal after that
i swore never to try pot again after such a horrible terrifying expierience
but i felt normal and for two weeks i ahd no problems
but on a friday afternoon i was writing a test in class and for no reason at all i started shaking and realized i was having a panic attack out of the blue
i calmed myself down but after that it was hell
i went home and searched on the internet why im ight be having a panic attack and when i read about anxiety and such it gave me another panic attack and all weekend i had attacks off and on

i went to the doctor and after tests it turned out i have PACs of something which are just random double heartbeats which increase adrenaline momentarily and when im tired or in a weak state have the ability of abrubtly starting a panic attack
i was told just to get over it by controlling thoughts etc.

since then i have been extremely agoraphobic and ive resorted to staying home and playing video games all day and i havent been out with friends ever since
i cant watch scary movies anymore, i used to be an awsome skier but i get so scared now sometimes while i ski
i seem to be a lot more tired lately and lightheaded
and i even get panic attacks sometimes but i think my thoughts bring them on when i scare myself

what the hell has happened to me, it seems like since trying pot, my bodys ability to control anxiey has snapped
i get shaky often, and i am severly depressed sometimes il lbe fine for like weeks but then the next two ill be scared, tired, depressed etc.

anyone know why this is happening, if theres anything that might help me???? FYI - writing this post right now is making me tremble

joshanx · Newbie Joined: 28 Feb 2007 Posts: 1

im not a doctor but i've recently had the same experience as you, smoked pot and have had anxiety and attacks ever since with no relent. i think its getting better though after about a month and a half since the bad pot trip. i made sure not to become agorophobic or anything like that. I used to feel depersonization but thats gone now. Every now and than ill have strange thoughts and anxiety ussualy around bed time or waking up at night. I went to a psychiatrist who told me to start taking 5htp, omega-3 and b complex. I think if you start taking these vitamins you can get at any health store you will start feeling at least 15% better in two weeks and in a few months you shold be normal, thats where i hope to be. If this doesn't work go to a psychiatrist and consider going on antidepressents, for some people there are no side effects and you ussually only take them for 9 months. I hear 4 out of 5 have considerable improvment with these pills. I still get depressed and anxious at times but i think and hope it's getting better. something else to do might be thinking about what in life is making you feel poorly. If i could make a bet, your underachieving in school. it might not seem like a big deal to you in comparison to your anxiety and panic attacks but problems like these could be the cause of them. think about it yourself and try to improve them if you really want to get better. If you can afford it i think good therepy is the best thing you can do. good luck, i know how it feels

Guest · Guest

I can relate to both of you guys...i have days where i will feel tottaly tired and only want to do things if i really have to, but other days i wake up feeling alot better and energetic. I am 17 and in grade 12, i have been smoking pot since I was in gr.9, it honestly makes you slack and and can take control of your mind, you have to have somehing going for you at all times and think about the happy days to come. Only peopel who smoke pot can really relate to this, I kno people who have to smoke pot now a days in order to concentarte and be in their nornal state of mind.

Guest · Guest

I'm 17 and am a long term marijuana user.I recently have decided that i should quit,because i have been experiencing anxiety. I find it hard to believe that using marijuana once can cause anxiety in the future. i do know that once you've experienced anxiety from it that everytime you smoke it, u will most likely fear having another attack,and you doing so can cause you to have an attack. I find myself so busy concentrating on my heart rate and breathing.I believe that it is controlled and brought on by your thoughts and that to gain you composure you must have strict self control. I suggest if you experience this, what helped for me was: (1)telling someone exactly the symptoms you are experiencing, this would need to be someone you have confidence in.(2)try to concentrate or distract your self on something that takes thinking or involves laughter,(3)avoid overwhelming your self with negative thoughts such as death or paranoia of the attack never passing. When i experiencd anxiety it was about four years later then when i started smoking pot.i still am not sure how serious this is but I felt like there was a brick on my chest and a shortness of breath,i couldn't take a full breath.I noticed my hands were clammy and my heart was beating fast as if i was scared, but i was not worrying about anything at the time or after i smoked ,i then began to panic about my condition,which i believe provoked anxiety more.(reminder: i still do not know for sure wether its just me or long term use) I felt sharp pains and a hot sensation in my chest...varying back and forth like in a wave motion.My heart felt off beat and randomly was beating fast then once id try to relax it felt like my heart slowed down to much and then i would gasp for a big breath of air or clench or grip my hands on something., because i feared that my heart might stop beating.
It was hard to determine wether my left arm was numb or not, but did feel a tingling sensation.Also one time i noticed right before i had an attack that i felt pressure on my sinuses ,and i thought i was going to get a nose bleed, but didnt. Let me mention that i was not smoking at the time but had smoked within the last hour.Does anybody know exactly what i experienced? And i hope this was useful.

bboysiren · Newbie Joined: 17 Apr 2007 Posts: 10

i have suffered with anxiety for 2 years now, and constantly i am tricking myself into believing that weed is not the root of my problems... although it has been... it trully has been,.,

i hate hearing garbage that weed is natural so its okay for u to smoke blah blah blah... weed is horrible, and soon i will quit...

for 6 months i quit cigarettes, then for around 3 months i quit bud... and when i did, i felt focken amazing.. i felt like i could do anything...

AND THEN... i had one cigarette while being drunk, which later lead to smoking a bit of weed... and guess what, thats all it takes to ruin ur life again...

take my advice, quit weed, and i bet in a few eeks u will see much improvement...

whats the problem? weed is ur problem... so do it, quit...

Guest · Guest

I can't relate to any of you cannabis saved my life. cured my depression lowered my blood pressure relieved my pain.

Chill · Newbie Joined: 19 Apr 2007 Posts: 11

cccc · Newbie Joined: 25 Apr 2007 Posts: 1

Im also in gr.12 been smoking pot for over 5 years i started when i was about in gr.7.....i been expierencing anxiety & if youre a real weed smoker you'll know the difference between hydro & out door....hydro is usually grown indoors in water,tons of chemicals are added to make the plant grow fast and productivly....everytime i smoke this kind of bud my anxiety kicks in...and as the other guy mentioned i fear of my heart stopping...my palms get sweaty my hearts beats either to slow or to fast,i panic and i feel like its hard to swallow,once i drink water my heart beats faster and i start getting more scared that makes my heart rate go up so much that i think im going to have a heart attack....4:20 the day...not the time on a clock.......i decided to smoke outdoor,this is after quiting for two months beacuse anxiety attacks i mixed hash with smoke weed that i knew was grown outdoor from a buddy of mine and i felt like i used to feel wen i first started smoking.....if you noticed to much of anything is'nt good for you,smoking cigarettes didnt make it better for me.even tho i do still smoke....i burn a joint once in a while of natural weed.....hydro is usually realy dense & smells like nothing...know the difference & if you come across hydro make your own decision but i would'nt smoke that crap.i used to smoke atleast 6 joints a day...aslong as it was green & it was weed i would'nt care.....now i smoke maybe once a week,twice if that...and i feel alot better,another thing caffine & nicotine also contributes to this anxiety,i wont drink pop of coffee...weed is all natural,but depending what kind,so be smart and choose wisely........one more thing...experimenting with hard drugs does a toll on your heart,stick with the weed & you should be fine.[/b]

Guest · Guest

im 18, and i also was like that too. when i fist got a panic attack i was 16, i tried crystal meth for the first time, it was a great experience but as it was gettin night, i was in my room tryin to go to sleep, but i couldnt, and i remember not bein able to breath as well, and i though it was because of the drug, then it was morning, and was off for school, i was in class, and i remember i couldnt breath as well as always, and then all of a sudden, i started to get a tingling sensation in my hands then my face, and i got more scared, then my heart started pounding reallly hard, and it was difficult to breath, and everytime i breath my chest hurted (angina), so i called my parents and was in a hospital, they told me i suffered from an anxiety attack, but any ways, the first time i smoked weed, i also got paranoid, but not a panic attack. but even though i wasnt on any drugs i still got anxiety, out of no where, but after a few months my anxiety went away. i havent gotten panic attacks in over a year... Smile

...but yea i smoked pot two months ago, and i remember i smoked a lot, like a whole blunt by myself, i was cool for a while, but then i started thinking about my job and then out of nowhere, my heart starts pounding really fast and hard, and i remember not being able to speak well. i also had a tingling sensation in my leg, and hearing a crackin noise, like a firecracker, in back of my head, and i rember moving my head side to side, and i couldnt control it, does any body know what was that???

SamsaraSanskrit · Posted: 05/08/07 - 22:45 Post subject: Words of advice

Hey, I hope you all come back to check on the replies because I have a few important notes. Like some of you I was a long term marijuana user. I abused some other drugs lightly, but had nothing but respect for powerful substances and often bairly did enough to feel them. I smoked marijuana for 5 years with increasing frequency as price dropped availibility improved ect.. I too found that pot "saved" me from depression and anxiety. It was something to do with friends, got me up and going, out of the house and all that. After only a year I started smoking daily, and always upped the ante slowly as time went by. After I recently reached a couple grams a day I started to notice aweful psychological reprocusions.. I couldn't concentrate, I would get anxiety (perticularly social anxiety), sweats related to anxiety and paranoia, poor eating habbits (couldn't eat without being high), and really the list could go on forever..
I opted to cut down when I got very depressed. This was going successfully for a good while. I was down to less than half a gram a day.. But it was the daily use that really did it for me. Low and behold, one day I got massive tachycardia (rapid heart rate). It was less weed than I usually smoked, but it was certainly associated with some stress because I was just finished studying, and was still worrying about finals. Smoked a little, less than quarter of a gram (two very small bowls via bong). And bam! Right after I felt the effects I went to the washroom and noticed right away that my body temperature dropped and my heart was beating rapidly. Once I got worried things really got messed up. I felt my limbs go numb (probably from lack of proper circulation), I was shivering ans shaking like an epilectic. I decided to ram some food down my throat followed by water to dull the effects of the marijuana. Anyway, the worst of it was over in about five minutes, but I felt panicy, sore, cold and short of breath the rest of the night.
Since then I stopped smoking for a while. After a week or so of not smoking (which was not easy after such long term use) I decided to smoke a very small amount again to see if it would effect me the same way. It sure did. not nearly as bad, but still mild tachycardia and some shivers.
My advice here is that daily use is not for everyone, and indeed, should not be taken lightly. Marijuana ups your heart rate by nearly 35% I have recently found out. If you insist on smoking everyday, you should be careful if you experience ANY paranoia about your heart rate or health. It will continue untill you're forced to take a good long break. I've been completely sober of everything for a month or so now. I feel much better and rarely worry about it. Attacks can happen without smoking as well. The best course of action is to take a break. And for those who get attacks without use of marijuana please note that tachycardia happens to many people that smoke pot, and can later lead to post dramatic stress. Which is what I believe the poor fellow that started this thread is suffering from. Post dramatic stress is harder to over come, because there are no known triggers (like smoking pot). It just happens. If you experience this unfortunitely one of the only things to do is convince yourself that what happened was a normal reaction and worrying about it is the only thing that makes it continue. It's a psychological thing, not physical. Worry not about your heart having problems and don't get paranoid if something that normally increases your heart rate does just that.
For me, excercise helps. In several ways. Excercise is the best "drug" known to man. It releases many of the same "happy chemicals" (serotonin, dopamine, melatonin, ect..) that drugs, good food, sex and good ol' laughter do. All of these things can also increase your heart rate, but that is normal, and it's best to think of it as perfectly normal. The other way excercise helps aside from relieving depression and making it easier to abstain from pot or other substances is that it helps you ease into getting your heart going without worrying about it. Go bike, run, hike, workout at the gym and you'll find that's a healthy way to get the heart going without having to worry about it.
Also, it's VERY important to practice a stress-reduced lifestyle. I have had great success reading philosophy and meditating. Actively avoid stressful things be kind and cheerful to everyone you meet and they'll do so in kind (which really makes you feel great). Talk to people if something's bothering you and be willing to help people with their issues (I always feel great after counselling people).. Enjoy the company of your pets or animals outside, your family, someone special. Don't stay inside and wait for it to pass. Actively take your life back if indeed you feel it slipping away. I've been to hell and back with my depression, and my attack helped my value my life and detox my body and mind.
Remember there are lots of people in the same boat, but it's easier than you think to swim. Peace be with you all.

Anxiety caused by Marijuana?

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