Marijuana - permanent anxiety?

Guest · Guest

I'm a recovering marijuana "addict".
Let me first say that I'm all for smoking marijuana etc. if u can manage your use and know what your doing.
Let me also say that even though it might seem like I was a slave to this, I wasn't, I chosed to love this "drug" all by myself, my life was going shit and I didn't care.

For me it all started right before I turned 15, a friend introduced me to marijuana, the first 2-3times I smoked it, I had no problem whatsoever, I didn't even feel high.
Ofcourse this is completely normal.
Then the 4th time, I smoked more and I guess my body was ready to "accept" the high.
It hit me like a thousand pounds, I was so high, I didn't even realize what was going on. I remember being terrifyed and having all these images rushing through my head.
Everything felt so weird and foreign, even thought I was in a secure and well known environment.
I guess this was a panic attack, I accepted it as me just being scared of the high, the next times I smoked I had nothing like this and I got completely inlove with this herb.
My life was falling apart in every direction with parents, girlfriend, school and other personal things, I needed something to escape through.
I turned 15, and started smoking seriously, there wasn't room or time for anything else in my life, this was the only thing I wanted.
I gave up friends, food, school and everything.
People will tell you smoking a joint a day is way too much, well I smoked 20 joints EVERYDAY.
When I woke up, I had already rolled a joint ready to smoke the night before, so I could get high before I got out of bed, take a shower, and smoke some more 'til night when I passed out from smoking so much.
I probably consumed around 3 grams a day everyday for 2 years.
Then for the first time I didn't have any for 2 days, this was going fine, no craving or abstinence at all, like I said, I CHOSED to do this 100% on my own, I wasn't "ADDICTED" like you get from cigarettes, I just wanted to escape through this high.
Then after the 2 days I smoked again, and was struck with a panic attack so bad it left me shaking on the floor for hours thinking I was dying.
After that I had fullblown panic attacks 10 times a day for 6months.
Everyone who's had a panic attack knows there nothing in this world more terrifying than that. It's like sitting on a plane and hear the pilot scream on the speakers WERE GOING DOWN.
The world started looking weird, I was depersonalized/derealized for months.
I know this is psychological and the more u think of it, the worse it gets.
I managed to get "over it" on my own and didn't have more panic attacks for 2-3months.
Then I started having these panic attacks popping out from nowhere, manifesting me, leaving me in incredible panic and fear again, also felt a little depersonalized and derealized.
It happens only maybe twice a week, but it keeps me from getting a education, and experiencing things.
I rarely go out in fear of having a panic attack, which I often get if I'm away from home for more than 20 minutes, I don't feel safe. Like the world has changed, even if it is the same:P
I know this sounds completely nuts, but it's the truth.

I need someone who's experienced something similar and got through it and got their life back.
Please, someone answer me.

Mark · Silver Member Joined: 23 Jul 2005 Posts: 227

No, actually it doesn’t sound nuts at all. I have been paranoids as well when I was smoking marijuana and a lot later as well. I wasn’t having such strong panic attacks but I had anxieties when I wanted to get away from everybody, when I didn’t want to be with people because I was so anxious, I had that “conspiracy theory” in my head as if everyone knew what I was thinking and were doing things to make me look silly or made fun of me although that was not the truth.

I have been paranoid as well. I haven’t been smoking as much as you did but the effects are pretty similar and I am almost positive it is the drug. I managed to overcome the fears and problems when I got together with a really nice girl and when I started doing things other than smoking weed. Whenever I would have an attack, I would go through thinks sensibly and realize it is not real and that it is in my head. That helped a lot, bringing myself back into reality.

Guest · Guest

Don't worry! You aren't going nuts, it just sounds to like you're on a very harsh come down.

I know it's hard, but try your best not to worry about it. Don't smoke any more weed! The longer you abstain the more things will improve, even if it doesn't seem like it.

I am a recovering cannabis addict myself.

I was smoking probably about 8 joints per day. However, I was certainly making sure those joints were jam-packed full of weed! I smoked moderately and heavily for about 8 months, and lightly prior to that for about 3 months.

I quit smoking round about May this year. I decided to stop because I began feeling confused, forgetful, and like yourself, I was smoking late into the night just to wake up in the morning to have one for breakfast. I realised it was taking control of me, and i needed to end it there before it became worse.

After roughly one week of quitting I found it increasingly difficult to sleep. When I did eventually fall asleep, I would wake up after say, only three hours rest, to find myself sweating buckets. I can tell you now, I have never seen or felt so much sweat in my life, ever. My bed and pyjamas were drenched in sweat. It was horrible. I felt confused and prior to falling asleep I was having intensive dreams - this was very disturbing as I can distinctly remember being in a state of half-consciousness, having bizzare images race through my mind whilst starring in confusion at the ceiling. On top of this I loss my appetite, my stomach was sensitive and I felt nauseated, although I didn't actually vomit.

hesus38 · Newbie Joined: 15 Nov 2006 Posts: 6

Marijuana is a drug which relaxes the mechanism that governs brain signal paths. What this means is your brain signal (which is amplified and is occuring at an increased rate) will stray off the usual path. Sometimes it will take the right path but then not terminate as usual but advance to other paths.

Some smokers experience something that could be termed recursive thoughts: extremely annoying, unpleasant, repeating thoughts that come up once in a while (almost as strong as voices), lasting anywhere from 30 seconds to 3 minutes, even as the subject is actively trying to terminate such thoughts.

These stray paths include neurons that are connected to neurons responsible for triggering anxiety and paranoid thought. Marijuana has great effect in the part of the brain responsible for audio/visual comprehension, which is also the area linked with schzophrenic behavior. This area is stimulated the most, hence the "stray" connections grow stronger.

When a stray connection is accessed enough, it stops being a stray one. As the marijuana usage accompanied with paranoid thought continues, the path grows strong and starts overpowering other paths. Paranoid thought and other schizophrenic tendencies increase.

When marijuana usage is stopped out of fear of this problem, the path remains strong. The problem is never resolved so it actually grows stronger as time progresses. If conscious intervention is not achieved some people may develop other, stronger schizophrenic tendencies.

The power of validation of brain signals seperates us from most animals.
Through self-realisational negative reinforcement one can invalidate certain paths by associating them with a negative higher conscious response (The higher consciousness is a layer over the rest of our brain. It has more power than many think.).

Schizophrenic tendencies such as paranoia and even hallucinations (visual/auditory) CAN be cured through meditation and LOGICAL REASONING about the problem. I know from experience. I still hallucinate when I smoke, when I close my eyes. But now it's nothing menacing. No anxiety either anymore.

Your brain has more power than you think.

Guest · Guest

This last post sounds reasonable. I have read up on schizophrenia, especially that which has been exasperated by use of cannabis.

hesus38 · Newbie Joined: 15 Nov 2006 Posts: 6

I'm not sure about the high hehe but meditation helps a lot. What is meditation? The realisation of self. Many people have many different ways to meditate, my best advice is to simply search your mind for the definition of YOU. Who YOU are and what makes YOU tick?

WHY do you exist? HOW does your consciousness even work? HOW are your thoughts being processed right now? WHY can't I have a greater degree of control over my impulses and reactions?

That last question is most important. If you discover WHY you can't do something, then you can discover HOW you can.

Also I have a friend that's a full-blown schizophrenic from marijuana and magic mushrooms. He is not very intelligent which allowed his mind to spiral out of control. I think he had slight schizophrenic tendencies before he started smoking, but I saw a complete transformation in him over the course of 3-4 years of heavy smoking.

[Edit] You also mentioned exercise. I can't believe I missed that. Exercise has changed my life in many ways, but I could never deny the mental health boost received from even just one good workout. A regular, intensive workout problem will go a long way to help with most mental health issues.

Guest · Guest

hahahaha! you're fine? well with that much grass why am i not surprised?!

besides, you wouldn't have time to think - it'd be joint after joint after joint after joint after joint after joint after joint after... what was i thinking about again? oh yeah!... joint after joint after joint...

problem is with weed and any other drug that is taken to excess, is that when you quit, the bubble of unreality that you have created bursts, and you may find it extremely difficult with the reality you are faced with.

Guest · Guest

i had a panic attack while smoking weed i was shaking rapidly and now it has ben 3 days since i had smoked it now i have numbness in my bone joints like my knucles,knees,feet and arms and it is hard to focus on bright objects

i have slight tummy pains as well and i have warm dizzyness in the back of my head

if any 1 can tell whats going on plz do so i am worried for my health

my email adress is

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aiwebb · Newbie Joined: 31 Dec 2006 Posts: 1

I used to be an occasional smoker. Still, the effects of the drug were amazing. When I smoked lightly I experienced it like all my smoking buddies. When I smoked moderately I couldn't stop repeating everything I heard or said back over in my mind, like a broken record. I just kept anylizing everything to no end. I'd watch cartoons and everytime I laughed I'd stop almost immediately and try to figure out why it was funny and if I changed the accentuations on certain words it would imply something completely different. Weird stuff. Finally, when I used heavily I heard voices. 3 to be exacted. One that kept repeating everything, one that would tell the repeating one to shut up and one that would try to keep the other two calm. I was very sensitive to marijuana. One day, after coming home from working late I decided to smoke a bit before bed and watch some tv. About 15 mins. after smoking my heart started to race. I was awake until 8 o'clock the next morning until I finally passed out from exhuastion. I didn't know what had happened. I had alot of caffine that day and thought it was the problem.

2 days later I tried smoking again, same thing happened. So I did alot of research online. Anxiety seemed to match the best for the symptoms I experienced. I read that drug use can depleate B vitamins over time and a deficiency can cause high anxiety and increased blood pressure, this, in combination with my inactivity ( not getting ANY aerobic exercise for about 3 years ) seemed to be the main cause.

Since then I have had a few, very small, panic attacks. Mostly at night from a fear of falling asleep, don't know why I'm afraid to sleep. I have avoided anxiety medications and narcotics, as they seem to induce attacks. I also, for about 6 months, have been taking a multi-vitamin, amino accid suppliment, and getting 30 mins. of aerobic exercise a day. I feel much beeter. Also, I quit drinking caffine, and the attacks seemed to be my miracle cure for my nicotine addiction. No longer a smoker. I feel much better.

I still have odd, somtimes disturbing or violent thoughts run through my head. And at times I do feel a general disconnection with my world and those around me, but for the most part I feel better. Almost normal. I do miss the marijuana but feel more motivated with out it. I like to think of the sudden onset of the attacks as my mind and body telling me to quit smoking pot and get my **** together. :P I hope some of this helped.

Guest · Guest

i actually have the same problem as you an i actually went through the same thing as u an i decided to quit becuz of theese panic attacks...once i quit i felt better an i thought the panic attacks stopped an then it happened again but it wasnt as bad as before.an wenever i went out i wud be paronoid wondering if i was going to get a panic attack through out da day.i dont want to tell my friends becuz they will probably think im some sorta weirdo.but i got through the panic attacks by concentrating on a video game or t.v. so i wud forget about it eventually.an jus try telling urself its happend before an nothing happend...i feel happy now knowing that someone has the same problem as me an i actually feel alot better knowing im not the only one.DAMN MARIJUANA....im pretty sure this is the cause of my problem as well as urs...i wud like for u to reply bak...thank u very much..u made me feel alot better

Marijuana - permanent anxiety?

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