Marijuana withdrawal

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my best advice to anyone is to never ever try LSD, EVER...
***** is where u will find people that have done acid and seriously are ***** in the brain

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Hello all. I must say that finding this site today has helped me alot. I have been a chronic marijuana smoker for 16 years. It had become a morning, noon, and night thing. I've come to the realization that it has been my crutch for many things in life. I'm sure when I started smoking heavily in college it was all in good fun. I did have a good time with it. But over the last 5-7 years I don't think I was even enjoying it anymore. I just had to do it to feel "normal". Also, I had access to some great stuff and I was never without if I so desired. Anyhow, something drastic happened to me about a week ago.

I suffer from severe allergies. I was having trouble sleeping and I took some over the counter severe allergy stuff which contained some sort of ephedrine derivative that supposedly speeds the anti-histamines into your system. This had a bad affect on me and made me not be able to fall asleep. I started thinking about it too much and became kinda obsessed with why I couldn't fall asleep (I'm sure it is anxiety of some sort). Well, I had cut out the smoking during these beginning days and I am now starting to see that that was probably exacerbating my inability to sleep along with the phedrines I was ingesting in the allergy pills.

Needless to say with my head swimming and constantly contemplaing just why I couldn't sleep I decided to take a hit "to calm my nerves". Well, that was probably the worst thing I could have done. It definitely brought on some form of anxiety/panic attack. I didn't sleep much for 3 days. I went to the doctor and told him I was having just general anxiety and he gave me some sleeping pills. They have worked but it hasn't really helped my overall anxiety about why I can't sleep "naturally". I know it's because for the last decade and a half my smoking is what allowed me to fall asleep.

I also suffer from all the other symptoms you folks mention: no appettite, depression, more anxiety, pure emotional responses to everything. I'm scared as hell. Which just makes this continually cycle. I've got a feeling that all this is because I've wanted or felt I should have quit long ago. I have to say that reading everyone's posts has helped me know that my feeling all f'ed up is not singular only to me. I am going to take alot of the advice on here (especially to exercise) to help get this crap outta my system. I know one thing, I will never, ever smoke weed again. I'm not too thrilled with taking sleeping pills so I will try some of the natural suggestions on here.

Thanks again everyone for sharing your stories. I had these theories that I would be normal in a few days. I see that this is not the case for alot of people. It's gonna take alot of effort but it seems that if I put the work in the results will come. I'll be checking this blog frequently to see if anyone has anything to say that can help me even more and I will be sure to share how this works out for me. Take care.

Clart · Newbie Joined: 12 Jun 2007 Posts: 1

Hi I have read all the posts here too and have found them extremely comforting (especially those of SamsaraSanskrit) bringing tears and understanding of all of your experiences. I stumbled across this site when googling answers for my vivid dreams and nightmares since quitting. I am 28 and have smoked weed for about 15 years now and am on my 3rd time of quitting, first time after about 10 yrs and then twice since and experienced all the withdrawal symptons mentioned.

First time i quit i used alcohol to substitute the withdrawal, although I do not recommend this, it worked for me as long as you dont let yourself get addicted to the alcohol. I experienced physical and mental withdrawal for about 28 days (sweats, mood swings, anxiety, loss of appetite etc.), second time round it lasted about 7-10 days but I was eating more and excersising then(and with my family). 2 of the 3 occasions on quitting have been after splitting from my partner and this time is no different, I suppose it's the hard times in life made me realise I needed a change.

I am on week 2 now and still getting the sweaty palms and armpits etc. although i dont crave for it, I am not substituting it with alcohol either as I am currently on antibiotics and want them to work so its pure hell and boredom for me along with being alone and out of work which doesnt help. I too am a tobacco smoker and have been for about 16 yrs and am currently smoking triple the amount of fags since quitting.

I dont really have any advice to give as most has already been mentioned but just wanted to say good luck to all of you and keep your heads up YOU CAN AND WILL DO IT. Lifting weights, walking my dog and bike rides are getting me by although I cannot eat like many posts mention as I do not feel hungry at all tho I know my appetite will come back when life starts looking up for me, as I said I am going through a rough patch.

The one thing I wondered and have not found answers in any of the posts is that why do you get "the munchies" when first starting smoking (whether it be first time round or after starting back up) and then after chronic smoking your appetite surpresses as I barely ate and ate a lot more when off it?

Keep on quitting and dont give up giving up!

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Hi, im Jess and im a pot addict...if there is such a thing, i suppose there is since of all the posts people have writen. i didnt think it was possible to be addicted to marijuanna, i rather use the word "habbit forming"..i guess it makes me feel better and sure doesnt sound as bad. im 16 and i've been smoking pot for 2 years, in the beginning i only smoked occasionally with friends. then after a couple months i smoked at least a couple times a week, by beginning of the first year it was everyday alone or in company. i never saw the effects of it, like short term memory loss, unable to concentrate and not wanting to partake in peer gatherings... at first it was actually more of a social thing then ever...i usually only liked do it with friends but now i prefer to stay home alone or only with my boyfriend and just smoke pot. i really notice the change in me every since i started smoking weed, i dropped out of school, i stopped hanging out with my friends, i can hardly remember anything exactly in the last 2 years without it being completely foggy, hell i cant even remember where i put my homework i just finished a half an hour ago. im not very well spoken, i mumble and slurr my words somtimes. since i also have asthma im always coughing, what comes with it is big black gunks of tar (ps i smoke cigs too). weed is just the first step into the drug world, after a while pot becomes dull and it doesnt affect you as much as it used to, so you move on the harder drugs...and thats exactly what i did. thats probably also a contributer to my poor english. my maryjane is true and only real love. she has standed by me a rough and amazing and fun times...until last sesmester i decided not to smoke weed at school since it effected my working habits and being able to concentrate or even make any sence in class. but as soon as i came home i hit my bong, i couldnt wait to get home to my big red <3 and mr.bubbles, and DONUT-she is my fav....they are my best friends...i love to toke them and they loved to be toked. anyways...near the end of the school day i started to get this really bad headaches...and the pain would merge down into my neck and shoulders. but as soon as i got home and burned, it went away, almost automatically. after a week of this pattern i began to think maybe its withdrawl? i wasn't sure but i had a pretty good idea...since my pain went away within mintutes of smoking and soon as i started to feel my high. later on i started to get really bad heart burn, i told my mom about it and she said it was from smoking (she doesnt kno i smoke weed but she knows about my cigs)...so i thought it has to be from SMOKING IN GENERAL. now its 1:32 am and i have school tomorrow...i havent smoked all day long...this is like a record...i dont remember the last day i didnt smoke at all in almost 20 hours. i decided not to smoke at all today because i had summatives to do and i needed to be able to conectrate so i can get them done properly and so it wont take me twice as long. around 6 pm yesturday i began to get a bad headache (i still have it now), and for the last hour i;ve been feeling sick like nausea. i want to eat but my stomach feels like it cant handle it...now to solve this solution im sure i could just smoke a bowl and then fall fast asleep in minutes. but im deciding not to....i actually decided that this is a good start to quit marijuanna for good...i've wanted to for a while but i never really had the will power...i cant believe that there is such a thing as being addicted or even having withdrawl from pot. but from the posts i've read and my own experiences ....its unfortunatly true. if pot makes me this sick without smoking for a day imagine what i would be like in a couple more years...now that would really be painful. so i think this is a good start even though summer is coming up and its definetly time for partying, i think that if i dont quit or at least cut down i will suffer alot more later... now i have a feeling going cold turkey is gonna really suck balls...does anyone have any helpful suggestions for fighting my withdrawls?

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I smoked pot for almost 10 years...I finally quit about 1 month ago...been feeling the stomach problems a lot of you have mentioned.. I know that it will get better. My mind has never been so clear...Thanks for everone that posts. I thought that maybe I was the only one going through this constipation/stomach issues...

outsider · Newbie Joined: 11 Jul 2007 Posts: 3

yeah i'v been smoking marijuana since i was about 14 years old(i'm now 1 Cool

and i just decided to quit about a week and a half ago. ever since that night i've been feeling quite depressed and very tired(i also did mushrooms on tha same night...). i have frequent head aches and it constantly feels like i have a buzz or a kind of a mild high(which is kind of scaring me becuz i havent done any drugs/alcohol in sevral days), every now and then i'll get dizzy when i'm sitting down and i feel as if i have to walk it off. i do smoke ciggerettes(its seems to be tha only thing to calm my anxiety/fear down.....i told my mom about it and she said it was just becuz of Marijuana withdrawal and that it wud go away.....i have a hard time falling asleep and my body often has a mild tingling sensation(as if i'm high) in different places as i'm trying....tha back of my neck hurts most of tha time and it feels as tho i have a hard time seeing strait or focusing on somthing..........i've read sum of tha other things that people have wrote and its made me feel a little bit better but not much....i'm just wondering if what i'm experiencing is normal or if theres somthing wrong with my brain(as i mentiond i did mushrooms on tha same night that i decided to quit marijuana and thats what really making me feel freaked out) i've been drinking alot of water so that i can try to pee tha rest of tha thc out of my system and i've tryed excersizing but i dont really have tha energy to go long enuf to build up a good sweat......if anyone reads this and is A. experiencing tha same thing or B. knows whats happening to me, then i wudnt GREATLY appreciate u to write somthing cuz i'm kinda scared....

outsider · Newbie Joined: 11 Jul 2007 Posts: 3

how come i cant post anything

protein_feen · Newbie Joined: 01 Aug 2007 Posts: 6

i dont know if its just me but ive experience most of the symtoms mentioned here except sore throut that wont go away i got it since 4-20 as i went krazy on blazing dont even remember how much i blazed but it was a large amount we just kept doing it all day
and it never went away since then i thought it was just strep throut or something didnt worry much i thought it would go away in a couple or weeks but its been months ive tried at least 4 medications none worked
it keep coming back i need help it seems to get worst when i smoke weed the reason why im quitting

and also people in this forum havnt mention doing repited actions it could be anything like "scatching to fixing things around constantly" the most strong for me and it seems like i cant quit doing it i cant live like this foreever i need help badly i have lots of friend that do it but they dont seem to get this please i never felt for the need of help this much before i made this account just to get some answers

SamsaraSanskrit · Posted: 08/02/07 - 12:31 Post subject:

Hey Clart. I know you posted over a month a go, but I'm sure you check up on here now and then. So, first of all, I'm glad you appreciate the thread and everyone on here. And I was flattered being mentioned by name, ha. Although my true name is Adrian. I'm a bit younger than you (nearly 21 now) and haven't smoked as long (5 years of daily use). So, I commend you for going through what is very likely much harder than what I had to. It's been 5 months, I believe since I quit smoking. I admittedly have the odd toke when I'm with buddies, but my goal was to stop daily use and being in social situations built aroundou marijuana use. So, I've achieved my goal and will not likely be smoking marijuana more than once or twice a month from now on.
Anyway, whatever your personal goal is, I'm glad you find this stuff helpful as I did.
I wanted to answer your question about the appetite thing. You get the munchies mainly from dopamine production. It increased food appreciation, as well as all reward appreciation (which is why a lot of people like to do 'the deed' while stoned). You always have the munchies while your high as long as you have increased dopamine production. Eventually your hormone production goes back to normal once you're used to being high most of the time, so it's actually lower than usually when you're sober. So, for daily users it's actually harder to eat without smoking pot. This is why when you stop you also experience a lack (ranging from low to no) appetite. You're neurological processes will take a couple weeks to a couple months to get used to no being high and having serotonine and dopamine produced unnaturally. It all depends on how much and how long you smoked, as well as not having the odd smoke to null withdrawal. Smoking to get rid of these side effects increases adjustment time, and therefore, increases the time it takes to get over them.
It also works the other way around for some people. Like you were saying. The dopamine is there, so you need less food to enjoy it (but usually its so good that people eat more). When you stop, you're almost more bored or nulled to the reward effects of somethings. This can make people crave food, sex and other reward-related activities more.
Excercise is always good for appetite, so keep that up. Also if eat more raw fruits and vegetables your metabolism will increase and you'll detox much faster. So, if you find that you're gainin weight when you stop, simply keep eating as much as you like, but try out some natural foods and cut down on fat and starch. If it's not a problem eating more, than it's not a problem. Food is good medicine.

Good luck. I'll try to answer you questions sooner next time.

Peace.

SamsaraSanskrit · Posted: 08/02/07 - 12:49 Post subject:

Hey, protein_feen. I think, first of all, you need to see a doctor about your throat if you haven't already. Don't be afraid of being honest with your doc. They hear it all and need to know what you've done to feel that way. You may have inhailed something toxic if you use papers (lots of bleach and crap in them) or if your pot was dusted or sprayed with something. Some assholes spray pine and fruit scents on things.
If you did hurt your lungs and throat you may need and endoscopy. It's the best way of knowing if your throat or lung lining is damaged. There are a few medications that asthmatics take for there throat the you might get prescribed.
I'm not sure exactly what you meant by "scatching to fix things around", but I think what you have there is mind OCD. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is common with marijuana smokers. I had that problem when I first started smoking. It is usually caused by short term memory damage. Cutting down of quitting for a while is the best idea. There are a few things like Ginko Biloba that improve memory by repairing synaptic pathways in your brain. Also reading a lot helps memory retrieval and repairing these pathways and neurons.
Also, too much dopamine can increase the chances of exposing latent schyzophrenia, so if it gets really bad, so a neurologist and request a CAT scan or MRI. It's worth checking into, man.

Anyway, post more if you have more questions. Thanks

Peace.

Marijuana withdrawal

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