Panic attacks and marijuana

dingus · Newbie Joined: 04 Mar 2007 Posts: 1

This incident was my first major panic attack. I have smoked weed for about 10 years, so when I had this panic attack, it really shocked me. It was New Years Eve 2006/2007, my girlfriend and I went to the liquor store and I recall a feeling of unease, or tenseness. I don’t know why I felt like that. I just did.

We went to my friend's house around 9pm. We were drinking and watching TV. I took a few puffs from a joint and it got me really high. 10 minutes later I started to feel sick. I thought that I was having a bad reaction to the weed. I started to feel my heart racing uncontrollably and I experienced a surge of symptoms includeding hyperventilation, sweating, shortness of breath, nausea, a slight choking sensation, hot/cold flashes, shaking, faintness, and exhaustion. I was scared most when I had trouble breathing. I wanted them to drive me to the emergency room but I embarrassed that I was being an inconvenience. I thought I was having a heart attack.

The mental symptoms included a feeling of impending doom, fear of losing control, fear of death, fear that I was going crazy and fear that I had a serious illness. Also, a sense of "unrealness" or "unreality" which is known as derealization and a disconnection from my body, known as depersonalization.

This panic attack lasted over a period of 4 hours, gradually becoming less intense and shorter, with 10-15 minute intervals of feeling fine. It was most unsettling. During this time, I lay down and took deep breaths to relax (which helped a bit), even took a shower. Eventually I calmed down enough to be able to drive home. What a way to start the year.

I visited the doctor 2 days later and he gave me some anxiety pills which I was supposed to take when I feel anxious. Unfortunately, over the next month I had several more panic attacks. The worst ones were 2 that happened in public and one that happened during my sleep. I also began to feel anxious all the time, gradually getting scared to even go outside. I finally hit a breaking point a month and a half after the new years eve panic attack and went back to the doctor to get on some serious medication.

Doctor put me on Paxil (Paroxetine) and after getting over the first week of adjusting to the drug (lots of side effects) I began to feel better. Searching Paxil online and reading side effects kinda scared me, but I realized that even if you look up Tylenol, you'll get pages of side effects. I dont like the thought of being on an anti-anxiety drug but it has helped. Also am seeing a therapist at my University which helps a lot. I quit marijuana, cigarettes, caffeine, any type of stimulant. Finding something to focus on and take my mind off my problem is key.

I know that marijuana can induce a panic attack. I have read many scientific journals that suggest a strong link. I also know that panic attacks have many other different causes. The best thing you can do is educate yourself about panic attacks, stop taking stimulants, resume activities that you regularly engage in (exercise is a good one), and a combination of medication and therapy. Medication will re-balance the neurochemicals in your brain and therapy will teach you relaxation techniques and strategies to minimize or control the attacks.

The solution to this problem is 50/50. 50% you seeking help and 50% you fighting and taking a stand against it. Fortunately, most of you (myself included) live in places where help and resources are available. The earlier you intervene and begin to control this problem, the better your future. So long, farewell and good luck.

Guest · Guest

i recently experienced someting very similar to what you have described. my question is did you find out what made you start having these panic attacks out of nowhere? was it the pot? I have been a daily pot smoker for the past 4 years and out of nowhere my panic attacks started about a month ago. The thing is i love smoking and i don't want to quit and i'm trying to hold on to the idea that pot is not the cause of my anxiety and panic disorder. what do you think about this?

Guest · Guest

I have suffered from panic attacks from age 13 though i didnt know what they were back then. I am 19 now and have smoked weed since i was 14 and everyday since age 15. For me the weed keeps me calm and keeps me from having an attack. It also keeps me from undergoing mania or depression caused by bipolar disorder. I doubt it could be the weed causing your panic attacks. Have you been under stress, have u ate anything unusual? Ask yourself these ?'s.

Guest · Guest

I have been smoking weed everyday, more then once a day since I was 13. I'm 20 now and in college. I have smoked cigarettes on and off since the same time, but when I came to college I continued smoking for 2 years straight. I quit about 2 weeks ago and 1 week into quitting (cigarettes) I got my first panic attack. usually I would smoke a cigarette after smoking weed (I really only smoke blunts) and this is when the panic sets in. Cant breath, shortness of breath, contricted feeling in my throat, sweating, leg shakes, nausea and senstivity to noise. I feel like I am going to die, cannot breath. I pray when it happens for God to release me from the feeling. Two days later I had another one (both were at night time, after smoking the same weed) but this time I was able to control it a bi more... since I was ready for the feelings I tried to block them out instead of laying down and sucumbing to them until they pass. i kept my eyes on the clock to see how long th feeling last, and the worst was over in about 35 minutes but even the next day I still feel very out of sorts, very tired, my legs ache and I still feel a tightness of breath. So, I dont know if its the weed, the lack of cigarettes, or I finally reached the age where they are most common to occur. My mother started getting severe panic attacks when she was the same age as me, and she says she quit smoking because she had to, but also sought the help of a holistic healer which helped her a lot.

I'm not sure if I'm ready to quit smoking weed and furthermore, I am really ambivalent about how I feel about being forced to quit smoking for fear of panic attacks. A part of me is somewhat glad that my body gave me a real reason to quit that I never had before, but the other part of me is incredibly upset that my own body is rejecting my favorite mode of relaxation and enjoyment. As a smoker, all my friends smoke, and of course my boyfriend is my all time smoking partner and I'm afraid to lose him and what we have since my not smoking will change things a lot.

I've tried to quit smoking weed before I came to college and it made me miserable. I was depressed gained like 30 lbs and just slept. I couldnt do school work and had little interest in doing anything a side from eating. I don't want that to happen again. If Im going to quit I just want to feel ready to do it and be able to move on in my life normally. But then again, I guess you don't ditch an addiction of 7 years and not feel somewhat dejected afterwards. I'm worried I will become a bitch, that my boyfriend will not be able to tolerate me, that I wont be able to tolerate him being high constantly. Maybe when (if?) I quit he will cut down too and we can do this together? Wow, I am so nervous.

Angelgirly314 · Newbie Joined: 07 Aug 2008 Posts: 1

So i basically i can super relate with the last post. Im 22 years old and have been smoking since i was 14. Me and my boyfriend have been together for about 5 years and we love smoking pot together when we chill at home or when we go on trips pretty much all the time. The second time i smoked i had the worst panic attack of my life and didnt know who i was or where i was. I also thought i was dying and was taking really tiny breaths of air thinking it would be my last. Something really wierd also happened to me since im a spiritual person and believe in God i felt as though he was saying it was time for me to die. I saw my life flash before my eyes literally pictures of myself when i was child were in my head. I didnt know my name when my friends were asking me. So then after about an hour or so i kinda came out of it and started to puke. Then i went home ate hella food and passed out and was fine the next day. Looking back on it i totally understand why that happened because i wasnt used to smoking weed. but recently i had another attack similar out of blue. I was chillin watching tv and i felt like i was dieing. I coulnt breathe my heart was pounding SO hard and fast i was freaking out. i wanted to go to the hospital. I felt as though i was in a cartoon and i was in between this life and the after life. I cant even explain how scared i was. The thing that worries me most is i have this lingering feeling of depersonalization. I woke up feeling still very wierd about my episode the night before. So i smoked a few hours ago almost like to test if this would happen again and i had like two hits and started to feel panicky again. This TOTALLY sucks . I love smoking . And my boyfriend is constantly smoking I dont wanna give it up but its giving me serious anxiety and god forbid i go through all that again!!

Panic attacks and marijuana

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