can quitting weed make you more tired then you felt before hand?

I'm a 31 year old mother of two and have been clean for 4 days.  I haven't been sleeping that much at all even though I am exhausted.  I got my recommendation from my doctor because I had insomnia nearly one year ago and had been smoking all day, everyday since that point.  I've been a smoker on and off since I was 14.  When I first started smoking and going to the dispensary's, I smoked Sativa's during the day for energy and Indica's at night to sleep.  I loved it.  I smoked some of the best bud out there....sigh...sorry, getting off track here.  The moodiness is already going away and I am committed to quitting.  I was a relaxed Momma when I smoked but man, once I wasn't high, I was a moody biotch! I had had enough and just wanted to sleep naturally and not be dependent on anything.  I recently started eating a raw vegan diet and that has really helped detox cannabis out of my system.  I drink wheatgrass shots once a day and that is a heavy detoxifier and I really believe it is helping.  Since it is summer there are tons of amazing fruit and veggies out here in Cali and by eating the best food, it is cleaning out my system in more ways than one...lol. We have been going on hikes and swimming and I have been doing weight training for the past 4 days as well.  I keep trying to physically exhaust myself even more in hopes that I can pass out at night.  I was so damn tired last night when I laid down at 12pm but couldn't fall asleep until 2am BUT that was only after I took a 10mg of melatonin.  Then I felt guilty for taking that...sigh.  The whole reason why I started smoking bud like I said was because of insomnia and it totally helped me wean myself off of Ambien.  I took that sh*t for 2 years every night.  I suppose looking back I have just been slowly weaning myself to get to the point where I can naturally sleep.  Anyway, this thread helped a lot today.  My brain feels so shot from smoking hard this past year.  I can't imagine smoking for a decade.  I really believe some peoples brain can handle it but even my husband said my sense of humor was different and I wasn't as sharp as I was before....that hit home for me, as much as I hated hearing it, I knew he was right.  He gives me a lot of room and it was me that decided to quit.  I am doing this for me first, then of course for my kids and sweetheart!

i'm 19 and have been pining daily for a little less than two years. i just decided to quit a couple of days ago because it's too expensive and i start college in 3 weeks no time for a job. i love weed but i want to get to the point where i don't buy it or keep it in my room. what are some over-the-counter supplements or recommended foods to cope with the symptoms? i'm very active and exercise about every day.

This a very long post so if you dont want to read my rant about human existnace just skip to the 2nd and last paragraph. Look im not trying to offend anyone, and im certainly not trying to force my personal beliefs on any of you - I am not speaking to everyone; just the extremely ignorant and unexperienced people (when it comes to marijuana). I simply do not see how you can blame all of your symptoms and life problems on marijuana. Marijuana is not meant to be smoked 5-10 times a day. It is not meant to be smoked first thing in the morning and right before you sleep. It is simply an herb put here by our creator to make life a little more bearable. For some ACTUAL sick people it can become medication because for THOSE people it relieves countless symptoms and can make life worth living.

I'm 19 years old, and have been a daily smoker for 3 years and am on my 2nd week of quitting. And yes im experiencing some of these exact same symptoms. What you need to realize is it is not the bud that is giving you these symptoms; its your brain. Your mind has thc receptors which have been clogged with thc due to your high and constant intake of weed. You never give your brain time to recover from the last high, and you force this new one apon it; sometimes increasing the dose to feel the same high you did before. The problem is not marijuana - the problem is you. You (and myself) have abused this drug beyond its intended purpose. When a doctor prescribes you medication do you just take as much as you want? As much that makes you feel "better". No. Everything should be taken in moderation and marijuana is no exception to this.

I've tried to quit maybe 4-5 times throughout the past three years for personal reasons. Mostly because when i first started smoking 2 grams was enough to last me a week and make me feel good. However when i started smoking with a few family relatives the intake went from a few grams a week or two to an ounce a week. AN OUNCE. There is no logical reason to smoke this much marijuana. NOT TO MENTION THE MONEY. The thing that pisses me off the most is IM THE ONLY PERSON I KNOW (and i know ALOT of pot smokers) who goes through these symptoms when i quit. Now because im a logical adult, and i have extensive knowledge and experience with this drug i know that marijuana is not the primary cause. I am known to form addictions easily - and when something makes me happy of course im going to continue to do it. I've had no problems with memory (i went through highschool with A's and B's even though i was stoned almost every single day of it). It has not affected my level of thinking, but rather my motivation for thinking. I simply do not care about some things in life because marijuana made me realize how pointless and arbitrary life really is. Before smoking marijuana i went through life thinking every little thing mattered so much and that i needed to do all these little things or my life would just suck. If i wasn't cool or liked by my peers or girls then i was just a useless waste of space. Really none of this is true. Life is what you make of it, your reality is different from everyone elses and you should live it in a way that makes you content and satisfied. Living by man made rules or structures is why life seems so bleak and meaningless. You need to grab life by the throat and live every day the way YOU WANT to. If marijuana is keeping you from doing that it is a very simple decision. QUIT. The problem is you DONT WANT TO, and you wont be able to until you do want to.

The next time you think about how much your life matters and how "important" satisfying society, or some other life form in your life is remember one thing.

WE ARE STARDUST. We are advanced forms of bacteria and nothing more. The more you realize how much your life means nothing the MORE you can enjoy it before it ends and you are forgotten about forever.

Stop living life like a sheep. Don't follow the herd; break from it and explore your own existance. There is more to life than money, reproducing, and impressing other life forms. If you always wanted to visit europe or go into outer space; stop moping and make that sh*t happen! Personally i wake up every day depressed with the knowledge that i'm a human being. Intelligent enough to explore the world and the universe. A conscious mind to be aware of myself and my surroundings. But so meeble and fragile to never truly enjoy anything that life or the whole universe has to offer. If i could choose my existance i would be a sentient robot, because i want nothing more than to know WHAT IS OUT THERE. Why is everything the way it is, and where does it all come from. Depressingly i will never know the answers to any of these things so i just spark up some weed, relax, and listen to or create some music. To me life is music; find that thing that drives your existance and love and cherish it even if its simply being with another person.

I'm dealing with not smoking pot best i can. I know it is not socially acceptable and may not be for a long time. And because money is the only thing that human beings care about i need to get a good job. This is why im quitting pot. I may not go back to it for many years and when i do i will be mentally prepared knowing full well that over-indulgence can not only lessen the experience of smoking it but also decrease my motivation to do anything besides sit and rot away. For all you smokers out there that are finding it hard to quit - it is because weed makes up your current lifestyle. If this angers you then you have no one to blame but yourself because you bought those bags of weed, and you ingested it. Marijuana didnt force you to become mentally addicted. You chose to be. So place the blame where it belongs. ON YOURSELF, and better yourself from your experiences. If you feel like you need SOMETHING to replace that feeling - the feeling of content or relaxation. Make a new lifestyle for yourself. Personally i'm working on getting into shape (i've been fit most of my life but never ripped or athletic). Drink lots of water to help get the thc out of your system, and keep yourself busy. In a few months you may not even want to smoke it ever again and if thats the way you choose to live your life and that's what makes you happy then go for it.
Marijuana is not mean't for everyone. Not everyone can understand or enjoy its effects. Just dont try to compare it to other drugs or blame all of your personal issues on it, because marijuana is really something completely different on its own and has been subject of abuse and ignorant critism for centuries. A little side note: I also find it hilarious that one of the most beneficial NATURAL herbs to mankind is illegal while man made sh*t that kills people all the time like SPICE and BATHSALTS can be bought in almost every headshop and consumed legally

So I have smoked pretty much daily since about 15/16. I am now 31 and have gradually cut down since my mid 20s to the point where I often only smoke a very small amount in the evening.

I didn't expect many problem giving up and I didn't really get any cravings. For the first few weeks everything was fine. Then I began to feel extremely tired and lathargic. I also had these permanent headaches that lasted all day (it is extremely rare for me to get headaches) and a horrible anxiety/forbodding feeling in my stomach. Psychologically I felt very down and really not myself. I became quite withdrawn and unsociable. This would last a few days, then subside a bit, then it would come back. I didn't even associate it with giving up cannabis, I just thought I was ill.

After a few weeks of feeling like this I happened to go round a friend's house where I smoked some cannabis and ended up buying some myself. Since I started smoking again I have felt much better and began to think that it was the withdrawal that led to all the bad symptoms.

Its pretty scary to think giving up might have led to those symptoms. I am going to give up again in the next few weeks. Hopefully it was a coincidence but I am not so sure - especially after reading some of the other comments on here.

I am on my 11th day of not smoking and like all of you I can't believe how tired I am. I have had to take naps, and I never do that. I am taking my vitamins and mineral supplements along with protien drinks, however I have never eaten so much sugar in my life!! I'm beginning to think that may be a contributing factor. I do have to say that all the achs and pains have all about gone away, I have arthritis and cannot believe the difference, I do take minerals for my arthritis but nothing has stopped the inflamation like this. I had to quite because I got a wake up call 11 days ago, my left hand, tongue, lip, started getting numb and my left leg got real heavy,my blood pressure was 223 over 103, they thought I had a minny stroke. Thank God not, but they said it was anxiety and stress. The gave me blood pressure pills which I will not take and knew that smoking was the reason my blood pressure was so high, it went from the above number down to an average of 140 over 75 just by not smoking. remember all the chemicals that are in one cig, is it 4000? I wjish smoking was not bad for us but it is. Do you find yourself with alot more time on your hands because your not smoking?
Good luck!

Sorry I had to use the reply function, what im about to say isnt in direct response to the post above, using my phone

I smoked weed heavy everyday for 5 years without fail, and although the feeling was good before my body began to tolerate it, I deeply regret doing it in the first place. All that money wasted, watching the dealer take holidays and getting themselfs refurbished kitchens etc, I look back and wish id kept that money.

Im glad I found this site, 1 month in today I havent touched a single joint, and feel so much better because of it. Im no longer running out of money, but yeah, sleeping patterns are all over the place, stomach feels a bit crappy aswell. The dreams are there also, some weird ones.

I didnt think id find a place to post my feelings without being scurtinized, alot of these weed smokers on the web glorify weed, I think these are the dealers or bums that have no intention of giving up. What a waste, ya know theres people saying theres no side effects, thats B.S, I had an inflammed lung cus of smoking the c**p, evident by the fact I havent touched it and my lung feels much better

Im only 25 but I swear I was having mini heart attacks, but at the time I didnt care, just wanted to get high. Someone says weed owns you an thats right, my life seemed to revolve around sitting in isolated for 3 years like a paranoid wreck, not eating properly and having the energy sucked from me. Id get munchies, but it was quick fix c**p with no nutritional value.

Not sure if anyone else had the same problem but some mornings I would get up heaving in the bathroom, had loads of c**p in my throat.

Its easy to say yeah, I can control it, ill do it once in a while, but no. I dont wanna fall back into that same trap, never touching the stuff again. I can see why its illegal, nothing to do with the government not being able to tax it, its because F's up your life. Once it takes hold its easy to make excuses to justify smoking it.

So congratulations people here who have given up or are in the process of doing it. All I can say to people who have just started or are considering it is DONT, you will regret it later on in life, an if not your body will feel the conseqences

So glad I found this site.  I have been smoking since I was 15, I am now 38.  I decided four days ago that enough was enough, just like many of the posters I found that weed was controlling my life.  I am a single mother of 2 daughters, one a freshman in college and one a freshman in high school.  I considered myself a functioning weed head.  But in reality I know I missed out on lots of things because I was either high or wanted to get high.  I smoked a joint every day of my life, except for the weekends when I would get high pretty much throughout the day.  So it has been 4 days and I feel terrible.  I'm tired, my body aches and I just don't feel normal.  I thought stopping would make me feel better but since he hadn't I really thought about just smoking again, but reading these posts has encouraged me to keep going and that this is truly withdraw.  Knowing the amount of years I smoked I know that these feelings are not going to go away in a short period of time.  I have to just remember that it will be worth it in the end.  I can't wait to feel normal again, if I even remember what normal feels like.

Hi all,

I'm 44 and diagnosed with mild COPD about 4 months ago. Up until that point I smoked cigarettes and had a 15 year old 2-4 joint a day habit which I quit immediately and replaced with cake and brownies made with very potent weed oil.

Last week I decided to quit altogether and I must say this is the most difficult time I've had with side effects, having quit for periods of time in the past. I don't crave pot or anything like that - only the first day sober I craved ....it's the:

1) Insomnia - 3.5 hours of sleep per night average

2) Nightsweats to the point of having to change the sheets and pillowcases - sometimes more than once per night

3) Anxiety about my COPD

4) Generally not feeling great (probably due to tiredness from insomnia)

I'm about 8 days into it and last night was the first night I have dreamed (and remembered) in a considerable amount of time, and I only woke up slightly sweaty once last night.

All I can say is I hope my symptoms pass soon as the lack of sleep and night sweats is just about driving me crazy. I can only surmise that my symptoms are this intense due to the strength of the cake and brownies, as they are exponentially stronger than simple smoking, and the accumulation of THC in my fat cells. I'm 6 feet/200lbs and fairly muscular and noticed an immediate loss of subcutaneous body fat after stopping the daily brownies. Possibly my going cold turkey is giving me the major symptoms?

I can feel the symptoms slooowwwllly getting weaker but this is something I must say. I've just got to 'gut it out'.

Definitely I will still partake of a brownie or two once or twice a month. This daily habit hasn't seemed to have contributed anything to my life, as much as I may like getting high.

I heard an old saying years ago and it's definitely true to the 'n'th degree about so many things:

HABIT DULLS THE EDGE OF PLEASURE.

We all know this is true as you never get the same effect from the second joint in a day. Pleasure comes from our brain measuring the 'difference' from sober to high. You don't feel this difference if your halfway there already.

Good luck to you all!

 

 

I started smoking when I was 15.  I just quit and had my last puff in July.  I am 42.  So 27 years and I really loved it but when the coughing wouldnt stop I had to weigh the benefits vs the detriments so I decided to stop.  It took about 3 weeks before the bad mood went away and the sleep level increased from 4-5 hours with periods of waking up during the night (while I was a smoker) to now (October 26, 2012) being able to sleep through the night, remembering more of my dreams and not waking up and sleeping straight through and that is great.  The other thing is that I would say I am more melly and laid back since I stopped smoking which was a surprise to me and I even have gotten some very positive feedback from my family about my personality as well.  Now the negitives....  it has been almost 4 months since I have smoked and I am nore tired than I ever was when I smoked.  I am actually going for blood work today to see if I am missing something or whatever.  The level of tiredness I feel is really bad, I almost feed stoned without smoking!  I am going to get myself checked out just to make sure it is not a vitamin defiency or something but in all honestly I was much more energetic, with less sleep when I smoked but I was more easily agitated and snappy.  I need my energy back!!!!

I am reposting this because it posted it as a guest and I want to see if anyone can give me some good advice...

 

I started smoking when I was 15.  I just quit and had my last puff in July.  I am 42.  So 27 years and I really loved it but when the coughing wouldnt stop I had to weigh the benefits vs the detriments so I decided to stop.  It took about 3 weeks before the bad mood went away and the sleep level increased from 4-5 hours with periods of waking up during the night (while I was a smoker) to now (October 26, 2012) being able to sleep 7-8 hours and through the night, remembering more of my dreams and not waking up and sleeping straight through and that is great.  The other thing is that I would say I am more mellow and laid back since I stopped smoking which was a surprise to me and I even have gotten some very positive feedback from my family about my personality as well.  Now the negitives....  it has been almost 4 months since I have smoked and I am nore tired than I ever was when I smoked.  I am actually going for blood work today to see if I am missing something or whatever.  The level of tiredness I feel is really bad, I almost feed stoned without smoking!  I am going to get myself checked out just to make sure it is not a vitamin defiency or something but in all honestly I was much more energetic, with less sleep when I smoked but I was more easily agitated and snappy.  I need my energy back!!!!

I go to friends and get high and this gets me very lethargic the next day. I stated smoking more again. Need to just get it outts my life

I had to reply here - I have been off now for about 5 days, and have noticed myself feeling tired - not just a little, but sat behind my desk after 30 minutes and my eyes start going. Usually, I can sit behind my desk all day without so much as a blink.

Reading these stories has definitely put my mind to rest - and even cheered me up. The thought of all of us randomly dropping off to sleep is making me laugh so much!

Not sure if this is going to last for me - smoking helps me so much with my stress levels, but a break for a while at least will do my body some good. And after all, I moved to Amsterdam, NL for a reason right?

Well, good luck everyone - hope you all achieve what you need to, and try to stay awake when doing important things like driving!

I experienced terrible lethargy, sweats all day and lack of appetite and weight loss. Also bad dreams. Also my blood pressure went up and i felt very shaky. I had no problems with sleeping or mood swings. I felt more sick than angry. After 1 week i started to feel a little better and after 2 weeks i was a lot better, but expect ongoing issues for up to a month.

Sorry if I am replying to a specific comment that was not intended.

This thread has given me strength again. I am a 24yr old male who has been smoking for ten years, the last 7 or 8 have been heavy smoking. I'm 10days into not smoking and have not felt so tired in all my days, I would love this feeling to pass immediately but i know that wont be the case. I thought that as my eating patterns have changed this might be why. Reading this has made it clear why I constantly feel terrible. Thanks to every single post here you have all given me strength!!

Weed is quite simply dangerous, I wish i could instil this mindset into my friends who after 10years still think its some kind of holy herb.

Again thanks all of you and I hope you all manage/d to give up!!!

I can't tell you guys how relieved I am to see how many other people experienced this after quitting smoking weed. It's only been 5 days since I quit and holymotherf*ck I've never felt so fatigued in my life. It was starting to worry me but as long as this will eventually desist I can deal. I know it will take up to month for me though, because I was a pretty avid smoker :(  s.w.e.d.

It's crazy how weed can become like a normal way of life to the point where you use it to characterize yourself. I'm only speaking for myself but I feel like it f*cks with your priorities..it demotivates you. I can't wait until it's out of my system so I can finally start getting my sh*t together. I wish I had realized this sooner, but better late than never.