Depersonalization and permanent anxiety after smoking weed!

you're all probably the kinda people who drink a bottle of alcohol and then wonder why you cant operate properly the next day....try smoking enough to stimulate your receptors and not the mainstream bong or blunt or even joint....if i take more than 2 or 3 hits things start to get too real it seems...my heart races and i feel like a wire with too much electricity going one way...and if anything it helps me conquer whatever fear i have of anxiety...i personally take one hit and am on the edge of a waterfall that freakin...goes into a black hole thats just way too far....actually get a vaporizer and use the proper dose for yourself....you're eventually gonna die so you should prepare by dying from moment to moment...not by hurting yourself or smoking pot or w/e you can do to hide from yourself...but by accepting your doom and getting over yourself, only then can you really understand that you dont know anything and can barely feel the truth around you...thats part of being a human...pride and ego let you think you have reassurance but you're just caught in an endless known unknown and the only way to really know is to let go and die and be reborn every moment of your life...dont let the snowball roll down the hill...let the sun light shine so bright that it evaporates it and allows it to join the skies again only to come down again...you know? accept the anxiety its trying to teach you something about yourself....

i've had a similar experience like many people here
i was never heavily into pot, nor smoking it everyday, just occasional weekend kinda stuff or maybe once or twice more if i could manage to
anyway, i was chillin with some friends one weekend and i was a bit stressed beforehand by some really stupid stuff and when i started smoking my heart started beating fast and i was extremely aware of it. my hands were sweaty, i was restless and felt like i should go to the hospital, i had to sit next to a window in my friends room to feel like i could even get some kind of air. i was basically gasping for air the entire night up until i ate a bit, focused on playing a video game, and passed out.
i smoked a few times after this with sorta similar results. it felt like no matter what i'd smoke and feel anxious. at first i thought it was because i smoked too much and wasn't used to getting as high as i was[basically i'd keep up with my friends who've been smoking for years longer than i have and i wouldn't stop until we were all finished].
it got to the point where anxiety/depersonalization/panic attacks was/were going on in my everyday life. i started missing weeks of school at a time and shortly after that i became depressed. the only thing is, during this period of time i was going through a situation in my life that was angering me and stressing me out and that's why i believe i had this problem.
i think that if you smoke weed you need to be in a positive mindset to at least delay this problem from happening. i've had my situation be resolved for a couple days now and although i could smoke with my friends this weekend and i want to, i'm not until i've calmed down emotionally and mentally.

basically, address your problems and feel good before you smoke.
i think that might make a bit of difference as to whether or not this stuff happens so suddenly[not so much in long term cases]

hey guys ha havent been on these sites in ages.i noticed that the same stuff is still going on.yes you all have an anxiety disorder from smokin weed.the first thing i need to say is that yes it does go away.that is one of the most important things you need to hear.now from reading that how much better do you feel?i remember the first time i read it i actually felt my heart race with excitement instead of fear.okay.the thing that we all have(had for me:D)is a panic attack after smoking.the thing is that when this occured we all were stoned correct.this made the experience a hundred times worse.this in turn traumatised us.i faced my own mortality after it and it severly damaged my mental health at the time.the main thing you need to understand in all this is that its all in your head.everything...you do not have heart failure or any of that stuff.there is one way out of this anxiety trap your in and you have to totally give yourself up to it...JESUS.naw i'm just kiddin.i always got really frustrated when i read that kind of stuff.no, the real solution is all on the power of your thinking.your mind controls your body and everything that goes on in it.anyway you'll need to find your own path in this so i advice you to research-the aw of attraction-positive thinking-the easy calm method by jon mercer as he deals with all this and your own thought processes.oh i didn't buy the jon mercer stuff as i got better by myself so don't think i am just advertising here.so the main thing is your gonna be fine but its gonna take a lot of hard work.and remember if you keep focusing on the dark you'll never see the light.

*PLEASE READ THIS*
I really think if you do, it could help you!



I am currently going through all these symptoms as well.

After three months of fairly constant anxiety/dp, i feel that I am progressively making my way out of it. I can live my normal life again!

My advice to all those who suffer from this affliction:

1- Stop smoking. You may think that a tolerance break is all you need to get rid of these feelings, but in reality you will never be able to have the same experience with smoking as you used to. THC aggrivates your anxiety. The worst thing you can do when you think you have made improvement is to smoke, because it will bring you right back to square one. You need to learn how to create happy memories and emotions without the aid of THC. You have forgotten how to be happy without a substance!

2- Get Help. I did not have the nessessary cash flow to look for help from a psychologist, so I looked online for possible solutions. I would recommend listening to Dr. Claire Weekes audio recordings. They can be found for free at http://www.controllinganxiety.com/dsp_downloads.php under "How to Recover" 1-4. There are also numerous online anxiety coping programs to be found if you do a google search.

3- Exercise and eat right. This is fairly self explanatory.. a healthy body is a healthy mind.

4- Persue acupuncture. According to acupuncturists, our problem is in the form of "blocked chi" messing up our body processes. Whether you believe this explanation or not, there is no doubt that acupuncture therapy actually works. Its not hokey hippie stuff, this stuff is for real.

5- As hard as it sounds, keep it positive. Anxiety is a disorder that feeds on negative thinking. The more you fear what is happening to you, the worse it becomes. Accept the hand you have been dealt and don't run away from it. There IS hope. You CAN do it. You are NOT alone!!

OK so I have read pages of what everyone is saying and I think this is gonna trip all you cats out. The christians too. So I grew up a disgruntled preachers kid, my parents used to do demon excorcisms in the living room and prayer healing miracles in my living room on wednsday nights. But all the preacher guys were just kooks, they were snakes just like the people having the excercisms. I was like f**k this and got into partying. I was getting really stupid about my actions and just trying to get "screwed up", and one day this really dark cloud came in the room and I was extremely paranoid, it was totally satanic, something entered me. So I went back to church, but seriously all the people at church were kooks and had all the same evilness of everywhere I have been. So back to weed I went paranoia and all, but I just began to ask God what truth really is. I started searching out information of old teachings and funny thing is they all have the same basic elemental truths, love, peace, humbleness, yada, yada. I started eating real healthy organic vegetarian and excercising daily and my mind began to come back to me, I made my life a prayer and do everything I have with good intention, I am slowly squeezing off the life of the demon that entered me the day my panic began, even though I puff tough still I need to respect my body and the forces of this world and use the medicine for greater good and not just pass it off as the devil's lettuce. Shoot, the chronic they got these days just a couple hits will get you, enjoy that in the evening after you've dealt with all your responsibilities. But remember if you have panics the herb is bringing out something inside you that you need to deal with, whether you quit smoking or not that fear and evil is still apart of you until you deal with it. Don't feed the snake and Jesus is your friend. Peace bit***s.

I am 21 years old and smoked heavily from age 17 to this year. I am going to be as blunt as possible. Marijuana ruins your life. In no way does it make it better. It may seem like a good escape in the short term, but I think everyone posting these forums would agree how they'd never start if they knew what they were in for. I will give you my story as a testimony of the truth of this horrible drug.

I used to be a straight A student until I was peer pressured into smoking pot. Before starting I even found a joy in learning new things as assignments progressed. I had anxiety and shyness but it was nothing compared to what I go through now as a result of slower thinking, horrible short term memory problems, sleeping difficulties, etc. My grades plummited after regular daily weed use. I was addicted because I THOUGHT it was cool and a possitve relaxation technique. I barely graduated because of my excessive absenties. I stayed home a lot because of depression and just smoked the whole day by myself. I spent almost my entire paycheck every 2 weeks on pot. Sometimes I would get in debt to dealers and have to pay half of my check just on debts. I lost interest in EVERYTHING besides maybe listening to music while I was high. All future ambitions...lost. Future goals and dreams....dead. My new job at Sports Authority is a wake up call to how dumb I am now. Everyone around me is so bubbly, smart, and happy. I am always sad and tired and have horrible insomnia now with my sleep saturated with vivid nightmares or just plain weird dreams. I cry hard every other night because of my permanent fatigue and ruined future. Even after 4 1/2 months of absolutely NO marijuana use my symptoms are the same if not worse. Exersize and good eating helps but does not repair the damage that's been done. I can not tell you how many other areas of my life were ruined from this drug. College courses, relationships, family life, money, health, happniess, humor, :-( . I pray that I die every day now and I no longer fear death but look forward to it with great anticipation. I may have had some anxeity and depression problems before this drug, but I can promise you that zapping my intelligence and learning capabilities made life so much worse. I pray that someone can read this and never smoke weed or stop right now before you cause any more long term damage. My heart goes out to all you suffering. Goodbye ;(

damn I didnt know weed cud do all this sh*t, ive been smoking often for 2 years and never faced anything like this, i guess only some people are prone to depersonalization, so has anyone found a cure for this yet?

I first started smoking when i was 17 and have been smoking pretty much every night since i was 19... im now 24....and recently had a horrible experience with weed.

in august i was smoking a vapouriser which i never do and unlike a joint takes a while to hit you and when it did it hit me very hard and all at once. i started burning up, breathing a bit laboured and very dizzy. i laid down and tried to calm down and get over it like i had done many times over the years.
i didnt get over it and my vision and hearing went crazy and started getting caught up like they were on a loop and i would being seeing the same sceen over and over until the next one would come in and take over from it.the sound also looped and seemed to be delayed and sometimes before what i could see with my eyes. it lasted for about half an hour and i had to concentrate on things to try and get my vision back to normal.
eventually it did and i felt pretty weird for the next couple of weeks.

i stopped smoking for that time but before long started up again and one night after having what was only a little smoke some friends came round and dragged me to the pub, not really wanting to leave the comfort of my lounge i didnt really fancy it but it was a quiet place and i was with friends.
when i got in i started feeling a bit anxious but tried to deal with it.
after a few sips of my drink whilst i was talking to my mate my vision started getting caught on a scene again and i had to concentrate to stop it and quickly made an excuse to leave the pub.
i didnt have a bad trip like the one a few months ago but it scared the hell out of me that it had happened again. still this didnt really stop me from smoking altogether as it had become such a part of my life and was routine to feel stoned in the evening at some point.

smoking never felt the same after that though and i felt a little anxious when doing it. i also found myself feeling a bit uneasy in social situations or being with a bunch of people in a public space. that started a few weeks ago and since then i have quit smoking for good
but still feel anxious when in that kind of environment, even amongst friends. i also feel a little bit dizzy in my head like u do after waking up after a night of heavy smoking even though i havent touched it for weeks.

im finding it all a bit scary not knowing when its going to end. the longer i have it for and the more times i feel anxious and like i could fall back into that trip despite not smoke the more anxious i feel...
i am pretty sure that a large part of it is in my head and that it is managable but the more you worry the worse the problem becomes.

has anybody had any similar exepriences to this...some comments/ advise would be welcome. i dont know if i could have some chemical inbalance or something or if its all in my head...or both.

anyway sorry for the essay but is good to get it off my chest

ya dude i completely relate to all this depersonaliztion sh*t. i used to be a very social fun and confident guy and then i started smoking weed and after i never felt happy around most the people i was with. no one else could relate to me of what marijuana did to me. but this means so much to me and even after reading this i feel better. but i think theres still a long road to go down to find my self but now i feel better about it and more confident that ill just grow out of DP

to everyone:

this kind of sh*t happens. I've had similar experiences to everyone who has posted something. I used to smoke blunts every day, multiple times a day, rip bongs, whatever could get me high. in the end, weed is a drug, and with that, it has the ability to change the way you see things. if you have an anxiety attack while you're stoned, it will open up parts of your brain that you might not have known about.

i've seen many doctors about my anxiety, and all of them seem to have the same conclusion about the situation: once you have an anxiety attack, the chances of you consistently having them are very, very high. it's normal. however, no one has ever died from an anxiety attack. drive that into your brain. if you let anxiety and panic disorder beat you, it will. it's YOUR brain, the only thing you're battling is yourself.

weed will always stay the same, the way you approach it, however, is subject to change.

an anxiety attack can be triggered just like a memory of a good time with your friends can be run through in your mind. its a learned feeling and not something you were born with.

it's a weird, weird concept, but its one that i have found to be truthful.

think positively, find love, its all around you. whether its religion, or with another person, always keep your spirits up, life isn't as bad or as scary as it seems.

Weed has done something to me that's really hard to describe. It happened in November of 2003. Me and my friends were smokin a bowl before the bus came as usual, I was really stoned most of the time in school, as usual lol. But when the High wore off, Everything about me changed. My reflexes, my reaction time to anything were permanently slowed. How I perceived reality changed. Ever since than it feels like I am watching everything from a distance out of a dark hole, I feel far away from reality.

No one believes me, My parents and my friends think im stupid and I dont know what im talking about. Its good to see that some people understand here.

Its funny though, I go from being really social, always laughing and having a good time to being extremely anti-social, having anxiety problems, slow reflexes and reaction time and out of touch with reality. With all in the matter of a day......

Weed definitely triggers anxiety and panic attacks. Here are some tips that I've used to reduce my anxiety, they work pretty quick :

Although, the effects of drugs and traditional medicine for anxiety attacks are temporary the relief felt by the individual may be palpable. The main problem with using drugs to control anxiety attacks is the undesirable side effects that come with the medication. Addiction, memory loss, uncoordinated movements and many others plagued those who use certain drugs to alleviate their condition.

Therapy is another way of helping yourself manage anxiety. Therapists may be able to help you reach a way to control your reactions to stress and to be better able to manage sudden bouts of anxiety attacks. Anxiety attacks may be of stress and post traumatic stress syndrome which is why it is best to have someone to talk it over with.

You can also effectively stop an anxiety attack by regulating your breathing. Shortness of breath causes light-headedness and a host of other problems. Learning to regulate your breathing can solve a lot of symptoms of an anxiety attack. These include the uneven heart rate, the feeling of losing control and clamminess.

Guiding yourself to thinking calm thoughts can also be a way of stopping an anxiety attack from becoming a full blown one. Many experts advise overly anxious people and those on the brink of an attack to distance themselves from their surroundings and try to think of calm thoughts. This is actually similar to leaving the place or event that is causing the anxiety attack but not physically. Thinking of calm, happy thoughts can focus your thoughts and feelings to better times.

Behaving in a calm manner every day can influence your outlook and help you be more calm altogether. Rationalizing and thinking clearly can help you have clearer thought. Having confused and disorganized thoughts can contribute to panic and anxiety. If this can not be helped, try to plan a way of reacting when you have an anxiety attack. Having something to focus and try to remember can be instrumental in getting your mind and body off the path of a bad anxiety attack.

There is a cure for anxiety, the power of WILL is the most important thou !

Hey guys, Im 20 years old, ive been smokin weed for about 2 years now, i use it excessively everyday. Im pretty sure ive had 2 pannic attacks through this period but i havnt had 1 for a long time, ive become a little anti-social in group settings when ive smoked alot of weed, usually if i just smoke 1 joint im pretty talkative never shut the fuk up kinda person, but when i smoke anymore i become very quiet and zoned out and para to the point where im scared i might say something wrong or do something stupid, which i think is normal at least.. 1 of the side effects that really drives me nuts is the paranoia! i get soo f****g para! i run out of my room with a golf club and torch at 4 in the morning comando rolls to the front gate to see if someone steeling my car cause im so sure someone is LOL, i will definately not feel like this drug has taken something out of me because ive had alot of funny good times, but in saying that alot of bad times too, i might feel a little anxious sometimes but nothing too big. I dont regret doing it, because my plans are to eventually stop within the next 6 - 8 months. Alot of these issues are mental... through marijuana ive lost 35 KG... i used to weigh 115 now im 78kg. its made me look sexier aswell, i used this drug to my advantage in some ways. Concentration while being high isnt as bad as some ppl say, the only thing i notice is, when im trying to concentrate i become frustrated and annoyed that i cannot put 100% of my attention into doing something but i find, after i hold my Gratitude rock (random rock) and take a few deep breaths i can concentrate better than what i would not being high. Whilst in all this ive had my girlfriend for 8 months, she smokes weed too, just as much as me, and our Relationship is f****g great, but it also has its CONS too, we get really paranoid with each other worrying if im cheating shes cheating n stuff, we go pretty nuts at each other but thats all good.

well i don't know if i have DD or anything it is described here But i do have my own experience that scared me till now when i visited this form. I never smoked pot in my life till i was 18. I met this guy few months ago and he introduced me to weed. The first 2 times it was eight and i didn't wanna hit that much cause i didn't know and i was scared of it but then i really really tried it and i had some horrible time. I felt like whenever i moved it was repeating 2 3 times and i felt my body vibrate when some one touched me and i saw his head popping out like a balloon i started to freak out and the feeling went away after 2 or so hours and i was scared to death. And i didn't try weed since. But then week or so ago month after smoking i was giving my boyfriend a kiss and i wasn't even high and his head started to pop out and it just sent chills everywhere in my body. It has been happening to me for week straight and its not that bad i can still kind of control it if i don't freak out and think of something else and focus on something but i cant see things close to my eyes cause i will feel the symptoms. I have been feeling better for a day or two i think because i was happy it was getting better and keeping positive out look and telling my self it was going to be fine.But today it happened to me few hours ago and i started to freak out cause i thought it was gone. I figured it happened to me cause i didn't eat anything the whole day cause i was really busy with my college and i only drank grand MOCHA from Starbucks. I read in here that caffeine makes things worse and im planning on not drinking anything that has caffeine . My boy friend is really scared for me and he is very worried he doesn't know what is going on with me and i feel like he doesn't understand me and it lids to irritation and that's where i think the dd is kicking in. But i promised him i will get better and do exercise with him and eat better everyday and take some yoga class at my college and eat lots and lots of fruit. =) Im so happy i found this web site while i was freaking out and googling weed after effects (lol) You guys are so comforting ( better than my family and boyfriend and friends) please if there is anything else i could do let me know and i will report if i feel better after week of exercising and eating right. =)))) please keep your head up and be positive and RELAX RELAX and RELAX

i had never smoked pot before. well thats a lie i did once before but i never really got high. i don't think i even smoked it right. but about 6 weeks ago my friend wanted me to smoke with him. so i agreed. im only 16 by the way. we went into the woods and he had me take about 8 hits. ahead of time he was saying "i'm only going to have you take a couple hits because this is really good stuff."At first i was feeling okay. it was really cold out. we walked more towards the woods and i started to not feel cold anymore, i was numb. i used to pass out a lot when i was little. we started walking back towards my house and he asked me if i was feeling high. i told him i deffinitly was. but all of a sudden i felt like i was going to faint. everything blacked out. i woke up kinda but everything was in flashes. i cant really explain what happened to me at all in words. i was being dragged. i heard him crying. but i couldnt do anything. in my head i was dead. i remember him holding my shoulders and saying KATIE DONT DO THIS TO ME. crying his eyes out. all i kept thinking was wow this kid is so dumb you shouldnt of done this im dead. and i just thought this is what death is and i made the mistake so now i have to deal with it. all i wanted to do what be comfortable. but i couldnt and i guess it was because he was pulling me around. it was like tricking me, i'd be comfortable then i wasn't. i slightly remember any of this but i kinda feel like there was a time where i saw myself like an out of body experience. i saw me go on his back and i heard my back crack. i really cant remember everything so this is coming out weirdly because i will randomly remember things. i remember thinking yell something. and i felt like that saved me. all of a sudden i was able to get up. and i just started running. i ran for home biting my fingers it still felt weird but i was somewhat able to function. i wiped my face and there was blood all over my hands. i went straight for home leaving him behind and when i ran inside i ran into my little sisters room where her and my best friend/cousin was. they started freaking out because i had blood all over my face and i was trying to explain what had happen. i was telling them "GUYS IM OKAY, I'M NOT HIGH ANYMORE" but i was so wrong. my cousin went outside to find my friend and told him to leave. he was crying teling her i was dead. which i still to this day, no matter how crazy it sounds, think i was. he said i was unconscious with my eyes open. which i really dont think is normal? but i dont want to know if its not because itll make me have a panic attack. i went into the livinig room and all of a sudden it started happening again. everything was coming in flashes and i coudlnt stop moving. my heart was beating extremly fast and i thought i was going to die. thats all i kept thinking. it was like i was there but i couldnt reach myself. everything i was saying was coming out really fast and i kept trying to be normal and i would feel normal for a second but then itd go away. i was doing like weird dance moves and freaky ass sh*t. my cousin called 911 and an ambulence was sent. my aunt (my cousins mom) came and was trying to comfort me, but nothing could. all i wanted was to be normal. its like everything around you isnt real. your all alone. honestly you will never understand how it is unless it happens to you. well the police came and my mom was called to come home with her boyfriend who were out christmas shopping. they put me in the ambulence and gave me oxygen. they all thought i was crazy but i couldnt help what was happening to me or what i was doing. i'm actually a really good kid, like i would normally never smoke weed. i was in the er for 5 hours until it was out of my system. they were saying it was laced with something but my friend swears it wasnt. they tested for somethings but never all the possibilities which i wish they did. its now about 6 weeks later? nothing has really happened to me since then.but two days ago i was laying on my bed at night waiting for my friend to come over. i was watching tv when all of a sudden i felt like my heart was racing. i started to freak out and i went into the other room. all of a sudden i felt like it was happening. i was freaking out and ran into my moms room. i couldnt sit still. my best friend also my cousin (the same one from that night which i forgot to add) had the same experience as me. atleast she says she does but its so hard to explain i really don't know. it happened to her like a year before me. but she just got anxiety no passing out or wierd stuff like me. i called her and she told me just to stop thinking about it, its not real. i asked her if i should still have my friend over and she said yeah to keep your mind off of it. i agreed and had my friend over. it was already like 930 when she came over and we just hung out in my room, me still not feeling 100% myself. eventually i went asleep but when i woke up i still didnt feel completely connected to myself. its been like that ever since. i still feel this way. last night a bunch of people were at my house and it got REALLY bad. i was thinking like wow this is not real, none of these people are real. i cant even explain it. ive been reading a bunch of these blogs, and it makes me feel really good being able to somewhat connect but it doesnt seem like any of it is as intense, and it scares the sh*t out of me. i guess im having panic attacks and that my brain is traumatized but i really cant deal with it. it makes me appreciate life so much more, my perspective on things will never be the same. i know this was a lot to read but it kinda helped me by finally getting it all down. if anyone actually read this and has any advice can you please email me. _[removed]_ because i'm not even sure how i use these blog things and i just dont want this whole thing i wrote to be a waste. thankss. im katie by the wayy.