Panic attacks and marijuana

your post helped alot because i am having a panic attack and i have been fighting the high because i love weed but i am quiting thank you

I had the exact same thing happen to me and i'm still trying to get over the panic attacks. It's been almost 4 months since my first major panic attack.

hey bro.....i dont know a lot about drugs or smoking dude, but whatever can get you addicted I would stay away from.
(advice from a caring human being)

LMAO, you are HILARIOUS, surprisngily ... thats exactly what im going thru .. its like my f*****g heart hurts, but it doesnt really hurt, its like im waiting for it to hurt .. cuz i know its gonna.. i can closely relate the pain to a radar on a submarine, i feel like im having hurt surges

Hi mate, I smoked weed for about 3 and a half years and about a year into smoking weed the exact same experience happened to me at a mates house, after smoking some 'cronic' weed. After that experience I convinced my self it was only a one off and I continued smoking but the more I smoked the more confused I began to get, my mind feels almost as if it's been scrambled, it's a very uncomfortable feeling and I often get panic attacks, which mainly occur when I am in a large intense surrounding or occasionally when I am by my self in deep thought.

I quit smoking weed about a year ago and I have got used to feeling way, I recently (about 3 weeks ago) smoked weed again for about a week. But now have quit for good and was just wondering if you have taken or done anything over the past year to aid your symptoms? Cheers

Okay, I am here to give you all a little schooling on what is happening to each of you, how can I be so sure that I know the reason for your situations???... Well, I had my first Panic Attack on Oct 19 of 2004, and I still have them to this day!!! I can assure you that it is not the pot you're smoking, unless it was laced with something that the human body can't metabolize, these chemicals would be know as TOXIN's, and our bodies are not prepared to deal with any type of toxin, they stay in your system for months after entering the body in various ways. What this all boils down to is the enormous power of the human mind, in certain situation, your mind will actually take over and make you do things you might not normally do. In my case, my first attack was in a crowded restaurant, so my mind has associated large groups of people with the attack, so now any time I am in a situation where I am confronted with large groups of people, my mind takes over and an attack is triggered. Why would your mind do this you ask, well it is a form of self preservation, your mind wants to protect you from what it perceives as danger, it triggers a panic mode, which forces you into a situation know as FIGHT or FLIGHT mode. Here is an example, you find yourself in a burning building, you start to freak out (this is a panic attack in its simplest form), your mind forces you into the state of FIGHT or FLIGHT, making you do whatever is necessary to get out of this burning building!!! We just passed the 11th anniversary of 9-11, if you have ever seen the footage of people jumping from the twin towers, you may have asked yourself, what the hell were these people thinking when they jumped out of these buildings to their death... well the truth is, they were in FIGHT or FLIGHT mode, they knew they needed to get out of this burning building, and they were not thinking in a rational state of mind, they were actually willing to take their chances at falling and possibly surviving, as to the alternative of staying and most assuredly burning to death in the fire. I have done a lot of studying and research to try and understand just what is going on in my life, and I can only say one thing for sure, the mind is a very powerful thing, and it’s number one function is to keep you alive, and it will do whatever it has to in order to do so, even to the point of taking complete control of your life and actually making decisions for you. Unlike all of you, my first attack was triggered by a the toxic fuses of a common plumbing product known as purple primer, its used in the assembly of PVC piping installation in just about every home it the country. The tiny, almost unnoticeable skull and crossbones on the package label is something most normal people (myself included) would overlook, you focus more at the directions of use in these situations. Needless to say, I spilt a full 16oz can in an enclosed crawl space, and wiped it up with a rage, threw the rage out from under the house, went back under and continued to work, not realizing that the concrete floor had soaked up some of the liquid, and the fumes were gathering under the house and close to the concrete floor. Fast forward to two hours later, I went into town with my son to get some more pieces of pipe and fittings, my son was hungry, we went into a crowded restaurant to eat, and as my body was trying to figure out what to do with these toxins that had mage there way into my bloodstream, I began to feel the effects of the toxin working its magic on my central nervous system. Fact of the matter is, I was not a pot smoker at that time, so it played no part in the triggering of the Panic Attack, I am however a medicinal user of marijuana now, and I can assure you that it is not the source of your troubles. One of two things is happening in all off your cases, either you are all getting bad weed laced with some kind of toxin that attaches the nervous system (which is the reason I grow my own) or your mind has associated your first attack with the smoking of pot as the trigger for the reason… which really sucks, because I still (8 going on 9 years later) have not been able to overcome my trigger, which is large groups of people. What it breaks down to is that your mind is going to relate to whatever you were doing at the time of the first attack as being the trigger for this situation, so each and ever time you re-confront yourself with this trigger, your mind is going to set off its built in self defense, and reply with another panic attack… it may not be as sever as the very first one, but it will still happen, and no matter how had you try to rationalize this situation, you will always end up on the loosing end of the situation. Over the years I have at some points in time been able to foresee the oncoming of an attack, and take my meds just before hand, which allowed me to nip it in the bud, as I like to say. However, there have also been times when an attack snuck up and seemed to come right out of nowhere, and that still happens to this day. Smoking pot seems to ease my constant feeling of anxiety, and I am so glad that it is not my trigger, because that would really suck!!! I feel very sorry for those of you, who just so happened to be smoking either when or just before your first attack happened, it is almost impossible to reprogram a trigger once it has been set in the human brain!!! I hope this has helped to shed a little light on each of your situations, now you need to look back to that first attack and try to figure out if you had come into contact with some type of toxin just hours prior to it occurring. Toxins can actually remain in the human body for several months after exposure, and are very had for the human body to process. It could have been something as simple as hair spray, or even some type of cleaning supply, but it also could have been mixed in with the pot you got from the local dealer, again, that’s the reason I grow my own, I now that nothing but water is being used to feed my plants, and I also know that the quality is without a doubt top notch… nothing extra is added into my stuff!!! Also, just a little FYI, there is a specific strain that was designed by a guy named KEN in Cali, it is designed especially for Panic and Anxiety patients, its called Granddaddy Purp or GDP as I like to call it!!! I purchased 10 seeds from The Attitude Seedbank online, they cost me a total of $125 shipped to my home here in Ohio. I purchased a tee-shirt and also a smash proof tin, and because I did so, they guaranteed my order, and said that if it was confiscated (shipped from Amsterdam), they would resend the order free of charge. Good luck to all of you in your fight against this illness, it is difficult to live with and just as hard to beat!!!

 

Im really late but i felt the same way my heart raced sky high and it seems like it all happend after i tried spice becaudse i could smoke weed before but i do have a panic disorder and i used to take adderal for my ADD which is a speed so it sped my heart up so maybe thats why. But i felt like i was going to die like really fast beating heart and my ears were pounding i had muscle spasms and my body was twitching and i was hot so i put cold water on my face and wen i walked i felt like it was soo slow i wanted to sleep so bad but i didnt....but i just chilled the f**k out and after about 2 hours it stopped ...but it does suck i love it

For those of you who are still worried about smoking weed and it triggering a panic attack, you need to check out the link that I have provided below. There are specific strains designed to help ease the systoms of anxiety and panic disorder. The link will take you to a site where you can answer a few simple questions to determine just what strain of cannabis would best fit your particular needs. For each stain there is a pie chart that shows just what the affects of that strain will be, so you can tailor a strain specific to you and your taste or needs. If you do it correctly you should come up with a strain called Harlequin, which is perfect for lessening the frequency and intensity of anxiety and panic attacks. Just remember, you will want something with a low THC level (Harlequin's THC level: 5.29%) and a high CBD level (Harlequin's CBD level: 10.98%) which is a specificly designed strain meant to treat the sysmtoms of anxiety and panic attacks.

Good luck with your individual situations, I personally know just how hard it is to deal with panic disoerder, I have had it for over eight years now, and I am no better than the day it first started back in Oct of 2004.

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I am 32 and have been smoking week since I was about 13. I have never had any problems with it that I thought any way until recently when I started having horrible panick attacks that wake me about 3-6 a.m everyday. My heart is pounding, I am soaked with sweat, my stomack aches and I want to vomit. I was told by my psychologist to quit smoking grass that I have an addiction and should stop.

When I am out I am a maniac----angry, negative----VILE!! STAY Away or get me some to smoke. Scrape the bowl, look for roaches or I am impossible and cant even stand myself never mind how my husband feels.

I am a student in a difficult medical program and going to clinicals and the pressure of school gives me anxiety but is it waking me in the night with a panick attack or is it my smoking habit (romance going bad I call it) ? I don't want to quit go through withdrawal and be out of my mind but something is telling me that I need to stop. It is running my life, I am high all the time. I smoke several times a day.

I am scared to quit

Okay, so let’s look at the actual facts… you’ve been smoking cannabis since the age of 13; you are now 32 years old… so for almost 20 years you have been smoking weed and you have never had a problem with doing so.

You just started having panic attacks that wake you up in the middle of the night, this I find very unusual, I have had panic disorder since 2004 and out of the hundreds of attacks that I have had over the years, only a few have been in the middle of the night and actually woke me up… and each time it happened, it was because I had been stressed during the day, or worried and obsessing over something that day before I went to bed.

Alright, so let’s look at what has recently changed in your life… you are going to school and it is very stressful… is there anything else in your life that has recently changed???

The medical community loves to point fingers at cannabis as a cause for various illnesses, fact is, marijuana is safer than smoking cigarettes and or consuming alcohol, both of these addictive substances which are regulated by the government who considers them to be LEGAL and safe to use, have serious consequences when done for a lengthy period of time, and can actually lead to death… however, I need to point out that cannabis has never caused one single documented death, ever!!!

Let’s face it, most mental health workers are nothing but a bunch of quacks, I spent much of my time over the last 8 years in and out of therapy, and my personal opinion is it just does not work for panic disorder, at least not in my case.

My favorite question to the various therapist I have had over the years is, are you a certified psychiatrist???... in most of the cases I was told no… most of the so-called therapist that I have had were nothing more than a glorified counselors, and in my opinion not really qualified to deal with the particular situation at hand.

Forget about what your psychologist is telling you, stop for a minute and look at the facts… what has changed in your life recently to cause added stress???

The only thing I might somewhat agree on with your so-called psychologist, is that you seem to have a problem with marijuana, not in the sense that you are addicted to it… but that it does seem quite apparent that you have actually come to rely on it a little to much in your life, and that you could benefit greatly from backing off on the amount that you do use on a daily basis. I have a saying that I like to say to my son, it’s a quote I heard at some point during my lifetime, “all things are good in moderation.”

You said you are currently studying in the medical field, so do some research on your own to figure this out, type in “what causes a panic attack” (or panic disorder) into your google search and read some of the info. Below is a quote from the Mayo Clinic, but most of the info I found agrees with what is stated below.

Panic attacks and panic disorder
Causes
By Mayo Clinic staff
It's not known what causes panic attacks or panic disorder, but these factors may play a role:
Genetics
Major stress
Temperament that is more susceptible to stress
Certain changes in the way parts of your brain function
Some research suggests that your body's natural fight-or-flight response to danger is involved in panic attacks. But it's not known why a panic attack occurs when there's no obvious danger present.

Bottom line, I have done extensive research over the last several years trying to figure out exactly why this happened to me, and what I do know for a fact is, no one knows exactly what causes panic attacks or panic disorder (panic disorder is when you have continued attacks over a period of time), it varies on the individual, the stressors that are a part of your life, changes that you are currently experiencing, and any recent losses that you might have gone through lately.

The medical field will tell you that panic disorder can be treated with cognitive therapy, prescription drugs, and or a combination of both, and in most cases that might be true. However, in my case the combination of both has proved ineffective, and I still suffer from this illness more than 8 years after my first attack. Now I am addicted to the medications and I have been unable to wean myself off of them after several attempts at trying to do so. So let this be a warning to you, don’t just take everything that they prescribe for you, google the medications to see if they have side affects and most importantly to see if they are addictive!!!

Good Luck to you, and remember, you need to stop and examine your life, your body and your mind are screaming out and trying to tell you something, so take the time to listen to them!!!

Hi dingus. I can definitely relate to your situation. I have had anxiety since I was 9 years old. Once when I was 10 years old I missed 2 months of school because it got so bad. I began smoking weed at 15 and it helped my anxiety a lot. I wasn't shy in public situations. I would have panic attacks once in a blue moon even when I was smoking weed. I had quit smoking weed because it made me lazy and anti social and somewhat depressed. I started having the EXACT same symptoms as you and it got so bad I could not leave the house for 7 months! I could not eat, I could not sleep or go to the bathroom and I felt nervous, dizzy and anxious all the time. I could barely get out of bed. I would break out in these sweats also. This went on for 7 months!!! I had to quit my job because it got so bad. I thought it was caffeine so I stopped drinking coffee and that didn't help either. The only thing that helped it was smoking weed. I started back smoking weed and the panic attacks went away. I don't smoke nearly as much as I used to but the panic attacks have gone away and I feel better. Plus I exercise 30 mins. - 1 hour a day because I refuse to take prescription drugs. Try getting some exercise. I hope everything works out for you.

This post is in response to what Dingus said; “I know that marijuana can induce a panic attack. I have read many scientific journals that suggest a strong link.” I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but the scientific community is full of c**p!!!

There are more than a thousand different strains of cannabis, some with extremely high levels of “THC”, so how can you make such a generalized statement.

What pisses me off to no end is when all of you people who are just using weed “recreationally” to get HIGH, finally end up having a bad experience with it, then you start pissing and moaning about what happen to you when you smoke it.

Well whose fault is that, you chose to get your weed from some low life drug dealer who doesn’t give a damn what it may do to you, he just wants to make money by selling it!!!

Take some responsibility in this situation, admit your stupidity and deal with it!!!

Cannabis does have an actual medicinal value that it is used for every day by people who aren’t just looking to get high!!!

It is all of the recreational users of cannabis that give it such a bad name in this country!!!

Most strains today are bread to have a very high level of THC (because people want more bang for there buck), which is in fact what will cause paranoia and sometimes induce a panic attack in certain individuals.

Not all weed will contribute to or induce a panic attack, only those strains that are extremely high in THC have the possibility of doing so.

There are specific strains that have been breed to treat anxiety and panic attacks, these specific strains have a relatively low THC content (usually less than 10%) and a very high content of CBD’s (aka cannabinoids (usually around 10%)). One strain specifically breed for the treatment of anxiety and panic attacks is called Harlequin, its THC level is very low (Harlequin's THC level is 5.29%) and it has a high CBD level (Harlequin's CBD level is 10.98%) that is specifically designed to treat the symptoms of anxiety and panic attacks.

In addition, if you are purchasing your weed from the local drug dealer, you have absolutely no idea what you are really getting, and it could even be laced with something to make its high more intense!!!

That’s why I take matters into my own hands and grow my own!!!

There is a site online that I use called BudGenius, google it, and you can use it to find a specific strain that will suit any medical need!!!

FYI: I have had Panic Disorder of more than 8 years now, I have devoted most of this time to finding answers to my situation, and the only thing that has helped me to lessen the symptoms of this debilitating illness is the use of cannabis!!!... but not just any weed will do!!!... it has to be specifically breed to address the symptoms that you are having!!!

Any one can have a panic attack at any moment, and once you do, its instilled in you, i believe you dwell on it ever returning, and stoners like me, are analytically thinking 100% of the time which makes it worse, i also believe if your a sloucher your more proned to anxiety due to compression in your chest, i have been severly agoraphobic for 7 years now, and it started from one single attack while walking through the desert, and i never wanted to feel that feeling again even though i do almost everyday now. I say strecth, rest well( especially if ur extremly agoraphobic) dont let your self think of yourself so subjectivly or like what others might think, and focus on something positive, focus on anything but your heart, or spine, if youve ever felt the false reality and pulsations in your spine and body and disorientation then you know what i mean

I am 21 years old and have used marijuana consistently through the past two years nearly every day. Prior to that, I had only used it sporadically. It wasn't until I went away to college that I began using it daily, since I have my own place and a roommate that uses. Marijuana has always had mostly positive effects on me, being able to enjoy each high to the fullest extent and always be ready for more. When I first started using consistently I would get nervous beforehand, but after using it I would be calmer, maybe with only a slightly increased heart rate, plus I was surrounded by friends. When I'm at my parents house, I go in the garage and spark up a bowl. I was doing this a couple Sunday's ago, it was the last bit of bud I had in my grinder, probably a little more keefy than normal since it was the last bit I had, when suddenly all hell seemed to break loose. I came inside after 4 or 5 hits, made myself a pb&j, a great high snack, and took a few bites. I had to then put the sandwich down as I began to feel my heart beating lightning-quick. I went in to a full fledged panic. I couldn't watch ANYTHING on tv without freaking out about the littlest thing, not even a funny movie. I couldn't stop thinking that I was going to have a heart attack or need to go to the emergency room. I was shaking, had a racing heart beat, and even had some chest pain around my heart. It was just not stopping. I had to eventually get my mother to talk to to help calm me down as she has experience with panic attacks. I was so cold too, sleeping with several blankets on my bed. I had to lay there until I could calm down and this lasted for 2-3 hours. I eventually went to sleep, but the effects of that night have lingered. Here I am nearly two weeks later, and I still feel anxiety over the dumbest sh*t. I never thought this would ever happen to me and it seemed to have started after that night I smoked the weed. I couldn't eat very much for a few days and I've had a sensitive stomach. Whenever I don't feel well it makes me nervous, I'm just now realizing that at 21, this is not going to give me a heart attack at such a young age. I went to the doctor last week, told her everything, and was prescribed with 30 ativan pills at .5mg each. A few days later I took a few light hits of a blunt without inhaling too much and I felt a little nervous before and after, but eventually moved past it. I do not want to quit weed permanently, but for now I am just taking it easy until I can get this panic anxiety out of control. It has come from nowhere and I can't avoid getting discouraged when I get anxious after having a good stretch where I feel normal. I just had my best day yesterday since my first episode, a full day of feeling completely normal, had a dream last night that woke me up in the middle of the night feeling nervous so I had to take an ativan to get myself level again. I feel discouraged with thoughts of "what the hell is wrong with me," and "will I ever be back to normal?" I'm feeling better and better each day, I just feel like time just needs to pass and run its course and I'll be back to normal. This is one of the worst feelings in the world, when overnight something just seemed to snap. I don't know if the panic anxiety got triggered from the chemicals in the bud I was using or what, because I used the same stuff days prior without issue. Any light that can be shed on my situation would be greatly appreciated. I've read other posts on here from you folks who have had similar issues and it has helped.

I am a 29 year old man and i tried marijuana (Bhang thandai, a cannabis laced drink during the festive occasion of Holi) and had exactly similar panic attack that you have described except for derealization and depersonalization. And it lasted for four hours. I am a Clinical Psychologist myself, hence i immediately called my Psychiatrist colleague and took help in form of Lorazepam 2mg. But the anxiety wouldn't come down, so he gave me a beta blocker also. The anxiety subsequently came down after four long hours. The biggest difficulty i experienced was 'going crazy' and 'loss of control'. It has been a week and i have experienced two more severe and several mild panic attacks  which i have not been successful at handling. I consulted my psychiatrist again and he's put me on Escitalopram 10mg for about 4 weeks whence i will be meeting my psychotherapist. I am not sure if my current panic attacks are after effects of marijuana (first time for me) or because of the relationship distress i am going through.