Panic attacks and marijuana

akshhara, happy Holi to you, washed all of your clothes already?

I think it's the combination of stress and cannabis and would love to hear your opinion on my theory.

As you probably know, you can get anxiety or even a panic attack from from having build up too much stress. I am all in mindbody symptoms nowadays of which stress is the cause and which is responsible for many symptoms. It is a self perpetuating cycle you enter.

hypervigilance (selective attention to perceived threats, brain on high alert)-> autonomic arousal (biological response to perceived threat) -> perception of threat -> hypervigilance -> autonomic arousal.... etc. etc. etc.

The role of cannabis is that it kickstarts this cycle when you have build up any (unconscious) stress before that, as it is a known effect of cannabis to increase or alter the perception of feelings you already have, even if you are not conscious about them. You think for a moment about all the problems in your relationship and BOOM, the cycle starts.

The chronic autonomic arousal gives rise to the following symptoms, I only mention a few as there is quite a list: unsteadiness, cloudiness/fogginess in the head, tinnitus, visual distubances, numbness or tingling in bodyparts, nausea, headaches, muscle tightness, heart palpitations, feelings of unrealness about yourself or about situations, fatigue...

Cut the medication, use your mindpower to break this cycle, it's the only way in my opinion. Try to ride the anxiety and try to not perceive it as a threat. This will make you less hypervigilant and thus you get less autonomic arousal. This in turn lowers the perception of the threat.... etc. etc. etc. A good psychiatrist should know this stuff and can help you with this instead of prescribing drugs like candy. I used this system to overcome chronic unexplained dizziness and it worked. Give it time, it's a process, not a momentary switch. If you use medication, you only become dependent on it to act as a temporary brake. It's much better to learn how to act as a brake yourself and how to stop adding fuel in the gastank. In the end the cycle will turn into a much more healthy, stationary pace. Oh, by the way, your perception might still be influenced by any THC in your body, this effect will be minimal after a couple of weeks though.

good luck

Thank you for your reply, MegAdam. You're quite right. I would rather take the blame off from THC and place it on the relationship distress i am going through in the last few months which may have caused the panic attacks, the trigger being the THC. But yeah, the mixed messages from my partner do not help me decide the fate of my relationship which is something that i cannot handle with my "mind power". I had to go for medication as i was too vulnerable that day. I am on SSRI (Escitalopram - 10mg) and benzodiazepine (Clonazepam 0.5mg PRN) currently. I would be seeking Psychotherapy in about a month's time as the psychiatrist i contacted for therapy is not in country at the moment. I hope to deal with my issues with more mature coping mechanisms. Thank you anyways.

Histamine reaction, it can happen to me with some strains. It goes the other way as well and certain strains react in my body and deplete or counter my histamine levels.

food is my biggest problem ;) some of the foods I love are the worst! Spicy citris ect.

Alright, I smoked Marijuana about three times in the past two years. The first one, was a huge hit from a bowl and I instantly exhaled it (didn't hold it in) and started to cough and nothing happened. Recently, About a week or two ago, I took a single small hit and held it in for 3 seconds,(The hit was so small I could have held it in for a minute if I wanted to) I felt no 'buzz or high'. I then hit the bowl and inhaled a little more then the last and held it in.(not enough to make me cough.) Nothing... (Let me mention, there was no 'snowflake or jack in it. also-The bowl was packed to the top and I didn't even get the top layer done.) The third and FINAL hit from the bowl, I lit it up and inhaled it for three seconds then held it in for three seconds. (((I burned my finger in the process, I was nervous this problem would happen like the 2nd attempt)
exhale I feel fine. About two minutes later...WAZAMMMM,,, My heart beat races extremely fast, and I mean extremely fast. I say "Oh sh*t it's happening again" Your probably telling me Yeah Yeah Yeah get to it already. Alright...
After I said that, my I felt kind of nauseous I guess, My lips started to go numb. When ever I would talk, or think really, I would get lightheaded or even if I opened my eyes. I layed there on the couch and I just layed there with my eyes shut. A few seconds later, I could feel my whole body go numb slowly starting from my feet going all the way up to my face. After my feet went numb, my legs went numb, My waist, My chest(heart area-like area between your nipples I guess...) then my face. It felt like I wasn't in my body anymore. I felt as if I was not there (((Kind of like Out Of body experience such as LUCID DREAMING))) I then moved my whole body in fear what may happen next. As soon as I moved my body...(well I don't want to say it but someone may know the answer...) I got hard for about five seconds then back to normal. I tried to eat a saltine cracker which made my mouth dry as hell. A.K.A Cottonmouth. I drank about two glasses of sweet tea, thinking my sugar was low and every time bent up and took a sip or two I felt like I was going to puke. Now one of my family members had to work in two hours so I said f*** it and started to drive home. My foot was going numb (Right foot) I had to shake my foot once in a while. I found a breathing rhythm to stop my whole body from going numb(which was different from last time I think...) Once I got home,5 minutes after driving. I went upstairs and took my boots of which felt allot better for my feet. I logged onto my computer after forgetting my password I looked under my laptop and typed in the password I had on a piece of paper. I said something and I thought what I was going to say but it came out as gibberish. I put on some music and earbuds and the effects went away and I felt so happy and mellow I guess? I jammed my head to the music. A few hours after, I was so TIRED like my ADHD medications did to me (which was so amazing because of the fact it takes me about two hours to fall asleep.) and I went to sleep within a minute of placing my head to the pillow. The next day, Nothing bad happened other then the fact I was s happy for no reason and just loved life that day. I went to work and busted my ass and did ALLOT more than I ever did before in one day. The next day at work, At first I was doing crappy, Until I came from break and I got a little better.

Someone on Facebook told me it was called a 'Relaxation High' Just sit there and watch TV, That would have made it worse. I read on another site and someone answered, "It's called a high" This happens to new smokers and that you should smoke about 15 times before your body gets used to it and it will no longer happen. Someone that I know told me "You might be one of those people who's bodies can't handle it" WHAT IS IT? WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME AND NO ONE ELSE!? (Even the people who smoked it with me)

As in. Recently I mean Tuesday October 22, 2013.

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"The feeling of you "not getting enough oxygen" is because marijuana makes your lungs contract. To explain your throat being scorching dry, you are right to assume that you are dehydrated because you were-rule of pot smoking, always bring a bottle of water. Your mouth feeling like a desert is described by the term "cotton mouth". Your body feeling tingling and having basically an out of body experience also comes along with smoking, thats the whole point of you getting high. To those who are not experience smokers it is a scary feeling. Though i dont know how much pot you smoke, if this is one of your first times then this reaction is COMPLETELY normal. Most people think that they are going to die for about the first 5 times they smoke. If your pot was laced you would be having much different effects. For example, if it was laced with cocaine you would be basically shaking and seizuring in your seat. If it was laced with any hallucinogen (say pcp for example) you would start tripping, which would mean that you would begin seeing and hearing things that werent there. Everything that you have described in your brief paragraph are things that i experience on a daily basis. Smoking pot is all mental-its not the pot that makes you have a bad trip, its the mindset that you go into it with. And technically there is no such thing as having a bad marijuana trip because you dont trip when you smoke pot since its not a hallucinogic drug." IS WHAT A PERSON REPLIED ON SOMEONE'S YAHOO QUESTION... IS THIS TRUE?

"MY ERECTION WAS IMPOSIBLE AND I STARTED SHAKING...AT FIRST I THOUGHT THAT I HAD SEXUAL PERFORMANCE ANXIETY... AND THAT THE WEED JUST TRIGGERED A DEEPER PROBLEM... BUT THE TRUTH IS THAT WEED CAUSES THE SAME STRONG PANIC ATTACK WHEN IM NOT INVOLVED SEXUALLY.... AND SOMETIMES... DAYS GO BY THAT I WALK AROUND WITH THAT PANIC IN MIND AND HEART... BECAUSE THE CHEST.. THATS WHERE U FEEL IT THE MOST... RACING LIKE A MILLION RABBITS... SHORTNESS OF BREATH.. BLURRY EYES... DEPERSONALIZATION!!!!!!! COMPLETELY OUT OF URSELF AND INTO SOME OTHER "BEING".... MAYBE THATS THE WORST... BECAUSE ITS THE ONE THAT HITS IDENTITY DIRECTLY... AND THATS BAD NEWS... WE CAN LOSE OURSELVES WITH WEED... WE BEGIN THINKING THAT ITS NORMAL TO FEEL THAT.. THAT EVERYBODY FEELS IT.. AND THATS MISTAKE NUMBER 1... WEED WORKS FOR SOME... AND FOR SOME IT DOESNT"

Dude, I wrote something on here before I read yours and this part I quoted is the SAME EXACT THING, To make it short, I took about three small hits, few minutes later BOOM all of the stuff that happened to you, happened to me and I'm writing this on 10/27/2013 This happened on 10/22/2013. May I ask;;;Did you get this feeling when you didnt smoke weed ever sense? Why does it happen to me, I really would like to start smoking Marijuana to relief stress. Also why is it MARIHUANA not MARIJUANA? Yes DEPERSONALIZATION as in like a LUCID DREAM or OUR OF BODY EXPERIENCE?

Wow, I'm so glad I'm not alone in this.. I thought I was going mental, thank God I decided to google "fast heart beat, numb arm, panic, weed" hahahaha

I don't usually take the time to write things out on forums, but I want to share my experience with everyone because I just don't know what to do right now..

I love smoking weed, I grew up with it, made friends because of it - it's been an every day activity for me for the past 7 years. I'm 20 now, but I've smoked since middle school, and when high school started I practically smoked every day up until now. I've never experienced ANYTHING negative when it comes to weed up until a couple of weeks ago.

 

I was sitting in my room playing videogames and lit up a joint that I rolled.. After smoking it, I kind of felt my right hand go numb as I was playing. I just thought it was cause I was sitting in the same position for a few hours so I stood up and walked around a little.. that's when I noticed the numbing wasn't getting better, but was spreading up my whole arm. I thought it can't be a heart attack cause it's my right arm, and not my left, but I started feeling really hot and dizzy. I thought I was going to die. This was in the middle of the night, so I was scared that I'd die in my room and my parents will find me like that in the morning, so I walked out into the hallway and literraly waited for myself to pass out so they find me easier in the morning.. After about half an hour of completely freaking out, I was starting to get a little better, the symptoms were still there, but at least I wasn't thinking I was about to die anymore.

 

That happened a month ago, and it really freaked me out because I've done a LOT of drugs, and I've never felt like that before. I never wanted to feel like that again in my life, but I didn't make the connection that it was the weed that caused it because I was smoking all day. So I kept on smoking, but I noticed that I was feeling wierd every time I smoke. I would get anxious when I was around other people when I smoke, and I was NEVER anxious when it comes to weed and socializing.. I tried smoking smaller ammounts, but the uneasiness was still there.

 

So last night, it happened again. Only it was much worse this time because of the hot flashes, not being able to focus, spiraling thoughts of doom, and even having a hard time swallowing and breathing..

So I flushed the half an O I had left down the toilet.. I've smoked for 7 years, that's like a third of my life, I just don't know why this had to happen - weed was my most favorite thing to do.. My buddies started noticing that I don't ever hang out with them anymore - and when I do, it's only when there's no weed involved (which isn't that often).

Anyways, thanks for reading this, and since you found this page and this response, you're probably experiencing the same symptoms. You have to stop smoking. The worst thing you can do is try to smoke through it, thinking it'll pass on it's own. It won't. It's horrible that that's the way it has to be, but it's better to keep your brain healthy than to try and smoke yourself crazy.

 

I'd really like to try smoking again, honestly, I don't know how I'll go through the month without smoking - but the experience I had last night was so horrible, that I probably won't try smoking weed again indefinitely.

Reading this makes me feel better about my "current situation" . My story is very similar to yours, I smoked weed for 11 years pretty frequently, one night I was kind of experiencing an uneasy feeling like you said. I smoked with a buddy, got extremely high and my heart rate jumped to around 180 bpm . Thinking I was beginning to have a heart attack , I was experiencing shortness of breath , sweating, shaking , basically just started to panic. Since that episode in November of 2013 I have quit . When I say quit I Meehan cold turkey , all the way. I also quit smoking cigs ( also smoked cigs for 11 years) cold turkey as we'll. It is now January of 2014 and since that night I have had 8 more incidents. Although none have been as severe as the first, I was convinced that I had something wrong with my heart. I've been to the hospital and done all sorts of EKG's and tests and everything has came back normal. However I am still experiencing elevated blood pressure and a resting heart rate of about 105 bpm. Docs put me on a beta blocker ( atenolol) which seems to work..... However I cannot take the beta blocker recently because my blood pressure is getting back to a "normal to low range" . I can't figure out why my heart is still pumping so fast when I'm resting . Docs don't know either, my next step is to visit a electrophysiologist to test my hearts electrical parts. Do you think this is unnecessary? Am I just having anxiety from quitting everything at once? I'm at a stand still here and am developing severe insomnia now . Anyone have any ideas? Hope this helps anyone with similar stories. Thanks

WHAT SORT OF id**t TYPES IN ALL CAPS?! One that probably seeks a higher power as a "he".

Man, if you're feeling so shitty and guilty of smoking pot, you're gonna have a bad time.

I used to get HORRIBLE panic attacks from smoking weed. I gave it up for a good 20 years, but I always missed the high.

I was dating a guy a few years back who smoked. I told him about the panic attacks, and how much I missed smoking. Next time we got together he brought me one of those one hitters that looks like a cigarette. He told me to smoke one little hit at a time until my tolerence was built back up. I did this every day for a week or two, and low and behold, I don't get panic when I smoke anymore! Yay! My friend claimed that people who don't smoke regularly can get panic attacks if they haven't smoked for a month or longer, and then do a couple of big ol' bong rips, (or smoke an entire joint) they get too high too fast and that can bring on panic in some folks.

I will say, I am more comfortable smoking at home, and/or with people I know well. I don't get super high and go out in public, makes me uncomfortable (but no panic) On the rare occasions I have felt panic coming on, I do something to distact myself, like the dishes! :D

IMO, the key is not to put yourself in a situation where you are uncomfortable. If you are in an unfamiliar situation, either abstain or just take a small hit or two and see how you feel. Remind yourself no one has ever died from smoking weed and that the feelings WILL pass. Being honest with your friends about your panic is a good thing, too. If they are *real* friends they will be supportive if you start to have a bad experience.

Best of luck to everyone who has this issue, it truly sucks, but in my experience it can be overcome.

Seriously, STAY AWAY FROM THE XANAX. I had a friend who got horribly addicted to it, it is a b*tch to kick, causes all sorts of horrible physical symptoms when in withdrawl. A lot of people can never get off of it. Xanax and Valium are the most addictive prescription drugs out there, way worse than Oxy. See my post on the bottom of the last page about how I overcame my panic attacks when I smoked weed.

Hate to tell you, but its probably the weed. How much do you smoke? Keep it to moderation (save it for a night, at home, around the right people). It will have side effects just like any other substance. Especially when its abused.

I recently had a panic attack due to marijuana, does this mean i am going to get them all the time now? And if so, should i see my doctor?

For me sadly they were re-occurring. Once experienced never forgotten. You should see your doctor if anxiety starts to interfere in your daily life.

My daughter has accut panic attacks.We have to call the ambulance and take her in,otherwise she hyperventilates over and over and passes out.Its the most horrible helpless thing to witness.She is on Sertaline and it helps. She Aldo started smoking pot,she said it calms her.I'm not a big fan of pot but if it helps her then I am happy.I to have the disorder and pot makes me freak out.It is my understanding that there are different kinds of weed.Some relax and some can stimulate.Make sure you know what your buying.My daughter swears by it.

I went through the same I had to stop smoking bud because my body rejects it so I can't smoke it and it f*****g sucks