Weed

[dantheman9001]

Just been reading about weed on another thread and i think this has contributed to my anxiety...

Alot happened to me within a space of a year or 2 and i thought i had dealt with it well. 2 years ago i went to a friends house party and everyone was drinking and smoking weed. Im normally against things like that and had never tried drugs before... Until then. I had a 3 spliffs and felt really good. All of a sudden i felt panicked like i had nearly fallen off a cliff. I felt so horrendous i thought i was going mad.

The next day i felt a bit shaky and then felt fine. A couple of weeks later i was sitting in the cinema and started feeling weird. Dizzy, panic, dry mouth, vision blurry, feeling of immense doom ( falling off a cliff type feeling). I put it down to not eating much that day and overtiredness.

Over the next few weeks and months i went from bad to worse havin anxiety attacks at work and at home.

Do you think my anxiety was lying dormant and the weed was a catalyst for what has happened?

I just need someone to talk to.

Thanks
Dan from UK

[miss_mac666]

I honestly don't think that your anxiety was laying dorment and the weed kicked it off. With anxiety we usually steer clear of things and situations in which we had an attack. For instance, when i was 15 i smoked weed alot, everyday more than 5 times a day. I was in a relationship with a guy who was in the military, he didnt like it that i smoked and he told me stop or we would break up. Being a 15 yr old girl and very dumb i listened to him. Sometimes i would hang out with friends and they would smoke and would always ask if i wanted to and i would. After i smoked i would have a huge panic attack because i thought he would find out and he would break up with me. That was my first panic attack. For yrs i would always panic when i smoked because i thought it was the weed... it wasnt, it was just a trigger i had.

I have really bad anxiety now but i know it has nothing to do with weed. I smoke now and i dont panic. It depends on the type of weed... an indica strain will give you more of a body high. and sativas are more of a head high... and there are all sorts of hybrids. i prefer indica strains to relax my body and derail my thought process. but weed has helped me alot in the past year, since i started smoking it again.

i honestly dont think its the weed.

[natigirl513]

I used to smoke. But me and.my boyfriend descided to stop. He says he believe it will help my anxiety.

[natigirl513]

I meant he says I should start again instead of starting meds

[miss_mac666]

I meant he says I should start again instead of starting meds


like i said below, certain strains help anxiety. pm if you need info on which ones

[natigirl513]

I tried pming you but it said you cant or wont recieve thwm

[Ohhitslauraa]

Weed is what started it all fo me!!! I was 16. (22 now) female..... I can smoke it now because ik of my condition and I can control it and enjoy the high. But on occasion I flip still!!

[feelingalone]

Weed has been proven to accelerate existing mental conditions Duce as anxiety and heavy use has been known to cause some mental health issues also

[Yanni]

I had moderate anxiety before I started smoking pot to numb myself out. I really should have picked a different drug, because it made it worse.

[ivanas757]

I never had anxiety until I tried smoking weed. I strongly agree they are connected.

[miss_mac666]

I tried pming you but it said you cant or wont recieve thwm

thats weird i'll check it out

[miss_mac666]

I had moderate anxiety before I started smoking pot to numb myself out. I really should have picked a different drug, because it made it worse.

that is a huge negative... weed was prob the best you chose. the others are clearly detrimental to your existence.

[alankay]

Pot made me anxious...or it allowed anxiety to come up. Either way I stopped ASAP. Alankay

[dazza]

Dan... everyone has anxiety to various degrees and anxiety disorder often (if not always - but sometimes not consciously recognised) develops after some kinda traumatic event.

In your case, I reckon it's likely that the weed was your event or catalyst.

I've always been a little anxious and as I've grown older I notice some anxieties (such as flying) have got worse.
(So... because of this increased anxiety build up, I became a prime victim for anxiety disorder)

It took one, odd but startling pain in my left arm back in December to start me off on a shitty path of heart attack anxiety...

(That pain shocked & hard-coded my brain into thinking the worst and it's been f*cking hell trying to reverse that thought I can tell ya)

While floating about on the ceiling at that party, it probably hit you that:

1/ maybe you shouldn't be doing this (drugs are bad, right?)
2/ you felt somewhat out of control and you freaked

^ Pretty scary stuff. Enough to shock your system and send you down a similar, shitty, anxious path as the rest of us.

Give up the weed and clean your act up, eh? You'll feel a shed load better for it.
(a big thumbs down to those on this thread who are endorsing drugs 'n all - shame on ya, lol)

[ATOMS]

Pot made me anxious...or it allowed anxiety to come up. Either way I stopped ASAP. Alankay

Same here for me Alan, I hadn't smoked any since I was a lot younger, back then we could sit around all day and toke it up. A few years back I was visiting a friend and someone passed one around, since I was feeling good I took (1) hit. Man was that a mistake. Sent me into a full blown attack that lasted for days. Hell some of the symptoms of the brain fog and the rush feeling you get when your having an attack feel very similar to a weed high. At least to me. IMO as for weed I JUST SAY NO. but thats me, others may be able to handle it and if they can I don't hold it against them. I just can't do it, its not for me.

[wantmylifeback]

Weed makes me super anxious and panicky. I can't do it anymore. I've smoked a lot of weed and I find that I start to completely over analyze things. Plus it's bad for my skin so I stay away from it. I like being high and being calm, but I feel it does more harm than good.

[laurandisorder]

I completely agree with wantmylifeback.
I have nothing against weed - in fact I think that it can be particularly helpful for people with severe and in some cases terminal illnesses like cancer and HIV, but I see the effects of long term usage on a daily basis and for me, after smoking for a number of years, I have had to admit that it plays a huge part in my anxiety and I know I will never ever partake in it again.

[Yanni]

the best choice would have been to go see my doctor, get a perscription for SSRIs and Benzos for anxiety.

[dantheman9001]

Ive only ever used weed that once and never again!!!!

[miss_mac666]

i personally think that people over think the effects of the beautiful god given medicine cannabis. You think your going to get anxious or panicky when you smoke it, then you will. If you think its gonna chill you out, then it will. Dont blame weed. It just makes you focus more on things and makes you think. Its good for the creative mind. Trust me it made me freak out for years because i always thought that it was the reason for my anxiety... but i was dead wrong i have specific things that have given me anxiety still. but now when i smoke it clears my head and calms me. Everyones different i know this but come on its medicine from the earth. Give yourself some peace of mind and dont rely on benzos to cure you. they wont, they will give you much bigger, deeper problems. i know from personal abuse. Weed has been a life saver for me. Clean and sober of benzos for almost a yr.
Peace of mind. :)

[laurandisorder]

That's a really interesting point MissMac.

I have big problems with it because the 'high' symptoms emulate my panic attack symptoms and that in itself is enough to set me off. The dry mouth, rapid heart rate - no thanks!

I have noticed in some docos that I have watched that it is occasionally prescribed in the US for anxiety and depression, which I think is kind of strange because it is a depressant, but then again, so are benzos.

I'm not anti weed - it's just not for me anymore.

[miss_mac666]

yea you are right, in the medical states it is prescribed for anxiety/depression. I helps alot of people and sadly gives some problems. The accelerated heart rate is one of the biggest causes for attacks. To me, benzos are the devil and no doctor should be prescribing them. My opinion. I try to stear people away from them, because they are truly just a quick fix, and it is very easy to abuse them.

[Yanni]

I also don't have a problem with ganja, I just won't smoke it. The first time I smoked pot, I didn't get anxious. The second time I smoked pot, I had a panic attack.
For me benzos worked much better than weed.