Can smoking weed cause/worsen anxiety?

[Deoxy Starchaser]

I never smoked all that much for me to consider it a suspect but I remember the first time I smoked it was some synthetic shit a friend of mine acquired and I was pretty fucked up for that evening. My problems with anxiety came a few months after, all the while I smoked a couple of times a month.

I was just curious if this could have caused or helped elevate my anxiety, it has been a while since I stopped.

[alankay]

Yes. Not cause but aggravate or heighten anxiety. Anxiety came first. Made me anxious so no more weed in my life since I was 17 or so. Alankay

[laurandisorder]

Personally, I don't think it can CAUSE anxiety by itself alone. I think that the potential for anxiety has to be there in the first place. It can definitely bring on panic and anxiety to people that are already susceptible to attacks.

I experimented with weed for a long time - like 5 years without any problems at all and I used to smoke a LOT. It helped me relax and pretty much got me through my tertiary education. I didn't drink a lot and by smoking I never got hungover!

But after I developed anxiety I had a lot of problems with it. I stopped for a while
When it first happened, thinking it was the cause or a trigger and then I started again and would experience anxiety about 50% of the time I would smoke.

Then that percentage started to rise until I started to expect an anxiety attack when I smoked. This attitude led to my most severe, longest attack ever and an ER admission from
The most pathetic minuscule amount of we'd ever.

Now I haven't touched the stuff in over 9 months and I honestly know that I never will again. The symptoms of the high; the dry mouth, elevated heart rate, fuzziness of thinking and hypersensitivity are too similar to fear. Even being around people that smoke makes me anxious - although I don't have an issue with others choosing to smoke.

I really don't miss it at all - the only aspect that i do I miss is the ability to enjoy being bored and lethargic without feeling guilty.

People's opinions on this issue will vary. I know that weed is prescribed in certain states of the US to treat anxiety and depression, but I certainly wouldn't recommend doing it if you have an anxious mindset to start with. In my experience it can elevate anxiety and lead to panic attacks - I have seen it in at least 3 of my close friends as well as myself.

I hope this helps.

[raggamuffin]

I think it is possible to worsen anxious or depressed people. I smoked it for 7 years. Had 2 panic attacks towards the end of smoking it. The first made it difficult to enjoy it after, tight chest, worry etc. The 2nd panic attack made me quit outright. Since then been tackling daily worsening anxiety pains every single hour of every day. But starting CBT soon. I'd say it's best to just avoid drugs entirely, whether legal or illegal, it'll mask symptoms and probably create new ones.

Ed

[Enduronman]

1. Asian spice, sprayed with a lab created marijuana chemical which appears similar to cannabis on paper..isn't even close even though the molecular structure is near the same. It can cause permanent brain damage and is marketed and sold as "incense" here in the States. Stay away from that product by all means. Very dangerous..
2. Yes, weed can heighten anxiety but it can not cause a permanent condition or disorder.

Best bet, avoid it..

E-Man,

[Deoxy Starchaser]

Thanks for the replies! :D. Like I said I haven't smoked any in a long time and there's nothing that makes me want to go back to it.

[Tristanayoubi]

you smoked spice? (street name for synthetic marry jane)

that can in turn kill you.. after smoking spice, anxiety attacks are likely to happen even when not under the influence.. the thing about spice, is that its synthetic.. So you DONT KNOW WHATS IN IT. gets you fucked up really bad.

you can even die instantly from smoking it. so what I can conclude is that smoking weed and spice caused your anxiety

[Deoxy Starchaser]

I don't know what it was. People we got it from called it 'heaven'. Everything we had after was the organic.

[Tristanayoubi]

okay. what matters is that you smoked it once.. the chemicals used to create spice can fuck you up really bad, even if you only take one puff.

[Enduronman]

Yes, tis true..it can cause permanent brain damage and death. Our local gov confiscated all of it within the county and banned it because 3 or 4 kids ended up in the ER. 1 of them is permanently f**ked up, feel bad for him and his family to have to suffer through that from some Asian imported and misused bullshit that no one can find the source of nor do they really know wtf is even in it except 1 idiot chemist ideas the spray on some "marijuana like" psychotic..

Stay away from and steer clear of the left handed cigarettes!

E-Man.

[TheDude]

As a habitual toker, I can say that pot can raise anxiety is some individuals. Until I recently, I wasn't one of those people. Now when I smoke at night, the next day I usually feel more apprehensive than the nights I don't smoke. I'm working on quitting. I'm trying to smoke less at a time than I used to, and when I run out of bud, I plan on taking a break just to see how things change.
*Sorry I thought the above comment didn't go through, didn't notice there was a second page of comments and now I'm having trouble deleting my previous comment*

[Fashoom]

It's often suggested that Indica strains give more of a "body high", while Sativa strains give more of a "head high". So for people seeking to avoid anxiety/paranoia, Indica or Indica dominant hybrids are the way to go. Another factor is the THC and CBD content. THC is principally responsible for the euphoria while CBD is principally responsible for the pain relieving qualities that medicinal users seek.

Having said all that, my own experience, and those of others w/ migraine headaches, is that high THC content provides migraine relief, CBD - not so much. Maybe CBD is good for other types of chronic pain. I've also found I can get "too high" and become panicy on high THC herb, so it's best to smoke the minimum.

As any regular user knows, you become tolerant over time, and need greater doses to achieve the same effect. At some point I find it just has no effect any more.

One other observation: Studies have shown that marijuana + opiates are a potent pain relieving combination - better than opiates alone. However my own experience is that herb actually blocks the pain relieving properties of opiates. YMMV.

[AceParadox]

I used to smoke grass all the time, especially in the summer time when I could just walk along the river completely blazed, or go to the beach or whatever. However, once anxiety came around I started to wonder if it was making my anxiety better or worse. My brother insisted that it was better because the calming effect it had on me...

One night, I got completely... just... WOW. Stoned out of my mind with a buddy. It was more than I'd ever done before. We then decided to watch The Beatles: Yellow Submarine film. I used to LOVE this film even had some of the toys as a kid. I remember my toy Blue Meanie I'd play with in the sandbox. Anyway, I didn't know how my anxiety would react to this. I thought I'd be fine, and the colors would just be pretty and the music would be nice and it'd be overall enjoyable. However, I was so high, I'd just zone into some of the creatures and colors and just get scared. and the "Sea of Holes" or whatever scene where he says "I've got a hole in my pocket" just freaked me out. My brain started the "What if you were trapped in this place with all these holes and you went through one only to come out another and it kept going on and on and on, and becomes like the movie Cube" and I started to panic. I knew right away because my heart started to beat, I got the "Uh oh" chills, and my mouth got really dry, I started getting a heavy chest and found it hard to breath. I said "Dude, I'm not feeling so hot...I think I just need some fresh air and water" and he's like "Nawww man, it's fine. Like your just paranoid, it's the grass, just mellow out man your bummin' my trip" and I knew I couldn't sit here any longer. I got up and just bolted. Left my bong and everything. I walked home in the cold, and was trembling, I didn't know whether from the cold or panic or both.

From that day, everytime I tried to smoke grass, it just came back, those feelings of anxiety. So ever since then I've given it up. I think it's a healthy decision. Besides, I'm going to want to get a good job soon here, so I don't want to deal with the drug tests and all that. I know there's ways around it, but naw. I think that part of my life is done. :] I don't mind if a friend or anyone does it around me, but I just won't touch it anymore or my anxiety might start to interrupt. and my mind isn't all that strong when influenced by it haha.

So yeah, I think it's different for everybody. Some it might help, some it might make it worse.

[raggamuffin]

Same, I couldn't enjoy weed after the panic attacks when stoned. But it's like anxiety sufferers in general. Say you have a bad attack in a specific shop. From then on your mind will associate danger with that particular shop and you'll no doubt feel bad if you went there again. But it's a good thing getting off weed. There comes a time with any stoner when it just feel fulfilling any more and you feel stuck in a rut. It can take several attempts but in the end you can make quitting stick permanently.

Ed