bad trip and anxiety

[omoplata]

My anxiety seemed to have been triggered by a ''bad trip'' that I had about a year ago. The intensity of the attacks over the past year have diminished. But my mental and emotional state is no where near what it was before this experience. I am contemplating seeking out therapy. Just wondering if anyone else has had this experience.

[dazza]

What experience? a bad trip or therapy? (or both?)

And by "trip", do you mean an automotive one, or a "ut ohhh... I smoked way too much of this shit" one?

[omoplata]

If I was talking about the the automotive type I would've posted on expedia.....lol!!!...my experience or bad trip was the ''i smoked way too much'' type.

[dazza]

I was thinking that by "trip" - you may have meant a car crash or similar... or perhaps a bus trip around a precarious, Spanish mountain with no safety railings - the one's where the entire bus screams at every corner.

<shudders>

Anyway... enough about the dreadful condition of Spanish highways.

Loads of forum members have posted similar here. It seems certain drugs have been the cause, or at least the final push in the development of anxiety disorder for MANY sufferers.

[omoplata]

I will look at past posts. Dazza....you are too funny! You've made me laugh and somehow I am feeling better already. Maybe you've discovered one of the keys to overcoming anxiety....not to take life too seriously. Thank you.

[dazza]

I will look at past posts. Dazza....you are too funny! You've made me laugh and somehow I am feeling better already. Maybe you've discovered one of the keys to overcoming anxiety....not to take life too seriously. Thank you.

Too bloody right, bud.
This rings true for every demon we face in life - not just anxiety.

Sing.... "ALWAYS look on the bright side of LIFE... <whistle>"

:-D

[alankay]

Yep. I tried LSD when i was 16-17 and that did it. No more drugs of the illicit type for me.....ever. I was young and stupid but I got kinda paranoid and scared. Looking back I wonder what the hell I was thinking,,,I guess I wasn't. Anyway, yep, that could do it. Just unmask anxiety moreso than be "the" cause IMHO. Alankay

[applshmpoo]

I also experimented with LSD when I was 17 (11 years ago). Had THE WORST experience ever! Needless to say, my first panic attack was while I was on LSD. A few months later I started getting anxiety and panic attacks.... I don't think that the LSD caused my panic disorder, but I definitely think it brought it on sooner than if I hadn't taken LSD. I've been on and off medication ever since and still trying to break out of this horrible cycle of panic attacks/episodes. I do often wonder, though, if my panic attacks and anxiety wouldn't be as severe had I not taken that LSD....
Omoplata -- I hear you and you're not alone. I hope we all get better soon!

[laurandisorder]

Interesting thread and common question.

My most recent bout of panic and anxiety was bought on by smoking weed (something I have done a heck of a lot of with very few repercussions up until that point). I have also had panic attack experiences from stimulants (and combining them with weed), but not LSD.

In fact LSD was almost therapeutic for me. However a very good friend of mine (who has done a lot more experimentation than me - believe it or not) has had a horrible experience on LSD (and weed) which I witnessed and saw the aftermath of.

She went from completely mentally healthy to a basketcase in mere weeks. She was worse than I have ever been and I have had some bad, bad panic attacks. She got over the experience and was back at work after a complete mental breakdown after two weeks.

We both blame the evil weed. Seriously. If someone told me that if take this viewpoint five years ago, if have laughed in their face. I will never ever smoke it or ingest it in any way again. I certainly don't miss it.

In short - people with anxious tendencies and even perfectly normal, happy healthy people can find their entire take on life shattered by anxiety and panic after smoking. Steer clear of the stuff. It's such a fine line between being able to handle your drugs and messing yourself up for months.

[drmills]

When you say "smoked too much", I am assuming you mean weed. While marijuana can be used to treat anxiety in certain circumstances, it has also been linked to the onset of anxiety symptoms in some users. The crappy thing about anxiety is that once you start feeling anxious (for whatever reason), sometimes the anxiety feeds on itself and perpetuates a general sense of anxiety for a long time afterwards. Treatment of this substance induced anxiety can include pharmacotherapy (SSRIs typically), but can also include Cognitive Behavioral and Exposure Therapies. Hope you feel better soon.

[Jinaiya]

Yep. I tried LSD when i was 16-17 and that did it. No more drugs of the illicit type for me.....ever. I was young and stupid but I got kinda paranoid and scared. Looking back I wonder what the hell I was thinking,,,I guess I wasn't. Anyway, yep, that could do it. Just unmask anxiety moreso than be "the" cause IMHO. Alankay

This finalised anxiety for me too. I had a bad trip on LSD and first anxiety attack occured after I had smoked some marijuana. I will never forget the terror I felt. Although I have tried marijuana twice since then (and both times its been horrible), I have not touched drugs since. I don't even like prescription medication.

Sometimes I wonder if I would have suffered anxiety had I never used drugs. My counsellor thinks it was waiting to happen, and would have eventually. I'm not so sure.

[jhunter89]

I tried LSD a couple of times but it didn't do anything ... Must of been fake!!