James W.
09-27-2009, 01:15 PM
Hi everyone,
I've done searches in this forum on the subject of marijuana, and people have generally come to the conclusion that while cannabis is generally thought of as medicinal and relaxing by most of society, it is very often NOT a positive treatment for anxiety sufferers.
I cut smoking short because I've been suffering from anxiety symptoms - paranoia, uncomfortable bladder/urination, shakiness and "nerviness" in my arms, derealization, and an almost "disembodied"/heavy feeling in my legs while walking - that all become markedly worse when I'm stoned. To me this is the No. 1 indicator that I'm an anxiety sufferer and not undergoing anything worse, as I can't think of any real, life-threatening physical ailment that marijuana would exacerbate, and I've suffered panic attacks at least three times while stoned.
What I'm wondering about is marijuana withdrawal. Marijuana advocates love to claim that the drug is not addictive, but as a formerly frequent user who has (as of today) gone for a mere 11 days without it, I can say that the psychological factor is very acute - I have dreams about smoking, and when I watch TV, read a book, play video games, etc. it's hard not to imagine it being more enjoyable under the influence. But most importantly, many of these anxiety symptoms have been persisting, and in fact first showed their face during previous attempts to cut back.
The drug stays in your system in various forms for at least two months after smoking, so could my symptoms be flaring up in response to a psychological need for the drug? The symptoms are awful enough when I smoke consistently that I'm not worried about my ability to stay off it, but I'm just wondering if this is a common issue for anxiety sufferers who have a history of frequent cannabis use. Basically, I haven't been able to pee comfortably in months, or relax for more than a couple days at a time, and I want a way out.
Thanks for listening.
I've done searches in this forum on the subject of marijuana, and people have generally come to the conclusion that while cannabis is generally thought of as medicinal and relaxing by most of society, it is very often NOT a positive treatment for anxiety sufferers.
I cut smoking short because I've been suffering from anxiety symptoms - paranoia, uncomfortable bladder/urination, shakiness and "nerviness" in my arms, derealization, and an almost "disembodied"/heavy feeling in my legs while walking - that all become markedly worse when I'm stoned. To me this is the No. 1 indicator that I'm an anxiety sufferer and not undergoing anything worse, as I can't think of any real, life-threatening physical ailment that marijuana would exacerbate, and I've suffered panic attacks at least three times while stoned.
What I'm wondering about is marijuana withdrawal. Marijuana advocates love to claim that the drug is not addictive, but as a formerly frequent user who has (as of today) gone for a mere 11 days without it, I can say that the psychological factor is very acute - I have dreams about smoking, and when I watch TV, read a book, play video games, etc. it's hard not to imagine it being more enjoyable under the influence. But most importantly, many of these anxiety symptoms have been persisting, and in fact first showed their face during previous attempts to cut back.
The drug stays in your system in various forms for at least two months after smoking, so could my symptoms be flaring up in response to a psychological need for the drug? The symptoms are awful enough when I smoke consistently that I'm not worried about my ability to stay off it, but I'm just wondering if this is a common issue for anxiety sufferers who have a history of frequent cannabis use. Basically, I haven't been able to pee comfortably in months, or relax for more than a couple days at a time, and I want a way out.
Thanks for listening.