Cannabis (and other) Anxiety

[Echoing Whispers]

Hey. I have been getting negative effects off cannabis use for roughly 2 years (began minimizing consumption this year). Sometimes I'd smoke and I'd be alright while other times pretty bad, so I figured it was just a case of set & setting, as I'd had no problems previously (for almost 4 years).

One night I got back from a rave and took a few tokes whilst on a comedown (MDMA) - and immediately went into stupor, projecting helplessness, submissiveness, fear, paranoia, mute, very anxious, irrational behavior... Panic, I guess, inside I feel terror. This type of experience has happened several times (it took me ages to cut down, didn't want to accept not being able to smoke up).

I'm a-lot more prone to it in a setting with strangers (social anxiety just amplifies, so much background chatter it's ridiculous, and almost impossible to focus externally, painful to deal with even when I'm smoking alone, but much more manageable); the effects are characterized by racing negative thoughts, anxiety, and insomnia (this is also the more common experience, not as severe as what I described above).

It's like... Spiraling downwards in pain (chaotic, negative 'haunting' thoughts) for hours until being completely burnt out (different degrees of intensity on different settings, sometimes it's unmanageable for the whole duration, and I'd basically lay on the bed for over 5 hours as it beats me down till I'm fried). Yet, I actually sort of like the effect, in a weird, fucked up way so I do smoke up alone on occasion. I'm not sure, though, at the same time, if I should really be smoking anymore. I'm more cautious now and stopped pushing it a year ago.

I've also had vivid visual hallucinations 3 times at unusual moments in my life (once a few hours after smoking up laying on the bed, another as soon as I woke having smoked up the last night, and the other right after waking up from rolling and smoking from the previous night) as well as auditory hallucinations of a sinister, religious nature on weed (one of my first panic attacks, at like 14 - over 6 years ago) and even sober once or twice.



Asking for advice please, anyone with similar experiences or any way to decrease the degree of anxiety?



Much appreciated.

 

[thujone]

could be caused by suppressed trauma, could also be a warning sign of schizophrenia. unexpected hallucinations are pretty worrying, it might be worth having a look into the family's past and see if there's any history of mental illnesses.

 

[Echoing Whispers]

could be caused by suppressed trauma, could also be a warning sign of schizophrenia. unexpected hallucinations are pretty worrying, it might be worth having a look into the family's past and see if there's any history of mental illnesses.

@thujone

Repressed trauma you say? Can you elaborate?

 

[thujone]

it's not uncommon to go through [traumatic] events in childhood, and remain consciously unaware of such experiences because the mind for whatever reason chooses to push the memory of those events down into the chasms of the subconscious where they float below the radar of the conscious mind, surfacing intermittently to influence conscious decision-making (often characterized as "gut instinct", a layman's way of describing artifacts lodged in subconscious memory). it's difficult to deal with such trauma because the conscious mind has trouble reason through a problem that it cannot recall the roots of.

 

[Egzoset]

Salutations ThujOne,

it's not uncommon to go through [traumatic] events in childhood, and remain consciously unaware of such experiences...

The anti-cannabic propaganda turned whole families into such a trauma i believe and decades later nothing has evolved... Consciously or not... Because they've been convinced Janey Canuck was right in 1922.

Good day, have fun!

 

[mabzie55]

Wait, so is it you or is this actually a dream you're having?

Please just use first person.
Writing in this way just makes it hard to understand and doesn't offer legal protection.

But I'd say you should probably not smoke, or stick to sativa.
In my experience sativa gives far less anxiety than hybrid or indica strains.

Also the use of other drugs mixed with the pot can be making it worse.

Given the way you wrote it it's hard to understand exactly what you're asking...

 

[Echoing Whispers]

No, just a bit paranoid. Good point though, I've sorted it out.

Yeah, for some reason, no matter it being a hybrid, mainly sativa, or indica - I get the negative effects really quickly. It just gets triggered... It's definitely more than just anxiety. Despite having smoked up for over 3 years without any negative effects.

If I'm on an alcohol buzz, smoking up is just fine. MDMA... Really, really bad - dissociation and anxiety wise.

@mabzie55

Well I'm asking for advice, or help from someone who understands so I can just get high again! Just to smoke a fat spliff once again and chill the f**k out.