What causes weed related anxiety?

Ive smoked weed for about 6 years now..not a regular smoker but almost always on the weekends. Never had a problem with anxiety/paranoia/panic attacks. But all of a sudden...i get stoned...quite a lot but not as stoned as ive been before..and anxiety sets in..i feel edgy my hearts racing and i just dont feel nice. Now everytime ive tried to smoke since its been the same and i just dont understand it...i wasnt smoking different weed to usual i wasnt smoking more frequently..it wasnt any stronger than usual...but all its taken is one go to totally ruin it for me

I always used to think it was just a individual thing that some people were prone to and others just werent (me being one that wasnt)..but ever since this happened im even getting anxiety attacks when im not stoned...and chest pains etc....its shit!

So im leaving the weed alone for a few months..and will see what happens next time i try..like i said ive never been to the type to wake & bake etc and have it on a daily basis just weekendly..social smoking ..i dont even smoke ciggarettes etc so was just a nice occasional thing that i dont think i abused...

Any ideas, suggestions appreciated!

Best you can do, just let it be for a little while.

You doing any other drugs?

On any meds?

I don;t know, Im in the same boat as you are. I used to smoke 24/7, but now only a small amount once a day. I talked to some older smokers (50+) and they said that it came about for them after 8-10 years of smoking

x2. I vomit after 3 tooks on a joint! And im no lightweight, when I was 11 I could smoke as much as I wanted without vomiting or cramps. I remember when I could tear through 2 joints and 5 hits on a bong all to myself, chain smoked and not even be baked.

There are many threads on this, fyi. one at the top of the forum page.

There is no answer, there is no surefire solution. Try smoking after a couple beers, i never get any anxiety that way.

a few months ago, everytime i got high id get bad anxiety, and just have a bad epxperience

but i just smoked through it

This same thing happened to me and I went in to a full blown 190 beat-per-minute panic attack where my heart was going so fast I couldn't feel it beating. Unlike you though I was unwilling / unable to give up weed so readily. So I managed to get over my panic attacks and here's how:

After the incident I was having spontaneous P.A.'s as well as attacks with even a tiny amount of weed. So I got some temazepam from my doctor...which is basically 6-8 hour valium like drug.

Initially I had to take the temazepam before I'd smoke just so I could enjoy it. I used this as a way to drill it into my head that I did not have to have a panic attack while smoking weed (never mind the fact I took temaz.)

Eventually I got to a point where I'd carry some temazepam with me and smoke...at first I had to use it a few times...then I'd just have it on me-- then I started taking less and less with me until I didn't have any.

This all took about 2-3 months and for a while thereafter I would still feel panic well up in me but I would get better and better at being able to control it.

haha, oh this paranoia shit is killing me. My friends and i have a little saying, "you gotta smoke thru it." if the paranoia dawns on you, then your probably still sitting in reality. You got to start smoking again in safe environments preferably by yourself. You want to just relax and get high. feel very comfortable in your environment. If you start getting those thoughts, don't think much of it. take a deep breath and exhale the fear and axiety away. Quiting for awhile never helped me. Only made things stay the same when i got back.

Just remember, be comfortable in the environment, take it easy, and nothing matters in life expect that your breathing (i heard that once from another bluelighter).

Good luck bro

This happened to me as well very recently. For most of May, i just couldn't go for long without having some kind of panic attack while smoking. I thought it might have been just how much i had been smoking, but alot of it has to do with the bud i was smoking and my own stress and anxiety at that time in my life.

Try looking for full-bodied indicas. or maybe you just need to straighten some shit out in your life thats causing your anxiety. Its really hard to tell whats causing it.

The many chemicals inside of Marijuana, like THC,CBD,CBN. Which affect people differently, like all drugs. Making some have anxiety to paranoia.

The exact mechanism is unknown, but you can only assume it's from the "high" they put off. Dealing with the Endocannabinoid System.

i find a few beers or a benzo or 2 and smoking makes a nice un-anxious combo

Yea but beers and benzos cloud the lucidness of the high.

So you're more likely to be "neutral" than "high".

I had to stop smoking because I would get so anxious I just wanted to kill myself every time I had a toke.

Been one month today, and I'm a bit scared if I will get anxious next time I try. Probably going to wait another month before i smoke again, and then definitely not every day, maybe once or twice every two weeks.

jlet19 said:

haha, oh this paranoia shit is killing me. My friends and i have a little saying, "you gotta smoke thru it." if the paranoia dawns on you, then your probably still sitting in reality. You got to start smoking again in safe environments preferably by yourself. You want to just relax and get high. feel very comfortable in your environment. If you start getting those thoughts, don't think much of it. take a deep breath and exhale the fear and axiety away. Quiting for awhile never helped me. Only made things stay the same when i got back.

Just remember, be comfortable in the environment, take it easy, and nothing matters in life expect that your breathing (i heard that once from another bluelighter).

Good luck bro

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simply put, but this is still the best advice i've read in this whole thread. i've been smoking for 6 years, and had a similiar problem, and this is what i did, and now i love getting high!

AntiAimer said:

The exact mechanism is unknown, but you can only assume it's from the "high" they put off. Dealing with the Endocannabinoid System.

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i dont think advice like this helps, but i dont think it's completely invalid either.

i just dont think it helps to be told that some people are just prone to it, and some arent, and thats just that... especially considering thats the kind of statement that someone who suffers from anxiety, might get anxiouse over, when they remember it while they are smoking, and thinking "oh no, am i one of those people? i'm starting to get anxiouse, i guess i must be! this is the drug, and it's awful"

it just seems like negative thought reinforcement... i think the real issue for the people "prone" to this kind of anxiety, centers around whatever they are becoming anxiouse over, at the moment it's triggered.

if someone is high and tripping about the cops and being paranoid, it's because they know that if they get caught, they'll get in trouble... so the anxiety is seated more in the issue revolving around the law, than the actual chemical reaction in the brain.

thats just one example... any kind of anxiety would be the same way. i used to have issues with anxiety and i still do sometimes, but not when i smoke. there is no way for us to know what the author of this thread really meant when they said anxiety, without them probably taking a while to explain the thought process at the moment when they become anxiouse. wether it's legal, or family related, etc.

if we all understood, we'd be able to give the advice they are looking for... i think most anxiety is related to issues that go beyond just smoking pot and being prone, or not prone, and that if the person wants to deal with it, they need to resolve those issues... and in some cases, a larger amount of pot is good for that

I really agree with you ski wampas.
I was just like the op who smoked for many years thinking anxiety was one of those things only to happen to some ppl. But then it hit me

Jlet19, your advice really helped

I've been through the anxiety attacks, panic attacks, benzo's to mask the anxiety...
The only thing that ever worked for me was cutting back a bit, knowing that I will shortly be back to smoking heavily. Cutting back for me meant smoking once a day, only in the evening. I cleared the shit that had been piling up while I was too stoned to deal with it, and went back to happily smoking.
It seems that this is very common in longtime heavy smokers, most go through it at some point. You'll pull through.

killo said:

Yea but beers and benzos cloud the lucidness of the high.

So you're more likely to be "neutral" than "high".

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not for me, a few beers benzos and weed and im pretty much good for the night

Henry said:

i find a few beers or a benzo or 2 and smoking makes a nice un-anxious combo

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agreed. if i smoke without having a nice alchy buzz first, i usally regret it.

mikemikemike said:

I don;t know, Im in the same boat as you are. I used to smoke 24/7, but now only a small amount once a day. I talked to some older smokers (50+) and they said that it came about for them after 8-10 years of smoking

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Me, too.

I now never just smoke pot. I always puff on top of beer, or a benzodiazapine (sp? I don't care, sorry) tranquilizer.

It's a nice addition to the mix, but by itself, it gives me bad heads.

xjessx54321 said:

Ive smoked weed for about 6 years now..not a regular smoker but almost always on the weekends. Never had a problem with anxiety/paranoia/panic attacks. But all of a sudden...i get stoned...quite a lot but not as stoned as ive been before..and anxiety sets in..i feel edgy my hearts racing and i just dont feel nice. Now everytime ive tried to smoke since its been the same and i just dont understand it...i wasnt smoking different weed to usual i wasnt smoking more frequently..it wasnt any stronger than usual...but all its taken is one go to totally ruin it for me

I always used to think it was just a individual thing that some people were prone to and others just werent (me being one that wasnt)..but ever since this happened im even getting anxiety attacks when im not stoned...and chest pains etc....its shit!

So im leaving the weed alone for a few months..and will see what happens next time i try..like i said ive never been to the type to wake & bake etc and have it on a daily basis just weekendly..social smoking ..i dont even smoke ciggarettes etc so was just a nice occasional thing that i dont think i abused...

Any ideas, suggestions appreciated!

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I know what you mean, and I can relate to it quite accurately.

Try to have an open mind.

This goes for everyone.
If you notice yourself having anxiety in your life try to pay attention to what your thinking whether your smoking or not. When you find yourself thinking negatively about yourself, your actions, your friends, your family, your job, or even your habits try to counter-act that with positive thoughts. Focus your thoughts on the memories in your life that make you the happiest; or even think about people you love; or think about great times you've had in the passed while smoking.

Hope this helps.