Marijuana use and paranoia

There are several posters here on BL (including me) that have smoke mj for years with little untoward mental effects (ie. panic attacks) but will then suddenly develop panic attacks/anxiety when smoking. Now, everyone who smokes pot has experienced a round where they smoke 'too much' and get wigged out. That's normal. What I'm talking about here is the development of a kind of panic disorder only when baked after years of use with no incidence. Does anyone know the neurochemical/pharmacological explanation for this?

I've searched the web and BL and can't get a good answer. What is the 'change' that seems to occur here?

Thanks for reading.

Yup, same here dude,, total paranoia brick wall... Happened to friends of mine to,, as they say -the honeymoon period is over... My guess is the drugs run its course,, and now perhaps a drink or the odd Valium'd be better. I cant stand MJ,, pretty much soon as I knew I had an anxiety disorder

roadkill barbie said:

Yup, same here dude,, total paranoia brick wall... Happened to friends of mine to,, as they say -the honeymoon period is over... My guess is the drugs run its course,, and now perhaps a drink or the odd Valium'd be better. I cant stand MJ,, pretty much soon as I knew I had an anxiety disorder

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I dont think "the drug has run its course" counts a neurochemical/pharmacological explanation.....

Can't tell you what exactly the deal is. I smoked off and on for 2 years and than was a heavy habitual user for another 3 years without any anxiety attacks or any other problems. A buddy of mine had been smoking heavy for a few years longer than me, was also a heavy drinker and one day he just lost it. Was never really the same after that... i'd love to know what explanation behind this is.

isn't it pretty much down the the fact that most modern strains are bred to have high levels of THC and this is the issue.

Older more natural strains also included THD/THB which have a giggly anti physco effect.

Hmmmm.... Cannabis causes an increase in dopamine (though I have found conflicting results on this), which explains why it balances some people out in the case of dopamine deficiency.

However, some anxiety disorders appear when there is an imbalance of neurotransmitters throughout the various parts of the brain. Being that brain chemistry changes with age, perhaps the cannabis that used to "even out" a person now becomes enough to cause the imbalance necessary for anxiety for the duration of the drug.

Cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB 1) receptors are thought to be the most widely expressed G protein coupled receptors in the brain. This is due to endocannabinoid mediated depolarization induced suppression of inhibition , a very common form of short term plasticity in which the depolarization of a single neuron induces a reduction in GABA mediated neurotransmission. Endocannabinoids released from the depolarized neuron bind to CB 1 receptors in the pre -synaptic neuron and cause a REDUCTION in GABA release. GABA deficiency is suggested to cause anxiety disorders, the there is no causal evidence to support this as of yet. Perhaps try supplementing with GABA for a week before smoking, and keeping cannabis consumption very low.

Though science only partially understands the full depth of anxiety disorders, these could be two reasons why you and some of our other fellow smokers have retired.

If you ever decide to test the latter by supplementing GABA (can be purchased at health food stores) and find positive results, please PM me and let the rest of the community know the good news.

Good luck!

I found it to be the opposite for me. I used to get totally paranoid from smoking weed for years and was only able to do 'chemical' drugs... but recently I started smoking often without any problems. A lot of the paranoia, in my opinion, can be subdued by reminding yourself it's the drug causing it.

Even if I start thinking about problems/situations that are worth worrying about -- I remind myself that I'm not thinking rationally and to worry about them when I am sober. Although weed isn't considered a 'hard' drug, it can really overwhelm your thoughts. I find doing that works for me, but I guess everyone is different. I believe that we have much more control over our minds than we may realize.

i have the same problems with weed now as the OP. I don't get paranoia per say but i get extreme anxiety/panic attacks. I smoked for about 15 years everyday from the minute i woke till teh minute before bed. Now if i take even one little hit i go into a hellish episode of anxiety.

I wonder if growers are using something to grow with now that is having a negative effect on some people once it builds up in the system. It is irreversible; I've abstained for months only to return and have it still occur. It really makes me sad, weed is something i could count on to feel good and now i don't have that. Since i have lost my ability to smoke regularly i have replaced it with benzos and opiates.

I will say that this seems to be a very very common phenomenon.
Speaking for myself and SO many of my friends who I grew up with,
Many of us were heavy pot smokers starting from our early teens. Back then it was always fun and layed back and relaxing. Then, as we got into our 20's, pot started making us feel paranoid and depressed and just not fun. I cant tell you the number of people I know who seemed to have the same experience.

A very loose theory I have is that when you are younger you are far more carefree. In your teens you are becoming independent and experimenting and everything is new and fun. However, as you become an adult you tend to become far less carefree. You feel the weight of the world much more and life becomes far more complicated. Because pot tends to exaggerate one's current state of mind, it seems logical that smoking pot as an adult could very easily have the effect of magnifying the cares, worries, anxieties etc. that you now have as an adult, that were not present in your teen years.

Anyway, thats just a pet theory of mine, but it makes sense to me._DG

Dave Westbrook said:

GABA deficiency is suggested to cause anxiety disorders...Perhaps try supplementing with GABA for a week.

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With or without chronic marijuana use, the blood brain barrier is still the blood brain barrier. Eating GABA would inhibit plasma catecholamine concentrations, but not centrally.

I will concour with what others have said. Lots of people i know smoked throughout their teens only to give up early around 18-22 because the anxiety had taken a strangle-hold and no longer could they enjoy it.

Some friends beleive it is the THC/CBD ratio and will only smoke naturally grown stuff on occasion now. Others just think its the plant in general and abstaine. I have not heard of any cases where popl start mid-twntys only to freak out later (ask m in 10years! )

Personally i beleive its a combination of growing brains and thc/cbd content. Then once the anxiety sets in, you smoke more to get away from it but it only temporarily takes it away. From then smoking brings you back and reset your mindset to those times...

For instance; Im not a daily smoker (weekend warrior), but i have had strains which bring me back to 'bad thoughts', exactly like the first time i experienced them, 6+ months later... its a surreal feeling, lighting up that J u stash away only to b brought back to somthing u had resolved in your life!! I espically think this happens alot with daily smokers, being high all the time its hard to keep trips fun 100% of the time.. Serious thoughts come into your head and thats the beginning of the end, when you stop realising ur high and stop realising there is no rational behind your thoughts....

I have had occasional bouts of pot induced anxiety, regardless of the amounts I've smoked, but its usually been when I've been stressed about something else, or for whatever reason shouldn't have been smoking. I have read that high THC low CBD strains tend to cause more of these episodes, but I think more study is probably needed to confirm/explain this. Here's a link to a recent New Scientist article on the subject.

Also, what age has this happened to you guys? Most people I know that've had this happen started to experience it in the 22-26 age range, probably more common in 22-24, at least among people I know, for what its worth. I haven't always paid it that much mind, but the frequency with which it happens in that age range is so high that I've noticed without even paying attention. Maybe its just maturity

I doubt it's age related. I'm sure that there are people out there who have started smoking weed later on in life (say 30's or 40's) and they probably experience the same phenomenon - little anxiety at first eventually progressing to a lot of anxiety and/or panic. That's just my assumption.

^ agree with Quasi

I wasn't saying it was definitely age-related. Just that in my experience its age correlated. Granted this is anecdotal and of little to no scientific value, but it might just be that at that age people are usually graduating college, getting into a career and not just a job, some are getting married, starting families etc, and there is a lot of stress inherent with that change. Also the possibility of drug screens for these careers could be a potential source of anxiety while getting stoned.

Ultimately I doubt there is any change in the way that cannabinoids affect the brain, aside from the downregulation that can occur with any type of regular substance use. And this causes decreased sensitization. CB1 receptors do seem to recover from downregulation relatively quickly after cessation of use though, but none of this seems as if it would induce panic

any major dude said:

I have had occasional bouts of pot induced anxiety, regardless of the amounts I've smoked, but its usually been when I've been stressed about something else, or for whatever reason shouldn't have been smoking. I have read that high THC low CBD strains tend to cause more of these episodes, but I think more study is probably needed to confirm/explain this. Here's a link to a recent New Scientist article on the subject.

Also, what age has this happened to you guys? Most people I know that've had this happen started to experience it in the 22-26 age range, probably more common in 22-24, at least among people I know, for what its worth. I haven't always paid it that much mind, but the frequency with which it happens in that age range is so high that I've noticed without even paying attention. Maybe its just maturity

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I don't think it is related to age. I started smoking at 15. I did not have this problem until 31.

I can't smoke weed anymore without getting intense anxiety. The only thing that prevents the panic is taking a strong benzo dose beforehand (1-2 mg of alprazolam or clonazepam). Even alcohol doesn't seem to prevent the anxiety.

I was a daily smoker for about 3 years.

It must be something GABA-related - I freak out even when smoking alone too

I find it to relieve anxiety when taken under the proper "Set&Setting" type dealie.

If the user were to save their session for when they're free of any duties and are comfortable with where they are smoking it should be fine.

I use it to wind down my day and prepare me for sleep after a day of work & or errands.

any major dude said:

I have had occasional bouts of pot induced anxiety, regardless of the amounts I've smoked, but its usually been when I've been stressed about something else, or for whatever reason shouldn't have been smoking.

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Yep, I could smoke all I wanted for years, then for a few years when I had underlying issues I would get paranoid when smoking. Years later, underlying issues resolved, and cannabis became anxiolytic again instead of anxiogenic.

I'd think the most likely of all possibilities (aside from the obvious "don't smoke when you're stressed, it'll freak you out" consensus) is that some people are genetically predisposed to be more likely to have panic attacks. THC is known to produce transient psychotic episodes in normal healthy people on occasion. If someone with said predisposition experiences a THC induced psychotic episode, it may well cause a maladaptive learning pathway to form (likely via negative feedback inhibition of cortisol causing an excess of both it and NE) and then what you've got is an association of marijuana with panic. After the initial panic attack induced by marijuana, exposure to it will likely cause feelings of anxiety, which will set off the maladaptive feedback loop thus causing excess cortisol & NE which may well be experienced as a panic attack. Each time this happens it strengthens both the psychological expectation & the physical structure involved in the brain.