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who gets anxiety "or even panic attacks" from weed?

only if i'm smoking in a public/semi-public place...
if i'm at my dudes house or my house i feel fine.
im careful about where i light up tho
 
a lot of people actually. I thought there was a weed and anxiety mega thread because it was such a common topic.

I think weed and social anxiety seem to be pretty common.
 
I got a really really bad anxiety 2years ago and i cant stop it. Everytime i smoke weed now i need to be alone because i cant even talk to my friends and im not talkative anymore even though in my head i wanted to talk to them but i just cant. So now I dont smoke weed anymore cuz my anxiety added paranoia.
 
Weed can cause anxiety in and of itself. Not just social anxiety. Physical anxiety is what I believe the problem to be, and that in turn causes the social anxiety.

You don't have to have "underlying issues" or any of that nonsense. I know the chillest people who smoke a joint and won't say a word, just freak out in their own minds so they don't touch the stuff. These are people who back in high school loved pot. If you get anxious while high but you're not when you're sober then point the finger at the chemical THC which is screwing with your brains and making you more anxious which is probably the most common side effect of the drug that is reported. Especially if you have been smoking too much, this can happen to veteran potheads and all of a sudden they can't smoke weed ever again. But are they going to quit? It's probably going to take them some time to figure it out, that there are no longer any positive effects and that the experience has been ruined by overdoing it. That's what happened to me it took forever to admit, since for the longest time before I started getting crazy anxious, I loved the herb.

Someone said people with anxiety problems get anxious when they are stoned. That's not always true. Sometimes people with genuine anxiety problems calm down when they smoke a bowl and get relaxed. Sometimes people with no anxiety issues whatsoever will go completely insane off the tiniest hit and be begging for mercy while heart is pounding out of chest. It can go either way. It doesn't depend on the strain, that's irrelevant. It depends on the individuals personal physical reaction to THC, among other things like their history of abusing/using the drug and for how long. Mainly personal neurochemistry.

The anxiety symptoms I always got from weed were physical in nature - my mind would race a bit but the root of the issue would be that I was uncomfortable with the physiological effects that weed had on my body. Not just the increase in heart rate, weed generally made me feel like complete shit. I believe that it actually messed directly or indirectly with the part of my brain that is responsible for 'fight or flight' response, the amygdala or whatever...

I still smoked through the anxiety which was stupid, I am a person that does stupid things like that. For whatever reason I still smoked over an ounce a week because when I built up a tolerance then I didn't get anxious anymore. But then the anxiety would surface when I was sober, and I had previously never had sober anxiety before. So there was this conservation of anxiety thing going on... I couldn't escape from the weed anxiety. Either I smoked occasionally and my highs would be more like panic attacks, or I smoked day in day out, had a great time, loved my herb but then I would experience really bad withdrawals. The withdrawals would obviously include anxiety, due to the anxiety that I had always had smoking weed in the beginning. Smoking more weed wasn't just making that problem disappear - the problem that I shouldn't have ever touched weed to begin with since it's such a garbage drug for me with horrible side effects. I shouldn't have been smoking weed in the first place, due to the panic issues it caused me. But, the way it plays on the reward system of the brain is similar to opioids and cocaine and other psychologically addictive drugs. So I was hooked even though I thought it was a stupid drug basically. Which is weird, I got hooked fast too. Quicker and more seriously and intensely than with opioids, which I have no trouble controlling to a reasonable level when I use them for my chronic back pain. I've been sniffing bumps heroin for years due to my chronic pain and never have I experienced anything remotely like the intense cravings, obsessive thoughts, and physical withdrawal symptoms that I had with weed and I do use opioids daily. I wish I knew about them earlier in life... I would have thrown my bong in the garbage with a smile. Plus, I wouldn't have extreme anxiety right now because the opioid high doesn't have anxiety as a side effect.

Now I suffer from chronic extreme anxiety and panic disorder, which I never had before I smoked all that weed. There is an obvious correlation between the psychotic break that I had and how stoned I had been for many years. It surfaced when I quit blazing. No I wasn't self medicating with weed. As I explained, I was getting really high all day and then I had a withdrawal which involved panic attacks. The panic attacks never went away, I have them 24/7 now. The only time I was ever physically anxious in life was when I was stoned. At no other time did I ever feel like I was having a heart attack or stupid shit like that. I feel that way 24/7 now (well I would but I need to be on meds for it). So this weed abuse caught up with me big time and it is my greatest regret that I ever smoked weed in the first place.

So for the people who get anxiety when they are stoned but not when they are sober, I would recommend quitting weed. Having the experience of panicking / extreme anxiety repeatedly while you are high can eventually lead to an anxiety or panic disorder when you are sober. Plus it's just stupid because why would you smoke something that makes you anxious (in my experience it was because of the cravings, it can be really addictive). Just know that it's a very common side effect.
 
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I used to sort of get this at rare times; but it would happen when I had little/zero tolerance, and I'd smoke way too much. I would just be able to talk myself down, or calm down on my own and relax, and enjoy the high.

If you get anxiety while stoned, or sober just quit like the person above me posted.
 
I started getting it in the beginning, the more i smoked the more i was used to it, now even if I'm having an anxiety attack while high i don't sweat it, i just think about other stuff, like food or more weed. Mind>Matter you know.
 
Me and millions of other people.

Didn't happen for the first year or so I smoked heavily, but the longer I smoked the more often it would happen.

Before I quit (which was recently) I would have a panic attack every time I smoked.
 
mabzie55 said:
Me and millions of other people.

Didn't happen for the first year or so I smoked heavily, but the longer I smoked the more often it would happen.

Before I quit (which was recently) I would have a panic attack every time I smoked.
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Don't feel bad. This has happened to a lot of people I know. They used to smoke frequently either daily, or just on weekends and then all of a sudden they started to get anxiety or panic attacks while stoned so they no longer smoke.

Or if they get it from a certain type like a Sativa, or an Indica they just don't smoke that type or smoke too much of it at once.
 
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i do but i also get it when i dont smoke pot. as a matter of fact i got them before even using any drugs. after getting high it just seems to bring it on more. i had it so bad one time i quit smoking pot and using all drugs except like coffee or OTC drugs. the doctor tried a couple different meds but of all things the SSRI zoloft worked the best. ever since being on it i get far less panic attacks and less anxiety. getting high no longer brings them on! SSRIs are not for everyone, but for people like me, they work wonders. they even let me try several different benzos to take as needed. i always get refills too but never enough to become addicted. the benzos are not to be taken everyday. glad my dr doesnt treat me like a junkie and deny me meds that make me function better. but at the same time i don't go against his advice. i hated going to the dr as a kid. now i love it. give me pills that make me feel good can't complain. without the shit life would be even more miserable.

i know several people who had such massive panic attacks after smoking they thought they were having a heart attack or something was wrong and they even went to the ER. they usually give them a xanax and they feel better before the xanax even kicks in. kinda funny in some ways. i've had massive panic attacks after smoking but never did i consider going to the ER. anxiety and panic attacks really suck though if you're not being treated or properly treated. you become a prisoner of your own mind. thanks to drugs and maybe eating healthier and getting more exercise, im finally free. i cant go off drugs though or i relapse.
 
I do. If I hear a noise or something I might think someone is breaking in the house; things like that.

BUT, I've learned that combining weed with my opioid pain medicine eliminates it.
 
Try weed and do what you afraid of. I know, doesn't sound attractive much, but on weed it's quite easy to turn anxiety to bravery, and if you reach that while stoned, it will boost your usual sober bravery too.
 
Yeah totally common things, those who say they are not are just the lucky ones! I didnt realise how much anxiety i was actually getting from the stuff. Pretty much smoked everyday for 10 years, breaks when i have been away etc. I stopped for the month just gone, one of the best things ive done...I had a few fails but was pretty fucked at the time. Anyway just this week I have smoked again properly and feel ok, I felt slight anxiety but instantly killed it, I think its key, uve got to kill the monster whilst its small.

I have applied this to a lot of things in my life the last month, it seems pretty simple stuff but if u can recognise that worry right at the outset you are laughing.

I will never go back to smoking all the time as it just doesnt seem to work for me, but i think taking that break def helped. I am about to go smoke a lil zute now. All in moderation though, u enjoy it A LOT more that way also. good luck

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I have def realised I am so much less anxious in my day to day life from chilling out on the smoke.
 
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Marijuanas effects can vary widely from person to person. Some people are just more susceptible to the negative effects of the drug than others. Marijuana has been shown to have anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) effects and the potential to induce anxiety and psychosis in certain people. I would argue the point that different strains, whether it be sativa, indica, or a hybrid, dont play a role in the potential for anxiolytic effects. Some strains may contain higher amounts of THC and less CBD, which for some people can cause anxiety and psychotic symptoms. CBD has much better anxiolytic and antipsychotic effects, CBD tends to have the counter effect of THC.

There is a great documentary on the BBC called "Should I smoke dope", in which a lady goes out in search on her own to find out for herself of the medicinal benefits of marijuana. In the beginning she is at a coffee shop, she smoked some hash, LOTS OF THC, which totally made her freak out. The next day, she goes back and this time gets a strain recommended to produce relaxation. It didnt make her freak out, instead she was "couch locked". Later in the documentary, she received IV THC- which for her brought about serious anxiety and paranoia. The following day, she received IV CBD- in tern, she got the more "positive" effects.

So, I'd say it all depends upon the person- everyone's brains are different thus everyone has a different reaction to certain drugs. Also factoring in the quality of the marijuana, THC and CBD content do in fact play a large role on the effects it produces. For me, it produces anxiolytic effects, much better than any SSRI, Benzo, Opiate or whatever.
 
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Modelogy said:
Try weed and do what you afraid of. I know, doesn't sound attractive much, but on weed it's quite easy to turn anxiety to bravery, and if you reach that while stoned, it will boost your usual sober bravery too.
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You're so very right about that, weed can be an awesome learning tool.
 
I Used to when I was Malnourished But Now I Eat More Often and take all Vitamins And Minerals in Sufficient Amounts.
 
nsauce said:
People with anxiety problems.
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I sometimes suffer from anxiousness. Mostly in social situations, but if I'm not careful with taking care of myself, then it seems like I get what you would refer to as 'anxiety'.

Weed does not make me anxious. Even after smoking 5 years straight, and then stopping for a good 5 years, the first time I smoked after quitting I guess you could say I had a 'panic attack'. But actually it wasn't anxiety at all. It was a hyperawareness. A profundity of my thought is what cannabis caused, it made me super self-aware and able to analyze anything in ways just not possible without some kind of exercises or training in sobriety.

And so I once again viewed cannabis as an entheogen, not a mere drug to be abused. That all but lasted until months later having been smoking daily again I realized the hyperawareness one can access through cannabis is only possible in very moderate frequencies of use and cannabis is extremely habit forming and basically turns me into a lazy ass spaced out dude, I actually can't stand the haze it produces with heavy use anymore.

I think that it is not just weed that causes a panic attack, but it is not being prepared for this hyperawareness and being shaken by the truths that one gains the awareness to comprehend on cannabis.
 
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