Cannabis Panic and other psychedelics

[lieff]

Hi everyone! I'd like to share some of my experiences with cannabis..
When I smoke weed I get heart palpitation, fast heartbeats, a really strange sensation in the chest area (like my heart is burning), pressure in the eyes, tingling, and everything feels weird but not in a good way. It feels terrible, actually. In my first time smoking I took a huge bong hit (stupid yes) and almost immediately felt these sensations. So I'm watching all my friends relaxing and having a good time and I was just sitting there terrified. Got a panic attack as a result. I thought I was going to die of a heart attack so I went to the hospital but everything was fine. Tried smoking again several times but most of them I get these terrible feelings, it just doesn't feel good. It's not like paranoia, negative thoughts or anything like that. It feels like an instant physiological response from my organism. I can feel my heart beating in an unsual way and that bothers me. Now I can avoid the panic attacks because I know what's going on, but it seems that I can't enjoy weed like other people. Anxiety has a few different stages to it (please read: http://www.livestrong.com/article/97139-different-levels-anxiety/), and if you can imagine that each one of them has a "switch" in our brains that can trigger them, it's like once the chemical components of cannabis reach my brain, it instantly switches on the "Severy Anxiety" switch or or maybe even the "Panic-level Anxiety". Does anyone feel that way? I've always wanted to try psychedelics like LSD, DMT, and I've seen reports of people who get the same bad reaction to weed as me but loves other psychedelics...

 

[Thomas Davie]

I've been smoking weed for over 32 years and still get the occasional panic attack. Now, LSD and mushrooms? We're talking permanent smiles and everlasting happieness, i.e., never had a panic attack on psychs.

Just curious; have you ever had a formal diagnosis of anxiety/depress/etc?

When I do 'worry' on Cannabis, it's usually about totally bizzare and irrational beliefs (was pretty sure I had cancer, thought I had destroyed my ability to hear, and so on).

However, my typical reaction to Cannabis is that it acts as an anti anxiety medication, kills nausea and helps me to sleep.

Tom

 

[lieff]

Thanks for your reply Tom!
My first panic attack triggered an anxiety disorder. After that I had a few anxiety attacks, not so intense and overwhelming like the first one, but it's like the "heart attack" I thought I was having on the first experience traumatized me. I started paying too much attention to my heartbeats, and often got "paranoid" about it, like I was sure something was wrong with my heart and I wouldn't be calm unless I go to the hospital and hear from a doctor that everything was OK. That happened a couple of times.. I took Lexapro for a year. That was a few years ago and I'm better now.

When I do 'worry' on Cannabis, it's usually about totally bizzare and irrational beliefs (was pretty sure I had cancer, thought I had destroyed my ability to hear, and so on).
Tom

It's not like that for me. As soon as I take my second or third hit on a joint I get this:


"Severe Anxiety
With severe anxiety, symptoms intensify and others develop, such as a pounding heartbeat, chest pain, headache, vomiting or diarrhea, trembling, scattered thoughts, erratic behavior and a sense of dread."


At my first time smoking, my reaction to these feelings took me to this:


"Panic-Level Anxiety
Panic-level of anxiety is the most disruptive and challenging, as it overwhelms your capacity to function normally. You may experience an inability to move or speak, but sometimes the opposite is true. Some people take off running or find it impossible to sit or stay still. Your ability to think rationally will likely be impaired, and your perceptions might be distorted."


Tried smoking again a few times, I don't panic anymore, but I still get the heart pounding, burning in the chest, etc. I keep myself calm and it passes after 20 minutes.