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How bad would you say cannabis induces anxiety

Glad to have seen this thread. I smoked pot every day, from the mid 90s thru college, and slowed down in my late 20s. I have GAD and panic disorder (diagnosed in my teens). I never associated anxiety with weed until I stared to get panic attacks after smoking - probably started in my early 30s. I kept trying but every time I’d smoke I’d have major anxiety or an attack and sadly it stopped being any kind of worth it to me.
I miss it so much! I’ve been trying to find some good info on CBD, is there anyone here who finds CBD helps with anxiety despite bad reactions to THC? Edibles do seem to be a little better as far as anxiety levels but even then they usually don’t sit right anymore. Haven’t even tried to hit a joint in 3 years since last attack.
 
CBD can help, but it can also undo some of the relief THC gives I find. I think you should look out for THCV, which stops the THC from causing racing thoughts without undoing the effect just blocking it.
 
Thanks, never even heard of that one before. Looks promising. I’m not sure I need the psychoactive aspects but I’m open to it.
Suboxone/quitting opiates has upped my anxiety a lot and looking for alternates to benzos that I’m already scripted.
 
I think that cannabis gives some people anxiety, and for other people it's not a problem. For me, it gets rid of my anxiety. I've never had that from cannabis. I think though, what might help, is if you don't think about the weed at all, don't think about being high, just be high, and let it relax you.
 
I feel like a lot of die-hard pot smokers want to gloss over this fact. Yes, smoking weed gives many people intense anxiety, in my case, when I was surrounded by people I didn't know in strange social settings. I still smoke a lot of bud though, but only because I also take Klonopin regularly which basically neutralizes any anxiogenic effects from the weed. Without it, I don't know if I could smoke weed anymore. When I get anxiety on weed it's like a running montage in my brain of every negative, humiliating moment in my life on a loop.
 
-50%

It massively reduces it in most people unless they get to really high doses for their tolerance.
 
In my experience, weed does not give me anxiety out of nowhere. Most times weed actually reduces any general anxiety I have. However, if I happen to be anxious about something specific, or if I find myself in a stressful situation while stoned, it will indeed make my anxiety worse. The nice thing about weed though, is that once my high is over I usually start to forget the thing that I was stressed about, and it becomes a nice hazy memory!
 
The only time I get anxiety is when I use an insane dose or a kind of heavy dose after a break and my heart rate is 100+ bpm. And it's kind of like "oh I should watch that carefully" not "OMG I'M GOING TO DIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE"
 
PotatoMan said:
i've found this to happen to me when i overindulged.

for years it was fine but only recently had it started giving me anxiety.

it still does but i have to be drinking or on something to enjoy it without a worry but by itself i can easily become uncomfortable for about half an hour max. i just keep in mind it has the other cannabinoids in it to counteract the THC.

recently i took a small break for about 7 days and when i smoked again it was like heaven. not a worry, completely high and dumb. it was a blessing and a curse but i quickly fell back into frequent use and noticed the discomfort again.

i would focus on leaving it for the weekend strictly and seeing how it works.
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In my experience it's the opposite: if I haven't smoked in a while and then smoke good weed or take dabs, it's almost like an acid trip or something...like I'll literally feel like I'm tripping, get shutter vision and anxious/paranoid thoughts are usually not far behind...but if I have a tolerance I can indulge in more-or-less unlimited amounts without those thoughts being present.

Basically regular weed usage makes the bad thoughts go away. For me anyway
 
My solution to my herbal anxiety issue is very simple. Wether with friends or by myself, when I take the day's first smoke I take one tiny puff to ease my brain into it.
Remember herb creeps up on you. Wait at least ten minutes to gauge the strength and your reaction to it. Then take baby puffs waiting ten minutes in between. Once I'm primed up, I usually avoid the paranoia. I use a one hitter to make this process easier.
PS: remember herb is much stronger than it used to be back in the day.
Good luck guys.
 
Sugary foods help to reduce the anxiety. Sugar causes a dopamine spike that should help out with anxiety for the meantime.
 
I have to say that I guess I have been very lucky since I have smoked heavily since the mid 60's and still have only a hand few times I have experienced anxiety.

I'm trying to wrap my mind around what makes my experiences different than those who have expressed themselves in this thread. I have my ears on, not able to express anything meaningful.

I will say that in talking to a lot of friends that I have known since then, many were heavy stoners who later freaked out. I did not experience that.

That makes me wonder what makes my experience different:

Nature vs nurture...

I have no answer :(
 
I get anxiety while high myself and it's the reason why I smoke occasionally as opposed to basically getting stoned all day every day like I used to. When I got high everyday, even after I stopped........ It was a while before I wasn't more anxious than before. Weirdly, psychedelics are the opposite for me. I have had anxiety/paranoia/difficult trips while on them. Yet in the end, they consistently HELP my anxiety in the long run and my ADHD as well. I don't have clinical anxiety, just am somewhat of the worrying/getting paranoid type while sober. Despite this, I like getting high sometimes. Just not too often or it exacerbates the more anxious/paranoid side of my personality. However, this issue was only from being high 24/7 basically. Didn't have thus issue from getting high from time to time, never have. For me at least, moderation avoids this issue.
 
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justtakethat said:
I notice when I smoke a lot of weed my anxiety is always increased. But what's weird is I smoke pretty much the same amount all the time daily but just recently I noticed more anxiety. It's pretty annoying and was wondering how many others feel cannabis is one of the main causes of their anxiety. I'm wondering if people with anxiety disorders have the anxiety more pronounced some weeks or even months than others.

Preferably habitual smokers not just people smoking once in a while and getting nervous.
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Idk how to answer to your questions, but yeah I deal with the nervous-feeling as an unwanted side effect to my cannabis pain meds, but have found that Ringo's Gift is a perfect strain to get you a bit of a buzz, but very calming :)
 
I've had this heavy anxious feeling with weed previously. It comes suddenly and with outdoor, greenhouse and indoor. Even 2 joint from the same baggie could give different results. Fuck knows why.
 
Kills all my anxiety. Weed gives me the motivation to go to the gym.
 
Weed used to give me a huge amount of anxiety. I suffer from OCD, unpleasant thought loops, ect. I enjoyed the high it gave me, but as I say it made me anxious. I kind of battled through it and it then seemed to make me a lot more at peace with my thoughts. It helped me realize that my thoughts were irrational, helped me see that most of my problems were not how things were but how I perceived them to be.
 
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