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weed and panic attacks

L

lilfoot

Bluelighter
Joined
Jul 19, 2008
Messages
58
Location
Austin, TX
hey guys, know i've started a couple topics in the past week or so, but i really wanted to ask this question, because sometimes i feel like i'm alone in this :\

for a long time i smoked weed CONSTANTLY and loved every second of it. i smoked the most weed of all with a certain friend of mine, who i trusted and thought was a really nice guy. at that point i would sometimes get nervous on weed, but it would go away as quick as it came, and i would just be relaxing and feeling awesome. however, one night while me, him and another guy were all rolling super hard at his house, i saw a side of him that i never realized was there, and without going into details, it was really a seriously traumatic experience for me (think violence and rolling - not a good mix). i was unable to sleep with the lights off for well over 2 weeks, and had to pray constantly any time i was alone just so the thoughts wouldn't overwhelm me. i was so freaked out i left a 450 dollar toro bong over at his house just because i was so scared of having to see him again.

ever since then, any time i smoke weed i become instantly paranoid. at a movie theater the other day, after me and my girlfriend smoked, she was digging through her purse, and i suddenly became terrified that she was about to pull a gun out of her bag and kill herself. i actually physically grabbed her hand and pulled it out of her purse because i was so scared, and she looked at me like, wtf??? i can handle large doses of 2c-e, LSD, mushrooms, whatever and i'm fine, zero paranoia, i just feel content. but the second you add pot into the mix i just feel like breaking down and curling into a ball and hyperventilating for two hours. i often wind up just praying silently the entire time that i'm high for it to all just end. i also tried to have sex while high just the other night and before i could even get past the feeling up stage my breathing was so erratic and heavy and fast and my nerves were so frazzled i had to just stop and force myself to slow down and center before i freaked out.

i feel completely unlike myself when i smoke weed and it gives me serious, honest-to-god paranoid delusions. to be truthful i absolutely hate it.

is there anyone else on here who has that problem? :(
 
^Have a read through the Cannabis Discussion section of Bluelight; you'll find that what your experiencing is very common.

I get pretty weirded out when I smoke with people; if its just me and Miss Willow, its fine, but it certainly makes me paranoid, overly self-concious and generally alien...Its a good idea to look at weed as a strong psychedelic; if your tolerance is low, then it is a very odd experience, being stoned. Impossible to describe IMO.

I smoke most days however- but usually very small amounts, recently just a single toke of good hash once or twice a day. Just relaxes me, and helps me sleep.

I think it can be used very effectively for eliminating nonsense and pointless structure; I have had lots of great breakthrough emotional moments with pot, the ability to really see inside your true self is incredibly powerful- it can be confronting, but also educational. I find it as easy to make myself feel content and happy or utterly morose if really stoned- next time you smoke, maybe try and fully throw yourself at whatever it is thats bothering: see whats wrong, weigh it up in the whole perspective of the current moment, and if then its worth exploring, do it, but always remember that your real self is pure and void and filled with light :)
 
Another option of course is to stop smoking weed.

When I smoked daily, I turned into a shaking wreck. So I stopped (I know this is easier said than done). However I do smoke weed on occasion, for some reason I found cannabis use alot easier to control than alcohol, which I had a major problem with.

So you don't have to cut it out completely, but if you're only experiencing negativity, then you probably do have to change something.
 
This is the exact reason why I stopped smoking pot 5 years ago. I was an every day smoker for about 15 years. Eventually, it started giving me anxiety. However, I do suffer from anxiety and panic disorder; therefore, that is more than likely the problem.

At this point, I'd consider smoking every now and then. But, I don't know anyone to get it from, which may be a good thing. Weed certainly helps my stomach ailments.
 
One of my best friends actually gets bad paranoia after blazing. He is completely fine with people smoking weed and sometimes he will take 1 or 2 hits from a joint or maybe one hit from a pipe. Any more then that he says he doesn't know why he just gets really paranoid and literally scared. And his mom knows we all smoke weed and she doesn't care, but he said if he has more then 1 hoot, or smokes anything from a bong, he just gets scared and hates it. Although weed is probably one of the most commonly used drugs, its still the same as with any drug, and just isn't meant for some people.
 
I only get this way when someone else is driving and I'm high, I freak out completely. Once I even grabbed the wheel cause I thought my friend didn't see a sharp turn. I stopped being a car when I'm high if I'm not driving. My friend though smoked about a quarter a day and she started to freak out and hate it, she slowed down smoking only when she's alone until she stopped altogether.
 
Either pick and choose when you smoke and who you smoke with, cut majorly back on smoking, or quit.

I don't like being insanely high around strangers or people who I don't know who I'm forced to interact with so I don't smoke at parties or I'll just take a single hit or two and I won't smoke anymore than that.
 
It sounds like the bigger issue is the traumatic experience, not the pot. First things first, my man. Life>drugs. If you want to confront the trauma on drugs, fine, but I'd be more concerned about the trauma. PTSD can manifest in many ways.

That sounds frustrating, though, being totally cool with pot and then having it suddenly switch on you. Or with a FRIEND, even. I'm sorry you had to go through that.

Best of luck to you. Things pass.
 
willow11 said:
^Have a read through the Cannabis Discussion section of Bluelight; you'll find that what your experiencing is very common.

I get pretty weirded out when I smoke with people; if its just me and Miss Willow, its fine, but it certainly makes me paranoid, overly self-concious and generally alien...Its a good idea to look at weed as a strong psychedelic; if your tolerance is low, then it is a very odd experience, being stoned. Impossible to describe IMO.

I smoke most days however- but usually very small amounts, recently just a single toke of good hash once or twice a day. Just relaxes me, and helps me sleep.

I think it can be used very effectively for eliminating nonsense and pointless structure; I have had lots of great breakthrough emotional moments with pot, the ability to really see inside your true self is incredibly powerful- it can be confronting, but also educational. I find it as easy to make myself feel content and happy or utterly morose if really stoned- next time you smoke, maybe try and fully throw yourself at whatever it is thats bothering: see whats wrong, weigh it up in the whole perspective of the current moment, and if then its worth exploring, do it, but always remember that your real self is pure and void and filled with light :)
Click to expand...
+1

Be careful,though, about analyzing yourself through weed. For me, it always gets so negative and not constructive at all.
 
Mitchi said:
+1

Be careful,though, about analyzing yourself through weed. For me, it always gets so negative and not constructive at all.
Click to expand...

Same here, it's just like a hate-fest with spiraling intensity until I just break down mentally. Introspection for me on cannabis is totally unproductive.
 
I like to get baked and just look around and try and understand how profound everything really is.. I guess it gets pretty psychedelic at times, but really I haven't had enough psychedelic experiences to truly tell.

Best part is is I just got stoned for the first time all day, and am quite stoned indeed, soooo...

ah nvm i are confused now as to what i wanted to say :|
 
I stopped smoking weed 6 years ago for the same reason.

It's not unusual by any stretch and this is why it pisses me off when people go on about how harmless weed is. To a good amount of people - it's clearly not. You and me included.

Just stop smoking all together and you'll be right as rain, new energy you forgot you had!

Good luck mate!
 
i started smoking weed at 13... smoked till 18.. took acid and toked on acid... then for two years i couldn't smoke coz whenever i did i would get hardcore acid flashbacks and get all paranoid n shit.. so i stopped for two years... now for the past 3 years i smoke from time to time..; but not really strong weed, i prefer afghan hash, mellows you out nicely
 
Willow11: i took a read and i was really surprised! this is a really common issue, huh? thanks for pointing me in that direction!

RhythmSpring said:
It sounds like the bigger issue is the traumatic experience, not the pot. First things first, my man. Life>drugs. If you want to confront the trauma on drugs, fine, but I'd be more concerned about the trauma. PTSD can manifest in many ways.

That sounds frustrating, though, being totally cool with pot and then having it suddenly switch on you. Or with a FRIEND, even. I'm sorry you had to go through that.

Best of luck to you. Things pass.
Click to expand...

i've been thinking quite a bit about the idea of PTSD, and though i'm really not inclined towards disease-based models of psychiatry, i think there's a good amount of merit to the concept. i'm considering seeing a PTSD specialist soon, not only because of the recent events but because of certain overarching themes that have been present for most of my life (mostly fear). then again, isn't fear something everyone has to deal with in their own way?

blobbymahn said:
I stopped smoking weed 6 years ago for the same reason.

It's not unusual by any stretch and this is why it pisses me off when people go on about how harmless weed is. To a good amount of people - it's clearly not. You and me included.

Just stop smoking all together and you'll be right as rain, new energy you forgot you had!

Good luck mate!
Click to expand...

i haven't bought a sack for myself in over 5 or 6 months, probably, and don't plan on it anytime soon. every time i've smoked it's been because i was with a group of smokers and it was offered and i wanted to be polite so i took a hit or two, but lately i've stopped doing even that as much. i just think it really is no longer for me, and i have no more interest in pursuing it.

in a lot of ways, pot at this point feels like it has more "freak-out potential" (as my girlfriend likes to call it) than any of the "serious" psychedelics i've used. i often find myself more comfortable tripping in public than i am being stoned.

and Mitchi: self-analysis on weed always makes me feel horrible. it really does feel like a never-ending spiral until i just finally come down. i think it's interesting that i hear this sentiment most from veteran smokers, though, and very rarely from people who have just started using pot. i wonder what percentage of once-stoners now completely avoid the stuff for the same reasons we're discussing? it'd be interesting to know...
 
I get this as well. I feel really awkward and self conscious and start thinking the worst about everything, so I've stopped. Miss the taste of the sweet herb, if only the high agreed with me.
 
Did you say you were smoking weed while you were rolling? cus i would think thats the problem with your paranoia right there..or maybe i read it wrong
 
give yourself time to recover..
your brain needs a break

may take a long time - talking about the experience and rationalization would help too. basically some of the therapies for PTSD?
 
Similar story here. Smoked for years and one day started getting panic attacks and derealization constantly. Used to suck down minimum 5 bongs per session; a few times a day. Now, anymore than half a bowl and I'm freaking out.
 
if ya gonna smoke stay clear of the sativa's and indica/sativa mix, i would recomend a medium strength indica as it doesnt play on ya anxietys as much mate. Even better would be a nice hash like a polm, great quality but not so heavy .Usually when weed stops working for peeps it never does again, little tricks like pecking ya spliffs , smaller bongs etc may help but i doubt it:(
 
Same thing happened to me. Smoked heavily and daily for 15 years. Then just two hits would cause anxiety and uncomfortable edginess. Not a pleasant feeling. I thought it was just me or blamed it on aging or even to stronger THC content. But all I know is that pot makes me agitated so I don't use it any more.
 
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