Misc Adverse Reaction to Weed after Opiate and/or Benzo dependence?

[arthunter888]

I've got a puzzling situation on my hands. I have been smoking weed daily for over 5 years now, without any problems. I had also been a chipper of opiates (Opana, Oxycodone) once/twice a week for about 2-3 years. From March to October 2012 (6 months), I was taking anywhere from 90-120mg oxycodone everyday, so I became dependent on it.

In October 2012, I quit the oxycodone, and switched to Xanax (.5-1mg) or Klonopin (.5mg) every night for sleep. I was on the benzos from October 2012 to February 2013 (4 months). I stopped taking the benzos in the first week of February and have not taken any since.

I have however been chipping on opiates again (about 15-20mg oxycodone, once a week). I experience withdrawal symptoms for up to a week afterwards.

The problem is: every time I smoke weed, the withdrawal symptoms are much more severe the next day (especially the first part of the day). I get cold/sweaty feet, irritable/itchy bowel, depression. I find this odd, because in the past when I was in opiate withdrawal, weed would actually help rather than make it worse. Why would now be any different?

So I've been thinking about the possibility of it not being the opiate withdrawal that's aggravated by weed. I haven't taken benzos since the first week of February, so it doesn't make sense to me that weed would be "bringing back" benzo withdrawal after this much time. However, the withdrawal symptoms I experience after smoking weed are more reminiscent of benzo withdrawal than opiate withdrawal. I feel exactly the way I did when I tried to smoke weed in the early stages of benzo withdrawal.

I still don't know for sure whether I am experiencing opiate WD or benzo WD after smoking weed. Is it possible that weed is "bringing back" benzo WD even after abstaining for this long? It would seem logical that it is opiate WD I'm experiencing since I've been using opiates recently, but it still doesn't explain how weed helped with opiate WD in the past but suddenly makes it worse now.

What do you think is the explanation for this? I've never heard of opiates doing this, but I wouldn't be surprised if benzos are to blame. Is it possible that becoming dependent on benzos rewires the brain to react negatively to weed?

 

[RobotRipping]

how long were u dependent on benzos? or opiates? I've never had this issue, i almost always feel like i am in withdrawal from something but cannabis never brings it on. However during benzo withdrawal i just could not smoke cannabis for about 6 months because it would massively increase my anxiety, even the day after.

as to your last question; yes, i used to be a big stoner, smoked all the time for 7 years then hit benzo-opiate addiction over and over again and cannabis doesn't do a fucking thing for me anymore. I'm still dependent on etizolam but without etizolam, it just makes me overly anxious and paranoid. It's never been the same after touching opies and benzos, totally ruined cannabis for me.

 

[DickTate]

What do you think is the explanation for this? I've never heard of opiates doing this, but I wouldn't be surprised if benzos are to blame.

I think you became used to the Benzos and Opis "covering" the mental paranoia aspect weed can cause. And without the medications this effect feels much stronger and can get very uncomfortable.
I personally smoke weed daily for over 5 years and combined with Benzos and or Opis the psychedelic effects are very diminished nearly non-existent.
Since then THC only is not as enjoyable as it was before.
Hard to describe but maybe compareable to a classic upper/downer combo like Amphetamine & Alcohol where one substance lowers the unpleasant side effects of the other.

 

[brutus]

I haven't been able to enjoy weed since quitting opiates.

 

[Mr.Scagnattie]

I lost all taste for weed after not doing it for years while heavily strung-out on heroin. When I try it now, I just get really uncomfortable. I don't like the high at all.

 

[arthunter888]

I think you became used to the Benzos and Opis "covering" the mental paranoia aspect weed can cause. And without the medications this effect feels much stronger and can get very uncomfortable.

Makes sense, but I don't experience paranoia during or after smoking weed since my habits. The only mental effect is maybe depression.

What I'm experiencing the day after weed is highly physical: cold/sweaty feet and irritable/itchy bowel. These are the exact physical symptoms that were present when I stopped taking benzos (long after quitting opiates).

Like I said, even when I was chipping with opiates, over time I would experience WD the days when I didn't use, and weed lessened the discomfort tremendously. It seems like this only started happening after benzo dependence.

I'm just wondering whether benzo dependence permanently ruined weed for me, or if it's just temporary and I need more time since I quit benzos (first week of February).

 

[Redrawl]

Keep searching for a good way to use cannabis for you, maybe you take it with or without tobacco or only smoke it, try using it orally and try alot of different strains, or change to hash, combine it.

You can't really talk about just weed, weed is not just one product.

One strain can give you exact opposite effects than an other strain for instance.

I quited benzos and opiates before, and i'm going to do that again this week, that are one of the reasons i'm here and opened a topic about it, but eventually you will develp more taste for cannabis again, also the interest in other drugs and things in life... it just takes time.

Only thing is, you can't use cannabis and wait for benzo or opiate like effects, thats just not going to happen and will get u disappointed and depressed.

 

[RobotRipping]

I'm just wondering whether benzo dependence permanently ruined weed for me, or if it's just temporary and I need more time since I quit benzos (first week of February).

i think benzo dependency is what ruined it for me. I still take 1 or 2 hits off a vape every few hours each day but it isn't what it used to be for me and without taking a benzo, i just cannot smoke it anymore, it's like something in my brain changed. I've had better results with hash oil though for some reason, it works well and gives me a hint of what i used to like about cannabis so much.

you definitely need more time though to hit a point where you can just take a small hit and enjoy it but even still i just don't enjoy it like i used to for whatever reason, even if i dont get anxiety, it just doesn't do much for me.

 

[arthunter888]

I just quit smoking weed for 4 days. I still feel the same physical symptoms, which are worse when my mental anxiety is elevated. I am taking niacinimide at night, which is supposed to be similar in action to benzos, however not dependence forming. Could this be the culprit, like the rebound from it wearing off?

It's been 2 months since I quit the benzos! This is really freaking me out, am I in benzo withdrawal permanently?

 

[RobotRipping]

no but it may last 6-8 months, getting better each week. It sucks i know, but you will get through it and eventually be able to get a tiny bit high like you used to. The initial withdrawal period though, lasts quite a long time. Did you taper or quit cold turkey?

 

[Brutal BMW Driver]

SWIM has been smoking cannabis almost daily for over a decade with no adverse reaction while intoxicated on the drug. SWIM quit weed and has been taking a few benzos as well as some codeine, nothing serious just a couple of valiums some days and a few codeine/paracetamol OTC pills every other day for the last month or so. Now whenever I smoke weed I get mega depressed so much so that for the first time in my life I actually don't want to smoke at all.

So yeah, its a good way to quit weed. Start taking benzos and opiates.

 

[rld73]

We don't use SWIM here..

And that is horrible advice.. Start taking drugs that you will become physically dependent on and have to go through horrible withdrawals in order to quit a drug that is pretty much harmless.. That is just silly.

I would trade the shit I am dealing with right now (coming off Dilaudid/Morphine habit) for a weed habit any day.. withdrawal from opiates sucks.. don't ever use that to think you are going to beat weed.. if you want to stop smoking weed then just stop smoking it.. you don't get any physical symptoms from it at all.. maybe I could believe a little emotional symptoms.. but nothing compared to Opiates or Benzos.

 

[Redrawl]

I just quit smoking weed for 4 days. I still feel the same physical symptoms, which are worse when my mental anxiety is elevated. I am taking niacinimide at night, which is supposed to be similar in action to benzos, however not dependence forming. Could this be the culprit, like the rebound from it wearing off?

It's been 2 months since I quit the benzos! This is really freaking me out, am I in benzo withdrawal permanently?

Try cognitive therapy, if you need a medicin to help you even more try an antidepressant, stop with the benzo's and stop smoking weed if that gives you adverse effects, if you can't find a good strain that can help you.