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Cannabis psychosis/Extreme Panic Attack

Opiate_Euphoria

Greenlighter
Joined
Jan 1, 2010
Messages
13
Hey guys, I used to be IN LOVE with smoking cannabis. It was extremely pleasant and very euphoric. I had some of the most full blown pure bliss moments while high.

My problem now is, whenever I smoke, even a small amount it leads to paranoia and EXTREME panic attacks. Extreme is quite fitting, my heart rate is normally slightly elevated while high, and then suddenly it takes off, my thoughts start racing and i cant control what im thinking, im disoriented and I have this incredibly powerful feeling that I AM GOING TO DIE, and I will be sent to hell for eternity and its overwhelming terror that is so overwhelming.

So... Why does this happen? and is there any way I can avoid it? (other than not smoking anymore)
 
Yes you can avoid it very easily. Just smoke a smaller amount. Like maybe take one or two small hits and then see how u feel. Tolerance to marijuana goes away very fast so you won't be able to smoke like you used to when you smoked a lot. You can always smoke more but you cant smoke less..(cliche)
 
hmm, well are you smoking in an environment that you feel safe in? If not then try smoking at your house/apartment.. This includes people that u smoke with too... Maybe try smoking alone, in your room at night before bed and see if that cure the anxiety... Also are you taking any other medications?

If that doesn't work - Some people just don't enjoy marijuana and if thats the case then maybe just don't smoke anymore.. I have several friends that used to smoke all the time but now they never smoke cuz they just don't enjoy it anymore (maybe they get anxiety attacks/paranoid now, but idk)...but I always kinda suspected that these 'several friends' that i speak of never really like marijuana to begin with. (but idk for sure)
 
Yes, I smoke alone in my house. I dont take other medicine. During the time where i smoked and got good effect untill the time where i smoked and started getting negative effects I was taking Dextroamphetamine daily for a few months. I sometimes think this has caused changes in my brain.
 
Maybe it's just not the drug for you. It used to make me feel like that, too. have you ever tried to calm yourself with a mild dose of a benzo (for example .5clonazepam) ? Also, you really have to stop expecting to freak out before smoking. Once I finally allowed myself to enjoy it and began to be ABLE to talk myself out of panic attacks (as I STILL do get anxious) I can enjoy weed. Just work on manipulating your mind.

I too had my most severe panic episodes while on uppers. I do believe that played a huge role in your past experience as well. Do not combine those two if you have an anxious personality.
 
There was no tag for Cannabis because we have a Cannibas sub-forum..
Look in the Focus Forums and please start using the search engine.
 
There was no tag for Cannabis because we have a Cannibas sub-forum..
Look in the Focus Forums and please start using the search engine.

ha, that's my girl... you're doing my job for me:)
I agree with the comment above: smoke less. Also mix it w/ a reasonable amount of tobacco as a "cut" to avoid overdoing it
 
Both my sister and I have experienced this to a lesser degree.

What I did was literally take the smallest amount of weed into your system as possible:
If you normally take 3-5 hits from a bong and hold them in for 15 seconds of some chronic, try taking 1 tiny tiny tiny tiny rip from a pipe hold it in for 5 seconds, go sit down in a comfortable place with something to keep you distracted and something to eat/drink and try to breath evenly and relax.:)

Damage to dopamine/epinephrine/nor-epinephrine systems in your brain can have mild long term effects that dissipate with time I believe(you should do some research for yourself, never trust anybody's 'i believe', or 'i think' statements).... damage that can be caused by amphetamine abuse.

Weed has long been known to potentially exacerbate underlying mental problems, or bring on episodes that were previously dormant. Maybe after your amphetamine use and general aging of your brain(because I found crossing from young teenager to young adult general healthy paranoia and carefulness increases, forethought, thinking about your safety etc... for example, a teenager is much more likely to not think about the dangers in things and just act whereas an adult with a more developed frontal lobe will think things through more often in comparison.) you have just developed a personality that doesn't enjoy weed.

I used to smoke weed every day all day, and now I can only stand taking a tiny hit or I feel super weird, dumb, and paranoid, on edge, etc...

Good luck.

TL;DR: People's experience with the high from weed changes over time in my experiences.
 
ok dude im about to enter a k hole bear with me but


take a long break and make sure your have good setting and evironment..

the thoughts that come keep coming because you play them in your head like a hamster rolling in a cage...

stop focusing on the panic and it will stop.....

holy shit i can stil type
 
There's quite a few threads on this already if you use the search engine or look in the CD Directory, but the gist of them all is that this tends to happen to pretty much everyone who smokes heavily for a prolonged duration. Happened to me. You basically have to stop smoking for a while and hope that when you try it again it'll be more pleasant. You can try using booze or benzos or opiates to alleviate the negative effects but that's a risky road to start on.
 
I gave it many, many years break and found that I still get paranoid and psychotic most of the times I've tried smoking again. It may just be the way my mind has learned to adapt to cannabis. Whatever it is, I've decided it's just not enjoyable for me so I won't be trying it again.
 
OP, How often do you do opiates? That could play a big role. I would suggest that your life is probably at a rough point, or when you smoke you get reminded of past regrets and it becomes too much. Even if it's just subconscious.

I find that opiate addiction often causes people to eventually get paranoid with weed. It takes a while, maybe a year or more, but regular opiate use will eventually weigh heavily on your mind and weed goes from being pleasant to being hellish.
 
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Be careful. The same exact thing happened to me! Honestly, it did. I pressed the issue and kept smoking and eventually started having those panic attacks when I wasn't smoking. Awful. Almost ruined my life.

I am interested, OE, how old are you? How much do you smoke? How long have you been smoking?

I have to run.

But I have been there! Good luck!
 
DUDE

i had the same fucking thing... the weed brings out your deepest fears when you smoke for a while or if you look for them... you will soon realize there is no hell and there is NO WAY you will ever go there ;)

as for the feeling of panic and death - this is a topic VERY common among cannabis users, again dealing with fear and presenting itself primarily when high. Take some Vitamin B and take only 1 or 2 hits. Make sure you are in a relaxed environment and try some deep breathing/mantra/stretching exercises whenever these feelings emerge and constantly remind yourself that you will eventually die but not right now. I would also suggest some heavy meditation in order to conquer your fear of death, it CAN be done. This is something I am working on now... I had an experience the other day where I was floating in an ocean of stars in the most peaceful state imaginable... who can fear death when we know eternity, godliness, and unconditional love awaits us :)

good luck brother.
 
Try deep breathing, it helps alot as you're actually quelling the physiological response of rapid-breathing present with anxiety/panic attacks. Someone on here once mentioned taking 6 breaths a minute, deep inhale thru the nose and out through the mouth. Try to inhale into ur lower abdomen instead of chest. I personally like following 5 sec inhale 5 sec exhale, its the same thing as 6 breaths a minute but easier to keep track of. Youll find it easier to keep focusing on the breaths as you do it more and more, and with this your heart rate, bp, etc will normalize as well. Ive only had a panic attack a few times on weed in stressful situations even tho i puff it everyday but this helps whenever i am feeling a little anxious weed or sober.
 
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