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  • TDS Moderators: AlphaMethylPhenyl | paranoid android

Husband addicted to synthetic weed! Please help me support him!

A

AGLL

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Joined
Oct 1, 2014
Messages
8
Hiya,
Me and my husband have been together for 3 years and have 2 children, a 2 year old and a 9 month old...
He had been smoking weed for 10 years and this was never really a big issue for us except it be started to become very expensive so when we found out there was a legal version for half the price it seemed fantastic! Even better 1g was lasting him ages because it was much stronger than weed.
Before we knew it a year has passed and everythings changed. He's got no patience, he's angry all the time and gets frustrated very easily, he's developed a horrible cough and wakes constantly for a smoke, even falling asleep half way through a joint but refusing to just put it down and go to bed. As soon as he starts running low he gets moody until he gets more. ATM he's going through 1G a day. We kept arguing about it until one day I caved and told him to leave. The prospect of losing his family seemed to open his eyes and now he's ready to quit. He's taking 3 weeks of work now but the closer it gets to him quitting the more emotional he is, crying, paranoid, anxious, angry, upset, and I'm sure hes having self harming thoughts (He has a severe history of extreme self harm)
Our plan was that I would take the girls elsewhere for a week while he isolates himself, keeps himself busy in the house and quits. But now his anxiety has gone through the roof and the last thing he wants is for me to leave him alone. I don't know how its possible for me to stay because I refuse to let him take his frustration out and shout and scream while the girls are around but I also don't feel comfortable them being with someone else without both parents for as long as the withdrawls are going to last. Im being as supportive as I can and I will stand by him completely giving him my all ASLONG as he quits.
How do I support him? Whats best for me to do? Any advice please? I'm begging someone to help I just don't know what to do
 
The problem seems to be bigger than "synthetic weed" ...that's just what he's using to deal with his issues. Whatever he is smoking is amplifying his problems.
Is he ex military ? Lost a lot of people in his life? History of mental illness? These are all factors in what to do to support him.
Would he consider professional help? And by that I don't mean xanax or other benzos . I mean real counseling and maybe MAYBE a prescription is being stone cold sober doesn't help.
 
He's always had anger problems but has never been as selfish as he is now. He had a 'disfunctional' upbringing and has always suffered from depression. And we could always deal with all of this but now he's just a completely different person. We went to the Drs yesterday and he has been put on anti depressants and referred to counseling and anger management but they usually have long waiting lists. I can't cope with anothe 2 weeks of this never mind longer but I know he needs my support to do this.
 
Mirtazapine 15MG He's too take 1 at night time and they will hopefully also help with his sleep and appetite
 
This to me seems like a very low dosage though taking into account his history of depression and self harm.
 
thats kind of a low dose. I took that stuff too. Does it make him tired? Seem to sooth the anxiety and help him sleep at all? I'm surprised they didn't put him on an SSRI .
 
His symptoms seem to be exactly like if he quit smoking weed. His dopamine reward system is probably out of whack ... If you don't see any improvement with this new drug I would talk to the doctor about bupropion aka wellbutrin which could help ease his way into a non smoking lifestyle .[h=3][/h]
 
He only started them last night and he seemed to sleep a bit better but obviously it's early days. The Doctor wasnt actually going to prescribe him anything atall! Just expected him to wait until the counseling came through but I pushed it as I really do believe he's close to going over the edge. He was on Citalopram before and sertralin (SP?) but they made his anger much much worse. His anxiety is very bad today, I suggested taking our 2 year old round the block and look for leaves, conkers, encourage her to use her imagination and although he has gone he was very nervous about it and hates the thought of being around strangers in fear that their looking at him. He was never like this before.
 
Now he's realised what it's doing to him and our daughters are pulling away from him (which is to be expected as they will see it as daddy shouts alot and daddy has no patience) the longer we wait for him to quit the more his anxiety and paranoia is getting on top of him but I really don't know whats best to do. Do I take the girls and stay elsewhere while he quits or stay with the girls and try to support him through it shielding the girls from seeing his withdrawal as much as I can, which wont be easy.
 
Given his addictive nature I would advise against benzos all together , but you mentioned self harm? If self harm is a reality he SHOULD be medicated. It's not something to take lightly. Make sure that he knows he will get better in time. Tell him to breath slowly when he gets panic like symptoms . In through the nose...out through the mouth. I'm glad he has you to support him. Just be aware that he doesn't want to step off the fake weed only to become addicted to medication. I suggest those if he NEEDS them... but not benzos. They will make this so much worse in the long run.
 
Yes in my view its severe self harm. All up his fore arms and upper arms and all down his thighs are covered in very deep and wide scars. I hadn't met him at this point in his life and can only imagine what he must of been going through. He's not self harmed in the 3 years wev been together but I can definitely see it going down that road very soon.
I'm doing all I can to support him and calm him and just generally being there but I have health problems and it's beginning to take it's toll on me.
 
Why not taper the dose down gradually? And/or switch to real weed?
 
We was on real weed... switched to fake weed for economical reasons.
The real weed will do exactly what the synthetic shit did.
mask the problem. not help.
 
It'd just be switching one addiction for another and this has really brought the light for us how bad addiction can affect a person.
Lowering the dose will just prolong the process and his emotions will be just as bad just for a longer period of time.
 
Fake weed is nothing like real weed no matter how it makes you feel.

Smoking chemical sprayed leaves versus mother nature is the wiser choice. Also a lot of the newer blends are VERY addicting. I had OZ a week habit at one point. If he takes a break, focuses on life, family and work and just enjoys a smoke in the evening he will get a good high and won't chase that high like you do when you smoke blends.

Synthetic weed should NOT be considered in the same league as real weed. Fake weed is very addicting and some of the chemicals are thought to mess with your kidneys. I lost a friend a couple years back they are 90% sure was related to his synthetic weed use.

Have him take a 2-4 week break and just buy an 1/8 of top grade herb. You end up paying more to smoke fake weed or schwag vs. buying the shit that only takes a good bong load to set you straight.

Don't give up on him. Addiction to synth weed is a bigger issue than people realize. I was there myself and never want to go back. I honestly spent more money that route.
 
AGLL, I'm sorry to hear about your situation. I'm moving this thread to The Dark Side subforum, where you can find some folks more experienced with advice on staying strong/sane going through withdrawal issues with drugs in general. If you still feel that you also need some specific information on the long-term side-effects of synthetics, visiting the thread linked in my signature below will connect you to some experienced synthetics users.
 
Hi AGLL:)

I've a little personal experience to share on this having had quite a heavy hash habit for 15years straight and dabbled a little with synthetic cannabinoids, largely JWH-018.

I don't think I truly understood all the reasons I was smoking so much until I stopped and given he seems to be suffering symptoms so quickly and from other issues you've mentioned I think the problems extend beyond this drug use.

IME it's often easy to fall into the trap of thinking problems can be resolved simply by removing the substance, often there are complex reasons for slipping from casual to habitual and abusive use and if these are not addressed they will cause even more damage.

Information around these new substances is thin on the ground, my experience wasn't entirely pleasant, dosing was much more critical and I found it far to easy to find myself feeling uncomfortable and panicky despite my significant experience with the 'natural' product. My hash addiction was heavily mixed up in my use of tobacco and whilst I did successfully stop using both I slowly slipped into alcohol abuse in the few years following and I believe the cessation of hash and tobacco certainly contributed to that.

I'm so sorry to hear this has caused you to separate but can understand why you would feel the need to do so, his issues seem to be largely ones of mental health and it is those things that need to be addressed. I'm not sure how much influence you have over what he does or doesnt do but seeking help for his mental health issues is going to be key to helping him get back on a more even keel.

That said and accepting that you do not mention the actual chemical involved it does sound like he is using excessively, these drugs take many days to clear someones system (30 days is often quoted for cannabis) personally I would be concerned about using such chemicals in quantity the natural product may well be problematic for some people but it's effects are largely well understood.

Whilst stopping may well be a long term goal in the short term he may well be better trying to move away from these synthetic substances which don't seem to be doing him any favours right now
 
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