Profound Panic Attack from Cannabis use.

[Voxide]

Heart was easily ticking 180+. Repeated muscle spasms in chest, mid area. Staggering gait to such an intense degree that I could barely walk or control my muscles. I honestly think that I would be more comfortable being drunk while driving than being in this state and doing the same thing. My vision took on a frightening vibration which seemed to be in tune with my racing heart and thoughts. When I lied down to try and calm the feeling, intensely vivid colorful imagery appears in my mind. Elaborate constructions of machines, UFO's, etc.

Was considering calling an ambulance, fortunately I had enough sense not to, though I truly did fear for my life.

The panic attack manifested itself in fairly realistic auditory hallucinations that I would sometimes go so far as to respond to. When I did speak, I immediately tried to think about what I just said, it didn't feel "real". Paranoia was not only in my head but permeating from every square inch of my body. My mind was racing faster than I can ever recall, but it was a type of hallucinogenic racing, not stimulant-type racing.

I could barely tell that nausea was setting in until it was too late. I feel completely out of control with the way my body is working. I run to the bathroom with my vision taking on a 2D type of look. It felt as though I was watching a movie and my eyes were the screen.

When I stare at the TV, I feel as if everything that surrounds me is a futuristic city in which my body is towering over. Once I assured myself that I would be ok, the feeling of death comes back. Paranoia to an almost schizophrenic degree. I feel as though everyone in the entire city knows of my altered state, though I am home alone.

Long story short, intense freak-out. Puked multiple times, outlandish mental images, auditory hallucinations, felt as if I was going to die. All of that being said, I don't think I would repeat the experience for any amount of money.


I've come to the conclusion that weed simply isn't for me. This was by far the worst panic attack I have experienced, and I was all by myself in the safest possible atmosphere. I'm not asking what I can take to ease these effects. My body is already convinced that it doesn't like THC. What I'm asking is, would an experience like this be replicated with a dose of a real hallucinogen? Is this simply an intolerance to weed or an intolerance to being altered with a substance?

 

[SpunkySkunk347]

Get used to it, you'll be getting them every couple of days, maybe even multiple times a day at the start of your Panic Disorder journey

But what you really gotta worry about is: "OH MY GOD, DID THE MANUFACTURER OF THIS BOTTLE OF COCA COLA MAYBE ACCIDENTALLY PUT TOO MUCH CAFFEINE IN THE INGREDIENTS??? I THINK I'M OVERDOSING ON CAFFEINE"

or the classic:
"OH MY GOD, WHAT IF I'M ALLERGIC TO AN INGREDIENT IN THIS CANISTER OF DEODERANT??? I CAN'T BREATHE, OH GOD I NEED TO CALL AN AMBULANCE!!"

 

[sekio]

Cannabis assocaiated panic disorders are ususally, but not always, tied to activation of the cannabinoid receptors specifically. So you'll be fine on a shroom trip or whatever, but have a sitter for safety's sake. Some people just don't deal well with mind-altering subatances and deep down prefer stability.

 

[SpunkySkunk347]

Cannabis assocaiated panic disorders are ususally, but not always, tied to activation of the cannabinoid receptors specifically. So you'll be fine on a shroom trip or whatever, but have a sitter for safety's sake. Some people just don't deal well with mind-altering subatances and deep down prefer stability.

Are you shitting me?
I started getting panic attacks after I started using Adderall XR to get high (60mg the first time threw me into a major panic attack, but I liked it so much that I kept taking adderall XR in the days/weeks following, getting a panic attack every time)

I couldn't smoke weed without panicking (before I could), I couldn't do DXM without panicking,
Fuck, I couldn't even drink a cup of coffee without panicking.

Now I get panic attacks all the time but I manage. For lack of a better way of explaining it, I just deal with them. I know my body/mind are surging with adrenaline because of some drug-related trigger, but I just ignore it to the best of my abilities.
Besides, after every panic attack you get a pretty good endorphin release (which is your bodies way of telling itself its fine and isn't going to die) which lasts like 3 times longer than the panic attack.

Sometimes, I even throw myself into a panic attack on purpose just for the endorphin release. An easy way to do this is while taking a shower, you quickly crank the heat to ice cold, and go as long as you can tolerate it before putting the heat back to warm again. If you start giggling afterwards its a good sign your body just released a fuck ton of adrenaline and then released endorphins to counter it when the water went back to warm.

 

[Vader]

Did you read the BUT NOT ALWAYS part of sekio's post?

Voxide, cannabis isn't for everyone. I imagine that you would be fine with a serotonergic psychedelic.

 

[Voxide]

Cannabis assocaiated panic disorders are ususally, but not always, tied to activation of the cannabinoid receptors specifically. So you'll be fine on a shroom trip or whatever, but have a sitter for safety's sake. Some people just don't deal well with mind-altering subatances and deep down prefer stability.

I think this might be the case. What drugs honestly provide stability during the high? I couldn't imagine using Cannabis to calm anxiety or relax, personally.

Are you shitting me?
I started getting panic attacks after I started using Adderall XR to get high (60mg the first time threw me into a major panic attack, but I liked it so much that I kept taking adderall XR in the days/weeks following, getting a panic attack every time)

I couldn't smoke weed without panicking (before I could), I couldn't do DXM without panicking,
Fuck, I couldn't even drink a cup of coffee without panicking.

Now I get panic attacks all the time but I manage. For lack of a better way of explaining it, I just deal with them. I know my body/mind are surging with adrenaline because of some drug-related trigger, but I just ignore it to the best of my abilities.
Besides, after every panic attack you get a pretty good endorphin release (which is your bodies way of telling itself its fine and isn't going to die) which lasts like 3 times longer than the panic attack.

Sometimes, I even throw myself into a panic attack on purpose just for the endorphin release. An easy way to do this is while taking a shower, you quickly crank the heat to ice cold, and go as long as you can tolerate it before putting the heat back to warm again. If you start giggling afterwards its a good sign your body just released a fuck ton of adrenaline and then released endorphins to counter it when the water went back to warm.

Nice, but what does anything in your post have to do with me? I've never done I've never done DXM and judging with the way my Cannabis "trip" went, I doubt I'll ever even touch it. I also wasn't aware of endorphin release during extreme temperature change, but again, what does this have to do with the topic of the thread? I'm sorry about your panic disorders, but I'm just slightly confused here.

Did you read the BUT NOT ALWAYS part of sekio's post?

Voxide, cannabis isn't for everyone. I imagine that you would be fine with a serotonergic psychedelic.

It most definitely isn't, as I've learned. The uncomfortable body high was something I don't ever want to experience again.


It was a full on trip. I swear. There was definite ego loss now that I think about it. All of my surroundings were just a place that I hovered over. Watching trippy videos wasn't as fun as I thought it would be in this state.

 

[highhooked]

Ive found the best way to deal with them is to not actually ignore the symptoms but have the mind set "this is nothing" "bring it on"

Come on heart you can beat faster than that cant you

muscle spasms ha! What a joke

Blurred vision? i love blurred vision this isnt shit to me

The overall attitude im in control of my body and nothing can hurt me

Youd be suprised

 

[bpayne]

If you don't react well to cannabis then simply stop smoking it, if you are having anxiety attacks apart from this, triggered without the use of drugs, then I would maybe see a psychologist about anxiety issues, If you wish to use a psychedelic I would keep it at a very small threshold dose with a trip sitter just to gauge your bodies ability to tolerate it
B

 

[stanmarsh]

even using cannabis daily for years, one day it can hit you weird and you can get this kind of paranoid/panic attack/psychosis. It happened to me once or twice randomly out of thousands of sessions. I sweared I'd be off the stuff forever...and that lasted about a day.

The first time I had to be convinced I wasn't going to die...than if I ever felt like that again, I more or less adopted the method that highhooked is talking about...it definitely helps.

I think this might be the case. What drugs honestly provide stability during the high? I couldn't imagine using Cannabis to calm anxiety or relax, personally.

umm opiates and benzos

 

[|>R()|)!G/-\|_]

Unless heart rate was measured using some instrument, it probably felt like 180+ but I'd imagine closer to 100 - 110. I've experienced this several times. It actually started after the first time I tried a THC extract (budder) and overdid it a bit. The good news is that it didn't do any permanent damage but it is alarming when your body starts to shake and quake uncontrollably.

 

[Voxide]

Ive found the best way to deal with them is to not actually ignore the symptoms but have the mind set "this is nothing" "bring it on"

Come on heart you can beat faster than that cant you

muscle spasms ha! What a joke

Blurred vision? i love blurred vision this isnt shit to me

The overall attitude im in control of my body and nothing can hurt me

Youd be suprised

It's so hard to describe the thoughts that were going through me. Through the little sanity I had left I assured myself, nobody has ever died from using Cannabis. It didn't matter. I knew that nobody died from it, but I was simply so fucked up that I concluded that I was going to be the first. Even when it finally occurred to me that I'm not going to die, I had a very ominous thought in the back of my head that had I permanently altered my brain functioning.

If you don't react well to cannabis then simply stop smoking it, if you are having anxiety attacks apart from this, triggered without the use of drugs, then I would maybe see a psychologist about anxiety issues, If you wish to use a psychedelic I would keep it at a very small threshold dose with a trip sitter just to gauge your bodies ability to tolerate it
B

Very good idea. I don't see why I should force myself on it. The panic is obviously trying to convey something.

I think its time to try xanax.

If you're having anxiety, try belly breathing by pulling only your stomach muscles in, don't use your chest muscles to breathe. Its hard to explain, but only use your abs to breathe in/out. Do it slowly and all and try to slow your body down.

Not even anxiety. Just severe body- and I would go as far as to say moral panic. I honestly thought a demon inside of my body was trying doing all the right shit to annoy me (increased HR, nausea.)

even using cannabis daily for years, one day it can hit you weird and you can get this kind of paranoid/panic attack/psychosis. It happened to me once or twice randomly out of thousands of sessions. I sweared I'd be off the stuff forever...and that lasted about a day.

The first time I had to be convinced I wasn't going to die...than if I ever felt like that again, I more or less adopted the method that highhooked is talking about...it definitely helps.



umm opiates and benzos

But opiates and benzos actually do kill people.

I guess it must be remembered that Cannabis is still a hallucinogen. Even veteran smokers sometimes have bad trips. This is where it can kind of show its nasty side well. I received no euphoric relaxation whatsoever. I will never be able to understand how someone can casually smoke cannabis just to chill out.

Actually now that you mentioned it, out of all the thousands of times smoking weed, I would get a panic attack here and there but very rarely. But none of them raised my heart rate to the point of near cardiac arrest LOL. Every time I know my mind starts trailing off about stupid, depressing stuff and the anxiety kicks in, you gotta try to snap out of it.

If you've ever seen the movie Crank, it was exactly like that. Even the visual effects looked like those scenes where it snaps into first person. Colors were way brighter, and everything snaps into different distances of vision, like a painting where you need to draw the mountains above the person to make it seem like it's behind them. My mind was racing faster than what I believe any stimulant can do. I didn't want to move, not because I was happy or lazily stoned, but because I was truly afraid. The TV seemed to symbolize evil messages that I was supposed to uncover. All the commercials sounded sarcastic and fake, as if they were trying to make fun of me. I've previously experienced this with real people as well. I felt offended and paranoid. There were points where I thought it was talking to me. In retrospect, this sounds so incredibly retarded that I can't help but feel embarrassed as I type this.

Unless heart rate was measured using some instrument, it probably felt like 180+ but I'd imagine closer to 100 - 110. I've experienced this several times. It actually started after the first time I tried a THC extract (budder) and overdid it a bit. The good news is that it didn't do any permanent damage but it is alarming when your body starts to shake and quake uncontrollably.

It felt like an earthquake happening right in the middle of my chest/stomach area. I'm honestly not 100% sure that my heart rate was really this fast. Being high cause senses to be more pronounced to you. Could have been muscle spasms near that heart area, but either way, it was horrifying.


I'm fine with being part of that small percentage who doesn't react well to Cannabis. I don't think it's "not fair" and I'm not going to look for ways to cure it. I simply want to know why. Brain chemical imbalance?. Pre-conceived anxiety? Just a general intolerance to THC or any hallucinogen, for that matter? My experience was far from a relaxing CNS depression that I was so foolishly expecting.

 

[skillz~4~thrillz]

it could have been laced. I've had that shit happen before. Maybe the strain was too much for you at this point in your experimentation. Maybe try a lower grade. Xanax would def help w/ anxiety,but take into account you rstate of mind,things going on irl that may have stressed you out. I am PRO HERB! I would give it another try. Be in a safe,familiar place,with some dim lights,your favorite tunes,maybe a good friend to either smoke with you or just chill with you while you toke. I hate you had a bad experience. I am 34 and have been smoking herb since 13
I have had some severe anxiety and paranoia after smoking-excuse me,after blazing until well baked.for me-except for the time it was laced,it was either the environment,or emotion issues,deadlines for school or work,being around someone who i just do not click with,ect...

take advantage of the knowledge here. you seem to want to enjoy cannabis and I think you can. but if that type of episode continues,you may need to look to another genre.

Best of luck...btw, Yerg is the Bomb when it comes to cannabis. hit him up if you have questions. He is like a complete encyclopedia of cannabis facts.
miss you Yerg,but read your posts often. you rock.

peace and love to all.............skillz

 

[Voxide]

it could have been laced. I've had that shit happen before. Maybe the strain was too much for you at this point in your experimentation. Maybe try a lower grade. Xanax would def help w/ anxiety,but take into account you rstate of mind,things going on irl that may have stressed you out. I am PRO HERB! I would give it another try. Be in a safe,familiar place,with some dim lights,your favorite tunes,maybe a good friend to either smoke with you or just chill with you while you toke. I hate you had a bad experience. I am 34 and have been smoking herb since 13
I have had some severe anxiety and paranoia after smoking-excuse me,after blazing until well baked.for me-except for the time it was laced,it was either the environment,or emotion issues,deadlines for school or work,being around someone who i just do not click with,ect...

take advantage of the knowledge here. you seem to want to enjoy cannabis and I think you can. but if that type of episode continues,you may need to look to another genre.

Best of luck...btw, Yerg is the Bomb when it comes to cannabis. hit him up if you have questions. He is like a complete encyclopedia of cannabis facts.
miss you Yerg,but read your posts often. you rock.

peace and love to all.............skillz

I think the next time I try Cannabis is when I feel as if my body and mind have recovered, or when I forget this ever happened. (Not for a while).

It's now ~15 hours after my trip disaster and I can safely say that I feel normal now. Believe it or not, I was off baseline during this whole time. Still somewhat in shock. In retrospect, none of these fears seem rational to me at all. Against my better judgment, I smoked too much and suffered the consequences.

I just don't get it. Cannabis is one of the safest recreational substances, yet, I would honestly drink myself to the point of liver failure than have to deal with such a mind-shattering body discomfort.

My trippy videos only made me feel worse. My mind would form this doomsday manner of thinking. I would draw outlandish conclusions from the sights and sounds I was seeing.

http://larrycarlson.com/flashmovies_hvlc.html

This is the video I'm referring to. For anyone else who isn't experienced/doesn't feel comfortable tripping balls, I would highly recommend not watching this.

 

[regfairfield]

panic disorder is awesome....

 

[TheLostBoys]

I rather do opiates than smoke weed. Weed is looked upon as not a harmful drug but I think it can cause some severe anxiety & depression. I stopped smoking it 8 years ago along with drinking alcohol.

 

[regfairfield]

weed is awesome...you cant let one bad time deter you from doing it again...

 

[TheLostBoys]

weed is awesome...you cant let one bad time deter you from doing it again...

I agree with this statement but then again, weed isnt for everyone.......

 

[Voxide]

panic disorder is awesome....

I'm confused with this post, as well as the very first one.

Not reacting well to THC does not constitute a "Panic disorder", lol.

Either I'm getting panics from Cannabinoid receptors being activated, or deep down my mind doesn't like the quick-hitting hallucinogenic nature of weed. I wish Cannabis was more benzo-like for me.

With the way my experiences have been going, I'd sooner take 10 beers to the dome than smoke a joint. That's just me.

 

[regfairfield]

I'm confused with this post, as well as the very first one.

Not reacting well to THC does not constitute a "Panic disorder", lol.

Either I'm getting panics from Cannabinoid receptors being activated, or deep down my mind doesn't like the quick-hitting hallucinogenic nature of weed. I wish Cannabis was more benzo-like for me.

With the way my experiences have been going, I'd sooner take 10 beers to the dome than smoke a joint. That's just me.

i have panic disorder but weed doesnt affect me in an axiety aspect...

and with liquor yea its a better feeling...but sometimes the hangover isnt worth it

with tree there is never any hangover

 

[uFinknow]

I smoked weed for years with no problems at all. Had a bad acid trip one night and ever since then whenever i smoked weed it threw me into the worse panic attacks ever. Needless to say i stopped smoking weed altogether and have suffered from panic attacks ever since. Glad to hear i am not the only one to go through this would have been nice to know years ago when i would stay up looking in the mirror all night long not knowing what the hell was going on with me. Scary times. I eventually tied everything together and realized what panic attacks were. At the time i had no idea what was happening. Since then got on meds to control them. Damn LSD messed me up.