Cannabis :: Severe Anxiety And Depression - Quitting After 15 Years
I having been a cannabis smoker since the age of 15, I feel compelled to write my comments here and hope someone learns a little if not a lot! I am now 31 and stopped smoking cannabis 7 weeks ago - I have been an habitual smoker for 16 years. I always thought (in my ignorance) that the drug helped to 'calm' me that it gave me a more 'peaceful' life when in actual fact it stopped me from relating to others, helped me to disconnect and run away from myself. As a teenager (late teens) even my parents used to say that it stopped me from being so 'fiery'! But as the years have rolled on and the cannabis became a bigger part of my life it became the one thing for me to rely on, my friend and it would never fail to be there for me. From the age of 17 I was smoking it everyday and would struggle to have a day without it. In the mornings I would always still be 'stoned' from the night before and was rolling a 'joint' for breakfast which would turn into to up to 10 or so 'joints' per day. As I reached my early 20's (looking back now I understand - I didn't at the time) cannabis was the biggest part of my life and was ruining every part of me. Being a successful human being was not part of my agenda, getting 'stoned' was the most important thing. At the age of 18 i started going to 'raves' and started taking ecstasy, cocaine, amphetamines and various others, but never heroin....that frightened me! Drugs were a bigger part of my life than anything else, I have always managed to hold down a job and had good jobs, often managerial positions and I worked hard. Life went on like this until I hit 26 and felt that life had finally caught up with me - I felt suicidal and very depressed (obviously wasn't blaming the drugs!) life was all too much for me and I didn't know which way to turn. My relationship with my parents had deteriorated so badly and they didn't understand, so I went to the doctors to ask for help. I was prescribed the antidepressants that she had been trying to prescribe to me for the past 2 years and I didn't want to take them, but felt that I had no option. I guess they did help to numb me and to stop the deep depressive states, but now I was on prescribed drugs and still smoking enormous amounts of 'pot'. Six months later I was not in any better space and my father's comment of 'you need professional help' got me thinking maybe he was right. I found a private psychotherapist that advertised in my doctor's surgery and have now been in therapy for nearly five years and it was the best thing I have ever done for myself. She has helped me to understand the 'why's' that I never could have found for myself - I have just finished a two year college course and will be starting another one in September - I am a 'drug addict' and always will be.....after 7 weeks of not smoking 'pot' I have clarity in my life again. I don't feel paranoid, edgy, vacant, detached or different.....it has been hard and yes, I have smoked through my college course and I feel sure that it would have come easier to me had I not smoked. I also now understand that I smoked it to escape unhappy memories of my childhood - therapy has helped me to discuss, deal with and understand that unhappy little girl that turned to drugs because she was lost and sad - I have spent nearly £10,000 pounds (which has been hard money to find, but I have done it on my own) on my therapy and finally I can see a light at the end of the tunnel - I feel good about myself, I have great relationships with my friends and in the last 7 weeks life is not so scary and I don't feel the need to get 'stoned' to be able to cope. I am sure I still have a journey to travel and some days I have felt a little low and had the urge to get 'stoned' but know that there is so much to embrace about life that I don't want to keep squashing myself - I no longer want to be insignificant, I have so much to give to the world! I guess that sounds a little 'cheesy' but I am embracing life with both hands and trying hard to hold on - it's hard but very empowering. In my opinion cannabis use is so very harmful....its so misunderstood and I believe it is as harmful as alcohol....I do mean taken on a daily basis to excess. I am currently watching one of my closest friends go through a 'hell' of a time - she too has been smoking since we were in school and she smokes 'weed/grass' only. She suffers with serious paranoia, recently lost her job and is generally detached from the world - she sadly will not go into therapy and also takes a high dosage of anti depressants, I cannot help her, she can only help herself and she is well aware that the cannabis holds her back, clouds her life, stops her relating and generally makes her life a misery - I love her and can do nothing to help her she has to want to help herself. I am fortunate for being able to embrace my deepest and innermost fears, anxieties and what made me turn to drugs for escapism. When I look around me, anyone I know that smokes cannabis doesn't have a great life, they don't live life to their fullest potential, they don't relate to friends, family and society in general as others that do not smoke do. This is a powerful drug and believe me when I say it is addictive, because I struggle (a little less every day) daily...... I now want a drug free life, that is so important to me, for all the years I have held myself back I now want to soar - I'm scared of being successful which is why I smoked 'pot' but I will go back to college in september and I will pass my next course and I will become successful in my chosen career and cannabis will not be a part of that.
View 4 RepliesDepression :: After Smoking Weed With A Blank Mind
So it's been five consecutive days since I've been feeling like this after smoking some weed with my friend. I've lost all interest in activities and stuff and I'm feeling completely numb and without any emotions. I can't think at all unless i force myself and that night i even experienced some sort of depersonalization/derealization , it was like i wasn't me anymore and I didn't exist , It was just like i wasn't inside my body and it was so scary.Even know i can feel the consequences of it because I'm so afraid that I'm not gonna be able to function right and continue with my life.These five days I'm living in a complete nightmare and i don't know what to do anymore , please someone help me or atleast give me some hope that I'll be able to "live" again.
View 14 RepliesCannabis :: Severe Depression Days After Smoking Weed
A year ago i was diagnosed with depression and i'm on lexapro and risperidone. Then about half a year ago i tried weed. It was the worst experience of my life, my heart was pumping hard a kept burping, every 2 seconds i'd forget everything and re-realize i was high (thinking that the last 2 seconds were a dream), and it would repeat. I begged for it to stop. I thought it was something to do with my depression or something but i don't know. Anyway that's not why i'm here, 2 weeks ago i was sitting in school then the same type of thing happened except not as bad, i thought everything was a dream, i went to the toilet out of fear 3 times in the space of 10 minutes, i couldn't talk to anyone cause i wasn't able to focus on what they were saying. I was lucky because it happened on a half day so i went home 30 minutes later. Later that day i was suddenly better, the whole school day was vague and i barely believed any of it had happened. This has happened twice now in the past 2 weeks and im scared itll happen again.
I thought i had bad memory but i now think it's because every day i have this effect (just not as bad) so when i wake up the next morning i vaguely remember the day before as if it happened 2 weeks ago.
I have depression, some social anxiety, tiredness, laziness, short attention span.
(on a side note i think this is pure coincidence but one of the times it happened was when me and one of my friends were talking and he said 'What if none of this is real like in the matrix?
Cannabis :: Panic Attacks Followed By A Depression (10 Years Of Weed)
Doctors are way too expensive here in portugal and they all wants to sell their product and i think they don't really care us...I've been smoking joints for about 10 years. I´ve once had panic attacks followed by a depression and went medicated and all as passed. I continued to smoking and now passed 10 years i began to feeling that again. I can't explain but when i'm on a relation i feel really anxious and start to became crazy and insecure and that develops my anxiety...i went on meds again and after a year i decided to quit and i've notice that i was completely addicted to them and was hard to left but i left. At that time that i was quitting i didn't not smoke anything because i was afraid and too much scared about being addicted to pills. It has passed 7 months without smoking and taking pills and now when i´m working it´s ok but in my days off i wake up feeling very anxiety and can´t enjoy life feeling like this...
View 2 RepliesDepression :: High THC Weed / Cannabis Indica Or Sativa Helps
I am depressed and feel hopeless. I recently felt like life wasn't worth it. And started experimenting with prescription drugs, alcohol, and marijuana. I found that all of it is hard to get, and very expensive. But when I am on a high thc weed "indica or sativa", I actually feel happy. I don't judge myself, or feel depressed. I believe that marijuana saved my life. But since my age, and state laws it is impossible to buy or find. I just want to continue to feel happy legally. Any suggestions on what to do? Not antidepressants, the fact of me those would make me feel labeled for being depressed. No one knows I'm depressed. Not even my mom or dad.
View 2 RepliesQuitting Smoking :: 3 Weeks - Anxiety And Tingling On My Face
I just quit smoking about 3 weeks now doing good but last night i started having tingling on my face is this a part of Anxiety after you quit smoking.
I don't know i never felt this before till i stop smoking.
Cannabis Addiction :: Anxiety After Weed?
I shared a joint (weed + tabac) with a few friends about 2/3 weeks ago (my first time), and I'm scared because my body just doesn't feel right ever since.
Because I do have Obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety problems, the immediate hours following the smoke I just couldn't relax and paranoia began to hit me. I had a bit of a panic attack, during which I was disturbed to notice these tiny flashes or floaters in my vision and a slight loss of concentration in 1 eye.
Anyway,anxiety hit me BIG TIME the following week when I noticed this things were still in my field of vision ! I was absolutely terrified, an emotional wreck because I believed (still sort of do) that I had made a huge mistake and screwed up my vision and life for good. I started having periodic shooting eye pains as well which added to the anxiety. However, I went to the opticians and was given the all clear. After this I told myself to relax and began to feel a bit better.....the pain in my eyes eased up.
BUT.....in the 2nd week more symptoms started to follow. I became light headed and weak, periodic ear pain, changes in heart rate and had cold shakes many times during the day. I also began to experience chest pains and pressure on my head developed. It's been a horrible chain reaction, as the symptoms intensified so did the anxiety and that led to me having horrible nightmares and difficulties getting a good night's sleep
.
I can't believe I'm saying this but my body shape is also slightly out of line. The head and neck are titled slightly away from body. And that's not something im imaging, because my friends have said that when they look closely they can spot it too. When I do force my body to align itself properly, I feel discomfort in my chest. The pressure on the head is still there, especially coming from the back. Sometimes when I bend down or I move my jaw when eating.....I don't know it's really difficult to explain but I experience pressure changes on my head and things just feel wrong.
I suppose my question is........is this sequence of symptoms all to do with my stress/anxiety and my mind?.....Or has the marijuana created all or parts of this and messed up my body?
On a broader note.......should people like myself with OCD/anxiety brain chemistry smoke marijuana. Are the risks greater for us?
Cannabis :: Anxiety After Smoking Weed?
Okay so i smoked weed for the first time at a party but i only took two hits and i did not feel high and then one month later i smoked weed again only took two hits and i did not feel high again but that night i got drunk for the first time as well. (With four beers to be specific) i went to bed that night and everything was okay until about 4am i woke up because i felt sick so i went to the bathroom to see it i needed to throw up but nothing came out so i just went back to bed and felt fine for the rest of the night. The next morning i woke up and i felt very weird i can't quite pinpoint the feeling but it was weird and i would get mini anxiety attacks for the rest of the day. Along with that i would also kind of feel out of breath when i was sitting down or just walking but i ignored it. That night i felt very sick and i felt a feeling around my chest area long with anxiety i also kept feeling like i was gonna throw up and by body would suddenly get very hot. Then i got a big anxiety attack that lasted about five minutes. I just thought i was hungover but when i asked my friends they reassured me i only had four beers and 20 hours later i should not be feeling hungover. For the next three days everything was normal except for feeling out of breath a lot when i was doing simple activities. Then a few days later i was laying down on the couch watching a scary movie with my family and suddenly when the movie got very intense i got a huge anxiety attack which caused my heart to race and me to feel like i was on the verge of passing out. Afterwords i felt very tired so i fell asleep but then again in the middle of the night i had another anxiety attack. Ever since that day i have not felt normal again. I always have a sensation in my chest that causes anxiety and depression. It has been a year since that day and i can honestly say i have not gotten better. I can not watch scary movies because my anxiety gets the best of me i have lost a lot of my friends because the depression has caused me to be uninterested in everything around me. I used to be such a happy person and so full of life but now i cannot remember the last time i was happy. I always try to focus on the positive but this feeling of anxiety has taken over my life. What can i do and what could this possibly be?
View 1 RepliesAnxiety :: LSD Induced Panic Attacks With Weed
I took LSD quite a few times and I was absolutely fine, then one night I drop 2 trips and it turned really bad, I was shivering and cold while inside a warm house, I thought everyone was talking about me and I even imagined my own friends were plotting to kill and bury me, I was freaking out and just kept asking everyone to take me home and apparently I kept asking every couple of minutes. My friend told me to smoke heaps of bongs so I would fall asleep and I smoked a whole bowl of weed completely to myself and it just made me worse, they took me home eventually and just left me there alone, from that night onwards I suffered revisiting that 'bad trip' for a few weeks, and I was a heavy pot smoker before the bad trip, but now everytime I smoke weed I freak out, my heart starts beating so fat and irregularly and I honestly think I'm going to die. I quit smoking weed now, but even still, sometimes in certain situations around new people or big crowds I flip out and have to be alone just like I did on the night of the bad trip.. What is this? I'm too scared to goto the doctors, I refuse to take any medication. Has this happened to anybody else?
View 4 RepliesAnxiety :: Depressed And Anxious After Smoking Weed
For the past three years, every time I smoke weed, I become extremely anxious and depressed. I always feel worthless, anxious, and extremely sad after I smoke - my mind produces really negative thoughts about my life, beliefs, self- image, as if all that I am and say is worthless. I feel this way even when I smoke around people who I am comfortable with. When I was in high school, I used to smoke weed on a frequent basis and feel so happy, calm and relaxed. All I want is that feeling again.
Does anyone know how I can feel good again when smoking?
It's strange - even when I THINK about smoking I get that anxious feeling!
Cannabis - Anxiety :: Paranoia And Irratabilty After Weed
it seems like I've always had a tiny bit of anxiety, but it was always at bay and not too bad. I've had a few panic attacks but not much else, then roughly 4 months ago I had some weed with a few friends which I've only had a few times before because I hate smoking due to asthma, then it seems like since that night it's made all my anxiety come out at once.
My heart has never felt the same since, I'm way more panicky, I think anything I have could mean I'm dying and so on.
My question is can one night of smoking weed bring all this out, or do you think it was always going to come out at some point?
Cannabis :: Anxiety And Racing Heart After Smoking Weed
I'm 15, I started smoking weed around December. I smoked every weekend, and I woke smoke 2 - 4 joints at a time. I continued to do it until around April, when I stopped because every time I smoked I would get anxiety and my heart would race. at the time, i didn't let it bother me because I believed it was normal. I quit 3 weeks ago, and I have been having signs of depersonalization and anxiety. My heart has been beating very fast and hard for the past 48 hours, and I had an anxiety attack last night.
View 7 RepliesCannabis - Anxiety :: Mini Heart Attack With Weed
I'm 15 years old, the first time i tried weed was when i was 13. i have started smoking weed a lot more when i was 14 , i always got nervous to speak in front of a large group like a school presentation, but that nervous became more serious turned into anxiety, i just went to doc. today, my anxiety gets so bad at school i ask to go home because of it i look for every chance i can get to "escape" the uncomfortableness. i won't even read out loud at my own desk. i don't know if weed caused this because i love weed. i'm not a person that freaks out if i don't have it but if its in my face ill hit it. i went to a physiatrist for my first time she said i need to go to the docs.(which i did). IDK for sure but i think the doc. will give me med. i am just wondering if i can still smoke weed and take the med. without having my mini "heart attack''.
View 2 RepliesCannabis :: Developed An Anxiety Disorder From Smoking Weed
I am 18 years old and I think I have developed an anxiety disorder from smoking weed. I had 2 small puffs of weed from when I was in my early eighteens and I got a bit high but not much at all. I was with some good friends and the effects of being high wore off. When I joined University I smoked less than half a blunt with my new friends because it was late, I couldn’t go home and it was the only thing they were doing. I had this bad anxiety attack when I was shaking, my throat was dry and I was tired. I could tell this was a bad panic attack and I felt like I was fighting for my life. I had to go to sleep to calm myself down. The next day I felt fine, I had a shower and continued with my life. A month later, I was with two of my mates and they bought a bit of weed. I had two puffs of it to regulate the amount in my mates University room and tried to remain as calm as possible to avoid a panic attack. It worked and we went to a night club. The next day I felt a bit anxious. The day after I went to my friend’s university corridor and knocked on it to let me. However, I smelt a tiny bit of weed through the door and I started to panic again. I had to lie on my bed and I missed two days of lectures. I was having fast heart palpitations, I was shaking and I couldn’t stop worrying about weed. Every time I am in a stressful moment such as getting to lectures on time makes me slightly panicky and have moments when I can feel in my head an adrenaline rush which is how the panic attacks start. I had a panic attack in one lecture while sober and I thought to myself that when I learnt my lesson not to go near weed it was too late. I have become more anti-social because I feel too anxious to be around the friends I have smoked a bit of weed with. It took 3 weeks for my panic attacks to go but my heart feels it beats a bit faster than usual. I also have this ache in my chest. I went to my GP and he said it was not due to the weed because I did very little and it was due to stress and anxiety. When I do University work and I stress a bit more my heart starts to palpitate and I don’t know how to calm myself down. Every day I have this feeling of anxiety all over my body. The weed couldn't have been laced with other drugs because my mates would have seen it was.
I worry about hearing weed and I have this big anxiety attack when I smell it which makes me not want to do anything. Has the weed damaged my body in any way? I know quite a few people who have smoked weed and they are fine. I became sick once because I smelt weed. Will my brain ever repair itself to make me feel normal again without this big anxiety attack and chest ache? I guess too much of anything is bad for you but for me, that is not the case and I hate how I feel every day.
Anxiety :: Panic Attack About A Year Ago Due Cannabis (weed)
I suffered a panic attack about a year ago from weed, and honestly haven't felt the exact same since. I've recovered almost I'd say 90% since then by cutting out weed, and started going on multivitamins and a sublingual B complex along with Fish Oil. I've started to recently get head shakes as my only real form of anxiety, and I'm thinking about stopping all of these natural remedies since I have no deficiencies and they might just be causing it at this point. Any thoughts?
View 2 RepliesCannabis :: Panic Attacks And Bad Anxiety - 5 Weeks Off Weed
Long story short: I smoked weed on and off for 10 years. I however smoked it nearly every day for over a year. I quit 5 weeks ago and the first 3 weeks were horrendous (typical withdrawal symptoms: insomnia (up for 55 hours at one point), throwing up, shaking, chills, digestive problems, no appetite. All of those symptoms have gone but now I am experiencing panic attacks and bad anxiety. I have managed to get my breathing together so I seem to be able to calm myself down, but I am just wondering when the panic attacks will subside? They just come on suddenly. I get this horrible feeling over me, heart races, don't feel like myself. I haven't been out on my own in 5 weeks because I'm too scared.
View 1 RepliesCannabis Addiction :: Fear And Thoughts Of Death - Weed Anxiety
I know the title is a lot to take in but I am hear because it is going on 3 months that I have been going through this. I smoke weed not for the first time or anything but in a while. And I felt like I was actually dying. Now I am not dead at all but this sh*t had me scared to death. And now it's been 3 months and my thoughts won't go back to normal. And I am scared. It's like I can't be happy because what if I just drop dead and die. And I am scared that I will drop dead at anytime. And then I had thoughts like is it really my time to die and I say no. I have to much to live for.
I know I sound like I am whining but I am on here looking for someone who has been through this. Someone who has had these thoughts, panic attacks, head aches, and chest pains. And how they dealt with it and/or got over it. I will also keep posting my progress if its get good or bad. Because I seen some forums and they just stop messaging back and I was scared what happened to them through time.
Depression / Anxiety Is Destroying Me
I'm 17, I've been going through depression since about april last year. Stupidly i never got help until last week because it got really serious, i almost ended my life i constantly self-harm as it brings me a feeling i suppose?
Anyway i have been with my girlfriend since i was 16, first met her just after christmas. I bought her of loads of problems 'self-harm, low self-esteem etc.' it wasn't easy from the start because of her lod friends being bitches and she left them for me. My depression started in april when i become depressed and anxious about her leaving me because i felt inadequate as i was fro everyone i met. However we/I i got through it. Come to my birthday december 22nd.. I became ill and somehow really depressed i felt confused and unsure about my feelings for my girlfriend.. i became suicidal (btw i was this way in the months before but this was the worst case.) it came and went but for some reason since april this year stuck in my mind with my feelings for her. We argued/argue all the time about my depression or silly stuff. My summer was rubbish because of my depression. A few months ago i realised that i actually do love her. It made a little positive, we still met up in the week once and stayed almost every weekend, which i enjoy however we argued because i become down and sasd and negative and ruined everything. Fast forward to this month, she has almost broke up with me, because she can't handle my depression i almost left her a few times at the start of the year because i was so down and my mind was telling me allsorts. Anyway we are still together because we love each other and would like what happens after depression. My feelings are i worry/feel i don't like how she looks or dresses sometimes (she put weight on her face and has a double chin). My depressive thoughts were persistent and i told her i don't like her chin or hair sometimes. This created loads of problems i regret however i keep saying it. I feel like ending my life because i can't treat her this way. She is amazing and i feel i want to marry her and be the best i can for her but she deserves better and i just don't want to feel this way anymore i want everything i dream of when i'm positive.
I want to know if my thoughts are even true or irrational?
What could she do to help me?
And what can i do because i can't carry on feeling this way and lose that amazing women!
P.s I'm really sorry if it all seems weird and don't make sense i'm so upset and i didn't know to word or even make sense of what my minds doing to me. There is many things i'd like to say so please feel free to ask any questions about anything.
Drugs For Anxiety Insomnia And Depression ?
I asked my doc for trazodone today for my insomnia, he gave me a script for ten zopiclone instead, he said trazodone was not a good drug for depression, and that lexapro ( he has me on 30 mg ) is a far superior drug, I pointed out to him that I have been on 30 mg for over a year and while my depression is very manageable, my insomnia and anxiety have not improved and that in my opinion anxiety has always been my primary issue. I take inderal 80 mg daily for anxiety , which just makes it bearable. Has anyone on any different combination of drugs for anxiety insomnia and depression that they find works. Yes I know we're all different ! I have been on sooo many antidepressants, and I can't honestly recommend any of them.
View 1 Replies