Anxiety problems after panic attack from weed?

[cainm]

I KNOW THIS IS LONG BUT PLEASE READ
I would really like to hear from people who are going through the same thing and have GOOD advice

I'm 19 and have been smoking weed every day for a few years straight with out having any problems and loving it. I went on vacation for about ten days and didn't smoke the whole time i was on vacation. So I get home sunday night and on monday august 15, i was with a friend and was excited to start smoking again. I took one really big, massive hit and got pretty stoned and was feeling fine for a while until i started feeling really woozy. My heart rate started going crazy, my hands and feet were tingling, my chest had a lot of pressure, my left arm went numb, i felt very nauseated and anxious and it felt like i would maybe pass out. Very scary feeling! I tried to calm myself down and about after an hour of the same feeling, i asked my mom to take me to the emergency room. only when i got to the hospital did i start to calm down. they ran just about every test on me and everything came back fine except a really low pottasium level.

Well i thought that if i just start eating better and get more pottasium that i'd be fine. NOW THIS IS WHAT IS WORRYING ME.

I got out of the hospital monday night and the next day, tuesday august 16, i woke up feeling pretty okay, just a little weak, but started off my day like normal.
and then out of no where i started feeling really anxious and nauseated along with strange vision, like everything is kinda dreamy or sharp looking. It wouldnt go away so i decided to take a nap after a while. when i woke up a few hours later i still felt the same anxious, nauseated feeling. I even tried to hang out with my friend to see if I would stop feeling anxious but that didnt help. It finally went away a few hours before i went to bed and it was such a relief. BUT the next day, wednesday august 17, it pretty much happened the same way. i felt really crappy, anxious, and nausteated for apparently no reason. I kept asking myself why i'm feeling anxious cause i have nothing to worry about but it didnt really help. I went to the family doctor that day(and by this time the anxiety feeling was gone) and they did a few more tests, and i tried to explain the axiety feeling i was having but they said not to worry and call back in a few days if I still feel the same way. well i had to go to work right after the doctors visit and i felt fine for about thirty minutes and then it hit me again. but this time it didnt last as long as the other times, maybe an hour and a half of it and then it went away. I felt pretty okay for the rest of the night, ate a good dinner, had a happy-tired feeling and was glad to go to bed.


BUT i woke up suddenly out of nowhere feeling very crappy, anxious, nauseated, shaky, heart racing with a weird and scary dreamy feeling along with weird vision again. I felt hot one minute and cold the next and tried to just go back to sleep but couldnt. I have been up since that time and have been feeling the same way, with a really spacey and woozy feeling. It feels like its not going away this time. I've tried to go back to bed since i hardly got any sleep but everytime i lay down, i start to feel dizzy and worse.

It is now saturday, august 20th, and i'm pretty much still feeling the same way. yesterday on friday august 19 I felt really bad most of the morning and afternoon with all the same symptoms and then it went away for a while.
That night on friday my doctor prescribed me .5mg of xanax to see if it helps with my anxiety. so that same night i went to the gym and felt really good after wards (in fact the best i've felt in the past few days) then picked up my prescription and took only half a pill of the xanax around 9pm and just felt kinda weird and normal but after a while i began to feel anxious again so i took the other half of the pill around 11pm and began to feel really drowsy and tired. I went to bed and felt kinda weird and hot but was able to drift off to sleep. But I woke up around 2am feeling really strange and shaky along with blurred vision (not the same as the dream like/sharp vision that I explained earlier) So i just tried to go back to sleep and was finally able to around 3:30am.

This morning on saturday august 20, i woke up around 10am feeling HORRIBLE. Really tired and shaky, heavy body feeling, anxious of course and just pretty much out of it. this feeling felt a bit worse then all the other times anxiety hit me in the previous days. so I just tried to sleep some more and was drifting in and out of sleep until like 12:30pm but still felt really bad and still pretty tired and STILL anxious. So around 2pm I took another xanax pill and it made me better but still felt slight anxiety. It is now 9:30pm and i have just gotten back from another visit from the gym and feel pretty good.
Im just hoping that i start feeling really bad again.

How long is one dose of .5mg supposed to last anyway?
the directions say take one every eight hours so i'm guesing it last about eight hours but i dont know because i've also heard that it can also last only 2 hours or something.

Also if this helps, i usualy feel really bad right when i wake up in the morning and it'll start to go away around early evening like 4-6 but then ill start to feel bad again around the time i go to bed like around 10

So in summary, ever since that one hit of weed, and after that first big attack, It seems like i've been having anxiety problems. It's an off and on pattern, I'll feel fine for a while, and then really ****** for a while. I havent smoked since that one hit on monday so that's why i'm scared that i'm having these affects even though its already been five days

From what i've read from other posts that are similar to what im going through say that the weed triggered some kind of disorder that'll take a few months to get back to normal? that makes me worry even more because only a few days of feeling like this is horrible so I dont know if I can handle several months.

I have another appointment with my doctor on tuesday august 23 and this time i'm going to explain every single detail to her about whats been going on because all the doctor really knows it that i'm just having anxiety problems. The doctor doesn't know about the weed.

by the way, ever since tuesday night august 16, i've been eating very healthy and drink ONLY water and lots of it. but most of the time I'm finding it hard to eat. Just loss of appetite.

Anyway, does anyone have any experience in EXACTLY what im going through? Also any experience with xanax because I like how its kinda helping me but I dont want to get addicted to this stuff because I heard trying to come off it is like the most HORRIBLE nightmare of your life.

I also start school on monday and i'm worried if i'll be able to get through it or not?

i'd just like to have more feed back from people who are going through the same thing
PLEASE HELP

[Claire_MHModerator]

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[patagonia816]

On August 9th I ate one and half brownies with marijuana in them and I haven't been the same since. The high was awful. My heart raced, I lost my breath and I felt a tingly sensation all over. It is now the 19th of August and I believe I am experiencing residual effects....my breathing will become shallow...my neck and chest will become very tingly and I will feel panicked...when I have nothing to be panicked about. I thought it was related to my heart, but all the tests say I am fine. I don't know what to do. I just want to feel normal again. I am starting a liquid cleanse to see if that helps to purify my body. I am also looking into natural remedies for anxiety.

[bignate562]

Hey guys I'm a 36 year old male and I've never had any sort of and I smoke everyday all da and the other night I was smoking before I went to be and after I turned off the TV to go to sleep I felt like my tons and after I turned off the TV to go to sleep I felt like my tonsils on my throat was obstructing my airways started the pace around in the dark then I went to wash my fac  just kind of the Wi just kind of the Willed myself back to sleep but I couldn't eat all da and now it's the third day and I  and now it's the third day and I feel a little better so I definitely think in my opinion that marijuana had somethin so I definitely think in my opinion that marijuana had something to do with it but I'm not a dr so I'm definitely going to go see my doctor and start checking this out because this is the third time and I don't like it just as much as you guys don't like it so I'm definitely going to my doctor and see first if there's any natural ways and see what his opinion is because if it is the weed I'm definitely go because if it is the weed I'm definitely going to stop cuz as much as I like smoking I like my mental stability a lot more

[f42100]

Hiya :-)  Alright. So I had the same exact experience as you. this should make you feel less alone already....went to the dr. he wanted to give pills, I said thanks but no thanks.

I sincerely believe that when people have this issue it is in fact symptoms and reactions of PTSD. think of the words for a moment: Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder/Syndrome.... you had a very personal scary horrifying experience So in a sense, deliberately putting yourself back in that stressful situation will not only trigger an anxiety/panic blowout, but will be multiplied x10 billion if you know in advance you are going to smoke in the near future, or right before you take a toke. And the repercussions you may have to deal with when you wake up.

Smoke with one non-threatening safe person who knows in detail of what happened to you, or just abstain.
I feel yo pain my friend. it really *****... the brain is the most powerful tool and can overcome maaaany things however...just a thought. mind over matter..and in closing to anyone who reads this, if this happens to you, don't feel like you have to hold the panic attack in your chest or try to "appear" normal. take someone aside in private, say you're not feeling well from the pot. if you verbalize the issue and breathe the words out about 90% of the weight is lifted, trust me.
Best of luck my friend!

[razor_3]

hi, I am having thhe same problems, i smoked weed and I think I overdosed had panic attacks and all. and i am going through the exact same thing
Feeling of dreamyness, anexity, shallow breathing , cant drink alcohol no more cause it increases anxiety. please help me . tell me solutions!!
ive been goin to a phycatrisct  , hes   given me medication such as buzpin and vitenmin pills to have 3 times a day
and lonazep 0.25 , 1/4th to half at night
I wanan really get over it. im going to uni this year. i want to be able to drink again, go out at night again with friends
its been 4 months already
please help me someone
will I ever be normal again
or will is till have mild symptoms throughout life and never be able to drink, party again.??

[razor_3]

hi, I am having thhe same problems, i smoked weed and I think I overdosed had panic attacks and all. and i am going through the exact same thing
Feeling of dreamyness, anexity, shallow breathing , cant drink alcohol no more cause it increases anxiety. please help me . tell me solutions!!
ive been goin to a phycatrisct  , hes   given me medication such as buzpin and vitenmin pills to have 3 times a day
and lonazep 0.25 , 1/4th to half at night
I wanan really get over it. im going to uni this year. i want to be able to drink again, go out at night again with friends
its been 4 months already
please help me someone
will I ever be normal again
or will is till have mild symptoms throughout life and never be able to drink, party again.??

[crazycam]

Hope everyone is doing ok. This happened to me two years ago after trying it for the first time. Ever since then I have had tachycardia and panic attacks. 1 time changed my life. I am finally sucking it up and trying an SSRI, a little scared about it killing me due to my obvious sensativity to drugs. Has anyone else been faced with permanent anxiety after trying weed, if so, did SSRI's help or aggrivate your nervous system?? Please message me and let me know if this has happened to you!

[nursegirl6572]

Marijuana can trigger anxiety and panic, that leads to chronic anxiety, or it can make preexisting panic and anxiety worse.  

There are countless threads on this forum about this exact topic, browse around, you'll find plenty of info, and many people sharing similar experiences.

It's best to steer clear of anything that could trigger or worsen anxiety.  In a LOT of cases, that includes MJ.  

[karliesomners]

Literally the same exact thing happened to me. I used to smoke massive amounts of pot every day for two years without any problems, as well as taking a bunch of other illegal and prescription drugs without any issues. One day out of no where I experienced the worst panic attack ever from smoking pot and I just thought nothing of it so I continued to smoke and as the days passed the panic attacks got worse and worse so I quit smoking pot and they went away for a little while. Then I started to get panic attacks from drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes so I quit that too. After I quit all illegal substances and everything else as well, I started having panic attacks out of nowhere doing the most random things like sitting in class or riding the train or even during dinner. Then those panic attacks turned into full blown anxiety. Along with really bad chest pain where it would feel like someone is consistently stabbing me in the heart but that could've been from 6 years of having an eating disorder, either way they only started after the panic/ anxiety did. I went to the docs and they prescribed me klonopin which is basically the same thing as xanax but it made me really sleepy and slow like I was date rape drugged or something so I started taking buspar which isn't as addictive but its also not as strong unless you take a high dose. It seemed to keep my anxiety in control and as months passed I began to regain control of the anxiety and the medicine is even more affective now. Its been a year since I've had my first panic attack but the anxiety still didn't go away and I have a feeling it never will, its something that will always be a part of me because of the stupid choices I've made in the past but once you learn to get in control of the disease it doesn't control you as much as it did in the beginning. Of course medicine is a big part of it but then again the longer you stay on the medication the more dependent your body is on it and the higher dose you'll have to take and in the end even the highest dose wont do the job.

[That_guy_dave18]

The same thing happened to me. I have been smoking for about 2 years once or twice a week and then lately within the last 2 monthes iv been doing it every night until about 3 weeks ago i woke up feeling super out of it and basically having what i thought was seasonal depression and then after about 2 weeks of that i started getting panic and anxiety attacks and racing thoughts and having manic episodes and couldnt get a grip on reality. So i finnaly couldnt stand the sleepless nights and wakeing up crying that the doctor perscribed me paxil anf iv been on it for a week now and its got me feeling normal and i can get my thoughts in control and it helps with the anxiety amazingly. The only thing is it makes it almost impossable to bust a nut and you will have the runs for about 3 days. Smoked last night for the first time in 3 weeks and had a small anxiety attack but breathing tecniques are a life saver. But from my research all points to depression and mental disorders and some people just have something that clics in there brain. Hopefully it will go back to normal.

[Worrieddron]

Where i come from its called a whitey  ,,

Ive passed out briefly in my earlier days of smoking,

Recently got back from Amsterdam and a guy jus panicked and then  straight hit the floor in one of the coffee shops and smacked his head right on the bar on the way down !

We bought him a pineapple smoothie and some cookies and once he had them he was fine !

I think he said he was used too smoking bushy weed (crap)

And he went and bought what we were smoking super silver crossed with amnesia haze  

25 euro a gram !

[george2013]

I can RELATE completely to you. I dont remember when it started. Been smoking the greens for 8 years now. Panics and anxiety problems, JUST AS YOU DESCRIBED THEM, started at about 5 to 6 years of me smoking pot.

THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH YOUR HEALTH.

THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH YOUR HEALTH.

Due to my anxiety problems and all the symptoms (same as you) I was having, I went to all doctors, checked my heart, checked all!!!

ANXIETY is a very real thing... There is a direct link with anxiety and marihuana use. What can I say, I haven´t found a cure...

Maybe stop smoking for a while... Consider seeing a therapist to dig into your being, see if there is something you need to clear up... In my case, I am beggining to wonder that there are some deep rooted stuff in myself that I need to address and solve... Anxiety is instinct... Maybe its our primitive instinct calling for us and telling us that there is something that needs immediate assistance.

It sure sounds trippy (u know me... 8 years man...) but who knows... The fact that sometimes I get the panic attacks and sometimes I dont.... makes me wonder about a lot of things.

[christineyvette]

Annnnd this is why I will never smoke weed. It will make my anxiety worse i know it.

[QueenElyse3]

Hi All,

I turn 26 at the end of the month, and have been smoking weed since I was 16 every day,  all day.  I had no problems when I first started smoking.  After college,  I started having eating issues,  dry heaves, hot and cold spells,  shakes,  etc.  The main issue I was having is I can't eat food without smoking weed.  I feel like I over ate,  and start to dry heave,  if not throw up.  It's very embarrassing,  and now I just smoke and am unsocial due to this.  I can't eat without smoking,  I can not sleep without smoking,  and am finding it increasingly hard to have normal relationships with my family and friends.  If anyone knows anyone that has dealt with this, or if you personally have, please let me know if there is any solution.  

[mmarcus100]

If anyone has any advice please help me and email me at mmarcus100 at yahoo

[mmarcus100]

i am struggling with something similiar to you.im 18 year old male very skinny.been smoking on and off for 4 years. i have ocd and mabey another mental disorder before my bad experience  but have never been diagnosed.

in early January i ate 2 pot brownies and around an hour later it hit me instantly. i started freaking out constantly pacing back and forth. my heart was racing, i was shaking badly, i had that really bad dreamy vision you mentioned. it was by far the scariest/worst experience of my life and went on for 6 hours. although strangely enough i felt pretty normal the next day. however a few weeks later in early february i was in school and i started shaking and having the same feeling as when i was high. i couldnt concentrate and was uncontrollably anxous. since then i havent felt normal. i am always anxious and jittery. i have dreamy vision and cant think straight.  all i do now after i get home from school is lay down and try to sleep but i cant. when i lay there its almost like im deaming but im actually awake. i do breathing excercises and calm myself down but that doesnt really help. i also have no appetite like you said which is concerning cause before this happened i ate a huge diet. i can barely even focus enough to watch tv. sometimes i feel close to normal but that only lasts for a while and then i can feel the anxiety or whatever it is coming back on. its truly torture. i went to a psychologist recently and he didnt say much. i dont know how much longer i can take it.

if anyone has any information to give me dont hesitate to email me at ***@****.

advice i would give to u would be to stay busy and tell yourself your fine and its all in your head. do your best to ignore it and let it pass. replace negative thoughts with positive ones. i know its hard im struggling very much.

[j17c27]

Yeah, a lot of people get panicy when they smoke pot.  My suggestion is just to stop...Some people cant handle it and it is not worth putting yourself through the anxiety attacks.  
This happened to me one time.  If your not in a comfortable situation your more likely to get a panic attack.  

[cainm]

well thats what i would think if i heard this from someone else but all this has been happening because that one hit i took on monday.
and yes, i just started xanax

[Jade59]

Turkee and Cainm...you guys should do a search in this community using the words *pot* or *weed and anxiety* and read others who post nearly exactly what both of you have said.  I've been reading this forum for 4yrs and you all could write each others posts since the same thing is said over and over.  

My thoughts are with you both.  

[turkee23]

i dont really know if pot and anxiety are connected....i have been smoking HEAVY for 13 years now. and i never had a anxiety problem until 6 months ago. i woke up in a total panic( day of my sisters wedding) and then from there its been an EVERYDAY thing....DIZZY everyday all day, just a constant worry on my mind. for 6 months straight so i had all the medical test and everything was fine thank god!. now i have been in therapy for about 1 month and just started some meds that seem to be working pretty well.

have you thought about therapy?.......maybe meds?......

[cainm]

thanks you for posting.
to answer your question, i have no health problems at all. the doctors have done pretty much every test and everything has come back good.

Also, do you think you can give me more information on your experiences?
when did this happen to you and have you been feeling the same symptoms for a number of days like i have?
Have you gotten any better, etc?

[soulfulmind23]

I just wanted to give you my insight on your post, I used to love smoking a few years back when I was between the ages of 13-17 I'm 18 now I stopped for a little while and then one day I had a group of my friends together and we all passed around a blunt I was fine until I got pretty much the same symptoms you described, I felt very heavy headed, shaky, palms and feet cold/clammy, my heart was racing obnoxiously, and my anxiety was off the charts, also I had somewhat of a dreamy, tunnel visioned feeling. I didn't know what it was and it freaked me out I thought maybe I was in the wrong settings or I was hanging with a weird crowd, but I smoked again and this time is was so much more worse then before, I started crying I felt so scared and I honestly felt like I wasn't going to come back to being myself, I had a lot of restless nights with hot sweats and just anxious overall, especially in unusual surroundings, my doctor put me on zoloft and that helped me out somewhat, I won't ever go back to smoking again, my question to you is do you have any medical conditions such as epilepsy, maybe heart problems? The THC might be triggering your brain to do abnormal things and I think xanax is not the way to go in this situation, just try to do natural things to calm yourself down, get on a normal sleep schedule, be around good and soothing company, maybe even talk to someone if that helps, I wish you all the best and hope you feel better soon! -Savannah