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Help.

hi i smoked weed about 6 times and the last time i smoked it i got these after affects that keep getting worse and worse all the time and really worrying me i need help. Im 14, i feel like im in a dream all the time i get panic attacks. sometimes its so bad that i burst into tears, nothing looks real or seems real and i get thoughts that im dead and this is my after life or that im stuck in a dream forever also i get really light headed and my vision is wavy. Im really worried please help
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Avatar universal
jee that does sound like what i have even with the not feeling like ii can control how i act and speak. you have helped out alot but it comes and goes, its usually always there but sometimes it gets verybad and i cant remember something i was looking at once i look away from it. knowing i have de realisation comforts me but sometimes it gets so bad that nothing comforts me, but i can deal with it.
Helpful - 0
480448 tn?1426948538
Did you look up derealization?  I really think it will give you comfort to know what you're experiencing is a REAL symptom of anxiety/panic.  It feels just awful...been there and hated it.  You're doing the right thing though by going to the doctor.  

I'm telling you...your labwork will probably be perfect.  This is textbook anxiety/panic...so expect that.  Ask the doc for a referral to a psychiatrist.  The sooner you address it, the better.  Once someone has DR, it can take some time to resolve.  It typically won't resolve when the anxiety hasn't been addressed yet.  When the anxiiety gets better..the DR will follow suit.

Here's a description of sensations associated with DR:



~~Accompanying Feelings


•A feeling of not being here or anywhere

•Feeling detached from the self

•Numb feelings or loss of emotion (lack of affective response)

•Frustrated because one thinks they can’t feel ‘love.’

•Things seeming flat or blurred

•Being on automatic pilot

•Feeling like the self is looking at itself

•Being aware of awareness

•Feeling like one is estranged from the self

•Feeling a lack of control over one’s movements or speech

•Feelings of observing the self from outside the body

•Feeling of being stuck in a dream

•Feeling like there are two things going on.  

•A feeling of having another point of view or another voice inside
•Obsessing over the physical symptoms can resemble hypochondriasis.



~~Triggers for DR:

•During, following, or preceding a panic attack
•Questioning life and intense introspection
•Using drugs (notably marijuana or ecstasy).
•After the death of a loved one
•Shocking or traumatic incident
•Crowded spaces




Here's the link where I got that info...read the other info on the page.  Really will put things into pespective I think.:

http://www.anxietysecrets.com/depersonalization-and-derealization.html


All you have to do is google it, and you will find tons of info.  Definitely ask for help from your doc.  Let us know how you're doing.
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Avatar universal
First off thank you so much for your response. Yes i have stopped smoking weed about 2 weeks ago and it is starting to get worse. i have looked on so many forums and lots of people feel how i do but mine is getting to the stage where i cant tell whether im in a dream or not, it feels like im detached from my old life and i forget how i said something to someone 5 seconds ago. it freaks me out! i even had to leave work last night. the only thing that takes my mind off it is playing my computer wich im not alowed to do at the momment. yes my parents know i smoked weed once. i went to the doctor yesterday and getting a blood test on monday but i feel  that i cant wait that long. i get thoughts that im stuck in a dream forever, and things happen by co-incidence.  
Helpful - 0
480448 tn?1426948538
Welcome!

We hear this same tale FAR too often.  It's pretty common for marijuana (and other drugs) to trigger an anxiety response.  The weed itself isn't usually the CAUSE, but rather, how you feel when you're high triggers the anxiety.  For some people, once the weed wears off, they're fine.  For many others, the anxiety lingers, which is what seems to be happening with you.

"nothing looks real or seems real and i get thoughts that im dead and this is my after life or that im stuck in a dream forever also i get really light headed and my vision is wavy"

What you describe above is textbook for something called "derealization".  What that is, is a common side effect of anxiety and panic.  It's an alteration in your perception of the world around you...everything looks very "weird", as if you're looking at the world through someone else's eyes, right?  Or, like you're watching the world through a movie projector.  Your vision seems "off", and very familiar things just don't look right.  While this symptom is scary and uncomfortable, I can reassure you, it isn't harmful in any way, nor is it an indicator you somehow damaged your brain...it's anxiety.  Look it up, and read about it a bit.

Aside from having anxiety after the weed, have you ever had anxiety before?  I'm going to go out on a limb and guess you probably have.  I think you may be self-medicating with the weed, maybe as a way to decrease your anxiety?  You're WAY too young to be going down this path, hon.  Weed may not be the HUGE deal, but it most definitely can and will lead to much worse.

My advice to you is to stop smoking weed completely.  All you're going to do is keep triggering anxiety and panic when you get high.  Alcohol is a no-no too.  That will make your anxiety terrible.

You also need to reach out to your parents and ask for some help.  You're so young, if you've been having some anxiety problems for a while, you will greatly benefit from addressing them at an early age, rather than waiting until the anxiety gets even worse.  Usually, therapy will help a lot.  At 14, meds are kind of a tough call.  That's something you and your parents would have to discuss with a doctor.  You will need to be treated by a child/adolescent psychiatrist, not a regular psychiatrist.  Treating children and teens is FAR different, which is why you need a specialist who knows what they're doing.

When you go to your parents, you don't have to share every little detail.  If they don't know about the weed, and you're not asking for help because you're afraid to tell them that, then don't.  Just tell them you're having a lot of anxiety and want help.  You can share all the nitty gritty details with your therapist...they would not be allowed to tell your parents the things you tell them in private.

You don't have to feel like this, trust me.  My daughter is also 14, and also has some anxiety issues.  Thankfully, for now, we've been able to manage it fairly well, but my eye is always on her.  Having panic disorder myself, I know what that's like.  I have experienced everything you're going through, from the panic, to the derealization, everything, and it stinks.  There is help out there...you just have to reach out for it.  I hope you do.

PLEASE come back and let us know how you're doing.  We really care here, and we especially worry about you younger folks.  You're NOT alone, okay?  Please, stay away from any substances, and talk to your parents.
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Avatar universal
Stop smoking the weed and see if the situation improves for you.Talking to a doctor would be a good idea aswell.
Helpful - 0
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