One time High, led To Anxiety.

[JohnnyPanic]

I am 16 and In my junior year in High School. I smoked weed one time in my life, on 8/23/2009, and I smoked alot of it that one time. It was strong stuff but it was not laced, and The person I smoked with was a family friend. I had some anxiety for a week but it didn't bug me and I was fine. But 2 weeks ago I got a heatstroke and it made me feel high, but then I realized it was a heatstroke, and then treated it and I was fine. But then I started to have anxiety and panic attacks which I have learned to control slowly, and have told a counselor but this last thursday I was hanging with a stoner kid and he was talking about weed, and he played me a stoner song, and when I opened my eyes, It had a triggered flashback in my brain into my high that one night for about 5 seconds, which led to a panic attack immediately after. Ever since I have been paranoid that I am  permanently high because I have been really dizzy, unable to focus, not really able to remember well, really depressed, all things that I never went through, so I am asking that Am I actually High forever? Is it anxiety just messing with me? will these feelings last forever? Should I take SSRI's? I am Very Scared, anxious, and curious because I do not wanna live like this, so please any information will help. P.S. When I am feeling fine in the morning, I don't feel high, only when I am having a panic attack, or if I am uncomfortable, which since thursday, has been almost constant. I do not take any medications and I Just changed schools wednesday. Does that add to it? please any Professional or amateur help is wanted. please anybody. Thanks for your time.

[flob]

the same thing happened to me when i was 16. it took me a long time to accept that the weed only triggered a response that was already waiting to be triggered by something. i just so happens that weed loves to pull that trigger.

don't let it stress you out too much. you aren't premanantly high...and if you're going through what i went through, it's the anxiety you should be focusing your attention on....not the fact that you smoked weed. but don't do it again. prior to that time when i was 16...i had smoked it and been fine. since then i simply can't do it. i get the same response. i never liked its effects anyway....so it doesn't really matter. but it's part of my personality. it's probably never going to change.

[boyle6435]

Wow, i cant believe im not the only person with this problem except mine was the next day after drinking alcohol when i was 15, i am now 19 and have had a drunk feeling for a long time and also developed anxiety since then, it makes me feel like im going crazy, although i just recently started a med for anxiety so hopefully it helps, and u get back on ur feet

[JohnnyPanic]

yeah I haven't and won't smoke again. I just am curious because I don't enjoy anything anymore because I am so preoccupied with anxiety

[MaryShelley]

Anxiety can have some symptoms like depersonalization that make things around you seem unreal. Sounds a little like being stoned, right? I do think that getting stoned can trigger feelings of anxiety. I stopped smoking pot when I developed an anxiety disorder because I didn't like the way it made me feel anymore.

You are definitely not permanently stoned! so don't worry yourself about that. Pot has a pretty short half life in the body and you haven't smoked pot for weeks. I think you are having some symptoms of anxiety that are making you feel out of it and your mind is racing. I used to get that, too, and I hated it. What I would do sometimes is just touch something in the room, like the arm of a chair, and focus on it and remind myself that it was real. Slow, calming breathing might help. Also just distracting yourself by watching something entertaining on Hulu (Jon Stewart?) could get you through it. It sounds like you usually feel better in the morning so if you can ride it out you'll have some relief.

That's great that you are mature enough that you spoke to a counselor about what's going on with you. You might want to talk to them again and let them know you would like a referral to someone who can help you manage it. Or you might let your parents know that you've been feeling a lot of anxiety lately. Anxiety is very, very common and SSRIs and talking therapy are both excellent treatments.

[JohnnyPanic]

Thanks alot Mary, My school counselor meets with me on mondays and that helps. But the thing is I was having a nasty panic attack the whole day on friday, so I went to Emergency Hospital, and they would not give me SSRI'S because some people get more depressed taking them. But I take Half Doses of Ativan from my mother, and that helps a tiny bit calm me down and takes my headache away, but the ativan doesn't take it all away, which I know Ssri's do and I will continue talking to my counselor. My idea as of sunday is to take the Ativan, SSRI's, and Counseling. Any more comments is appreciated guys, your words mean alot to me and it helps. thanks again mary for the jon stewart tip, I already watch him, he is a funny *******. The slow breathing thing however, makes me feel like I am breathing out the cannibis crystals sometimes. So I breathe DEEPLY, instead of slowly, I have also noticed that, If I am going moderate to Fast, I feel fine. But when I go slow or Too fast, things trigger and activate. So please tell me if I should go with my Idea about all three, the 2 drug's and counseling. Thanks Guys :D

[JohnnyPanic]

I forgot to add, the reason why they wouldn't give me the ssri's on friday is also the fact, that I didn't have a follow up counselor or appointment to prescribe me, but now I do. So I will see how things play out. Add Your thoughts People. Your words matter more then you think. Thanks guys :)

[MaryShelley]

I hope you're feeling better today. I know doctors can be pretty conservative about prescribing SSRIs for younger people because of what you said, that they can sometimes make depression worse. Sounds like a good step that you have a follow-up appointment to help you out with a prescription.

I'm glad to hear you already watch Jon Stewart. He's hilarious.

[JohnnyPanic]

Thanks again Mary, Private message me your number so I can text you

[Skelly88]

Haha, I went through the SAME thing, smoked pot for about a week, then smoked again, and massive panic attack, thought I was gonna die.  

I'm 20 years old now, I smoked pot when I was maybe 18? 17?  who knows.

anyways, ever since then, i've had panic disorder / anxiety. (idk if they're the same)  anyways, if you take SSRI's you'll become a slave to them, and depend on them, see a psychologist, they helped me tons when I went to one, make sure you're really comfortable with the psychologist though, try some natural remedies too! hot tea is really relaxing, Green tea is amazing, the L-Theanine (google it, its amazing) content is whats so relaxing.

also, you can try some GABA, (go to amazon.com and check it out) you'll be fine, Use SSRI's as a last resort, they're effective, however, you'll become a slave to them. (thats just from my experience)

Just remember, if you have a big panic attack, its JUST a panic attack, thats all, its JUST an exteme adrenaline rush for the most part. :)  

we're all here for, you should come back to this site more, its like a ......medical myspace. haha. i love it.

[Skelly88]

Oh, and Idk what it is about hulu.com, but everytime i feel anxious, i goto hulu, hhahaha

[M4Y0U]

Hello there,

I smoked pot for maybe 10 years of my life ( i'm 22, do the math ). 4 months ago i started having anxiety and panic attacks and i just can't smoke pot anymore cause it's triggering panic attacks.

So yeah if you already suffering from anxiety don't smoke weed!

I liked smoking weed since it was making me calm and focused on what i was doing but now it's totally the opposite effect. So your panic attack and smoking session are totally linked and weed is bad for your health anyway so it's a good thing you can't smoke it.

See, weed is a tricky drug. It can boost the mood you were experiencing before smoking. So if i was playing a computer game and i was having fun then maybe i will have more fun and be more focused on my game. But if i'm anxious about going to that appointment and i smoke then i will feel more anxious and will make social interactions more difficult.

And it's even more tricky, a low dose of THC will not act as a strong dose of THC. A low dose can be really fun an euphoric and the high dose can make you feel really down and depressed.

So it's a tricky drug not for tricky people Johnny. If the hat fits you then don't smoke weed anymore.

I hope this wil help your understanding of weed and it's effects.

Best regards,
M4

[robrob76]

The same thing happened to me and i was smoking for at least a few years until i had my first full on panic attack..but then a few days later i did it again and i was fine..stoned but fine..then it happened again so i havent touched it since and that was over ten years ago but still have the panic attacks...bummer..

[JohnnyPanic]

Hey guys, I just wanted to let you know, I am never smoking again lets just throw that out their, you don't have to warn me about that, I wanted to say sorry that the ssri's ****** you up and made you dependent skelly88, They say it effects everybody differently so idk, but I will definitely not be taking them asap, my psychiatrist is a hot 24 year old female, so I enjoy my counceling sessions and she i very easy to talk with. Most of my panic attacks happen when I think about weed and **** or hang with stoners so, I try to avoid people, but almost everybody smokes, so it is hard to avoid everyone, I mean damn lol. So yeah I deal with it by telling myself, it is all in my head, because it is, and if I am really uptight, or am having a panic atack for more than an hour, I take a half dose of ativan, which works to some extent. I am VERY careful about prescription drugs that I put into my body, due to people with substance abuse problems, and the addictiveness to them. Thanks again people for the help.

[majoranxietypatient]

YO!!!
the exact same thing happened to me!!wow this is scary
First time high, got a MAJOR panic attack, thoughts of dying, going crazyyy, breathing problem, numbness of head, tingling in hands and feet! God it was a bad trip. I thought if this is what getting high means then thank you very much, i don't want it no matter how cool it looks. Sad way to find out you have an anxiety disorder. Especially when you start with the crazy things like 'omg im dying imgonadie die DIEEE! scaring the person/persons with you to think you are demented. What a way to lose a boyfriend, haha, he thought i was crazy and left me.Funny but sad.
So i came here because I get a high feeling all the time, literally, even though it was just a one time smoke up, I never did it ever again. Btw it was hash, i think, not marijuana, dunno if that makes a difference. Anyway, I have been having random panic attacks since then, and I can't even watch any horror movies anymore because even though i'm not scared when i'm watching them, but all those bloody gorey details come to mind when i'm panicking. Its so frustrating! i hateeee it, i went to the Doc he gave me an anti-depressant for anxiety. It was quite helpful but i learned that a side effect of that pill is weight gain so i stopped having it daily and have it only when its majorly needed.
Generally I'm a nervous and anxious person, and my palms are sweaty all the time and im constantly thinking about what others are thinking about me, so thats a lot of thinking, which causes anxiety which causes those bloody anxiety attacks. God! wish there was something I could do about the constant high feeling, its really bugging, and it makes it hard to concentrate on so many things.

[M4Y0U]

Hello there,

I don't know if you are interested in why anxiety and cannabis can happen i studied both GABA ( and cannabinoid receptors and i found a strong link between cannabis and anxiety.

Cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB 1) receptors are thought to be the most widely  expressed  G­ protein coupled receptors in the brain. This is due to endocannabinoid ­mediated  depolarization ­ induced suppression of inhibition , a very common form of short ­term  plasticity  in which the  depolarization of a single neuron induces a reduction in GABA ­mediated neurotransmission. Endocannabinoids released from the depolarized neuron bind to CB 1 receptors in the pre ­synaptic neuron and cause a reduction in GABA release.

And if for example you are taking an anti-anxiety med like those in the family of the benzodiazepines like Bromazepam, Xanax, Ativan etc. They are acting by affecting the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid. The anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) their effects are produced by the allosteric modification of a specific kind of neurotransmitter receptor, the GABAA receptor, which INCREASES the conductance of this inhibitory.

SO basically cannabis decreases and anti-anxiety meds increases. And i beleive this is why weed can cause you to have panic attack and anxiety if you are prone to anxiety.

Best regards
M4