anxiety- xanax and marijuana?

Hi i'm 21 and I had my first panic attack the other day out of no where and wanted to call 911 until I started reading about panic attacks and realized I had all the symptoms of one. The next couple days my chest hurt real bad and I had a lot of anxiety which I never had had before. I couldn't stop thinking about my breathing and my chest. I went to the doctor and of course he said everything was fine it was just anxiety and prescribed me xanax. I take about a 4th of a pill in the morning which makes me feel better and then when I start getting anxious at night I take about a half of one and it helps a lot. I have been scared to take more than that. I haven't been able to eat much at all and I have to force myself to eat. I used to smoke week a lot and I have been scared to smoke it. I tried the other day but it felt weird to blow it out and I got scared and anxious. Is it ok to smoke weed and use xanax together? It seems as if weed would be good for anxiety because it calms you down. I would rather use that then xanax because of it being so addicting but I'm scared to smoke again. I read some good and bad experiences of smoking weed with anxiety and I think the bad ones just scared me. I hate all these feelings and I just wish they would go away. I have a counseling appointment in a couple days and I hope that will help. Any advice? Especially about the marijuana and anxiety? Anything will help! Thank you!

[ava10]

Yes my first panic attack was when i was 17.  I was in my room and i was smoking a joint. then bam i had my first attack. I went tell my mom about it and she told me what was happen. Ever since then i never smoked again. But to my surpise the anxiety didn't go away.

[Tabitha22]

Well I had a lot of coffee that day and I don't normally drink coffee and I think that could have been apart of the attack. It started when I was getting ready to go to bed and then my chest hurt and I felt it was hard to breath and then it just spiraled from there. I don't think weed had anything to do with the attack because I would smoke it every day or every other day and never had that feeling before. I'm just anxious now because I'm scared. Anyone have any experiences or advice about marijuana and anxiety or just about anxiety in general? or even just about xanax? Anything will help

[MrGreen]

With weed you can have good trips and bad trips. Not that I smoke the stuff. Lord knows I know a lot of people who have ended up living on their nerves after smoking weed or some other subtances. Not talking big time drugs either. The sort of stuff you imagine is harmless. Well now they know it's not. It has screwed them up big time. So much for light drugs. It's a mugs game. At some point all smokers of the rubbish will end up the same. They have only themselves to blame.

[Prizma]

I think for everyone it's different. I've never smoked weed, don't care to. I have several friends that do--some do for anxiety. I've read up on weed and anxiety and most people will experience their first panic attack while smoking weed. I thought that a bit strange since I always thought weed was a downer/calmer.

If you're scared to smoke weed again, then don't smoke the weed! Seriously.. it was "cool" in the 60's but that was when the strains and potency of pot was definitely less than what it is now. There are so many varieties... and the THC content is more potent. Who knows what they combine/grow the varieties with. I don't recommend getting hooked on the xanax either. lol

Definitely try to look up other resources such as cognitive behavioural therapy, calming herbs (like Valerian, etc) and go from there. If at some point your anxiety becomes disabling to your every day life, then perhaps you'll have to try something stronger such as an SSRI.

[JSGeare]

You have 2 drugs here. One of them is medically precsribed and intended to help you chill when things get tough. The other is prescribed by people who make money selling it and is intended to make you feel so good you'll want to buy more. And more. Curiously enough, the one which is designed for and intended to have a beneficial therapeuctic effect is the one that people are uneasy about taking; whereas the recreational substance is somehow regarded as benign -that is, until you ingest some and get very wacky sensations.

Your question, framed, apparently, to get our permission to take the fun drug, portrays a concern not with health and a sound mind but rather with enjoying life while getting better with no real work on your part.

If you figure out how to make that work, then more power to you, and please enlighten the rest of us as to the magical combination; otherwise, spare a thought for the possibility that dope is so-named for a good reason. Sooner or later, you will probably discover that the exit from your anxiety and distress is not through drugs of whatever pedigree, but rather through work; until such time as you care to apply yourself to the task at hand, you will be for us an experiment in how to challenge a human brain. I am grateful for the demonstration but regret the loss of many good years of your life.

What's left of it, anyway.

[peggy64]

JS,

Excellant comment! Can't add anything to it.

[Omusicgame]

hmmmmm. everyones different Tabitha.  I mean, you can stay on the Xanax but smoking marijuana at the same time will mess u up.  Its like drinking at the same time while doing prozac.  You cant mix the two.  It'll take time, but you'll figure things out.  You'll find out what the problem is.

[ArcRendition]

Marijuana typically exaserbates anxiety though some smokers insist that it has anxiolytic properties.  Like any medication, marijuana affects people differently.  Although there is no documented pharmacologic contradictions between Xanax and marijuana, the two drugs may cause a contradictory effect.  Marijuana typically is contraindicated in patients experiecing symptoms of depression and anxiety.  Furthermore, noting the addictive potential of Xanax as a rationalization to use marijuana as the lesser of two perceived "evils"is not only dangerous and broken logic but may be indicative of a of a more substantial phycological descrepency that may need to be addressed by a professional.  

[Kasper87211]

First off, marijuana comes in MANY different strains. Sativas will you trip you out and cause anxiety almost 100% of the time if your prone to it.

Indicas are type of strains that give you a Body high and relaxes you. These Dominating indica strains cause no anxiety and may even help with it.

As far as mixing the 2, I don't think I would.

I can not handle sativa strains because i am anxiety prone and i worry a lot.
As far as indicas, they work well.

It's all about the strain and everyone is different. NOT ALL MJ is the same.
Dont bash it before you do your research.

[MayMayMeemers]

Nope,comming first hand experiance on pot and panic attacks...it makes you panic more not calm down...cause when you calm down and are high you think about things and it leads to an attack

[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

[smokerj]

Okay, I disagree with pretty much all of these comments.


First off, Marijuana comes from the earth. It is not tampered with as much as people like to talk about (at least if you buy high grade nugs from someone you trust). It is intended to get you high...of course. But it can have different effects for different people. I am prescribed Xanax as well. I actually take 1 mg a day. Don't be scared to smoke on it. I do it all the time. It actually just makes it easier on you. The Xanax makes it so you don't have a "bad trip." I usually pop a xanax an hour before I smoke, and then I blow one back...It's nice. It makes you calm. And I can bang out a 7-8 page paper on religious toleration in western civilization and learn foreign languages. Don't sweat it babe...do you! I promise you won't regret it.

[mimi888496]

Ive smoked weed every now and then and it was always fun. But I had my first maaaajor panic attack while smoking and it was terrible! I woke up the next day and was fine, but I swore id never smoke again. Then a few weeks later, i tried just one puff and it threw me into a week long anxiety attack. I couldnt eat for days,( have lost 30 lbs since then), kept trying to swallow and breathe but couldnt. I had to go to the dr to see what was wrong. She prescribed xanax. Now im afraid to smoke and afraid to take the meds bc they are addictive i hear. If i were to smoke weed and then if it gave me anxiety, take a xanax, what would the effect be? Would the xanax take away the weed-induced anxiety? Or would it make me feel even more loopy, anxious, and out of my head, a feeling that i hate and which caused the anxiety in the first place, i felt like i was beyond anything real or in this galaxy. Please tell me if itd get rid of that anxiety and how itd feel, or if i should just steer clear of weed altogether.

[fed4decriminalization]

what they experienced is marijuana laced with Methamphetamine which is bad stuff. Most marijuana that is smuggled into the U.S. is treated with chemicals (pesticides) that have long been banned for use on American soils and plants. These include DDT, chloridane, malathion, diazinon, fenthion and carbofuridan.  Also, the marijuana that comes from Mexico this year will most probably be laced with meth. Consumer beware!

[edgyboy]

this message is to smokerj,

Pal, you have no idea what you are talking about. maijuana has been proven to triigger anxiety in users. I am one that can testify to this claim.

Doing xanax before smoking? What is the propose of that combination. I really don't understand people sometime.

[Jmoore714]

You, my friend, are very ignorant. There are many successful marijuana smokers, you can't say all smokers end up the same. Good trips and bad trips? Too bad you don't "trip" at all from weed, unless you took a very large dose of edibles, which is a completely different drug compared to smoking, due to the liver converting active ingredients into Delta-11 THC instead of Delta-9 THC. I just graduated HS, i started smoking junior year. Since i started my grades,mood, and overall satisfaction with life has increased dramatically. My GPA was 3.56 before i started, and i was taking only one honors class. My final year, i took 3 AP classes, and an honors, and without trying i got two consecutive 4.0 GPAs. I just got accepted to the college of my dreams, as i saw many of my friends and peers get denied from the same school. Stop spreading disinformation about an amazing plant.
P.S. Bet you didn't know SEVERAL of the cannabinoids found in marijuana, including THC, and CBD, have been proven, in vivo, to stop the growth of cancerous tumors and even reduce the size of said tumors until they are completely gone. And they want you to believe there isn't a cure for cancer...

[Jmoore714]

my last message was meant towards dr. green

[Jmoore714]

The fact that potency increased is awesome. When you smoke weed, you get an instant body rush. This isn't getting high, this is getting poisoned from the Carbon monoxide and other carcinogens produced via combustion. Having more THC in your joint means you need less joints to get your desired affect, less joints=less combusted carcinogens. I vaporize my herb, which eliminates 99.9% of carcinogens and combustion by-products. If you are using marijuana, you NEED to get a vaporizer, and a quality one, not a hotbox pencil sharpener looking one. Also, there has NEVER been a case of someone who solely smokes marijuana (no nasty cigarettes) has EVER gotten cancer.

[Jmoore714]

You are very misinformed. You say only one of the drugs is used for profit? Trust me, every pharmaceutical is made by companies so they can PROFIT. The growers of marijuana might profit as well, but they don't always, some are nice people who help out other sick patients in need. The makers of pharmaceuticals are MUCH more driven by profits than growers of this plant. Please don't talk about stuff you clearly know NOTHING about, your are spreading disinformation.

[Jmoore714]

try an indica next time, as you clearly smoked a saliva. And don't do any psychedelic drug, yes marijuana is a mild psychedelic, without the right mindset. Marijuana is introspective, if you have been hiding your problems from yourself, expect to have them revealed.

[Fireflyeminem]

I've been having panic attacks since I was twelve zoloft works very well

[Fireflyeminem]

I've been having panic attacks since I was twelve zoloft works very well

[kickanxietysbutt]

OK...the obvious thing that comes to mind is to lay off the weed.  I am sorry, but I have zero empathy for anybody with anxiety who smokes pot.  I've been cursed with this for years, and have never done a drug in my life.  So many people on this site talk about how they use narcotics, and wonder why they are panicked.  MARIJUANA USE CAUSES ANXIETY.  

[AnotherIndividual]

Never taken a drug in your life, eh? No prescriptions.. no over the counter medications.. no coffee.. nothing, eh?

Interesting.

[kickanxietysbutt]

Narcotics, idiot.  And no, I don't use caffeine, don't smoke, don't use narcotics.  If you do illegal drugs, you're asking for trouble, and I have zero empathy for you.    

[Kridder13]

I smoked weed daily for a long time, smoking weed made me feel relaxed and happy. Until one night I smoked by myself and sat down to watch some TV. Out of nowhere my heart started pounding. I tried to breathe in and out to calm down but I didn't work. I went outside, drank a glass of water, and sat on my deck, that still didn't help. After that I convinced myself I was having a heart attack. I woke up my buddy to help me out and he told me to lay down and go to sleep. I woke up the next morning and i was fine. But til' this day I still have anxiety. I always feel like my heart is beating fast. The anxiety is the worst when i try to smoke weed, I get so scared that i'll panic when i smoke that i freak out every time I try to smoke. I got to the point where it wasn't worth the panic to get high. I feel depressed now that I cant smoke anymore and I don't know what to do.

[Logan90]

Depends on the strain. Do your research.

[nursegirl6572]

There are plenty of people who have used MJ with no ill effects.  However, there are plenty more who have experienced terrible anxiety and panic as a direct result of smoking MJ.  There are countless threads in this forum from people who have never been anxious in their lives, only to have anxiety triggered by smoking pot.  Sadly, the anxiety hangs around, even after only one episode.

For a person with anxiety, it is important to identify things that make anxiety worse.  For a lot of people, that includes MJ, alcohol, caffeiene, nicotine, etc.  Once triggers are identified, it is vital that a person avoids those things, in order to keep anxiety to a manageable level.  To know something makes your anxiety worse, and to continue to expose yourself to it is simply foolsih, and counterproductive.  For people who have no problems at all, that's super, but if a person who smokes MJ regularly to be having a hard time getting anxiety under control, they really would be smart to ask themselves what the connection is.

This doesn't have to be a debate about MJ...it's simply a fact that in MANY MANY cases, MJ exacerbates anxiety.  I know I personally am not a fan of rolling the dice when it comes to my anxiety, but everyone has to make that decision for themselves.  People come here for advice, and we give it....it's really as simple as that.  All one has to do is search the forum a little to find thread after thread where people describe how MJ has caused their anxiety.  That's enough for me.

Lastly, a reminder that we need to be respectful of one another.  There are rules about being rude and name calling on MH.  Actually, most of the posts on this thread would be reportable.  You can make your point without having to insult people of a different mindset.