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Vision problems after trying cannabis to relieve anxiety disoder
Hi everybody, this has been bothering me for 2 months now so I would really appreciate all the advice I can get.
Im 21 and I suffer GAD anxiety disoder, and as mentioned 2 months I tried some cannabis (mixed with something a probbably) with a few friends to just generally relax and see if it helped with my negative thoughts.
But, soon after consuming the 7/8 puffs the enormity and stupidness of what I was doing began to hit me, and my anxiety beame much worse with me thinking along the lines that I would die. I also had a couple of panic attacks within the 24 hours after consumption.
And, during all of this when I first started to notice changes in my vision. It started with seeing a lot of floaters and tiny flashes in my field of vision and I had trouble focusing my eyes. But, in recent weeks I actually noticed that my left eye has turned in a little bit and I have developed a small squint. I'm not imaging this but as a consequence my head and my body is slightly titled to the left when looking straight. Also my eyes often feel tight and when correcting my posture to be in line with my vision they tend to close.
I've had a couple of eye tests that have included retinal photography and ocular pressure checks, and everything in those areas seems to be fine. The optician hasn't been able to notice the squint, but suggests maybe a specialist can undercover the problem.
I suppose at the end of the day......my question is.....has the cannabis mixed with the fact I have GAD( already abnormal brain chemistry) created this effect and messed up my eye alignment? In other words has the cannabis done something with my receptors and chemicals controlling eye movement? Or could the squint or vision problems be a result of the panic attacks I suffered?
The reason I think this might also be a question for neurology.......is because I've had some symptons that have been on and off and could be down to the anxiety but also something else?
I've also had palpitations, little tingles and occasionaly shooting pains in the head and sometimes low level ringing in the ears. And, believe it or not......a small round and moveable cyst has also developed on my scalp. I've had blood tests which have come back normal.......but do I need an MRI scan?
I'm lost for words and this feel as if I've ruined my life.
Im 21 and I suffer GAD anxiety disoder, and as mentioned 2 months I tried some cannabis (mixed with something a probbably) with a few friends to just generally relax and see if it helped with my negative thoughts.
But, soon after consuming the 7/8 puffs the enormity and stupidness of what I was doing began to hit me, and my anxiety beame much worse with me thinking along the lines that I would die. I also had a couple of panic attacks within the 24 hours after consumption.
And, during all of this when I first started to notice changes in my vision. It started with seeing a lot of floaters and tiny flashes in my field of vision and I had trouble focusing my eyes. But, in recent weeks I actually noticed that my left eye has turned in a little bit and I have developed a small squint. I'm not imaging this but as a consequence my head and my body is slightly titled to the left when looking straight. Also my eyes often feel tight and when correcting my posture to be in line with my vision they tend to close.
I've had a couple of eye tests that have included retinal photography and ocular pressure checks, and everything in those areas seems to be fine. The optician hasn't been able to notice the squint, but suggests maybe a specialist can undercover the problem.
I suppose at the end of the day......my question is.....has the cannabis mixed with the fact I have GAD( already abnormal brain chemistry) created this effect and messed up my eye alignment? In other words has the cannabis done something with my receptors and chemicals controlling eye movement? Or could the squint or vision problems be a result of the panic attacks I suffered?
The reason I think this might also be a question for neurology.......is because I've had some symptons that have been on and off and could be down to the anxiety but also something else?
I've also had palpitations, little tingles and occasionaly shooting pains in the head and sometimes low level ringing in the ears. And, believe it or not......a small round and moveable cyst has also developed on my scalp. I've had blood tests which have come back normal.......but do I need an MRI scan?
I'm lost for words and this feel as if I've ruined my life.
I don't know where you live if Medical Marijuana is legal, but if so you may want to get a card and try eating it, e.g. in brownies, cookies, tea etc.,.because the feeling is way different than smoking. Also if your doctor gives you a benzodiazapine for anxiety please be careful not to take it more than once a week, as benzos are very addictive and very painful to get off once started... If possible do slow breathing, breathe in slowly through your nose ,as the air fills up let it fill in your lower tummy, not your lungs.. put your hand over your tummy and if you fill it rising you are doing it the correct way.. then hold about 5-6 seconds and blow out slowly through your mouth with pursed lips and again let the air release thru your lower part of your belly... also stay busy to keep your mind off negatives, maybe take up a new hobby!
I hope all goes well with your eye and your anxiety!
Cheers.
I hope all goes well with your eye and your anxiety!
Cheers.
Hi Niclas,
Just get you some better tranquilizers and have an eye specilalist figure out your eye. It's probably just a little infection that has swollen your eye up and is making it turn funny. People get eye infections all the time. You can put PLAIN saline drops in it, then dab it with cool damp kleenex, until you can see the opthalmologist, and aspirin will reduce any inflammation in it. Next time you get nervous or get to feeling that heart flip-flop, take a real deep breath, blow it out, breathe normally in between a few times, do this ten times, knocks back the anxiety.
It was not smoking marijuana that did this to you, or anything that might have been in it. You had a normal mental reaction to it, as many people do. Also, since the stuff isn't legalized, you don't know how potent a batch is, and sometimes that too much can give you anxiety, doom and gloom, paranoia. I might add, to help your GAD, consider getting into a salsa or swing dance class, being around other people and the exercise will build your self-confidence, it'll take your mind off things... but you might want to get that eye treated first or you might bump into the other dancers! Hang in.
GG
Just get you some better tranquilizers and have an eye specilalist figure out your eye. It's probably just a little infection that has swollen your eye up and is making it turn funny. People get eye infections all the time. You can put PLAIN saline drops in it, then dab it with cool damp kleenex, until you can see the opthalmologist, and aspirin will reduce any inflammation in it. Next time you get nervous or get to feeling that heart flip-flop, take a real deep breath, blow it out, breathe normally in between a few times, do this ten times, knocks back the anxiety.
It was not smoking marijuana that did this to you, or anything that might have been in it. You had a normal mental reaction to it, as many people do. Also, since the stuff isn't legalized, you don't know how potent a batch is, and sometimes that too much can give you anxiety, doom and gloom, paranoia. I might add, to help your GAD, consider getting into a salsa or swing dance class, being around other people and the exercise will build your self-confidence, it'll take your mind off things... but you might want to get that eye treated first or you might bump into the other dancers! Hang in.
GG
hey,
yes thank you that was very helpful....and thoughtful of you to fit in as much as could in that reply.
I'm still very worried, and feel awful...but hopefully in the long run things will get better. My symptoms are still a bit of a mystery to me.
yes thank you that was very helpful....and thoughtful of you to fit in as much as could in that reply.
I'm still very worried, and feel awful...but hopefully in the long run things will get better. My symptoms are still a bit of a mystery to me.
Niclas,
First of all, you can relax about marijuana doing this eye thing to you! The temporary anxiety increase can indeed be caused by smoking pot, but no way on the eye situation. So, I have several ideas about how come you got your new eye "condition."
First, when an eye does what yours is doing, where you have to tilt your head to see correctly, that is an eye muscle problem for an opthalmologist, which is diff from the optometrist you visited. Normally people are born with a weak eye muscle, but it can also happen for various reasons in adults. So, go see an expert in eye disorders to get your vision straight.
As for your other sorts of symptoms, medications can do those things to you, OR whatever is goofing up your eye, like an infection perhaps, can cause your symptoms. Also, people who are anxious often have a heartbeat that is irregular, and this can cause the other symptoms you have (but not the eye). I would suggest you visit whomever is treating you for generalized anxiety disorder and have them review your medicines and change them or add to them. I have panic disorder from a car accident, I have to take the tranquilizer Klonopin all the time, even after a year of exposure therapy (I was afraid of cars and then other things related to the accident).
As for the cyst on your head, that's one for the dermatologist! I get them on my head and other parts of my body, I have a regular dermatologist who sees me, just like a relative of mine does. He'll freeze any bumps off there and they'll be gone.
On the smoking dope thing, I used to smoke it many years ago, and I always got paranoid on the stuff, and my husband is the same way, so we didn't partake in the old days as much as our friends did. So, you too have to not smoke it again. BUT if your psych doc will give you something to relax you rather better than what you're taking now, then THAT will be just as good as any old weed. The fact that you felt you needed to smoke demonstrates clearly that you need better drugs. If you are not seeing a doc regularly for GAD meds, then go to the county psychology clinic, they have psychiatrists, psychologists, and sociologists, and they want nothing more than to help someone like you.
Hope this helps, and feel free to ask any further questions or advice you wish. I know how awful you feel and how hard it is to handle anything out of the ordinary.
GG
First of all, you can relax about marijuana doing this eye thing to you! The temporary anxiety increase can indeed be caused by smoking pot, but no way on the eye situation. So, I have several ideas about how come you got your new eye "condition."
First, when an eye does what yours is doing, where you have to tilt your head to see correctly, that is an eye muscle problem for an opthalmologist, which is diff from the optometrist you visited. Normally people are born with a weak eye muscle, but it can also happen for various reasons in adults. So, go see an expert in eye disorders to get your vision straight.
As for your other sorts of symptoms, medications can do those things to you, OR whatever is goofing up your eye, like an infection perhaps, can cause your symptoms. Also, people who are anxious often have a heartbeat that is irregular, and this can cause the other symptoms you have (but not the eye). I would suggest you visit whomever is treating you for generalized anxiety disorder and have them review your medicines and change them or add to them. I have panic disorder from a car accident, I have to take the tranquilizer Klonopin all the time, even after a year of exposure therapy (I was afraid of cars and then other things related to the accident).
As for the cyst on your head, that's one for the dermatologist! I get them on my head and other parts of my body, I have a regular dermatologist who sees me, just like a relative of mine does. He'll freeze any bumps off there and they'll be gone.
On the smoking dope thing, I used to smoke it many years ago, and I always got paranoid on the stuff, and my husband is the same way, so we didn't partake in the old days as much as our friends did. So, you too have to not smoke it again. BUT if your psych doc will give you something to relax you rather better than what you're taking now, then THAT will be just as good as any old weed. The fact that you felt you needed to smoke demonstrates clearly that you need better drugs. If you are not seeing a doc regularly for GAD meds, then go to the county psychology clinic, they have psychiatrists, psychologists, and sociologists, and they want nothing more than to help someone like you.
Hope this helps, and feel free to ask any further questions or advice you wish. I know how awful you feel and how hard it is to handle anything out of the ordinary.
GG
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