pot made my heart race and sent me to the ER

[onequickmove]

ok, so i'm a med patient in socal; i get very good med stuff, and i REALLY don't think it is laced, it is just very very potent, i have some jedi (some trainwreck cross, and a lovely daytime smoke), and some bubba kush (very very heavy, sleepy, and the only strain to bug me mentally so far: one time gave me a ton of depression/self loathing)


anyway, so, one night i smoke the bubba and my heart races a bit; another time i smoke the jedi and it races a bit as well; then once i smoke (let me clarify: i'm using a vaporizer, the vapolution) and my heart starts really going; i ended up having my roomate take me to the ER; my heart was going 120 or so at most, and was over 100 for about an hour

they gave me an EKG and everything looked fine, but the heartbeat was fast, the drug they gave me to calm it (adaran or something?) didn't do anythin, and they discharged me pretty quick, saying "that heartbeat is nothing dangereous, it's not that fast and it's regular; you just got some bad pot" (i told the doc i smoked pot, medically, and thus no entanglements with cops or any such (though i was freakin on the way in that they would call the cops on me, even though i'm legal in cali, it freaked me)

anyway, i was REALLY scared; the funny thing is it didn't feel i was having an anxiety attack, though i guess it's possible i could have, i've been rather depressed and anxious lately, tough time in my life

i really thought i might die (so maybe that means i was having an anxiety attack but it lasted a LONG time), but the reason was that my heart was really racing, and it seemed that it was just because of the drug

so, this is a real bummer; i love pot and it's been very good to me previously; i'm a very casual smoker, but it helps me with anxiety, depression, chronic pain, sleeping etc. but now i'm off it and bummed about that

well, that's my verbose story; it was genuinly frightening; i'm 25 and i don't know if i've ever been that scared for my life; not even rock climbing some sketchy shit

[onequickmove]

oh, and i smoked both types before and they didn't bother my heart then, so i again don't think they're laced

[onequickmove]

oh, and another important thing: i've also been on vicoden lately for pain, and took a couple pills earlier that day

[Ganj]

Probably the most important thing came in one's third post! Although you say you've been on it lately? Are you prescribed to Vicodin? As you probably know, that can very well be the cause of your anxiety-attack or you're a hypochondriac? You say you're twenty-five years old? What do you do for a living? Do you have many friends? Are you currently in close-quarters with someone you might consider friend? More importantly, how are your relationships with the people around you?

[WeedyBoyWonder]

My cousin got extreme heart palpitations when she tried smoking cannabis the first time, which was enough to make her never want to try it again.
Sometimes after I hit a really phat bong with scuff, I go extremely hot and for a little while after my heart rate is really fast compared to normal which if I don't prepare myself for it will knock me back a few steps and I need to just chill out for a min or two.
I would suggest getting high gradually, I think that would stop your heart rate from going threw the roof.

[hatenme]

damn that sucks, but weed does raise ur heart rate..
you where just to high.. lol
Kush fucks you up.. bubba is good but try some og kush!!!Heavy HIGh. just dont die though.. lol :rastasmoke:

[wickerbill]

It's people like oqm that give the anti-cannabis sect ammunition, did you tell the MD that you were taking vicodin? Do everyone a favor and stop using weed.

[FlyGuyOU]

learn to focus and you'll be able to keep that shyt under control next time. similar stuff would happen to me, and likely lots others when i'd smoke a whole bunch of good stuff. then i recieved my jedi powers on facebook so its cool

[Markass]

another 'marijuana induced emergency room visit' for the prohibitionists :thumbsup:

[Sir Bliss]

I've been in somewhat similar situations, never that bad, but I understand what was happening. I would never tell anyone (especially a doctor) that it was 'caused by marijuana'. Not only does it give cannabis a bad name but it's just not true.

Just gotta chill out man.

[Purple Banana]

100-120 is not a seriously bad heart rate, especially because of cannabis/ect... While it's fine that you went to the emergency room (and no, they're not allowed to call the cops on you if you say you smoke pot), you really should sort out the anxiety and depression in your life. It can be really difficult, but it's worth it. I used to have anxiety attacks with only the physical feelings- butterflies in my stomach, adrenaline rushes throughout my body, and increased heart rate, while feeling no anxiety at all. It's a subconscious thing, I think?

Try to get everything sorted out, and I hope all goes well with ya :)

[SMOKEnCHOKE]

I have had this happen to me years back and I have seen it. I remember when I first started smoking it was all good the the first time I got BLAZED with some people who had been smoking years. I smoked 3-4 blunts then noticed my heart was beating fast then I started thinking I was going to die. Another time I smoked out a friend who had smoked once before and he said "my hearts going to explode, and I'm going blind, call an ambulance." Another friend I smoked out who had only smoked probably 7-8 times said his heart was beating to fast and thought he needed an ambulance. After that it never happened to them again I think it was just there first time being really really high and needed to calm down, I know thats what it was for me.

[StickyfingahZ]

I've had that before,But I dont go to Emergency Rooms.I have seen people come into the ER for using Marijuana and other drugs and thinking they were gonna die.
I do agree though,it makes people who dont know much about MJ think it's bad.

[WeedyBoyWonder]

"my hearts going to explode, and I'm going blind, call an ambulance."

hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhahahah, best quote of a quote ever :D. inless they were being serious :stoned:

[denial103]

onequickmove: cannabis does make the heart beat faster. It's said a good bit of cannabis makes the heart beat so vigorously it is equivalent to a quick jog..

Perhaps the problem is paranoia and that weed is just damn good ;-) - and you're getting a work out!

update: just seen you were taking other medicinal drugs, you know combining drugs can be dangerous; it's an ongoing research and I don't believe testing combinations of illegal drugs with legal ones is on the top of the medical association's TODO list!!

[Ganj]

I thought I was going to die like that once. Do you know what I did? I accepted it then I blacked out. I'm not even sure I'm alive to this day.

[Weedhound]

We're still wondering as well.........:D

[Unknownfigure]

onequickmove, I would agree with the others in that your Vicodin prescription had something to do with it. And if not that, I know for sure your depression did. Not too long ago was I going through a traumatic time in my life, I was extremely depressed and slightly worried about everyone around me. Mary Jane was the only thing that could keep me sane. Bud had helped me maintain my mind during this time. However, I am the type of person that thinks ALOT. So it was a mistake for me to smoke my own shit when I was alone... I started thinking bad thoughts. My depression kicked in. I felt like shit, and I started thinking everyone close to me was suffering because of me. I had basically a train of these types of thoughts. My own heart started racing, basically because I was overcome by my own emotions. Hoping to calm my mind, I popped a few pills(wont name them, don't want to be slapped with a drug warning). To make a long story shorter, I nearly committed suicide that night.


If you have depression so severe it can lead to that, that is the probable cause for your heart rate. This effects your body in many ways, and when you are high, your thoughts govern how the high is, and have a say in what you feel. If you have scary thoughts, you will freak out. Your heartbeat will raise. If you feel like dying, the same will happen, mainly because you realize that it might be your last night to live.


Of course, I honestly do hope your depression isn't severe enough to have these effects on you. Just listing a possibility... I know it can be a very dangerous thing, and I hope you can work through it.

(Oh yeah, and it wasnt the weed that made me want to commit suicide, it was the pills. I had about three different kinds, one of which was a powerful antidepressant, ironically... So yeah, popping bars is not smart.)

[FUNKNUGGET]

i remember this happening to me as a youngster.... the pot was called spacebud and it was too much for my young lungs to take and i freaked out for like 20 min but then i ate some cookie crisp and felt fine haha

[Dave Byrd]

Not sure why the long post about Vicodin effects since that's available all over to anyone who can use Google.

I'm here to tell you that cannabis causes sinus tach (racing regular heartbeat) in plenty of folks. We see the "weedbie jeebies" in the ER routinely when we're on call. So can Vicodin especially when people take too much of it or use it recreationally in large doses. Or when they combine it with ethanol or other substances that can do the same thing, like cannabis.

If it happens again to you with a small amount of cannabis, OneQuick, try two things if your heart begins to race. Hold your breath briefly and strain like you're about to cough hard or push out a hard BM. (No need to cough or poop. Just make the straining movement with your abdomen.) Then release the strain and breathe in and out slowly and deeply. Inhale for a 7 to 10 second count through your nose. Exhale for a 7 to 10 second count through your mouth. Repeat that in-out breathing 20 times. It may be hard at first, but concentrate on that slow breathing. Then strain again and repeat the breathing cycle.

Keep doing that till your tachycardia slows down. It will slow down, and even if it doesn't the tach won't kill you. You'll help yourself get more air as it's happening.

That'll save you a $1,750 ER bill next time. Feel free to recommend this to your friends. It's our standard protocol for weedbie jeebie treatment in Plano, Texas, and I haven't yet seen an instance where it hasn't worked unless there are way too many other chemicals involved.

This treatment may come in handy later, too, if you run across a woman--maybe your wife--having a baby the regular way instead of by Cesarean. Only they'll call it Lamaze breathing/pushing in Labor/Delivery. They'll charge you way more than $1,750 to assist with that, so both you and the mama might want to take those breaths together.

[Purple Banana]

Not sure why the long post about Vicodin effects since that's available all over to anyone who can use Google.

I'm here to tell you that cannabis causes sinus tach (racing regular heartbeat) in plenty of folks. We see the "weedbie jeebies" in the ER routinely when we're on call. So can Vicodin especially when people take too much of it or use it recreationally in large doses. Or when they combine it with ethanol or other substances that can do the same thing, like cannabis.

If it happens again to you with a small amount of cannabis, OneQuick, try two things if your heart begins to race. Hold your breath briefly and strain like you're about to cough hard or push out a hard BM. (No need to cough or poop. Just make the straining movement with your abdomen.) Then release the strain and breathe in and out slowly and deeply. Inhale for a 7 to 10 second count through your nose. Exhale for a 7 to 10 second count through your mouth. Repeat that in-out breathing 20 times. It may be hard at first, but concentrate on that slow breathing. Then strain again and repeat the breathing cycle.

Keep doing that till your tachycardia slows down. It will slow down, and even if it doesn't the tach won't kill you. You'll help yourself get more air as it's happening.

That'll save you a $1,750 ER bill next time. Feel free to recommend this to your friends. It's our standard protocol for weedbie jeebie treatment in Plano, Texas, and I haven't yet seen an instance where it hasn't worked unless there are way too many other chemicals involved.

This treatment may come in handy later, too, if you run across a woman--maybe your wife--having a baby the regular way instead of by Cesarean. Only they'll call it Lamaze breathing/pushing in Labor/Delivery. They'll charge you way more than $1,750 to assist with that, so both you and the mama might want to take those breaths together.


Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the vagus nerve release acetylcholine, thus being responsible for the decrease in heart rate/blood pressure? I think I remember some of the mechanisms in a class I took a while ago...

We had a patient one time who had recurring vasovagal syncope because he was bearing down too hard (he was constipated) and the physicians couldn't understand why he kept passing out during or after he went to the bathroom... I remembered the lecture about vasovagal syncope when I was in high school A&P, and sheepishly suggested it to the doctor, who had one of those epiphonical expressions on his face, and then gave me a big grin :)

[Dave Byrd]

You are correct, ma'am. I'm telling you, dear, you need to stick with medicine. You've got it going on. Yeah, and it's the vagal activation from the Valsalva maneuver, the strain, that can often help slow a harmless spell of tachycardia. Carotid sinus massage will sometimes do the same thing. Trouble is you really need someone who knows where it is to do that for a patient.

Let me guess. The doc who had the epiphany wasn't a cardiologist, was he? Had that patient been taking an anticholinergic drug that had caused the constipation, by any chance?

I got a somewhat old FreeStyle glucometer today from one of my pharm reps. She said it was probably four years old and had been used for demonstrations. I don't have any test strips for it but can easily get those. The bigger problem is its batteries. It has these two tiny 4A batteries that are hard as heck to find replacements for. However it may be our best option until I get to know the new batch of reps who're coming into the office a little better. They always send a new set of reps in January or shift the old ones someplace else. Are you in a hurry for this one? Would it be OK if I held out a little longer to see if we there might be a newer one? You didn't sound as if you're tipping over into hyperglycemic territory the last time I read your testing results here.

[SMOKEnCHOKE]

hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhahahah, best quote of a quote ever :D. inless they were being serious :stoned:

He thought he was being serious. I tried to help by flicking the lights on and off.

[Purple Banana]

You are correct, ma'am. I'm telling you, dear, you need to stick with medicine. You've got it going on. Yeah, and it's the vagal activation from the Valsalva maneuver, the strain, that can often help slow a harmless spell of tachycardia. Carotid sinus massage will sometimes do the same thing. Trouble is you really need someone who knows where it is to do that for a patient.

Let me guess. The doc who had the epiphany wasn't a cardiologist, was he? Had that patient been taking an anticholinergic drug that had caused the constipation, by any chance?

I got a somewhat old FreeStyle glucometer today from one of my pharm reps. She said it was probably four years old and had been used for demonstrations. I don't have any test strips for it but can easily get those. The bigger problem is its batteries. It has these two tiny 4A batteries that are hard as heck to find replacements for. However it may be our best option until I get to know the new batch of reps who're coming into the office a little better. They always send a new set of reps in January or shift the old ones someplace else. Are you in a hurry for this one? Would it be OK if I held out a little longer to see if we there might be a newer one? You didn't sound as if you're tipping over into hyperglycemic territory the last time I read your testing results here.


I'm still thinking about a career in medicine, I'm not sure. I'd like to do something with neurology, but I don't know. That's fine if you want to hold out a bit longer, it's wonderful that you're doing this for me anyway, take your time :)

He was a Hospitalist, I think just internal medicine kind of stuff, general practice... He looked kind of embarassed too, because all of then nurses at the bedside kind of chuckled and held back laughter, but he's fresh out of residency, so that kind of made sense. He's pretty nice, though :)

[yiGity]

theres one way that you have to look at anxiety; its all in your head.. some people just let there anxiety take control of themselves and leave them hopeless without trying to deal with at the source.. i used to get anxiety when i was going through some tough times and it would just make me feel depressed and not want to do anything but make me worry and trip out... i had a homie that took zanex for his anxiety and he got hooked real quick so i definately didnt want to go down that path.. i had a talk with a licensed physcian about my anxiety and he told me straight up its a lot to do with your mental state and how your coping with your problems.. even when i smoked during these times it seemed to just make the anxiety and panicy feeling even worse and this was something that ive never experienced in my young life... anyways ive just learned that i needed to control my emotions the best i could take deep breaths to regulate my breathing when im feeling that anxiety coming upon me, even just a casual talk with a complete stranger would help ease it off and keep my mind occupied on something different.. everybody is different, but trying to cope with it and not let it get the best of me has helped the anxiety ease off.. i still get that feeling every once in a while, but definately not to the severity as before, staying active and healthy is a good way to keep your mind on the brighter side of things and just make yourself feel better about yourself... now a days i just keep it real when i smoke; keeps me stress free and i keep my head up lookin towards the better things yet to come.. i know how it is when shits going rough and your head is fucking with you, just have to man up and make a change...

stay up:rastasmoke:

[Ghengis Chron]

I have the same problem. I just can't enjoy getting high like i used to be able to. It's weird. There's nothing physically wrong with me, went to the doctor when it first started happening. had my lung capacity checked, got lung xrays, all inconclusive. So i figure it's gotta be subconscience. I mean, i am 20 and i still live with my parents (only till august though...god i can't wait to move out)

I think i'm just anxious to start my life. and that's what is causing my strong heart beat and all that crap. But since this happened, i noticed i didn't need to smoke as much as i did

I grew to have a dependence on smoking, if i had some, as soon as i woke up in the morning i'de smoke it. if i didn't have any, i'de scrape my bowl. sometimes the thought of not smoking before bed made me anxious. but when this shit first happened, i took a two month break. it was tough sleeping 2 months without weed, but i did it and i'm good now, just don't smoke as much and that's alright.

[angry nomad]

You cannot OD from marijuana. Might be common knowledge to most of us, but just wanted to point that out, in case anyone didn't know.

[olliegrow]

Humm..I started a whole post on this heart or anxiety issue..Ive talked to numerouse doctors, some pro marijuana and some against it and they all said that chronic use has affects on the brain, heart and nervouse system. Ive learned that even if you use it for a medicine you have to take breaks from day to day,I mean a couple dry days is good as long as you have other meds. This is especially true if you are smoking high grade with higher amounts of THC. Marijuana can be abused just like anything else, moderation is the key, I know some will hate to hear this but a waker and bake everyday for years IS going to affect you eventually in a negative way! Ive smoked non stop for years and one day, like a train, my heart rate went up, my blood pressure was over 160, i was sweating from my palms, my forehead and my feet..i mean dripping sweat! I was trembling all over and couldnt stop, I stayed like this for about 12 hours before i went to the ER. I felt like i was gonna die, it took the medical staff a couple hour and lots of injections to calm be down and it wasnt in my head! My doctor said if i had waited any longer I would have had a sezuire! I have no other medical problems and wasnt on any perscription drugs, it was the over use of marijuana(chronic use). Like i said earlier, too much of anything is bad! I still smoke but i have to take daily breaks so my system isnt over loaded...Peace and be Safe...Respect our Herb!!

[yiGity]

true true.. ive been clean of smoking for these past two weeks and honestly im feeling really goood with a clear head and my lungs are clearin out as well.. jus gettin myself together these days:cool:

[SMOKEnCHOKE]

ahahahahahahah, oh man, i dunno if you're serious here either, but lmao. THIS MAN IS DIEING! QUICK, THE LIGHTS!

Serious yet agian. Next time I smoke someone out for the first time I'm gonna video it. The light trick may have not been the best way to help but in the end everyone got a good laugh, even him. :jointsmile:

BTW Weedboy: Sweet ass avatar :thumbsup:

[CheeseOnToast]

Did you have a lot of caffene in your system at the time?
I sometimes get a racing heartbeat & breathlessness from caffene (>= 2-300mg) & weed ( only when smoking a LOT )

[veggii]

you know i find it very disturbing that a couple poster's in this thread stated that there is nothing physically wrong with them.
but yet they were able too see a doctor and get a recomendation
for medical 420 ?? !!so they just lie'd to thier doctor and he did'nt check their medical records!! this is what is wrong with prop215
these people and others just like them need there recomendation's revoked!! cause like they stated
(There's nothing physically wrong with me):wtf:

[13Lack]

another 'marijuana induced emergency room visit' for the prohibitionists :thumbsup:


I didn't want to say it....but I agree.

[jchap]

panic attacs - paranoia etc is all in the head

when you know this it doesn't seem so bad

just think to yourself that it's a normal un life threatening reaction to mj

and get used to the feeling, after a while problem goes

MJ never killed anybody (apart from run over )

you can get stuck in a vicious circle if you keep freaking about fast hearbeat

lsd used to do the old im having a heat attack to me (v scary)

but no body died from lsd either :thumbsup: :edit: apart from people who think they can fly

[ojitos1985]

holy jesus, i readed this entire thread, and i thought i was the only one...

the first time i smoked a little and i didnt feel anything, the second time i smoked 2 joints of leaves and i ended up calling a fucking ambulance, by luck i said it was a low pressure shit and they just give me tips.... i smoked alone and belive me man i thought i was gonna die and my heart were exploding, in fact i really wanted to be dead instaed if that situation, i dont know why i felt so so many adrenaline running up my entire body and in the same way i didnt feel my body at all even my arms, i thought that some shit were erasing me from existance

and yesterday i smoked some potent afgani, just one time, and i felt the same shit, kinda paranoid and the feeling of dying, by luck a friend were close and i called her so i calmed down really good.

I said to my self, what tha hell is this weed that i grew so potent or something so i decided testing with someone that have smoked a lot, and this is fucking funny.... "From the same joint that gave me this experience"...he smoked it entirely and so fast and he said it was the best shit he ever smoked, he were wasted but so funny, and me so dying and anxious....


please give me some tips guys i want to enjoy the weed and not feel this dying anxious effect

[NaughtyDreadz]

I thought I was going to die like that once. Do you know what I did? I accepted it then I blacked out. I'm not even sure I'm alive to this day.

this is all in your head man.... you're still blacked out there... with your pants around your ankles... :hippy:

[painretreat]

in the ER kids come in all the time with their heart racing from pot--especially when they were put out the scare in the 70's of spraying crops! Seems it might be more age related. Plus, why was this guy on Vicodin and MMJ; perhaps his original condition caused a lot of this. A heart rate 120 isn't too bad for a kid with "problems!" The ER never calls the cops, unless you bring a lot of the stuff in with you and then, the doc might want to keep it! we r 2 busy to worry about a legal user! A racing heart is a concern, if u don't know the cause! Heck, u can hold your breathe and put your face in ice water too--but then the ER doesn't get the fee! Whatever is going on mentally can effect anyone physically and ER's don't have shrinks in them! My heart gets to 120 every time I back up into something in my car!

[Gorlax]

I hope you know that marijuana increases heart rate. So smoking it will increase your heart rate while under the influence atleast for a little while. Mixed with anxiety I think you just had a panic attack.

[blaze_it]

This is panic attack. I quit smoking because I got these. But I think if you really wanted to you could over come them by not smoking as much and being in a calm environment.

I' am all for the legalization of marijuana, and when people say that situations like this don't help they are wrong, because the more doctors know about marijuana the more realistic it will be on the drug market.

[ojitos1985]

Damn, i almost readed the entire internet on panick attacks, and now i have found that i really had these from smoking weed, i shocked really bad the first time i got one.

could be the strain indica/sativa dude?? because one of the trigger that freaked out me, was the feeling that i didnt feel my arms, and they went pretty numb, like i didnt have them anyway i could move them.. i know sounds pretty stupid but it is like that.

[painretreat]

ok, so i'm a med patient in socal; i get very good med stuff, and i REALLY don't think it is laced, it is just very very potent, i have some jedi (some trainwreck cross, and a lovely daytime smoke), and some bubba kush (very very heavy, sleepy, and the only strain to bug me mentally so far: one time gave me a ton of depression/self loathing)


anyway, so, one night i smoke the bubba and my heart races a bit; another time i smoke the jedi and it races a bit as well; then once i smoke (let me clarify: i'm using a vaporizer, the vapolution) and my heart starts really going; i ended up having my roomate take me to the ER; my heart was going 120 or so at most, and was over 100 for about an hour

they gave me an EKG and everything looked fine, but the heartbeat was fast, the drug they gave me to calm it (adaran or something?) didn't do anythin, and they discharged me pretty quick, saying "that heartbeat is nothing dangereous, it's not that fast and it's regular; you just got some bad pot" (i told the doc i smoked pot, medically, and thus no entanglements with cops or any such (though i was freakin on the way in that they would call the cops on me, even though i'm legal in cali, it freaked me)

anyway, i was REALLY scared; the funny thing is it didn't feel i was having an anxiety attack, though i guess it's possible i could have, i've been rather depressed and anxious lately, tough time in my life

i really thought i might die (so maybe that means i was having an anxiety attack but it lasted a LONG time), but the reason was that my heart was really racing, and it seemed that it was just because of the drug

so, this is a real bummer; i love pot and it's been very good to me previously; i'm a very casual smoker, but it helps me with anxiety, depression, chronic pain, sleeping etc. but now i'm off it and bummed about that

well, that's my verbose story; it was genuinly frightening; i'm 25 and i don't know if i've ever been that scared for my life; not even rock climbing some sketchy shit
is this the thread that was answered by Rgirl:) and Stinky about going to the dentist? Which was the best advice, like go back to Dr. that prescribed the Vicodin! As if it were an infection in a tooth an infection could cause your pulse to increase! And to go back to dentist, which u did and got antibiotics. these get all blurred after a lot of reading. Good luck! surely it is resolved by now! best of luck!:(