Help dealing with effects of pot

Hello, I was wondering if someone might be able to give me some insight into the types of highs I have been experiencing over the last year. I've been smoking for about five years. There was a period of about two years where I blazed almost everyday. I would get really stoned, enjoy my high, eat something, pass out, and sleep like a champ. It was great.

About this time last year I got really sick and had to go to the hospital. It was just a really severe case of the flu but i had a lot of nasty shit building up in my lungs. They gave me some prednisone and I was out of the hospital in a few days feeling fine. During this period I obviously wasn't smoking. When I stopped taking the prednisone, I started experiencing panic attacks for the first time in my life. It was due to the withdrawal of the drug. I wasn't properly weened off of it. When i would try to sleep, my heart would start beating so fast i thought I was going to have a heart attack. I was always so anxious, twitchy, and edgy. They had to give me xanax just so i could sleep at night. Anyway it took about a month for my body to get right, but I've never been the same. I get very anxious and get a tingling feeling in my chest from time to time.

It was about two months before i smoked again, and I 've had mixed results. I just can't seem to enjoy it anymore. I just get really anxious and paranoid now, and when i try to sleep, I can't because my mind is so active and won't shut up. I have a feeling it's the bud I've been getting, because there are have been a few times where it's been alright when i've smoked someone else's pot. But i've been getting from the same people for years, and they always have good shit. The last time i picked up, my guy said it was "pineapple." I doubt it was, but it still looked top quality. But i can't take a hit of that stuff without feeling that anxious feeling. My tolerance for weed has never been high, even when i smoked every day it didn't take much to get me high, so I normally never smoke more than 1 bowl. I like smoking, but it's been like a month now since I've done it because i don't like the types of high i get. My girlfriend is from canada and she think it's the bud here in Miami because. She claims that Canadian bud is much stronger and gives you that mellow giggly high that I miss and love. I am going to visit her in Toronto this month and we're going to the freedom march. I really want to blaze with her, but not if i am just gonna get paranoid or freak out.

So is it all in my head? or does the type of bud make that difference? Are different people just more or less sensitive to different strains?

Prednisone is a steroid (an analog of adrenalin) and messes with the hormone balances in your body.

From the Merk Manual:

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Dependency

Adrenal suppression will occur if prednisone is taken for longer than 7 days. This will cause the body to lose the ability to synthesize natural corticosteroids, resulting in dependence on prednisone. For this reason, prednisone should not be abruptly stopped if taken for more than seven days, and instead, the dosage should be gradually reduced. This weaning process may be over a few days if the course of prednisone was short, but may take weeks or months if the patient had been on long-term treatment. Abrupt withdrawal may lead to an Addisonian crisis. For those on chronic therapy, alternate-day dosing may preserve adrenal function, thereby reducing side-effects.[4]

Glucocorticoids act to feedback inhibit both the hypothalamus (decreasing Corticotropin-releasing hormone [CRH]) and corticotrophs in the anterior pituitary gland (decreasing the amount of Adrenocorticotropic hormone [ACTH]). For this reason exogenous glucocorticoid analogues down-regulate the body's ability to naturally produce glucocorticoids. This mechanism leads to dependence in a short time and can be very dangerous if medications are withdrawn too quickly. The body must have time to begin synthesis of CRH and ACTH and for the adrenal glands to begin functioning normally again.

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It may take quite some time for you system to regain it's center again, until then stick to indica "couch lock" varieties and you will be more in a more relaxed zone with your smoking.

definately start smoking indica strains as they have more relaxing highs. Also mersh, which is that weed which is compressed into block and is very dry often with seeds in, normally made in jamaica. This stuff isn't that strong but gives a mellow, chilled out high. Its also a lot cheaper than skunk but you may find it hard getting your hands on some depending on your contacts. If you do manage to get some make sure you pick all the seeds out of it before you smoke it becuase the seeds give really, really bad head aches !!

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Originally Posted by Loki2176

I just get really anxious and paranoid now, and when i try to sleep, I can't because my mind is so active and won't shut up.

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Honestly, this happens to me every time i smoke.
when I was young i used to laugh, get hungry, sleep.
now its just like your quote. Except there is something about it that still makes me like it. I smoke now because it helps me study. I miss the old days when it would make me sleep. Now it makes my mind race like crazy. I get really anxious and think of all my negative qualities. That might be why I like it. Maybe it is helping me in a Spiritual way.
You could try some different strains. Yet for me, I still have not found one that reminds me of 15 years ago.

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Honestly, this happens to me every time i smoke.
when I was young i used to laugh, get hungry, sleep.
now its just like your quote. Except there is something about it that still makes me like it. I smoke now because it helps me study. I miss the old days when it would make me sleep. Now it makes my mind race like crazy. I get really anxious and think of all my negative qualities. That might be why I like it. Maybe it is helping me in a Spiritual way.
You could try some different strains. Yet for me, I still have not found one that reminds me of 15 years ago.

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Hmmm.... I'm way over 60 and it hasn't happened yet.

At what age does it start affecting one this way?

O.P. I re-read your first post. If your "connect" is calling it "pineapple" it is very likely C99, a strain that will induce a bit of paranoia in even very jaded smokers! Ask him for something a bit more "chilled" (LOL).

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Originally Posted by HavaTok

Hmmm.... I'm way over 60 and it hasn't happened yet.

At what age does it start affecting one this way?

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I know. It has not happened to anyone else in my family. Only me. I have no idea why. It just puts me in this mindset where I think of all the things i need to change. I think it has to do with me not being a secure person. It is just so spiritual every time I smoke now. I do not enjoy it for social events.
It started happening about age 25

Am I the only one. It makes my mind race. I think of all these things I wish I can change. War, violence, death, environmental destruction. All these crazy thoughts race through my head. Thoughts about me as well, small things, like something mean I said to someone. I just can't sleep after I smoke. I enjoy smoking and studying, maybe it leaves me with a false hope that I can one day change something, maybe it is a real hope. I do not know it drives my mind crazy. I love it though. It makes me see truth. Like a hit of acid. When I was young I never thought of these things. Now I do. I have a love hate relationship with it. :pimp:

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Originally Posted by demoreal

Am I the only one. It makes my mind race. I think of all these things I wish I can change. War, violence, death, environmental destruction. All these crazy thoughts race through my head. Thoughts about me as well, small things, like something mean I said to someone. I just can't sleep after I smoke. I enjoy smoking and studying, maybe it leaves me with a false hope that I can one day change something, maybe it is a real hope. I do not know it drives my mind crazy. I love it though. It makes me see truth. Like a hit of acid. When I was young I never thought of these things. Now I do. I have a love hate relationship with it. :pimp:

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I kinda know what you mean, but mine started a little different. My stuff was laced and B-A-D! (not bad in a good way.) I will not get into that story right now, but I know what you are going through. When I smoke (which I love to do.) I get panicy. I wish I could detail it, but I become so scared, but I don't know why. Like I just said I LOVE SMOKING. There are a lot of people that say they miss smoking back in the day (and I am one of them). On top of my problem I have Anxiety, Panic Disorder, and the worst...well... other than the panic attacks are my Hypochondria (the fear of getting sick, ill, or dieing) Now this is a HORRIBLE combination.

Hypochondria + Panic Attacks + Anxiety = BAD NEWS

I just wish I had someone to smoke with. Maybe then I would get better. Oh, well till then this next bowl goes out to all you :stoned:

Thanks for the feed back, guys. I will for sure try the Indica strains, but i honestly wouldn't even know where to begin looking for them. My guy just gets whatever his supplier gets, he's not very informed on the variety of strains, and I am only starting to learn. I wouldn't be able to identify yet through observation just yet. I guess that's what the internet is for then.

It is difficult at the best of times with properly cured buds to identify them. But as a general rule of thumb, many sativas tend to be smaller buds and will have more hairs than indicas.

But again, this is just an overgeneralization of buds. I suggest asking your guy if he can ask his big boss man for a specific indica strain. Failing that you can try to find a new dealer who doesn't have his head up his ass, but this is generally hard to do.

And then, of course, you could always grow your own sweet stinky ganja..

well, I hope you are not taking the xanax anymore. That stuff will make you a mess!

I agree with havoc and charbud about sticking to the indica cannibis. Indica strains will help with your anxiety and make it easier to relax. It's not typically a social strain, so keep that in mind if you have things to do. It's great for pain and relaxation.

Do you have your recommendation? If not, I would get one....sounds like you have some medical reasons which would justify a prescription (anxiety, panic attacks). Having access to a medical dispensary will be really helpful to someone like you that seeks a specific type of cannabis. When you buy from a dealer, you pretty much take what you can get. Even buying from the same guy doesn't mean you are getting the same weed. :jointsmile:

It's been almost nine months since I last took a Xanax, they feel good but are too easy to get hooked on. I've grown to be entirely skeptical of prescription meds as well. I won't take anything stronger than Ibuprofen unless it's a life/death situation.

Unfortunately I live in Florida, and we are a little behind on civil liberties here. I don't smoke as much as I used to anyway because long gone are the days when I could just vegetate on my best friends couch while playing Xbox. So I can afford to be picky until i find the right dealer. I'll be going to Canada at the end of the month, and their weed laws are awesome, so I'll see if I can find some Indica and test the results.

Moody420, you mentioned that they will help me relax (which is what I am looking for) but you also said that it's not a social bud. Does that mean I am just going to zone out and not laugh and participate in conversation, or walk around in the park? Or that It's just not the type of bud to smoke before work or meeting your girlfriend's parents?

if you haven't already you might research the difference between CBD and THC. THC induces anxiety and some mania/paranoia, as well as tachycardia (fast heartbeat) . CBD does the opposite. It's difficult to get CBD rich strains outside of Cali, but if you can find Hash that's the way to go, otherwise you might try and get your hands on trimmings or leaves and mix it with your bud when you smoke. leaves have more CBD. Indicas have more cBD than sativa, but not necessarily that much.

Do you think it could might be that the prednisone kinda "triggered" something in your body to make you start having panik attacks/altered tolerence to herb? or are you only having the panic attacks when you smokke?

I get this same way sometimes. MOst of the time from smoking too much :wtf: The problem with living in a shitty state like MA is i cant buy the exact types of bud i want so i get whatever is around. Heavy sativa strains will make you anxious/active. also try smoking less. all you need is a nice green chunk in a bowl.