Panic attack/trip when smoking weed...

[Nailhead]

thanks everyone for replying, and id like you all to know i researched all of this for days and i suffer from derealisation now.. its a mental illness that "feels weird" and it feels like nothing is real.. or disconnected. This is how i feel every now and then. The Smoking ingredients itself (THC) didnt do this, it was the panic attack that caused this to happen that triggered it. This is a horrible, life changing almost ruining experience. And possibly the worst scariest thing that has ever happend to me. Im not crazy or lost my mind, i found out i just have this mental illness.. I guess it really is "all in my head".

I guess this is the side of pot nobody ever mentioned to me...

umm, you have to be diagnosed by a doctor to find out if you have a mental illness, you can't just do a google search and find something with similar symptoms that you have, it doesn't work that way. The quick check I just did stated cannabis can produce symptoms similar, but I didn't read anything about it being a cause.

Why are you so quick to blame this on pot?

Nailhead Reviewed by Nailhead on 04-06-2008. Panic attack/trip when smoking weed... I rarely smoke.. maybe 10- 15 times in my whole life, if not.. less.. i smoked out of a bong ( i usually dont ) and the bottom line is i smoked too much than i could handle, and i wasnt used to it. I coughed for almost 2-3 minutes straight and it scared the shit out of me.. when i was calm the high finally hit me and i felt like everything was moving really fast and my heart beat raised and i kept asking my friends "am i gonna be alright", "when does this go away?".. i was so afraid and felt so Rating: 5

[Thedingus]

Because It caused the panic attack only because of the strong effects, which caused the Derealism.

I never had this ever until smoking pot, believe me i am correct.

[bowl]

MAN...I WISH MY HIGHS WERE THAT INTENSE AGAIN...I BEEN SMOKING FOR 20 YEARS,,,I'M PRETTY MUCH A STONER...LOL

[Delta9 UK]

Because It caused the panic attack only because of the strong effects, which caused the Derealism.

I never had this ever until smoking pot, believe me i am correct.

but anyone can have a panic attack - pot or no pot.

Derealism is a serious condition, usually brought on after a seizure like an Epilectic fit.

Seriously, go to the doctor.

[Nailhead]

Because It caused the panic attack only because of the strong effects, which caused the Derealism.

I never had this ever until smoking pot, believe me i am correct.

I think you mean Depersonalization Disorder:

www.psychnet-uk.comm

Depersonalization Disorder is a disorder affecting emotions and behavior. It is characterized by an change in how an affected individual perceives or experiences his or her sense of self. The usual sense of one's own reality is temporarily lost or changed. A feeling of detachment from, or being an outside observer of, one's mental processes or body occurs such as the sensation of being in a dream. This phenomena involves:

• A lasting or recurring feeling of being detached from the patient's own body.
• Throughout the experience, the patient knows this is not really the case. Reality experience is intact.
• The phenomenon causes distress or impairs work, social or personal functioning.
• The experience doesn't occur solely in the course of another mental disorder such as Acute Stress Disorder, Panic Disorder, Schizophrenia or a different Dissociative Disorder. (Fugue Identity).
• The disorder is not directly caused by a general medical condition or by substance use, including medications and drugs of abuse.

Minddisorders.com

Depersonalization disorder, like the dissociative disorders in general, has been regarded as the result of severe abuse in childhood. This can be of a physical, emotional, and/or sexual nature.

Findings in 2002 indicate that emotional abuse in particular is a strong predictor of depersonalization disorder in adult life, as well as of depersonalization as a symptom in other mental disorders. Analysis of one study of 49 patients diagnosed with depersonalization disorder indicated much higher scores than the control subjects for the total amount of emotional abuse endured and for the maximum severity of this type of abuse. The researchers concluded that emotional abuse has been relatively neglected by psychiatrists compared to other forms of childhood trauma. click to read on

I can't find anything claiming marijuana is a cause for Depersonalization disorder, instead it sounds as if this occurs after a traumatic experience, such as a car accident, death with a friend/family, or childhood experience.

The interesting part to me is that I am noticing a lot of similar symptoms, however, I had a very traumatic relationship break up last year and if I have any mental disorder it is no question as to what would have caused it. It also sounds like a disorder difficult to diagnose, so if you are self diagnosing yourself you aren't doing yourself any good. You should see a licensed doctor for treatment, as everything I have read says this is a completely treatable disorder and usually only needs professional help in very serious cases. This doesn't at all sound like a life-long mental illness as you are making it out to be, just a temporary disorder.

[joyfuldinosaur]

If this is something you've experienced your whole life, and you think your quality of life is suffering because of it, then see a doctor.

My personal advice is to stay away from psychiatry. If you really think you need to see a psychiatrist, then see one. But if it's a "i'm having these weird thoughts/experiences/mental disturbances for like a week after I smoked herb" situation, then stay clear.

If you combine internet mental illness websearches with psychiatry, it all goes to shit.

Starting when I was around 13, I began having visual and audio hallucinations, but only sparingly. For about eight months, I vomited almost every morning. I'd have mood swings - nothing drastic, not major personality shifts, but just get _really_ pissy around my period, then sometimes I'd feel really excellent. I would sometimes have these weird fits where I couldn't tolerate bright colors or noises. I'm chronically anxious in crowds. I worry excessively sometimes. I got depressed and saw a psychiatrist. They put me on zoloft, ambien, abilify, adderall, ritalin, focalin, trileptal, trazedone, remerol. I admitted myself into a psychiatric facility where I learned that I was actually sane. I felt so completely sane. Yet for the past 2 years, I had convinced myself I was Bipolar. Why? Because I'd read it on the internet, convinced myself that was the reason for my symptoms, parroted back that information to a psychiatrist, who prescribed me exactly the drugs I knew he would prescribe me, because I looked it up on the internet.

When I was 19, I had my first real migraine. It lasted a solid seven days and was the most intensely horrible experience I've ever had. (worse than any bad trip I'd had) My hallucinations worsened, and through consulting with a doctor, rationaled that they were part of migraine aura. I get migraines frequently. But the basic realization that I did not have a mental illness was key in promoting my happiness.

The moral of the story is, basically, don't diagnose yourself. Leave it to the pros. Psychiatry is more of an art than a science. Remember, they don't know how those drugs work, either.

Everyone gets paranoid sometimes. Try thought-stopping, it's basically identifying bad thoughts, and then stopping them once you recognize that you're having them.

[TheSmokingMonkey]

I think most of you are right.. that its all in my head.. its all ive bee nthinking about for 4 days straight or so.. i've calmed down a bit and i've read up that pot (thc) is not water soluble(meaning its fat soluble)and they can stay in your body for weeks; Your brain is 60% fat.

again.. i'm hoping this is just in my mind.. im "paranoid about being paranoid" im just a very worried person to begin with i guess, i just feel like i have blank thoughts..

thanks for replying everyone...
--delta9 uk youv been very informative thankyou.

You might have a touch of generalized anxiety disorder to begin with, since you said "I'm just a very worried person to begin with". I would resolve that first, if you think it might be present, and then smoke weed.

Sometimes Mary Jane shows us mental hurdles that we normally block out. I like it because though it can be unpleasant at times, it usually helps me in the end to see what is on my mind beneath the surface for a little while.

St. John's Wort and 5-HTP are good over-the-counter things to try for GAD; of course, this is not advice and I, of course, encourage you to see a health care professional if you think this could be the case for you. I'm just saying it's a possibility.

[zihowie]

This may be old, but i thought i could add upon this in a different perspective...


When I first smoked weed, I dont think it change my perspective, but after the fact 5-6 yrs later I know I am completely different, because of it. And in a totally good way. Im a more open person and not so narrow minded anymore, as well my stubborness is way down.
NOW, when I first dabbled in hallucinagenics, shrooms and acid, I immediately felt changed. Not that my perspective was completely different, I just became more analytical and it expanded upon the open-mindness and acceptance of others. Basically, you just need to accept it and think of how it can make you a better person. I am definetely a better person when I have thc in me. Right now, not so much. Im cranky, short, and rude with people i love. Goes to show you. Dont freak out, enjoy it bro. I hope this helps.

[HenryL]

I think everyone in their lifetime at least once experiences bad highs. I've been a user for about 2 years, been smoking lots of different kinds of good bud, well my friend had some killer straight up good chronic, 100% Sativa, I kinda tripped out and had a panic attack. I smoked it later though, because I looked up on some forums and they are perfectly normal, you just get too high and the bud starts opening up a part of brain that you don't use and you think too much and you just paranoy yourself. Chances are you were smoking really strong Sativa. Once you get used to the high, its really pleasant and everyone seems to be able to concentrate and focus more while high on Sativa.

[SunnyD]

When someone consumes the active ingredients that are concentrated in high quality herb, the cerebral effects merely enhance the current mindstate of the person partaking.

Having said this, you probably are just an extremely paranoid person, you smoked, it enhanced your paranoia, you freaked cause you've never been this paranoid, and now you're blaming it on the drug.

If you can't be chill my friend, then pot is not for you. For the rest of us, it helps us with many things such as pain, nausea, ADD, etc.

Sorry man, you just gotta not worry so much...