Bud leading to panic attack?!

[hippichic420]

Its just a tolerance thing. Pot is not a sedative like many think its actually somewhat of a psychedelic stimulant. If you smoke potent herb with no tolerance, a panic, or anxiety attack is very normal. Hallucinations, inability to sleep are also symptons that can happen with low tolerance, potent herb.
I have friends that don't smoke ever and get bad attacks when they do. I also had to quit for a year and when i started i had them bad. I just kept toking and they went away. I do still get them here and there although rarely and I smoke everyday. Sometimes it sneaks up on me though
If your having anxiety and pot makes it worse its just pulling that issue to the forefront of your brain and making you deal with it imo. Keep toking and it will work itself out or try a less potent strain.

[JohnnyZ]

glad to know i'm not the only one! smoking doesn't really bother me but i occasionally break out in hives when i handle it. i actually experimented and rubbed some kif into my skin and sure enough...big hives. whatever i'm allergic to must be destroyed during combustion.... :jointsmile:

That right there is a testament to the medicinal power of cannabis. You can't even touch it without being allergic to it, yet you put it in your system and low and behold you are cured :jointsmile:

[jennbeez]

I hadn't smoked in several years the last time I smoked. It was something called sensamillion, and I had a panic attack that really scared me. I was super-aware of everything. I knew I hadn't really cleaned my apartment for quite some time, and had only been doing surface cleaning. When the high hit, I thought I could smell the dirt in my apartment which so disgusted me that I stayed up ALL night high and cleaning every square inch. Took a lot of trash to the dumpster- in the morning I was tired as heck but the apt. shined like a new penny.

This was not good energy. It was panicked, frantic, jangled up nervous energy and it did not feel good. About half my highs are paranoic and uncomfortable actually. It's like I have too many thoughts to keep up with every little thing that is going on around me and my mind becomes a runaway train. I'm glad the OP asked the question because I thought having panic attacks while smoking was unusual. When it happens it sucks, I can tell you that.

[sickity]

Yes it is true, you can experiance panic attacks....Some people may experience panic attacks (including extreme feelings of dread, accelerated heart rate, feeling as if they're going to die) from smoking cannabis, more commonly from those who have ingested too much then from smoking....


Most acute crises with cannabis are related to oral ingestion. Cannabis crises last 2-6 hours (or more) and can include paranoia, panic attacks, sluggishness, going in and out of consciousness, extremely bloodshot eyes, and mood swings. No deaths have been reported that did not involve physical injury. A few people reportedly have severe asthmatic attacks precipitated by smoking cannabis.
(Source: Erowid Psychoactive Vaults : Psychedelic Crisis FAQ)

[dark0ne]

if you haven't smoked in a while your tolorance is WAY low, and you said this happend first thing after not getting mutch sleep. Your brain probably wasn't awake, and you took a big hit. the lack of oxigen made your heart speed up, coupled with tiredness, i'm surprised you didn't pass out.

[Matt77]

Wow, interesting stuff!
As a psychologist it is interesting to see how you guys perceive these experiences, and your methods of dealing with these panic attacks. The only concern I would have is if you started to experience these symptoms while you were not stoned (or if you noticed that you were worrying excessively about issues that were not a concern before). However, If you are not overly concerned about these experiences (and can accept that "it is all in your head") then I don't think it is a problem.
cheers,
Matt

[MadSativa]

Wow 80 views and not one single person can tell me anything? Marijuana has been around for 10,000 years known to man and I'm the only person with this issue every now and then? Alright then, well I'll figure it out by myself then :thumbsup:

Thanks

well its a lot to read, but this sounds like maybe you are prone to these attacks and dont know what triggers them, you should tell a Dr. about this. I dont think their are too many Dr's here, so think about that before you smoke. I know sometimes sativas can trigger accelerated heart rates and even bring on nausea and paranoia to the point of uneasiness and very uncomfortable. but still something like this sounds more like maybe you should talk to a DR. there are lots of test that they can do and none are to painful or take to long. If it gets tot he point of your "freaking out" and passing out badly or just not feeling right then the purpose of smoking herb is not there.

[Matt77]

Whether I think about it or not before I light up it still happens so I'm not tripping myself out because I'm thinking about tripping out you see?

What you haven't taken into account is the influence of unconcious (or subconscious) thoughts. Even though you may not be consciously thinking about having a panic attack, your unconscious mind may still be influencing the experience that you are having. So I wouldn't necessarily discount the possibility that your fear of having a panic attack is the catalyst (or at least a contributing variable) to these experiences you are having.

As you know these panic attacks can be a terrifying experience and therefore the mind learns to associate these feelings of anxiety with the event that precipitated it (ie. classical conditioning). So why doesnt it happen all the time then? Because although the mind is powerful it still requires the right chain of antecedents to bring it on, and this is where tolerance levels, THC/CDB levels, quantity consumed, strain consumed, current state of mind, environment that you smoke it in etc. come into play.

Although Freud had some truely bizzare and rediculous theories, he was one of the first people to explore the importance of the unconscious mind.
cheers,
Matt

[jmurk5mm]

i wrote a bunch of shit but it didnt fit but to keep it simple it happens to more people than you think. i was a heavy smoker at least an oz aday for a long time. i quit for ayear was abad mofo on the street changed my life and when iwent to go smoke again it hit me.its different reasons for everybody but along breaafter heavy use during a life or mind changing experience will do it. build ur tolerance back up slowly couple of hits till ur high anduyoull notice it happening less frequently andnot as bad. its all in you r head , u can never go back the first high. so when u stop for a while and start up again for 1 ur tolerance is back to 0 and 2 youve grown up since that first time you smoked more shit on ur mind now than ever b4. depending onyour brain chemistry, life style, and any changes in personality u could be midly paranoid or shaking and not be able to even think or speak clearly. the fact is over time every weed smoker experinces aparanoid episode mild or extreme depends on the person

[maryjane301]

yeah weed can cause panic attacks. i have anxiety disorder and when the first like 2 years of me smoking i would get them easier if i was high. plus weed makes some people paranoid.