The Complete Marijuana Based Anxiety/Panic Attack Thread

There are a lot of threads about people getting struck with anxiety/panic attacks while they're smoking. A panic attack sober is scary enough, so if you're high it can make the experience that much more confusing and harder to handle. So, to help people out and perhaps cut back on the amount of threads made, I'm making this. So shit, where to start?

Why does marijuana cause anxiety/panic attacks?

This all depends, of course. Somebody could simply be "too high" and simply be overwhelmed. Some people may already be stressed and upset over something and getting high heightens their emotions, thus making their problem even harder to deal with. Hell, some people report having problems with anxiety/panic attacks for NO REASON at all. They just happen.

Some people argue that the answer for some can be in the weed they smoke. Some strains contain less CBD than others. This, while not THC, does affect your high. It adds a "calming effect" to your buzz which can be vital to some for enjoying the high and being able to relax.

I've never had a panic attack.. How do I know when I'm having one?

If you've never had one, awesome for you. If you do get struck with one however chances are you'll probably know because you'll be flipping out. Some symptoms of a panic attack are:

• Racing heartbeat
• Feeling physically weak
• Feeling faint and/or dizzy
• Cold/clammy/numb hands and feet
• Sweating or having chills
• Chest pain
• Breathing difficulties
• Tunnel vision
• Time distortion
• A feeling of terror and that things are out of control

How do I deal with it if I have a panic attack?

Panic attacks are so hard to deal with because they carry so many physical symptoms that can point to serious medical problems. So, people tend to think there's actually something wrong with them. The thing to keep in mind while having a panic attack is that there is no danger. A panic attack CAN NOT hurt you. What you need to know is that a panic attack is basically your "fight or flight" response, which is natural and exhibited by all animals. The thing is, you cannot run from a panic attack as there is nothing to run from... So trying to avoid it will make it worse. You have to take the "fight" route and diffuse it. Here are some things people often worry about during a panic attack and what you should consider to fight them:

- "My heart is racing hard. I think this is a heart attack" In all of my research, I've NEVER seen a single case of a heart attack being caused from a panic attack. So don't worry. Your heart speeds up because of the mental uneasiness. Basically, your body thinks there is an immediate danger that it has to deal with, so it speeds up your heart to help your body better deal with any dangers. It's a self defense thing and is completely normal and healthy. Oh, and keep in mind that marijuana will naturally increase the heart rate of some people. You might just be one of those people, and it's completely fine and is a relatively safe side effect, despite what some propaganda will tell you. SOME PEOPLE seem to work in a way that once their heart rate increases, their body thinks it's happening for a more significant reason and tenses up because it believes there may be an immediate danger. If this is happening, just keep easing your mind with reassurance and the body should calm down too.

- "My chest hurts and I can't breathe well. I might suffocate" Again, in all the time I've spent looking into this shit, NOBODY has ever stopped breathing because of a panic attack. What causes this is your chest muscles are tightening up. Again, this is so your body can be better suited to fend of or run from immediate dangers. Just keep in mind that no matter how much your muscles tighten, it's impossible for them to contract so much as to cut off your breathing. Your body just isn't built that way.

- "My vision is getting weird and it's scary" Yeah, it's weird, but it's so you can focus better and react more quickly to what you see. Your vision will return to normal

- "I'm dizzy, I might faint" Fainting from a panic attack is incredibly uncommon and almost nobody has to worry about it, especially with a marijuana induced panic attack. In fact, the only cases I can think of of people fainting are always related to panic brought on from a fear of blood. Strange huh?

Ultimately, you need to remember that everything you're feeling is normal and none of it can hurt you. In fact, in this state, you're actually less vulnerable to harm because you're basically in "defend myself for my life" mode. Your body is in tip top shape for the moment and you could fuck shit up if you felt like it

Do pay attention to what "sets you off" though when it comes to physical side effects frightening you. I think the scariest part of a panic attack personally is the difficulty breathing and difficulty swallowing. So every time I catch myself sketching the breathing, I remember that I am more prone to being distracted and bothered by it and that I'll naturally make a bigger deal out of it than it needs to be. It helps

I have smoked for a while and just recently started having panic attacks/anxieties while high/I am starting to have problems while sober too

Marijuana can sometimes "bring out" the anxieties in somebody, and it's not necessarily the marijuana itself causing the problem. If you've been smoking for a while and just started having them/are having them sober... It's time you step back and look at your life a little different. Chances are there is some part of your life causing you a lot more worry than you're giving it credit for. You need to try your best to figure out what they are and work on them as much as you can.

Keep in mind.. If you're having anxiety issues and weed makes them worse.. Then you might not need to smoke until you get things sorted out. It can be done though, so don't worry you'll be smoking again in no time.

I think people judge me, and it bothers me to a point where I have anxiety.

People report this often too, and it's a good example of people getting overly paranoid. If you're in a social situation and you begin feeling weird or that others are judging you, you need to remind yourself you are on a mild altering substance. Marijuana can cloud your judgement when it comes to perceiving things and it certainly opens the doors for an over-analytical mind. So, remember that it just SEEMS people are sizing you up because you're high, and they're actually not. And why would they? Nobody cares about tiny mistakes you might casually make, strange faces you might pull off on accident, and any of that shit because they do them too like everybody else. Marijuana has a tendency to make people think others know more/realize more about them than they really do. All the things you stress over, most people aren't even noticing anyway.

If you can't do the above and continue to have a problem with it.. You can try two things. You can try smoking alone more until you have a better hold over the high so you can stop it from letting your mind essentially trick you. Or, you can be more selective who you smoke with/around. If you're going to smoke, just toke with close friends who you're comfortable with and that you know will not judge you.

Okay, that's cool.. But how do I just stop them from ever happening?

That's a good question that people just don't have an exact answer for. The best way to avoid them is to simply remain calm. Don't get high and go places/do things that you're uncomfortable with. I think the best thing you can do is to take not of your initial onset of anxiety BEFORE a panic attack starts and work on preventing it before the actual attack begins. This can be done by re-framing your situation and realizing there are no dangers, to understand and remind yourself and the anxieties can not hurt you, doing something else to take your mind off of it, or breathing exercises.

Another option might simply be, as aforementioned, to not get high. This is helpful if there's something outside of your marijuana high that is causing the problems. Sort them out and work on them and THEN start smoking again.

Oh, but I thought weed could HELP anxiety

For some people it can.. People react differently to substances than others. If you plan on using marijuana to help with anxiety, try to get a strain with as much CBD as you can. Also, use small doses and slowly work your way up. I personally think lower doses will do more work than higher doses because the low dosed high is much less overwhelming. It takes some trial and error sometimes, which sucks >.>

None of this shit helps me with my problem and I don't wanna google it.
Fair enough. If nothing in this thread helps you, here are some links you can get for more information/possible solutions.

• Top 21 Ways To Deal With Anxiety Disorders & Stress | AnxietyAttack.org
  
• Stop Anxiety Symptoms at Time of Occurrence
  
• Can Panic Attack Kill You
  
• Anxiety Medication: What You Need to Know About Anti-Anxiety Drugs

Uh, that's it. Hope it helps. If anybody wants me to add anything, mention it here and I'll do it. I probably overlooked a few things. Also, these methods for dealing with anxiety I mentioned work, but some take more practice than others. It's all easier said than done, so you might have to work at it before you completely get rid of the marijuana related anxieties.

TL;DR - Stuff

 

Haha that sucks man. I think a lot of people are quick to blame marijuana for problems like this because they don't realize how much stress other things in their lives are causing them. I'm willing to bet that if they just quit and don't asses things in their life, the panic attacks will start happening sober after a while. But hey, maybe/hopefully not.

 

Panic attacks and anxiety don't cause heart attacks!

First thing that I found. I initially read a pretty good report on it in a book though, so I can't reference that =\. I'll have to look around to find out what the name of it was since I've forgotten.

Although panic attacks and anxiety might not cause an immediate heart attack, they're not healthy on the heart, which I think most people could guess. Which is a big reason why people should sort it out as well they can and shit.
edit
also
http://ezinearticles.com/?Can-A-Panic-Attack-Cause-A-Heart-Attack?&id=5626362

 

Edited OP and added more shit. I'll probably scan a few more anxiety threads tonight some time and see what problems people have that aren't covered in OP yet. I'll edit them in

 

Another edit yo

And it would be cool if this was stickied but I can't really ask since it's my thread haha. If any mods do wanna do it though, I can go through and try to organize OPs layout to something better. It's just the way it is because it's easiest to do