Experiences with cannabis

[leigh]

I am new to the forum and I was just wondering what peoples experiences were from using cannabis to ease their anxiety.
I am not necessarily suggesting that is something I might do depending on the comments, I am just merely inquiring as I understand that it can have calming qualities.
However, I understand that it can also have the opposite effect.
If there is already a section in the forum with this sort of question or response you could just point me in that direction.
Thanks
Leigh

[amarkham01]

It definitely has the opposite effect on me. The worst panic attacks I've ever had where after I smoked weed and it was NOT placebo effect or anything. I couldn't even go inside the house because I felt trapped and I just wandered around town and hid behind buildlings or in the ally when anyone was going to walk past me. And it lasted for hours. It was a horrible experience. Everything looked funny and I felt like I was going to die. BUUUUT there are lots of people who swear it calms them down. It just depends on the person. I know I gave it quite a few chances (people kept telling me if I was in a "calm environment and in a calm place" it wouldn't happen....well it did...just like every other time....at least people have a funny story to tell their friends at my expense :/ )

[leigh]

Thanks Alexandra,

Like I said before, I am gathering information about the subject not preparing to go out and smoke my head off or anything.
Though the thought of having a new tool in my toolbox for when anxiety is getting the better of me is a nice one.
The reason I ask really is because my boyfriend is a cannabis user and when he smokes he becomes very calm and at peace. I marvel at the thought if a little toke could cool me down, but haven't actually tried it yet.
Anybody else out there tried and could shed some light?
Thanks again Alexandra
Leigh

[olschesky]

i smoked pot back in the 70s.........but it always made me really nervous.......so i stopped.......my husband smokes and it relaxes him.......go figure....

[alisha27]

I use to smoke pot all the time for many years. I would get panic attacks depending on how good the weed was. Really good stuff made me feel as if my lungs are closing in, my heart is racing, feel dizzy and sick. I stopped smoking since my son has been born. I smoked a few times since he has been around but can't handle it. I get paranoid and feel so uncomfortable and once it was all over then I'd just wanna crash and do nothing. Over all it doesn't calm me down one bit.

[ann32]

i smoked pot for 8 years, never ever made me feel panicky. I loved smoking pot, I smoked it like I smoked cigarettes. BUT, i once went to the wrong side of town to buy some and it was laced, I felt nauseas and panicky...never ever smpked again...that was 12 years ago. I would love toagain, but I am scared.

[leigh]

Thanks for all of your insight,
I guess the moral of the story is that it is going to have a different effect on everyone, depending on your state of mind, your surroundings, and your expectations. Ann32 did you find that smoking relieved your anxiety or just didn't make you panicky?
I can understand your hesitance to smoking again, another reason why it should be legalized and therefore regulated.
Thanks Leigh

[ann32]

leigh- i never knew I had anxiety issues until last year (i was 32). I always did have panic and anxiety and now that I think back, I did seem to have panic while I smoked, so to answer your question, it never really did calm it down...but I was never concerned about it when I was a teenager, i just accepted it, I would have some tea and be fine. But smoking pot for me was a morning noon night and some snack in between thing. So like you said, it sure does affect everyone differently. I had a very different lifestyle back then too...I toured with bands, lived in the concert scene, I was a pretty mellow laid back person. I am now super high strung, with OCD, married with 2 kids...so maybe if I did smoke now and knew where it came from (a reliable source) it would calm my crazies down haaha! I might just try it!!!!

[jamie77]

I smoke weed all the time. Sometimes it makes me a little anxious, like that feeling that something is stuck in my throat. Most of the time, it relaxes me.
I don't smoke to deal with the emet...I just like the way it feels, and the creative boost that tends to go along with it. Having said that, I do sometimes take comfort in the fact that it is medically used to relieve nausea.
I say just try it if you're curious. I hang around a lot of potheads, and I've never heard of weed alone making someone sick.

[leigh]

Hey Jamie77,

Thanks for your response, actually I wasn't so much interested in relieving any emet symptoms as much as my general anxiety.
Just a calming sensation, not stoned or anything.

[jkl81]

I've often wondered how this would affect me. A fairly close person in my life is big into the scene, but I would hate to encourage him in this direction. My town is full of aging hippies that smoke the stuff but unfortunately FL occasionally still arrests and locks up people for simple posession of cannabis. I have not used weed but have a huge general interest in plants and I understand that the high depends greatly on the strain you get, some "ditch weed" just gives you headaches, slight high feeling, other stuff makes you paranoid and weird till it works out of your system, and still other strains seem to give that real mellow chilled out high we'd probably like. I wonder if it varies most with the body chemistry and state of mind of the user or with the strain and how it's prepared. Additionally, there exists a site www.erowid.com where you can learn a lot about, drugs, herbs and other recreational substances without participating in the behavior at all. Let me say, some of what goes on over there sounds really scary and dangerous, but on the whole I understand without condoning or condemning and I don't take the info as the gospel truth, but the stories are interesting. The main thing you learn is that all substances, legal, illegal or otherwise effect different people differently, and sometimes even the same user, substance and dose yield different results. One more thing, if you do try cannabis or any other herbal or natural substance, don't mix it with alcohol and other drugs and be very careful about how it may or may not interact with any legal prescription drugs you take.

[leigh]

I read an online column in Elle magazine of all places about a woman who comes home from work, sits on the couch inhales from her vaporizer to end her hectic day.
I love the thought if that, being able to have a little, once a day, instead of another med.
She says that is all it takes for her to calm her anxiety down and it really works for her.
That to me is simplicity, if it works then do it.
by the way, still haven't tried it since highschool. My research continues.
Leigh

[jamie77]

Originally Posted by jkl81

I understand that the high depends greatly on the strain you get, some "ditch weed" just gives you headaches, slight high feeling, other stuff makes you paranoid and weird till it works out of your system, and still other strains seem to give that real mellow chilled out high we'd probably like. I wonder if it varies most with the body chemistry and state of mind of the user or with the strain and how it's prepared.

The strain does definitely affect the type of high you get. An Indica strain will give you
a distinct body high(heavy, relaxed and sleepy), whereas a Sativa gives a more cerebral experience(giggly, observant and curious). Most bud is a hybrid of both, but it's my experience that a good hydroponic is high on the Sativa side...basically, you get what you pay for, and hydro ain't cheap.

[jkl81]

I know who I could get the good stuff from locally but I really hate to encourage him in this direction and you're right there's big money in it because it's illegal. If it were legal I'd have some growing in the yard, and even an average gardener like me could grow pretty decent stuff. The reason I don't mess with it now is I really don't want to contribute to the bad guys that are also involved in the business and I don't want to get arrested and embarrass my family. Getting locked up sucks, and it sucks worse if you have anxiety and we do still occasionally lock people up for simple posession here in FL though it's highly tolerated most of the time. Hopefully soon FL will follow the lead of the rest of the country and decriminalize weed and stop treating it like a hard drug that it isn't.

[DoonDoon]

Not that anyone is a chronic user... but
http://stash.norml.org/chronic-marij...miting-attacks

[Thefloyd12]

I wish they'd legalize it cause it would be regulated in strength and amount. That's the only problem with it is that it's never the same. There's some stuff that I'd get and loved it made me feel so good not like stoned outta my mind but just clears your head and gives you a happy feeling and you can't stop smiling. I miss it.. But then u can get strong stuff or laced stuff were your heart starts racing and what not. One time I got something bad and just rocked back and forth and my heart was beating so fast I thought I was gona die. But if you've never done it I recommend it at least once. Gets some mid grade stuff and take one hit and listen to some good music.