Marijuana withdrawal symptoms

[windysan]

I'm addicted to that XMC television show from Japan. Totally addicted.

[stone]

I smoked from morning to night for about 15 years, when I quit I had MAJOR anxiety and paranoia. It lasted months.

iknowican, since you smoked for a year and half I would expect that you get over the withdrawals pretty quickly.

[iknowican]

Thanks to all who replied. I to was extremely emotionally unstable and was able to cry at the drop of a hat when I was high , and the fact that before I started smoking I hadn't cried for over 8 years since I'm a very non emotional person , made it all the more surprising. But yes , the withdrawal symptoms during the first week where to close to unbearable , the worst part being that there was no rest. With any other pain/affliction I had encountered , I could go to sleep and in those few hours I would have relief , but with this , when my mind was racing 10000 km/h , I felt like I was going to throw up by just breathing and EVERYTHING made me either incredibly angry and/or incredibly sad with severe feelings of hopelessness and depression. The worst thing? I couldn't escape it. Nothing , short of smoking again would help me and because of this thought I felt trapped , no where to go. It takes a lot of strength,courage and will power to go through that and know in the back of your mind that all it takes is one hit from the bong to make those symptoms go away , but still fight through it. A lot. I hope that people who are reading this and are giving up ,draw inspiration from our posts and maintain that willpower and courage and fight through it. Sometimes when you smoke for long enough you FORGET what REAL life is , and you choose to go through life high because you forget how rewarding life can really be when it isn't obscured in a haze of smoke.

[lostbutterfly]

Although I didn't have w/d's, it was a very real mental addiction for me when I did smoke. I'm glad I gave it up, but I did replace it with other things - maybe that's why I didn't go through the anxiety etc.

[lostbutterfly]

Originally Posted by windysan

I'm addicted to that XMC television show from Japan. Totally addicted.

Is it possible to go to a doctor and taper off it, Windy? It sounds serious!

[ingear]

Originally Posted by sunflower1776

Bridgit---though smoking doesn't seem like a 'real' addiction, it really can be. ANYTHING can become an addiction if it is something that you start doing on a regular basis and cannot seem to live without--that is a very simplistic way of putting it, but we're all on here becuase of addictions so I hope you know what I mean. I don't want you to diminish the seriousness of an addiction to pot. It may be in a different class of drugs, but after repeated use and abuse, you can definitely get as addicted as you could to opiates, etc. Long term use of pot can cause just as many problems as long term use of any other drug. I'm not trying to be overbearing here or anything, it's just that I've known people who said pot isn't like a 'real' drug--I'm here to say it's as real as all the others. A drug is a drug.

That is why I posted this;

I certainly did not mean to offend anyone by saying it is not a 'real' addiction.
I meant compared to other addictions I have suffered withdrawal through, prescription pills and alcohol, it was the least painful, the easiest to give up
for ME. Sorry to be glib.
Thanks for pointing that out Lily.

I smoked weed almost daily from the time I was fourteen until a year and a half ago with a few years off here and there,
and did not experience problems giving it up. I am sharing my personal experience and opinion.
Thanks

[vicodaniel]

The last time I went more than a couple days without weed was 1 week in 1977 ! I went without 3 days in opiate detox.When I got home ( don't take my advice) it helped the WD's. If a person is able to smoke in moderation I think "Mother Nature" is harmless" If your weed dealer also has oxy's or you can't drink less than a pint of tequila when you smoke thats a different story, but there are those who can use in moderation !

[ThaNinja]

Hey Man,

I know what you are going through. Have some kind of withdrawal symptoms is come when you are quitting. They last for up to 3 months, but the first week to ten days is the hardest. It can be tough to adapt to a life from being stoned every waking minute to sober every waking minute. This is why I say 3 months, most everything is more normal after 30 days.

I wrote an article here about Marijuana Withdrawal Symptoms here. Feel free to have a look as it describes this stuff in a lot more detail.

Peace,

[QuittingWeed]

So I've been smoking pot just about every day for the past 10 years. 6 days ago I said enough is enough. In fact, three weeks ago I decided to do a 180 - I haven't eaten meat in 3 weeks, I've been working out 4-5 days a week for the past 3 weeks (lost 7 pounds already) supplementing my diet with anything to help depression (I used to be on Wellbutrin but am avoiding all prescription drugs) so I'm doing St. John's Wart, SAME, 5HTP and other herbs - no, not that herb).

The past two days the withdrawal symptoms came on pretty strong - I've been very irritable, I lack energy (even with working out and eating super healthy) my dreams are crazy, (one was so bad I ended up pulling my back out sleeping), and the last three days the anxiety has been really bad - especially in the morning - I've woken up with butterflies in my stomach each morning. The good thing though is that all of this is normal. At first I was like, WTF? I should be feeling better - not so fast. I guess it's going to take time. The anxiety is the worst for me - and the extra depression today. I haven't had trouble sleeping, or hot sweats, but the nervousness is definitely an issue.

Here is a question: Do any of the Detox type products on the market - the ones you take to pass a drug test - help? If I buy one of these, do you think it will help get the THC out of the body quicker? I would hate to walk back into the head shop - but it would be ironic to go in there for the last time to buy a detox drink instead of papers or screens.

Part of me feels like I gave up my best friend and another part of me is super depressed because I don't want to hang out with my friends - who are all stoners.

I'm not craving the herb at all though. I don't want it. Is it bad that I want to get to a point where maybe I can still enjoy it every other month at a party? For the time being, and at least for the first 3 - 4 months, I'm not touching it at all. It would be nice to be able to enjoy it every so often, but I worry I would just get right back into it.

Thanks......

[madriley]

I had gone to my doctor about 5 months ago when I first wanted to stop taking Methadone. I was trying to get on a Suboxone program but insurance did not cover it. So I asked him if I should take any of the over the counter stuff, either the stuff that makes your drug screening clean or the Body Detox stuff they sell at Walmart, Walgreens any of those stores. He told me that the stuff you drink to pass a drug test only "masks" the chemicals in your body, it does not get rid of them. He also said that the detox stuff they sell at the regular stores is only made to get rid of fat and waste in your body from food and drinks. So, I never ended up trying it because I did not want to waste the money. I know that for me, this week has been the hardest as far as anxiety, depression and fatigue. I stopped taking Methadone 15 days ago. Unfortunately I think these are symptoms that we may have to deal with for a while. You might want to try calling your doctor on Monday and asking their opinion though, maybe there is something that might help. I do not know if they have something different for the chemicals in marijuana that may help you.

[QuittingWeed]

Thanks for that. I'm not dying here so I'm going to avoid the doctors. I'm not a fan. It's now day 7 - the anxiety is still there but whatever, I've been nervous my whole life so it's no big deal. If the symptoms don't go away after a month of no pot, then I'll call the doc. I don't want him just giving me prescription drugs because, let's face it, that's all doctors know how to do. They aren't trained to do anything other than cut you open and prescribe more drugs.

[Bluterix]

Forget those fools who say marijuana withdrawal isn't real; they've obviously never experienced what you're feeling right now, and what I felt a month ago. If you're situation is dire, I strongly recommend going to your doc and explaining your situation. Ask him/her to write you an Rx for Mirtazapine. It is an SSRI (helps with depression), and has the side effects of Increased Appetite and Increased Drowsiness. My doc prescribed it to me (although I knew nothing about it at the time) and I took 1 that night and slept uninterrupted. The next day I felt 85% better. This is the real deal. You'll know whether or not it's worth the hassle, but if you think it is, I highly recommend seeing your doc and asking for it.

[FT]

Hi Bluterix:

I'm glad you said that and not me. It's hard not to "recommend" something when you know it works. We have to make sure we don't give medical advice here, which I avoid doing like the plague.

Having said that, I agree that QW should ask the doc about that particular medication, because it is not a narcotic and is one of the only antidepressants used almost exclusively for appetite and sleep. You just have to watch out not to gain weight on it. It actually works best for sleep when taken in VERY small doses, and loses that effect at higher doses. Some people feel drowsy the next day, but with continued use, that effect usually goes away. QW's doc can help decide if it is the right drug for him. Not very many docs I know actually know how to prescribe it, or even heard of it.

(By the way, some docs also rx it for anxiety and depression, of course.)

FT