Marijuana withdrawal symptoms

[iknowican]

Hi

First of all I would like to say that it is wonderful that this resource exists , where people can share thoughts , ideas and offer encouragement and support in recovery. I thank anyone who is taking the time to read this post.

For a year and a half I smoked marijuana everyday - heavily(about 2 g a day). The last year my life has been complete hell , I developed such a tolerance I stopped getting high , I wasn't smoking to feel high I was smoking to feel normal. While smoking I could hardly eat , I was anxious and paranoid all the time and was extremely irritable. And withOUT it all of the above symptoms where so much worse. I tried to stop once and relapsed and then on the 4th of October 2008 at 1:30am Id had enough. I didnt like the person I had become. I slammed my bong down and vowed never to touch it again...I knew if I could just get past the first week I could stop smoking since smoking wasnt a "habit" anymore , it was something I did so I could function semi-normally(eat,sleep,not be irritable,anxious and paranoid).

Anyway , I havn't touched the stuff since and after a week , most of the worse withdrawal symptoms went away and I started to feel great. It was as if I had a new life , things looked brighter and smelt better. I actually FELT like talking to people. Its like I was high , but by being sober. Because I was constantly high for a year and a half I forgot what being normal felt like and the clarity of sobriety was a high in itself.

Now comes my problem....its been 3 weeks and 3 days and God knows I dont feel like smoking and WILL never touch the stuff ever again. However that excitedness of being sober , has now faded and I seem to be getting slightly(nowhere as near as bad as before) paranoid , having many many dreams while I sleep( i heard this was common in the first week of quitting , however Im having more dreams now then in the first week - not nightmares , just alot of dreams so I dont get a good quality sleep) , I do however feel extremely irritable (still not as bad as the first week) and depressed.


My question....how long do these symptoms last - my appetite is 75% back , but at 3 weeks later I would of expected all of the symptoms to be gone. Im starting to get worried that weed may have permanantly made me this way , and I going to feel this way for the rest of my life , even if I never smoke weed again.

Ive heard that THC is fat soluble, and I have been going to the gym 5 times a week , from about 2 weeks ago. Im thinking that it may be because I am burning the fat and this is still releasing the THC into my blood - causing me to become anxious,a tad bit paranoid and depressed. Am I thinking correctly?

Either that or my worst fear - my brain is permanently damaged. Im extremely worried about this , can anyone out there help me , or offer some advice , or point me somewhere where i can get an answer to this.

I know its a long post , and much appreciated to anyone who replies

Thank you

[canuhearme]

Hello IKIC,
Welcome to SR,
I don't think any real damage has been done The dreams, those are a normal part of recovery, we all dream but most of the time we don't remember them. My bet is you are just not sleeping very well yet. Give it time. Drugs seem to rewire our mind and it takes time to return to normal (what ever that is) Keep going to the gym and drink lots of water, it's one of natures best medicines.

As far as

excitedness of being sober , has now faded

this is a wonderful place to reclaim that excitement. Helping others and having a place to be open about your problems seems to be a cornerstone of recovery. Again~ Welcome to SR!!

Hugs

[iknowican]

thank you for the words of encouragement canyouhearme , it helps to know someone out there is listening. Tel me do you or anyone know medically if its possible for the THC to be released as the fat burns, therefore causing withdrawal symptoms to "reappear" occasionally until all the fat that contains the THC is burnt of? I also read somewhere that THC has a half life of about a week when stored in fat, so with each week it should decrease in half of its potency when stored in my fat? Also , for those that have went through this , how long does it usually take for ALL the symptoms to go - ie , at what point should I be getting worried that I may have aquired a permanent mental problem because of my weed use?

thanks for your help

ps: I understand its not ethical for people to give me "medical" advice , if this is the case , can someone point me to a link that answer my questions instead.

[lostbutterfly]

I smoked heavily and every day for about 2 years. I stopped overnight - I just didn't want to smoke anymore. I cannot remember any withdrawal symptoms at all except for struggling to sleep. (I fixed that with opiates and alcohol - that's NOT medical advice - don't do it!!)

I only used to eat when I smoked so it took a while for the appetite to come back, but it did. I lost weight until things evened out, so I must have been burning fat and I also started running again - I don't ever remember the feeling that THC was being released into my body.

Well done for coming so far. I think anxiety and depression are pretty common when you give up a drug that you have mentally relied on for some time. We have to adapt to coping with life again without the crutch.

I've learnt a lot from other people here and at AA/NA, more than I realise at the time. It sinks in, even against your will, if you just hang around other recovering addicts for a while.

[Lilyflower]

Speaking from a strictly THC in your body stance, I have read that dependant on the frequency of use, potency of the weed, and how much fat you carry can increase the amount of time THC stays in the body.

again from what I have read, it can stay there (for a frequent smoker, high fat content, potency etc) for 30-60 days.

So it is possible that it is still in your system. I wouldn't worry though, just stay true to your programme and you wil be fine, I doubt you have caused any long term effects.

They say that smoking weed can make any mental disorders worse. I smoked and suffered from depression, and I will admit that smoking made my problems worse at the time, but now that I am not smoking it anymore and I dealt with my depression, I am a happy camper!

Your having many dreams and feeling irritable may just be down to a mild depression which these are symptoms of. Talk to your doctor about this possibility.

Lily xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[windysan]

I never had a withdrawal symptom from the demon weed and I used to smoke a pile of it.

[canuhearme]

I read somewhere that the reason for mild withdrawal symptoms is that the body has been storing the THC in the body fat and has its own supply of THC. I think it has a half life of one week, which means that if a person stops smoking pot it takes one week for the stored THC to drop to half two weeks to drop to a forth, and so on. Maybe you could google the half life of THC, I tried but I just don't have the drive to sort through all the "Pass your drug test BS... Good luck

[canuhearme]

I agree with LilyFlower, just focus on staying clean... The rest will fall into place

[iknowican]

thanks to all of you for your advice , much appreciated. I will certainly continue along my track of sobriety ( theres no other alternative, I will NEVER touch weed again).

For those who think that marijuana does not cause withdrawel symptoms , you either have not smoked long or frequently enough , or your are one of the lucky ones that dont suffer from withdrawel symptoms.

It does annoy me when I go on google and see all those out there stating that weed causes no withdrawal symptoms - I physically felt all - the late night sweats , the extreme irritability, panic attacks(these where the worst I felt as if I was trapped I had to go to hospital and was given Valium to put my mind at some sort of rest) paranoia,depression, racing overactive mind and the loss of motivation are all extremely real. I do note however that it took me ALOT of smoking extremely potent hydro everyday for a long period of time to feel these withdrawel affects ( for the first 6 months of smoking 5 times a week , I didnt feel any withdrawal sypmtoms when I didnt smoke, it was only when it was a habitual smoking every 2 hours daily for 6months did I notice that the way I thought and felt was waaaay different then usual and when I did try to stop - the withdrawal symptoms hit me badly)

Since it takes 30-60 days for it to be completely gone , and ive only done 24 or so , I think il wait another month , and if im still feeling this way Il see my doctor.

Thanks again everyone

[iknowican]

Ok I went to a doctor today to clear everything up - so just to let those who might be experiencing the same doubt as to whether weed has permanently damaged your brain - weed CAN bring up underlying mental problems if smoked a lot , however I was told after an assessment that I don't have any underlying mental issues and because of the amount (2g a day) and the potency of the weed involved , I SHOULD expect to experience withdrawal symptoms for another month or 2. When I say withdrawal symptoms I don't mean the severe symptoms that are experienced during the first week , I mean the other smaller symptoms. If you smoked alot expect to feel "out of it" , slightly paranoid , unhappy, anxious , getting angry at little things for about 90 days after you quit. Like canuhearme previously said , your brain is just rewiring itself to return to normal function. If you still feel bad 3 months after you quit , then you should start to get a bit worried and seek professional help.

PS. I'm not a medical professional , just relating my experience so that it may put those whose minds are a bit worried at ease. If you feel like going to the doctor , please do as my advice is no substitute for a qualified doctor.

[lostbutterfly]

That's interesting. I never smoked alone, coz I used to hear voices which scared the cr&p out of me! I do believe that stuff about it being able to tip you over the edge if you are already that way inclined.

Good idea to wait out another month. I think things will settle for you. Have you thought of getting into a recovery program like AA/NA to help you learn to deal with life again?

[ingear]

I smoked weed for years , a little every day , and noticed that when I quit
like a year and a half ago that I stopped crying so easily. It was like it made me a little emotionally unstable, a little too sensitive.

After I quit it that went away and hasn't come back.
Has anyone else experienced this?

[windysan]

I lost my taste for twinkies and most hostess snacks.

[Lilyflower]

Originally Posted by Bridgit

I smoked weed for years , a little every day , and noticed that when I quit
like a year and a half ago that I stopped crying so easily. It was like it made me a little emotionally unstable, a little too sensitive.

After I quit it that went away and hasn't come back.
Has anyone else experienced this?

Yep, I had depression anyway when I started to smoke. I smoked for 9 years total; 3 or 4 of those years it was pretty much every day.

Originally I was passed a smoke by my bf at the time, who told me it would make me feel better, and it always did when I was on it. I couldn't give a sh*t about my problems.

In between smokes though, or when we just couldn't get any, it was a different story. It definately made my emotions more extreme. I would cry at the drop of a hat, and when angry, well it was not a pretty sight! I could really lose it. I felt like I was psycho. I went back on anti-depressants thinking my depression was just worse, now I think the pot made me worse.

It has been about 8 months since my last smoke and I feel much more in control of my moods now!

Lily xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[ingear]

Originally Posted by Lilyflower

Yep, I had depression anyway when I started to smoke. I smoked for 9 years total; 3 or 4 of those years it was pretty much every day.

Originally I was passed a smoke by my bf at the time, who told me it would make me feel better, and it always did when I was on it. I couldn't give a sh*t about my problems.

In between smokes though, or when we just couldn't get any, it was a different story. It definately made my emotions more extreme. I would cry at the drop of a hat, and when angry, well it was not a pretty sight! I could really lose it. I felt like I was psycho. I went back on anti-depressants thinking my depression was just worse, now I think the pot made me worse.

It has been about 8 months since my last smoke and I feel much more in control of my moods now!

Lily xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Thank you sooooo much Lily!!!
I had wondered that for awhile and never thought to bring it up!
Not that I would know who to bring it up with, it's not like a 'real' addiction, ya know, or not as serious as say opiates or alcohol..
But it is nice not to be a crybaby anymore over dumb stuff!!!
Or wake up and eat a box of donuts.

[Lilyflower]

Originally Posted by Bridgit

it's not like a 'real' addiction, ya know, or not as serious as say opiates or alcohol..

I kind of know what you mean here. I never drank or even smoked regular ciggs, just the pot, and I was lucky that when I stopped it was relatively easy for me to stop.

Well apart from the blinding headaches first thing in the morning that would last all day...

oh and the urge to call up for a bag when life was p*ssing me off and I felt bored...

However, when I compare that with my ex abf's withdrawals and shear consumption, I always felt ok with my 'habit'. I felt like it hadn't gotten hold of me as tightly. I feel now that smoking did lead me to try another drug though, I did drop acid a couple of times years back, until I had a very bad trip and it freaked me out.

Listening to others stories though, and I know I was lucky. some folks have a terible hard time with it. Perhaps I wasn't smoking long enough, who knows. glad I could shake it off.

Lily xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[ingear]

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.

[Lilyflower]

No offense taken here!

I am always inspired by the strength of the human spirit when I see people who have come through addictions, so thanks for sharing with me and letting me share!

Blessings
Lily xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[doorknob]

I'm a pothead and an alcoholic, have found them equally difficult to give up, and can relate to all the issues on this thread.

[windysan]

I never lost the taste for Hubig's fruit pies though !!! Yummy !!!

[lostbutterfly]

We always had to have a full cook up, no simple snacks! The kitchen always looked like a bomb had hit it the next morning!

[Tryin2Recover]

Grats on getting off the bud Iknow, and welcome to SR. Let me tell you I can for sure relate to you. For me, weed was 100% addictive and caused many withdrawl effects. I had all the symptoms you had. I can also relate to the 'excitment of being sober ending', what you are experienceing is what some of us in recovery refer to the vanish of the 'pink cloud.' When you first get sober you are excited, happy, feel like a new life. Then after some time, you just have to live life again normally, but without drug. It can be depressing at first but once you start to adjust to living life on lifes terms drug free, day by day, IT DOES GET BETTER.

Also, pot has a very nasty halflife, and even nastier detox time table. Hence why weed is one of the LONGEST drugs to show up on any given drug test. It will take time for all of the effects to go away, but as long as you dont pick up that bong eventually they all most likely will. Also, you arent 'getting high' as you burn fat, it doesnt work exactly like that. Once THC is injested it breaks down rather quickly, maybe within 12-36 hours. It then becomes what is known as metabolites, which are a broken down partially metabolized form of its parent structure. So while you arent releaseing THC and getting high, you are still releasing some of THCs child chemicals which will cause your brain to act out for a while. But it will go away, again, if you dont use. Also, as someone else said, your brain is busy rewiring everything so it will take time for that to balance out and restore itself to optimal pre pot days, but if you abstain from using that too will in most cases fix itself. Anyways good luck man, I used to love pot and these days looking back its amazing how great life is without it. keep posting bro.

[Vintersemestre]

I didn't really have much trouble stopping it. I don't really remember any withdrawal symptoms so they couldn't have been that bad. However, soon after stopping I got BAD anxiety that lasted awhile.

[sunflower1776]

Originally Posted by iknowican

Ok I went to a doctor today to clear everything up - so just to let those who might be experiencing the same doubt as to whether weed has permanently damaged your brain - weed CAN bring up underlying mental problems if smoked a lot , however I was told after an assessment that I don't have any underlying mental issues and because of the amount (2g a day) and the potency of the weed involved , I SHOULD expect to experience withdrawal symptoms for another month or 2. When I say withdrawal symptoms I don't mean the severe symptoms that are experienced during the first week , I mean the other smaller symptoms. If you smoked alot expect to feel "out of it" , slightly paranoid , unhappy, anxious , getting angry at little things for about 90 days after you quit. Like canuhearme previously said , your brain is just rewiring itself to return to normal function. If you still feel bad 3 months after you quit , then you should start to get a bit worried and seek professional help.

PS. I'm not a medical professional , just relating my experience so that it may put those whose minds are a bit worried at ease. If you feel like going to the doctor , please do as my advice is no substitute for a qualified doctor.

Iknowican
I've just started reading this thread, and I'm glad to see that you went to the doctor and all is okay and normal per se. I have heard from people that withdrawals from pot are very real. I know as an opiate addict I have ben told to expect 2-3 months of not feeling so great as I've done great damage to my body and brain that it needs time to all get back to normal-whatever normal for me is! Take it day by day. You're already exercising so that's good--I've heard exercise is a great way to get the endorphins (the feel good natural substance our body makes) working again. It is a slow process, but each day is a step in the right direction. Congratulations on getting to this point!

[sunflower1776]

Originally Posted by Bridgit

Thank you sooooo much Lily!!!
I had wondered that for awhile and never thought to bring it up!
Not that I would know who to bring it up with, it's not like a 'real' addiction, ya know, or not as serious as say opiates or alcohol..
But it is nice not to be a crybaby anymore over dumb stuff!!!
Or wake up and eat a box of donuts.

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.