hi all
starting recovery
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Posts: 3
hi all
hi, im new here.
so let me tell you about myself.
i use drugs. marijuana and cigarettes to be specific. in the past, i used LSD on a weekly basis for a couple months. i've tried ecstasy and crystal meth before. i've also abused prescription drugs like vicodin, xanex and adderral. on a few occasions, i snorted cocaine and also smoked marijuana mixed with cocaine. i've never been a big fan of alcohol. i don't know why, i guess i just don't like how it makes me feel. i only drink with others around me who are drinking. i have never smoked crack cocaine, never used PCP and never used Heroin.
marijuana and cigarettes are my drugs of choice. i have been smoking marijuana and cigarettes since 1997. every year, i consume more and more marijuana. i would say from the year 2003, i have smoked marijuana every single day or at least tried to. as far as cigarettes go, i used to smoke packs of newport 100's menthol but ive seriously cut down to 2-3 camel lights a day.
now that you know my drug history, let me tell you why I am posting all this on these forums today.
it all started one month ago. i was stoned, standing in the bathroom washing my face and mouth. then i felt this funny feeling in my chest. it was a acute, concentrated feeling. i didn't think anything of it. but as the day went on, this feeling turned into pain. pain so serious it left me rolling around in my bed, crying and praying to god because I thought I was having a heart attack. why I didn't call 911, i cannot explain. but the feeling pain slowly subsided, and i passed out on my side.
the following days, i had a lingering pain in my chest. it would not go away but it would feel better and worse. after a few days, i developed a new symptom. my left hand, arm and lower left side of my face had a numbing sensation. this scared me to the point where I went to a emergency room. they did a EKG on my heart and told me I have chest pain and numbness of arm (UNSPECIFIED). after that, they told me to rest and take it easy.
still scared, I went to see a doctor. this doctor thought I was under a lot of stress and that I showed signs of anxiety. he could tell by my extreme mood swings. I have a history of mental illness, obsessive compulsive disorder and attention deficit disorder. I have tooken a variety of prescription drugs like wellbutrin, ridilin, adderall, buspar, prozac, zyprexa and a couple others i don't remember the name of. i am saying this because I think it is important for whoever to know this about me before i continue with my story. but before I continue... when I turned 18, i was no longer under my parents insurance. without the income to purchase these drugs from the store, I stopped taking all my medications. I made a choice too. And have been off all medications for years.
but continuing on... the doctor gave me a few sample packs of a prescription drug called Risperdal (RISPERIDONE). risperdal is a anti-psychotic medication given to patients suffering mental illnesses like schizophrenia and bi-polar disorder. the doctor asked me If I was interested. he said it would help me with my anxiety. I made a choice to accept these drugs, and begin taking half a pill a day (0.50 mg) for a week, and bump up to a full pill a day (1mg).
so I began taking risperdal, and I THINK it may have helped me with some of my anxiety, because I was really stressing out about why I was having chest pains and un-explained numbness in my arm, hand and face.
after a week, the chest pain and numbness gradually went away little by little. so i began to relax a little. i decided to pick the pipe back up and start smoking the rest of my marijuana. i smoked just a little bit and half a cigarette. then i started playing some video games. about a hour into playing, my left eye felt weird. it felt like something was burning. then my right eye. my eyes were real sensitive to light. i developed a slight headache followed by slight dizziness and nausea. i decided to lay down. i went to sleep and woke up. i smoked weed again. this time i got a huge headache and it felt like my head was spinning. i layed still on my bed with cold sweat, scared out of my mind. let me note, this has happened occasionaly when i smoke weed and it only happens if i consume ALOT and hold in my hits for as long as possible. anyways, somehow, in my messed up state of mind, i fell asleep.
the next day, i decided to quit smoking weed. after about a week, i developed a headache. from the symptoms i was having, it was a tension migraine headache. and it would not go away. it lasted all day long and would get worse or better. not knowing what was causing it, i suspected it was the presciption drug Risperdal that I was taking for a week. i discontinued use of the drug immediatly the next day and threw away the rest of my sample packs.
as the week went on, the headache would not go away. i got scared and started stressing out again. i went to the emergency room to a different hospital. i explained i was having migraine headaches for a week straight. they did a cat scan of my head. i guess nothing was out of the ordinary because later that day, they pumped me full of these drugs through my IV that made my headache go away. after that, I was released from the hospital.
foolish as i am, i started to relax again. i said to myself, "hey, theres only a little bit of weed left, let me finish it off." i smoked the rest of my marijuana and played some video games. everything SEEMED to be normal. but then the next day my headache came back. not as severe as before though. my head just weird. like when you have a cold or something, and you have a "stuffy head". it feels like i have a "stuff head" all day long, and sometimes it turns into pain. please note that I have this feeling before i went to the emergency room the second time.
so for some reason, i decided to purchase some more marijuana, today to be exact. and i rolled up a big joint and smoked it, then I smoked a cigarette. and now i have a huge headache. the same kind of headache before i think.
i have a bad headache right now (no, I'm a veteran smoker. i know how to smoke marijuana. and i guarantee you, I am not smoking seeds. I smoke the good stuff) so. i have made a decision to stop smoking marijuana and cigarettes for the rest of my life. in fear that these headaches I am having could develop into something more serious. also, let me say, I have been having these headaches and "stuffy head" feeling for ten days strong. I do not know when this feeling will go away. it bothers me and I continue to worry and stress about it.
so I guess I've accomplished the biggest step in recovery so far. i made a choice to stop using. now i need help with these headaches i am having >.<
ive come up with a few possible reasons why i am having headaches and a "stuffy head". could is be I have so much THC in my system? i want to ask questions like, what should a long time pot smoker do to cleanse his system of all this marijuana. because from the reports I had to do for my probation officer ( i got arrested before for possession of marijuana, go figure), marijuana takes the longest to get out of your system. like anywhere from a few weeks to a few months.
anyways, i want to live a healthy life now. basically the exact opposite of what i was doing. i want to be a health freak. ya thats me in the future hopfully.
thanks for reading, this is my recovery story. its 100% truth and accurate. i will be posting on these forums now, to respond and help others. bye.
so let me tell you about myself.
i use drugs. marijuana and cigarettes to be specific. in the past, i used LSD on a weekly basis for a couple months. i've tried ecstasy and crystal meth before. i've also abused prescription drugs like vicodin, xanex and adderral. on a few occasions, i snorted cocaine and also smoked marijuana mixed with cocaine. i've never been a big fan of alcohol. i don't know why, i guess i just don't like how it makes me feel. i only drink with others around me who are drinking. i have never smoked crack cocaine, never used PCP and never used Heroin.
marijuana and cigarettes are my drugs of choice. i have been smoking marijuana and cigarettes since 1997. every year, i consume more and more marijuana. i would say from the year 2003, i have smoked marijuana every single day or at least tried to. as far as cigarettes go, i used to smoke packs of newport 100's menthol but ive seriously cut down to 2-3 camel lights a day.
now that you know my drug history, let me tell you why I am posting all this on these forums today.
it all started one month ago. i was stoned, standing in the bathroom washing my face and mouth. then i felt this funny feeling in my chest. it was a acute, concentrated feeling. i didn't think anything of it. but as the day went on, this feeling turned into pain. pain so serious it left me rolling around in my bed, crying and praying to god because I thought I was having a heart attack. why I didn't call 911, i cannot explain. but the feeling pain slowly subsided, and i passed out on my side.
the following days, i had a lingering pain in my chest. it would not go away but it would feel better and worse. after a few days, i developed a new symptom. my left hand, arm and lower left side of my face had a numbing sensation. this scared me to the point where I went to a emergency room. they did a EKG on my heart and told me I have chest pain and numbness of arm (UNSPECIFIED). after that, they told me to rest and take it easy.
still scared, I went to see a doctor. this doctor thought I was under a lot of stress and that I showed signs of anxiety. he could tell by my extreme mood swings. I have a history of mental illness, obsessive compulsive disorder and attention deficit disorder. I have tooken a variety of prescription drugs like wellbutrin, ridilin, adderall, buspar, prozac, zyprexa and a couple others i don't remember the name of. i am saying this because I think it is important for whoever to know this about me before i continue with my story. but before I continue... when I turned 18, i was no longer under my parents insurance. without the income to purchase these drugs from the store, I stopped taking all my medications. I made a choice too. And have been off all medications for years.
but continuing on... the doctor gave me a few sample packs of a prescription drug called Risperdal (RISPERIDONE). risperdal is a anti-psychotic medication given to patients suffering mental illnesses like schizophrenia and bi-polar disorder. the doctor asked me If I was interested. he said it would help me with my anxiety. I made a choice to accept these drugs, and begin taking half a pill a day (0.50 mg) for a week, and bump up to a full pill a day (1mg).
so I began taking risperdal, and I THINK it may have helped me with some of my anxiety, because I was really stressing out about why I was having chest pains and un-explained numbness in my arm, hand and face.
after a week, the chest pain and numbness gradually went away little by little. so i began to relax a little. i decided to pick the pipe back up and start smoking the rest of my marijuana. i smoked just a little bit and half a cigarette. then i started playing some video games. about a hour into playing, my left eye felt weird. it felt like something was burning. then my right eye. my eyes were real sensitive to light. i developed a slight headache followed by slight dizziness and nausea. i decided to lay down. i went to sleep and woke up. i smoked weed again. this time i got a huge headache and it felt like my head was spinning. i layed still on my bed with cold sweat, scared out of my mind. let me note, this has happened occasionaly when i smoke weed and it only happens if i consume ALOT and hold in my hits for as long as possible. anyways, somehow, in my messed up state of mind, i fell asleep.
the next day, i decided to quit smoking weed. after about a week, i developed a headache. from the symptoms i was having, it was a tension migraine headache. and it would not go away. it lasted all day long and would get worse or better. not knowing what was causing it, i suspected it was the presciption drug Risperdal that I was taking for a week. i discontinued use of the drug immediatly the next day and threw away the rest of my sample packs.
as the week went on, the headache would not go away. i got scared and started stressing out again. i went to the emergency room to a different hospital. i explained i was having migraine headaches for a week straight. they did a cat scan of my head. i guess nothing was out of the ordinary because later that day, they pumped me full of these drugs through my IV that made my headache go away. after that, I was released from the hospital.
foolish as i am, i started to relax again. i said to myself, "hey, theres only a little bit of weed left, let me finish it off." i smoked the rest of my marijuana and played some video games. everything SEEMED to be normal. but then the next day my headache came back. not as severe as before though. my head just weird. like when you have a cold or something, and you have a "stuffy head". it feels like i have a "stuff head" all day long, and sometimes it turns into pain. please note that I have this feeling before i went to the emergency room the second time.
so for some reason, i decided to purchase some more marijuana, today to be exact. and i rolled up a big joint and smoked it, then I smoked a cigarette. and now i have a huge headache. the same kind of headache before i think.
i have a bad headache right now (no, I'm a veteran smoker. i know how to smoke marijuana. and i guarantee you, I am not smoking seeds. I smoke the good stuff) so. i have made a decision to stop smoking marijuana and cigarettes for the rest of my life. in fear that these headaches I am having could develop into something more serious. also, let me say, I have been having these headaches and "stuffy head" feeling for ten days strong. I do not know when this feeling will go away. it bothers me and I continue to worry and stress about it.
so I guess I've accomplished the biggest step in recovery so far. i made a choice to stop using. now i need help with these headaches i am having >.<
ive come up with a few possible reasons why i am having headaches and a "stuffy head". could is be I have so much THC in my system? i want to ask questions like, what should a long time pot smoker do to cleanse his system of all this marijuana. because from the reports I had to do for my probation officer ( i got arrested before for possession of marijuana, go figure), marijuana takes the longest to get out of your system. like anywhere from a few weeks to a few months.
anyways, i want to live a healthy life now. basically the exact opposite of what i was doing. i want to be a health freak. ya thats me in the future hopfully.
thanks for reading, this is my recovery story. its 100% truth and accurate. i will be posting on these forums now, to respond and help others. bye.
Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: El Cerrito, California
Posts: 580
Marijuana was my drug of choice for years, though I eventually switched to alcohol. I did a lot of other drugs too.
I also have a history of emotional problems, and was in deep doo doo when I started pot. It saved my life, for it gave me a great way to deal with stress. But it didn't stay that way, and eventually created much more stress than it solved.
It sounds to me like many of your physical symptoms are either stress related or are aggravated by stress. You certainly need medical input, but not from a doctor who dispenses pills willy nilly.
There are many avenues towards dealing with stress: acupuncture, herbs, stress reduction exercises, and exercise (especially yoga and chi gung). Diet can have a huge effect; looking at sugar and caffeine intake might be a place to start. I needed professional help to deal with it and learn to not only eliminate the bad stuff, but to learn how to eat real food that's actually good for you. And often therapy is called for.
Changes like these don't happen overnight, and you don't want to take on more than you can handle. Staying away from dope is a good place to start, as is connecting with like-minded people at NA or Marijuana Anonymous, or AA meetings in a pinch. People without alcohol problems do sometimes show up at open meetings.
You've made a good start; keep at it!
I also have a history of emotional problems, and was in deep doo doo when I started pot. It saved my life, for it gave me a great way to deal with stress. But it didn't stay that way, and eventually created much more stress than it solved.
It sounds to me like many of your physical symptoms are either stress related or are aggravated by stress. You certainly need medical input, but not from a doctor who dispenses pills willy nilly.
There are many avenues towards dealing with stress: acupuncture, herbs, stress reduction exercises, and exercise (especially yoga and chi gung). Diet can have a huge effect; looking at sugar and caffeine intake might be a place to start. I needed professional help to deal with it and learn to not only eliminate the bad stuff, but to learn how to eat real food that's actually good for you. And often therapy is called for.
Changes like these don't happen overnight, and you don't want to take on more than you can handle. Staying away from dope is a good place to start, as is connecting with like-minded people at NA or Marijuana Anonymous, or AA meetings in a pinch. People without alcohol problems do sometimes show up at open meetings.
You've made a good start; keep at it!
Last edited by Ngokpa; 10-18-2006 at 05:15 PM.
starting recovery
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Posts: 3
thank you Ngokpa. i was thinking the exact same thing. exact same thing, before i even read your post.
i am very interested in acupuncture, meditation, relaxation, exercise, herbs, these type of things.
i went ahead and scheduled an appointment with a psychiatrist, but it will be a month or so before i actually get to see him.
in the mean time, i am going to try these things. you have given me a form of inspiration because i wasnt too sure what path to take, psychotropic drugs or alternative medicine.
i still have a headache, although it went down from before. i have eliminated caffeine and sugar from my diet because i understand this can aggrivate my headache.
i am going to look into some of these support groups. faith based groups is what i need now. because i went to church for the first time in YEARS, praying that i get better.
thanks again for your inspiring post.
i am very interested in acupuncture, meditation, relaxation, exercise, herbs, these type of things.
i went ahead and scheduled an appointment with a psychiatrist, but it will be a month or so before i actually get to see him.
in the mean time, i am going to try these things. you have given me a form of inspiration because i wasnt too sure what path to take, psychotropic drugs or alternative medicine.
i still have a headache, although it went down from before. i have eliminated caffeine and sugar from my diet because i understand this can aggrivate my headache.
i am going to look into some of these support groups. faith based groups is what i need now. because i went to church for the first time in YEARS, praying that i get better.
thanks again for your inspiring post.
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