Anxiety related to Cannabis - help?

A few months ago I was beaten up badly on weed by some retard that I hung out with and ever since then I've had anxiety when I smoke weed and my body gets all tense and I get muscle cramps in my body (mostly in the parts of my body that are really untrained and weak) and I have a really hard time to just relax and enjoy the buzz. I keep thinking I'm gonna have a heart attack or I just have alot of discomfort in my whole body. I had a panic attack on weed before that but that was just pure overthinking. That panic attack even went so far that my hands were paralyzed and I was so fucking scared lol. But it passed and I was able to smoke without having a relapse, but ever since I got beaten up I can't do it anymore. I just start relating the smoking to that night I guess. Is there any way to make this go away, such as meditation or other techniques? I have no interest in quitting marijuana because I know I can beat this. Does anyone else have any experience with some event like this related to anxiety? I'm 20 years old and relatively healthy so none of this should happen. I don't have a history of mental problems in my family, but my father's side does have neurological disorders. My dad has been smoking weed his entire life and he's fine. My half-siblings have some mental problems like depression and OCD but they got it from their dad's side (we have different dads). I have aspergers syndrome from my father's side and I've been smoking about a year before this event happened.
Thanks for your time, really need some help with this. Seems nobody on the entirety of the Internet can help me.

If you ever get anxiety from smoking, grab some black pepper and smell it.

From what you are describing it sounds like you are having issues with PTSD / Anxiety. In terms of how to fix an issue that has more to do with how you think than how you are physically, there is no real concrete answer. generic answers such as lower your daily stress, eat a good diet, talk about the issues with a trusted partner, friend, psychologist ect are a good start.

When you said

Alptraum said:

Seems nobody on the entirety of the Internet can help me.

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you're not wrong we / other people can't fix the issue for you but the right people can lend support / encouragement, however people who care about you are not generally found on the internet.

On the marijuana side of things I would recommend more indicas over sativas to relax and not over think things.Honestly though, the marijuana doesn't seem to be the issue you need to be solving. Using mood / mind altering substances of any kind when you are not in the right frame of mind can / will lead to a bad time.

On top of all of that the issues you are experiencing seem to be having a particularly negative impact on your well being and self esteem.

Alptraum said:

(mostly in the parts of my body that are really untrained and weak)

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claiming parts of your body as weak and untrained after being assaulted sounds like blaming yourself for being unprepared for the event. I generally use marijuana to relax but I would imagine it would be hard for you to relax with the underlying fear of a reoccurring event no matter how high or low the probability of the event happening is. So the long and short of this is, no one else can fix this for you but I do recommend trying to find someone to talk too that you trust to listen

Work your way back slowly and gently with heavy indicas, or even high CBD-low THC strains. Sativas and some sativa-leaning strains can cause anxiety in users even if there are no underlying issues such as yours. Get something like Bubba Kush, Blueberry or GDP and start with an amount significantly less than you usually use and see what happens.

What strains are giving you this trouble now?

just because your parents or family smoke weed and are fine doesnt mean you wont have issues.
thats not how anxiety is. anxiety can be hereditary but its not necessarily ONLY hereditary or genetic so family members can have anxiety and others will not. it also happens to 1 and 4 people
try not to get too wrapped up in the social stigmas of mental health issues, they can happen to anyone regardless of family history, social economic wealth , race , & sexual orientation etc.

you can do/ try several things switching to indica strains typically help, lowering the amount of cannabis consumption often helps, finding the right strain as well can help, and last

"sadly" some people just cannot use marijuana regardless of the types they consume as it just triggers their anxiety.
as amazing as marijuana is its can have adverse side effects for people with certain mental health disorders you may not ever be able to smoke again and that happens. even though you said you have no want to give up sometimes you have to face reality and realize that something is doing you more harm than good than you should stop. life wont end because you cant smoke pot. it will go on i promise.

it sounds like to me youre having a mix of a panic attack and trauma related attacks from the incident you had. your body is causing you to trigger the flight or fight response when you smoke because you have a traumatic incident while high. So the brain turns on when you get high and says " hey, we got hurt last time, trigger trigger!" so the good news is that you already know what is triggering your anxiety related issues often people dont know. what you should do is speak to a professional first and foremost. and always.
they are the ones who are going to be able to help you do the types of relaxation methods that work there are several different types of methods the most common being breathing exercises and CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) the CBT will take time and practice to work and you will need a qualified medical professional in order to help you with it.

the breathing exercise is very easy
" smell the roses, and blow out the candles "
breathe in through your nose like youre smelling a rose (deep long etc)
blow out through your mouth like youre blowing out a candle.

when you have an attack focus on breathing like that. it also helps people when they have attacks to get into a brain activity function if youre brain is focusing on something else intense it counter attacks the ability to have the flight or fight response and the anxiety goes away.
keep a puzzle around, nintendo ds, something you can grab in a moments notice and start working on, the intensity of something like a puzzle causes you to only focus on that and eventually the panic will subside

(method above doesnt work for everyone and not always going to work either )

the brown paper bag trick , old, stereotypical but does also work to help your breathing

hope this helps. really though go seek out professional help like a counsellor , therapist or psychiatrist
goodluck

sunni said:

just because your parents or family smoke weed and are fine doesnt mean you wont have issues.
thats not how anxiety is. anxiety can be hereditary but its not necessarily ONLY hereditary or genetic so family members can have anxiety and others will not. it also happens to 1 and 4 people
try not to get too wrapped up in the social stigmas of mental health issues, they can happen to anyone regardless of family history, social economic wealth , race , & sexual orientation etc.

you can do/ try several things switching to indica strains typically help, lowering the amount of cannabis consumption often helps, finding the right strain as well can help, and last

"sadly" some people just cannot use marijuana regardless of the types they consume as it just triggers their anxiety.
as amazing as marijuana is its can have adverse side effects for people with certain mental health disorders you may not ever be able to smoke again and that happens. even though you said you have no want to give up sometimes you have to face reality and realize that something is doing you more harm than good than you should stop. life wont end because you cant smoke pot. it will go on i promise.

it sounds like to me youre having a mix of a panic attack and trauma related attacks from the incident you had. your body is causing you to trigger the flight or fight response when you smoke because you have a traumatic incident while high. So the brain turns on when you get high and says " hey, we got hurt last time, trigger trigger!" so the good news is that you already know what is triggering your anxiety related issues often people dont know. what you should do is speak to a professional first and foremost. and always.
they are the ones who are going to be able to help you do the types of relaxation methods that work there are several different types of methods the most common being breathing exercises and CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) the CBT will take time and practice to work and you will need a qualified medical professional in order to help you with it.

the breathing exercise is very easy
" smell the roses, and blow out the candles "
breathe in through your nose like youre smelling a rose (deep long etc)
blow out through your mouth like youre blowing out a candle.

when you have an attack focus on breathing like that. it also helps people when they have attacks to get into a brain activity function if youre brain is focusing on something else intense it counter attacks the ability to have the flight or fight response and the anxiety goes away.
keep a puzzle around, nintendo ds, something you can grab in a moments notice and start working on, the intensity of something like a puzzle causes you to only focus on that and eventually the panic will subside

(method above doesnt work for everyone and not always going to work either )

the brown paper bag trick , old, stereotypical but does also work to help your breathing

hope this helps. really though go seek out professional help like a counsellor , therapist or psychiatrist
goodluck

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Very good advice Sunni

RM3 said:

Very good advice Sunni

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thanks ! , went to school for social work mental health and addictions. so i try to give the nicest advice possible to these folks.
i also used to suffer from severe agoraphobia and anxiety so i know what its like to be struggling ...really cripples you and your life you know

sunni said:

thanks ! , went to school for social work mental health and addictions. so i try to give the nicest advice possible to these folks.
i also used to suffer from severe agoraphobia and anxiety so i know what its like to be struggling ...really cripples you and your life you know

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I have compound PTSD (42 verified traumas ) so I totally understand

RM3 said:

I have compound PTSD (42 verified traumas ) so I totally understand

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Hugs to you !

I agree with everyone else and I can't put it better than Sunni did, spot on, and I love that breathing exercise, I'm well into my meditation but I've never heard it put like that before. I stopped smoking weed for years because I got to the stage where I thought I could hear my neighbours talking about me through the walls! It doesn't seem to be a problem for me now I'm not taking harder drugs but it took me a long time to build my tolerance up before I could have more than a few blows of a joint without freaking out. Stopping smoking for a while so you can focus on sorting your head out is not a bad thing and doesn't mean you'll never smoke again. Focus on getting yourself right for a while cos, in my opinion, by carrying on smoking when it's causing negative effects you're making your issue worse as the more it makes you feel rough the more you'll associate it with feeling rough and more deeply entrench the problem. You need to build new associations. There are loads of good guided meditations online that could help you relax. I also highly recommend a book called The Secret, it reads like hippy dippy nonsense to be honest but the concept is great and it can be a huge help for a lot of people. Good luck mate

Well said Sunni!!!

Seriously. You can smell some pepper or better yet a spice mix if you run into those anxiety/panic issues.

Pepper contains the same terpene profile as certain anti-anxiety cannabis strains, which makes it a quick and effective method of treatment.

Here's a nice guideline to terpene profiles, which terpene is most beneficial for the problem, what strains and other alternatives with the same profiles.

It's not uncommon either for strains to carry multiple profiles either.

Wow, this thread blew up.
I've understood and accepted that the problem is mental, however I still need to train myself to refrain from thinking negatively and focusing on my pain etc.

I'll respond to each and one of you in this post:

@breakdancer0003
I'm not saying that I was at fault just for being untrained lol. And my confidence isn't exactly low, I've reached a point where I've stopped judging myself for the actions I take, I just accept that I did what I did and move on. I haven't really been "insecure" since I was in my late-teens. It's just that the pain I experience in my body is from the left side of my body which I don't use that much since I'm right handed. I also sit at the computer all day long so my body isn't exactly fit, but I never get any pain in my right hand which I use alot for the mouse but I do get pain in both my legs. I smoked some today aswell and I felt pretty good the whole day because I was with good company. When the feelings creep up on me, I just focus my mind on something else but there's always this lingering feeling of anxiety because I constantly think about it. I need to learn to focus my mind on other things than the negative, I've heard meditation was good but I haven't found any concrete proof of that. What I'm asking is if people have any suggestions on techniques they use to divert their thoughts away from the negative.

@Bacala
I've realized that sativas may be the issue aswell. I bought some Blue Cheese (I buy online so it's relatively reliable, I won't get played like I would be by a street dealer) but my mind started raising yesterday. Today I didn't have that issue strangely enough even though I smoked the same weed.

@sunni
Thanks for all the support first and foremost. I know I might have to go give it up and I've come to terms with that, but before I'm willing to give it up I have to see if I have the mental power to overcome my anxiety, which I'm almost certain that I am because everytime I smoke it gets better and better. The last panic attack I had was maybe a month ago, but I've gradually gotten more and more calm. The big problems are when I smoke cigarettes and I get nicotine withdrawal (When I was with my family they didn't let me smoke my e-cigarette inside so I was sitting there craving nicotine which almost triggered a panic attack but I calmed down) but I've learned to calm down much more now when smoking weed. I've never been a very stressed person, I've always been the calm and relaxed one in the group though until a few years ago when I started maturing. I never worry out in public if someone's gonna see me smoke weed and call the cops or anything (that doesn't mean I don't take precautions and that I'm not careful, I just don't stress about it or think about it all the time), I never ever get paranoid on weed except about my own body. I don't get any delusions or derealizations and I don't think I'll ever have those problems. A few years ago I started being more stressed about things in my life such as school and girlfriend, but when I started smoking I fell back into my relaxed state which I've always tried to retain.
I know that anyone can develop disorders but it seems people who have it genetically have a harder time dealing with it but that could just be me having a false perception of anxiety.
Sadly, cannabis is illegal in my country so I can't really talk to any professional about it. I've already slipped up and told some people and now everytime I want my medication for ADD I have to turn in a urine sample which I find really uncomfortable to do, so I'd rather not tell any more people. Plus most people older than 35 in my country have a very harsh view on cannabis and would probably just tell me that the only solution is to stop smoking which I know isn't. I've had past experiences with therapists when I was younger and none of it was really helpful. All it did was to make me realize the roots of my problems, but I never got any help about how to feel better. I'm a very self concious person who analyzes and thinks alot about why things are the way they are which has made me already realize the roots of my problems, so I don't really need help on that.
I'm gonna try to learn those breathing techniques, because I usually start breathing really weird when experiencing anxiety.

@Cannacat
I don't agree on the part about making it worse. I find that I can evaluate why I feel as I feel when I'm high which in terms can make me come up with solutions about how to solve them. I realized that this trauma was causing my anxiety because I was high. As I said above, I tend to analyze my own thoughts almost all the time which makes me come to terms with alot of problems in my life. However you could be right. I know that the weed itself isn't causing the anxiety, it's just my negative mindset and my own fear because I never used to feel anxious when I smoked weed. I just felt funny in my body and didn't think much about it but now I've started to register every single little movement in my body and start worrying about it. I've decided not to smoke alot anymore however, since that would end with me having a panic attack so I just take maybe 3 hits from a joint then I'm done. And speaking of getting my head straight, that's exactly what I did a month back or so. I gave up the shitty lifestyle I had, gave up those two friends causing me anxiety and making me feel crappy, gave up eating pizza everyday and started cooking food, started exercising in my room with my weight and some cardio, and cleaned up my apartment. I thought that this would be enough to change my setting and make my thoughts go to a better place but it didn't help that much. The problem was deeper which I've realized now and trying to figure out a way to solve this.

@superbak3d
Wow, that's amazing. If this is just a troll to make me sneeze then I guess you got me but I'm gonna go try that right now. Thanks.

Try some high cbd weed. The mellowing effect destroys anxiety. Best of both worlds. And i think the peper thing stops anxiety. Some faymous guy said it i think. Maybe wille??

I did try a heavy indica this time and it helped alot. Yesterday I got pretty anxious because I smoked half a joint all by myself without having smoked for almost a week and I'm a pretty small guy but I just took a walk and had some fresh air and then I felt better.

Okay, smelling black pepper actually worked. That's amazing. Thanks!

Alptraum said:

Okay, smelling black pepper actually worked. That's amazing. Thanks!

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Your welcome.

And no I wasn't trying to troll you.

http://cannabisdigest.ca/black-pepper-relieves-cannabis-anxiety/

If you want a more in depth explanation of how terpenes work

I read up a bit on it.
There's something I forgot to add in my first post. Whenever I smoke too much I get this feeling of tention in my back. It might be because I just sit on my ass for so long but it's really annoying and sometimes hurts a bit because my muscles start cramping. I'm not sure if this is related to anxiety or not but it sure as hell is annoying.

I gotta say, this was the first night in sooo long that I haven't had anxiety on weed. I still get these weird muslce cramps all the sudden all over my body which sometimes hurt. I didn't stress about them this time though and I had a great time, the pepper really worked to calm me down aswell. You guys are lifesavers, thanks for all the help and support. I'm gonna go get some sleep now.

Just smoked some today right after I ate, and I started having cramps in the left side of my chest and some slight/pain discomfort there too. I also got some discomfort in my left arm but I've managed to stay calm so far, I'm wondering does anyone know why this happen? Do I have some kind of rare condition that nobody has ever had before on weed? My heart is relatively good, when I was 16 I was told I had the heart of an athlete and the last few times I did check-ups they told me I should take vitamin C folicacid, other than that my heart was fine and looked pretty normal so I know it's not something with my heart. Could it be my stomach or lungs causing this? I've smoked cigarettes on and off since about 17 but I recently quit and switched to e-cigarette.