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Can marijuana help through benzo withdrawal?


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I use to be an everyday "pot" smoker stopped when i got to bout 40 mg in jan (from 80mg) cuz i got a bad reaction (but i was very unstable on my dosage) Then 2 months ago i decided to try using it....it was working real good my depression went away, didnt really get anxiety from it as i was use to it really its like i never stopped...Ok about 2 weeks ago i stopped again cause i had another bad reaction (heart racing and feeling extreme panic) from it but this time i noticed that right before i smoked i was REAL hungry and im like wat the hell let me smoke first then go eat....well after i smoked i experienced my panic attack, heart racing, etc... i ate some yogurt and lil by lil started to calm down and went away....Heres my question could i have experienced this reaction cause my stomach has alot of gaba receptors and i was real hungry?? as i normally get a lil shaky when im hungry cause i get extreme hunger pains sometimes after a dry cut, but after i eat it seems to calm me down.....Any ideas??? Marijuana seems to be the only thing that keeps me busy and entertained as i cant work and i tried exercising but im real competitive and i started getting dizzy and out of breathe half way through a bball game yesterday...Im just so bored!
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I just read in a post by Travuz on Maranatha's DP/DR thread that people have gotten DP/DR from smoking weed.  I don't smoke it, so IDK much about it, but seems you are inviting more trouble.
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marijuana triggers the brain regions responsible for anxiety. I've heard that many mental health professionals see people who have anxiety disorders stemming from pot use. I would steer way clear.
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Ok let me set the record straight, for some reason i knew people would come saying about psychological problems and paranoia and etc...those are some people i have never had any problem with marijuana psychological or wit Dp/Dr or anything, the only bad reaction ive had from it was it got my heart racing all of a sudden other than that it did wonders while on my taper....im juss asking why would it make my heart race when i smoked it for two weeks good and then that one time i got REAL hungry it set off my heart racing and panic attack....Could it be cause i have GI problems in my taper and i do get shaky when i dont eat (not using marijuana) and then wen i do eat i calm down extremely??? and i get no anxiety when i started smoking it made me calmer to be honest Ben zolo...
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[f7...]

Ok let me set the record straight, for some reason i knew people would come saying about psychological problems and paranoia and etc...those are some people i have never had any problem with marijuana psychological or wit Dp/Dr or anything, the only bad reaction ive had from it was it got my heart racing all of a sudden other than that it did wonders while on my taper....im juss asking why would it make my heart race when i smoked it for two weeks good and then that one time i got REAL hungry it set off my heart racing and panic attack....Could it be cause i have GI problems in my taper and i do get shaky when i dont eat (not using marijuana) and then wen i do eat i calm down extremely??? and i get no anxiety when i started smoking it made me calmer to be honest Ben zolo...

 

I don't think it has anything to do with hunger and everything to do with how marijuana affects the heart.

 

http://www.well.com/user/woa/fspot.htm

http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/2000/03.02/marijuana.html

http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/news/20080513/take-this-marijuana-message-to-heart

 

 

 

 

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No I would stay far away from it. I once read a good article that addressed healing brain fog, and it made a special point to say that marijuana is absolutely horrible for mental health.
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Ok before i even started to taper i never had problems with my heart racing or anything when i smoked....N ive never heard of anyone dying from a heart attack cause of weed lol thats just absurd and false information, if anything its cause of my taper, that i KNOW for a FACT, im juss asking if it could be cause the nerves in my stomach were already agitated cause of my hunger issues??

 

I laugh when they say marijuana causes mental health issues thats a joke im sorry but it is, IF any downfall to marijuana is it makes you lazier, I think this process of tapering and thinking about your daily dosage causes you more psychosis and mental health issues than smoking weed... Ive never heard of anyone going crazy or dying from smoking lol

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Im sorry to come off like that but i find it absurd, i mean it can probably cause  some mental health issues for some people that cant handle it, but look at the report u showed me ima copy n paste " But it’s less risky than a spurt of exercise for a couch potato " lol ok so it does make ur heartbeat a lil faster that i know but to have a panic attack from it its completely different and thats wat im trying to differentiate ....smoking ciggs causes the same stimulant reaction and so does exercise! lol
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I remember when i first started to taper and my DOCTOR told me if i can find some pot that it would help with my w/ds! but i juss got a fear from it when i experienced my panic attack which im almost certain cause all the nerves that are in your gut and me being REAL hungry n i get shaky as it is to begin with if i dont eat (only through this taper) that thats wat set off my panic attack and my heart racing....im probably not going smoke and juss finish the taper but it did help wit my depression and overall if it wasnt for my panic attack.....ughh i wish i woulda just ate before i smoked that day n i prolly wouldnt have had this fear lol
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Hi everyone,

 

There has been a lot of discussion about Marijuana in the forum. Please read this link to understand the position we need to take here.

 

Guidelines/Rules Regarding the Use and Promotion of Medicines and Drugs

 

Since most of our members have dependency/addiction issues with benzodiazepines, and our stated mission is to help them quit, it would be untenable for us to allow content that discourages them from this goal, or encourages behaviour that might lead to a new dependency or addiction. Therefore:

 

    Do not promote illegal drug use. Nor should you describe drug paraphernalia, exult positive experiences, or glorify their use. Please keep descriptions factual and dispassionate.

 

    Do not promote the abuse (or illegal or inappropriate use) of medicines.

 

    Do not promote addictive substances as withdrawal adjunctives.

 

 

With the above guidance in mind, you may discuss your use of medicines and illicit drugs as they pertain to benzodiazepine use and withdrawal. Additionally, please bear in mind that our focus is benzodiazepine withdrawal, so the collective knowledge of our membership about drugs and medicines other than benzodiazepines will be limited. You should not expect, nor engage in, detailed discussions about drugs or medicines other than benzodiazepines.

 

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=25735.0

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If it's legal then go ahead and smoke as much as you want.  It won't hurt you right?  You've smoked for years without a problem, why would it be a problem now?  Like you said, you smoked on an empty stomach, if you think that is why you freaked out then what caused it the first time?

 

Please let us know if smoking pot helps you, this question comes up often and the responses are always the same.  It would be handy to have personal experiences attesting to the virtues of medical pot , if it works of course.

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"THC acts upon specific sites in the brain, called cannabinoid receptors, kicking off a series of cellular reactions that ultimately lead to the "high" that users experience when they smoke marijuana. Some brain areas have many cannabinoid receptors; others have few or none. The highest density of cannabinoid receptors are found in parts of the brain that influence pleasure, memory, thinking, concentrating, sensory and time perception, and coordinated movement.1

 

Not surprisingly, marijuana intoxication can cause distorted perceptions, impaired coordination, difficulty with thinking and problem solving, and problems with learning and memory. Research has shown that, in chronic users, marijuana's adverse impact on learning and memory can last for days or weeks after the acute effects of the drug wear off.2 As a result, someone who smokes marijuana every day may be functioning at a suboptimal intellectual level all of the time.

 

Long-term marijuana abusers trying to quit report withdrawal symptoms including: irritability, sleeplessness, decreased appetite, anxiety, and drug craving, all of which can make it difficult to remain abstinent. These symptoms begin within about 1 day following abstinence, peak at 2-3 days, and subside within 1 or 2 weeks following drug cessation.

 

Research clearly demonstrates that marijuana has the potential to cause problems in daily life or make a person's existing problems worse. In one study, heavy marijuana abusers reported that the drug impaired several important measures of life achievement, including physical and mental health, cognitive abilities, social life, and career status.9 Several studies associate workers' marijuana smoking with increased absences, tardiness, accidents, workers' compensation claims, and job turnover."

 

 

Does not sound good for wd to me

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"THC acts upon specific sites in the brain, called cannabinoid receptors, kicking off a series of cellular reactions that ultimately lead to the "high" that users experience when they smoke marijuana. Some brain areas have many cannabinoid receptors; others have few or none. The highest density of cannabinoid receptors are found in parts of the brain that influence pleasure, memory, thinking, concentrating, sensory and time perception, and coordinated movement.1

 

Not surprisingly, marijuana intoxication can cause distorted perceptions, impaired coordination, difficulty with thinking and problem solving, and problems with learning and memory. Research has shown that, in chronic users, marijuana's adverse impact on learning and memory can last for days or weeks after the acute effects of the drug wear off.2 As a result, someone who smokes marijuana every day may be functioning at a suboptimal intellectual level all of the time.

 

Long-term marijuana abusers trying to quit report withdrawal symptoms including: irritability, sleeplessness, decreased appetite, anxiety, and drug craving, all of which can make it difficult to remain abstinent. These symptoms begin within about 1 day following abstinence, peak at 2-3 days, and subside within 1 or 2 weeks following drug cessation.

 

Research clearly demonstrates that marijuana has the potential to cause problems in daily life or make a person's existing problems worse. In one study, heavy marijuana abusers reported that the drug impaired several important measures of life achievement, including physical and mental health, cognitive abilities, social life, and career status.9 Several studies associate workers' marijuana smoking with increased absences, tardiness, accidents, workers' compensation claims, and job turnover."

 

 

Does not sound good for wd to me

 

There are different cannabinoid receptors, each with differing effects.  It also causes a cascade of serotonin, perhaps that is what relieves the depression?

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Hi IwillnIcan,

 

I have just stopped smoking pot after 11 years of nightly smoking (for the same reason I was rx'ed clonazepam which was for severe chronic insomnia that eventually turned out to be due to a thyroid problem that has since been treated), so if sharing my experience will be useful to you, then I will be happy to do so.

 

In a nutshell, in my case, pot was nothing short of a godsend for symptom relief, most especially insomnia, but other stuff, too, though this experience is not shared by everyone.  Towards the end of my tapers, it stopped having any effect other than mild sleepiness, and the last two times (at the very end of the .03mg mark) it was mildly dysphoric.  I had been planning on stopping once my withdrawal insomnia stopped, but since smoking became pointless I stopped for that reason a little earlier, instead.

 

As for if this is something that might be helpful for you, I would consider these factors:

 

1.  Is smoking pot substituting one thing for another?  I don't know if you were abusing benzos for the way they made you feel, or if you were like me and just unwittingly took it as rx'ed while feeling next to nothing only to have a rude awakening when you decided to stop.  I would certainly caution you against smoking pot if you have emotional addiction issues as opposed to purely metabolic ones.

 

2.  Is smoking pot legal/decriminalized/"lowest priority" where you live?  Obviously, if it is less than legal, there are some potential consequences to pursuing it.

 

3.  The whole panic/anxiety attack thing.  Of the people who are not in favor of pot during withdrawal, this seems to be a common thread, and it sounds like you've already experienced it first hand.  Now, I'm living proof that that's in no way inevitable that you'll have a negative experience as I hardly would have started smoking, much less kept it up for 11 years and through withdrawal, if I was experiencing panic from it.  I largely can't consider panic/anxiety a positive thing, but that said, pot does wear off pretty quickly so I guess if you have these symptoms you can just stop smoking and it will subside.

 

So, I don't know if that helps or not.  I think that more or less pot can clearly help some people (like myself) with withdrawal symptoms and can clearly have a negative effect on others (such as numerous other people who have posted about it in the past), so you're really the only one who can look at your circumstances and decide if this is something worth pursuing.

 

Good luck no matter what you decide!

 

:)

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Hi IwillnIcan,

 

I have just stopped smoking pot after 11 years of nightly smoking (for the same reason I was rx'ed clonazepam which was for severe chronic insomnia that eventually turned out to be due to a thyroid problem that has since been treated), so if sharing my experience will be useful to you, then I will be happy to do so.

 

In a nutshell, in my case, pot was nothing short of a godsend for symptom relief, most especially insomnia, but other stuff, too, though this experience is not shared by everyone.  Towards the end of my tapers, it stopped having any effect other than mild sleepiness, and the last two times (at the very end of the .03mg mark) it was mildly dysphoric.  I had been planning on stopping once my withdrawal insomnia stopped, but since smoking became pointless I stopped for that reason a little earlier, instead.

 

As for if this is something that might be helpful for you, I would consider these factors:

 

1.  Is smoking pot substituting one thing for another?  I don't know if you were abusing benzos for the way they made you feel, or if you were like me and just unwittingly took it as rx'ed while feeling next to nothing only to have a rude awakening when you decided to stop.  I would certainly caution you against smoking pot if you have emotional addiction issues as opposed to purely metabolic ones.

 

2.  Is smoking pot legal/decriminalized/"lowest priority" where you live?  Obviously, if it is less than legal, there are some potential consequences to pursuing it.

 

3.  The whole panic/anxiety attack thing.  Of the people who are not in favor of pot during withdrawal, this seems to be a common thread, and it sounds like you've already experienced it first hand.  Now, I'm living proof that that's in no way inevitable that you'll have a negative experience as I hardly would have started smoking, much less kept it up for 11 years and through withdrawal, if I was experiencing panic from it.  I largely can't consider panic/anxiety a positive thing, but that said, pot does wear off pretty quickly so I guess if you have these symptoms you can just stop smoking and it will subside.

 

So, I don't know if that helps or not.  I think that more or less pot can clearly help some people (like myself) with withdrawal symptoms and can clearly have a negative effect on others (such as numerous other people who have posted about it in the past), so you're really the only one who can look at your circumstances and decide if this is something worth pursuing.

 

Good luck no matter what you decide!

 

:)

I think this is a pretty good answer, especially the part about everyone reacting differently. When I smoked while on benzos it did absolutely nothing good for me. Relaxed me  a bit and gave me a high, but that's it. It completely and utterly destroyed my memory. I also started getting panic attacks for the first time ever. Would not do it again.

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3.  The whole panic/anxiety attack thing.  Of the people who are not in favor of pot during withdrawal, this seems to be a common thread, and it sounds like you've already experienced it first hand.  Now, I'm living proof that that's in no way inevitable that you'll have a negative experience as I hardly would have started smoking, much less kept it up for 11 years and through withdrawal, if I was experiencing panic from it.  I largely can't consider panic/anxiety a positive thing, but that said, pot does wear off pretty quickly so I guess if you have these symptoms you can just stop smoking and it will subside.

 

So, I don't know if that helps or not.  I think that more or less pot can clearly help some people (like myself) with withdrawal symptoms and can clearly have a negative effect on others (such as numerous other people who have posted about it in the past), so you're really the only one who can look at your circumstances and decide if this is something worth pursuing.

 

Good luck no matter what you decide!

 

:)

 

I'd say that psychosis, insomnia, memory loss and cognitive defect are just as common themes.

 

Perhaps those effects are what masks withdrawal so well for some users.

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Ive never had panic issues with marijuana but i know ive had through my w/d so im just going stay away from of it for now.... Holly i understand what your saying with all that but remember dont believe everything you read as this government acts upon saying marijuana does you so much damage and etc...blah blah bunch of bologna cuz ive been smoking everyday for 7 years straight and alcohol is 100 TIMES more dangerous with cognitive issues, psychological and driving! and its legal!!! Look what were going through cause of DOCTORS and its LEGAL! Doctors know that were only going get addicted to benzos yet they prescribe them like candy, this government is more corrupt than ur neighborhood drug dealer! marijuana does make you lazy and not want to do things ok but everyone is different, and im just going to try to hold my urge of smoking until im completely healed to be on the safe side....when i had my panic attack on my empty stomach my heartbeat was at 180/min which scarred me but after eating something it completely went away....MY THEORY IS CAUSE OF MY EMPTY STOMACH but im not going take that chance as one my main w/d symptoms is GI issues and holly that info u got ive never heard of marijuana w/d lol after my first panic attack i stopped from one day to another n didnt notice anything but that i was just sober lol If it wasnt for the panic attack marijuana did wonders for me through w/d....oh well im almost done ill just stick it out till this is over  :-\....I just wanted hear from someone who prolly had the same experience as me to see if it is cause of my nerves in my stomach or it just happens.....sweet G i was feeling great for the two weeks i was smoking it was just that one time that my hunger pains set in n i was uncontrollably hungry and i decided to smoke before eating and now i got sort of traumatized,if not id still be smoking right now.... :-\
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Sounds like MIT- munchie induced tachycardia. Having a giant bag of chips on hand is essential.

 

Really tho- just lay off for now! You can toke it up after a safe amount of time has lapsed.

 

 

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Marijuana has helped me in so many ways. I was using it before benzos a little bit, but once I started taking klonopin I was using it every night. In fact, this is what prevented me from taking what my psychiatrist recommended: 4 .5 tablets a day. Instead I took one a day, and smoked at night to put me to sleep instead of taking another pill.

 

When I was going through my taper, I honestly do not think I could have done it without pot. And for this reason: I experienced zero hours of insomnia. That may be hard for anybody to believe who has gone through this process. During my taper I only smoked at night in order to keep my tolerance as low as possible so that it would put me to sleep. It a time when I could sit back, relax and breathe, and most importantly, be completely relieved of all the depression the withdrawal was causing, and for the cherry on top, it put me to sleep.

 

I am still smoking, but took a 5 month break over the winter. The only adverse effects that I have from it are being anxious sometimes, especially going out in public. I do not like to smoke, and then go to the store. It is something I do with close friends or on my own in the comfort of my home or dorm room. But when I am not high, I am not anxious in public or in social situations.

 

In terms of long term effects, I will say this...I think whenever I get high during the day, its like I'm having a glass of red wine. Only in the long run, the health effects will be less intense than if I had been drinking. But it's still important for me to understand that I am making a habit out of something. The physical addiction is virtually nothing, more on the level of being addicted to coffee. But mentally, it's a pretty strong crave. For me, the benefits just outweigh everything.

 

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My shrink wanted me to smoke at bedtime..And as needed for anxiety.....Lol pot is illegal in my state...So I went with the benzo instead....Big mistake....I dont believe the movie reffer madness!......As a teenager pot made me roll on the floor laughing....I dont like drugs of anykind...For me its silly to say its a gateway drug.....Just not so..As for withdraws no such thing....Im not a poster child for drug use....But Im not gonna lie to people...Or scare people about it...There is know such thing as weed hell....thats for benzo users like me.....Just my thoughts.......For adults only....
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[b8...]

Oh, there is one thing I forgot to mention.

 

Anyone can go to youtube and type in "Depersonalization" or "Derealization".. and sadly :( many many videos come up with ppl stuck with these two horrible symptoms from what? Smoking pot, they claim, which I can see that.

Also there is a forum about Depersonalization, and many users there that have it, smoked pot.

I think that's more than a coincidence.

 

I, personally have a friend who had d/p for a long time because of pot use.

 

:o Careful!

 

I smoked pot years ago. I smoked it a lot.

I finally stopped as I just got burned out anyway.

 

 

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Oh, there is one thing I forgot to mention.

 

Anyone can go to youtube and type in "Depersonalization" or "Derealization".. and sadly :( many many videos come up with ppl stuck with these two horrible symptoms from what? Smoking pot, they claim, which I can see that.

Also there is a forum about Depersonalization, and many users there that have it, smoked pot.

I think that's more than a coincidence.

 

I, personally have a friend who had d/p for a long time because of pot use.

 

:o Careful!

 

 

If this is not enough to scare people out of using it, nothing will IMO.

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[b8...]

Oh, there is one thing I forgot to mention.

 

Anyone can go to youtube and type in "Depersonalization" or "Derealization".. and sadly :( many many videos come up with ppl stuck with these two horrible symptoms from what? Smoking pot, they claim, which I can see that.

Also there is a forum about Depersonalization, and many users there that have it, smoked pot.

I think that's more than a coincidence.

 

I, personally have a friend who had d/p for a long time because of pot use.

 

:o Careful!

 

 

If this is not enough to scare people out of using it, nothing will IMO.

 

Oh, I know, but if d/r and d/p settles in and won't go away, and when it finally does.. I'm sure they may think twice about picking that pipe up again.

 

 

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