Anxiety/Panic Attack?

[CannabisLove]

So awhile ago my friend and I were blazing with a few other people and we smoked like 6 grams in a few hours..everything was fine and we were all just chilling until my friend started freaking out saying she couldn't feel her legs..
We all thought she was kidding but after awhile she kept freaking out about stuff, we ended up going downstairs and she didnt remember going down at all, and then she started saying she was scared as hell
The way she was talking and screaming and everything you could tell she wasn't just fucking around so I tried calming her down and it worked for a bit but she kept saying her heart was beating fast as hell and that all her nerves were going crazy. I've had a massive body buzz like that but I wasn't terrified for my life..
So then later on she tried calling her mom, and then the police, and she wanted to go to the hospital cause she thought she was dieing..it made no sense but she was completely terrified.
I've never seen anyone trip so bad in my life..and when you green out that doesn't happen so I was wondering if anyone else has had an experience like this and knew if it was schizophrenia or something?
The weed wasn't laced or anything
Peaaace

 

[420 Girl]

What your friend had was probably a severe panic attack. I have lived with an anxiety disorder my entire life and have had quite a few experiences just like this. Thankfully, I was able to control my actions enough or I happened to be around people who could help me control my actions enough to where I didn't end up doing anything too serious (like call the police). Being in a state where you are a bit too high can definitely trigger one of these attacks. Everyone reacts to panic attacks differently depending on their level of self control, their experience with having panic attacks, and the severity of the attack itself. Please excuse the language but it's a very shitty experience to have to go through and I would not wish it on my worst enemy (if I had any). I feel for your friend for having to go through that as well as you and your other friends who had to experience her in that state.

As for the part where she couldn't remember going downstairs, that was also probably from being too high. Short term memory loss a.k.a "forgetfulness" is a possible side effect of getting stoned. It doesn't happen to everyone and some people experience it more than others. Your friend was probably just experiencing that side effect but because of the panicked state her mind was in, it made it worse.

In order to avoid this happening again in the future, my advice would be, first and foremost, don't go overboard and smoke too much, learn when to say "enough is enough", drink plenty of water and make sure you don't smoke on an empty stomach. Nausea is the main trigger for the panic attacks I've had and smoking too much on an empty stomach can make you nauseous. If you do ever find yourself in a situation such this again, it is utterly important that you yourself stay calm. Freaking out too only makes it worse for the person having the attack. Have anyone who even looks freaked out leave the room and try to get your friend to focus on calming down by shutting off their thought processes and breathing deeply. The main trigger for panic attacks while you're stoned is breathing too shallowly and depriving your brain of much needed oxygen. Help your friend to concentrate on breathing deeply and at a regular pace. Breathing too quickly can cause the person having the panic attack to hyperventilate and make the attack worse. While in the midst of panic attack, whoever is having it is in an extremely vulnerable state and it is important that they have someone they can completly trust to help them calm down and come out of the attack, someone who can stay calm and in a sense, "take the reigns" for a minute and bring things back under control for them. The peak of a panic attack typically can last anywhere from 30 seconds to 5 minutes. BUT it can come back again repeatedly if the person isn't kept in a totally calm state.

 

[420]

People who already suffer from panic attacks, should not be smoking strong Sativas, as they enhance the thought process, so if they are already consumed by fast pace thinking, this will make it even faster, creating mental chaos and the first steps of anxiety. Have her try an Indica, which slows the thought process, to relax. There is a BIG difference. Just as you wouldn't drink a cup of coffee and go to bed, at the same time, some people can drink a cup of coffee and go to bed, everyone is effected completely differently, depending on DNA.

Very good advice 420 Girl.

 

[rotoenforco]

I want you to know that your friend is perfectly normal. It wasn't the weed that caused this. I had this once experience in like that fits that to the fullest. Before i overdosed on this stupid illegal drug, i had been smoking for about 4 years. HIGH tolerence. Like i'd smoked as much as i could untill i passed out. Then i overdosed. And from that point on for about 4 months i had severe panic attacks that included everything you just mentioned. And more. Even when i wasnt high. But being high intensed my panic attacks to about 3 times worse. And i would think i was dying. It made me not want to smoke alone for the longest time. But i slowly got over this and a year later im fine. No panic attacks at all.

Now, what happened with her is she started to worry. And as soon as your body receives a signal that there is a threat to your life, it immediately shots adrenalin into your body. Which can do a number of things Cause tingling or Numbness(EXTREME) shallow breathing and of course heart racing. This is typical with people that have always been a little more "Over thinkers" than the rest of us. So she over thought everything and since she was so high, it was easy for her to SERIOUSLY believe something was wrong. Her mind controlled the physical feeling she had.

Live long~

 

[rotoenforco]

Please excuse the language but it's a very shitty experience to have to go through and I would not wish it on my worst enemy (if I had any). I feel for your friend for having to go through that as well as you and your other friends who had to experience her in that state.

I absolutely agree. This made me so happy when i read that. Aha. Thanks a lot. Because most people(I feel at least) never can fully understand the mental destruction it does. It is TERRIBLE.

Live Long~


PS Man i remember if i had a SEVERE panic attack it'd effect the way i looked at things and acted for days afterwards.

 

[MadMike]

Cannabis is psychotomimetic in it's affects. Especially in large doses which is something I don't do. Experimenting in my youth taught me my limits. Like LSD, Cannabis can cause panic and very uncomfortable thoughts. I was overcome by worry with some very strong hash a few years ago. I was reminded how powerful hash can be.The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) actually put out a video that provides a good outline for assisting someone having panic or anxiety. It can be seen here:
Psychedelic Crisis - MAPS - YouTube

 

[willoby]

Been there done that my friend....I feel for your friend....It is such a scary feeling to be in those shoes, and such a great relief kissing the ground and thanking that gods your alive when it is over.....I have had it happen a few times in my life and always remember saying to myself(and the gods)...I promise to be the best person in the world and never do anything bad and always do the right thing if you can just get me through this and keep me from dying....And then when it is all over, I wonder if I was the only person to have ever had this happen...I'm getting panicky just thinking about bad trips on pot...I know it sounds funny....

 

[HigherDrifter]

Not sure what I could add to all of these good posts.

Being a dominant Sativa user myself, I too have experienced these anxiety and panic attacks, but, they were mild in comparison to many that I have heard about. Personally, I think they stem from the amount of information that's going through the individual's thought processes while under the influence of Cannabis' psychoactive properties, especially those individual lacking in experience.

Some people may find it difficult, if not overwhelming, dealing with new thoughts and sensations that they've never experienced before. Many of these new thoughts and sensations often contradict the artificial, linear and linguistically indoctrinated thoughts they've been brought up with, whether it has something to do with religious, philosophical, spiritual, and/or social beliefs.

It's almost like an unveiling of sorts. Progressively throughout our young childhoods we've been conditioned to think in the acceptable and conventional terms. Cannabis, IMHO, "lifts the shroud" like an "un-indoctrinator" and what's on the other side of that shroud and indoctrination makes MANY people uncomfortable, maybe even downright frightening to some, to the point they'd rather have the shroud drawn back and return to their indoctrinated lifestyle.

I think how people deal with these new, uncomfortable, even frightening, thoughts and sensations is critical to the overall well being of the individual. One of the most popular methods, and one that I'm at great odds with, is eating. There are too many people polluting themselves with whatever they can get their hands on: junk foods, dairy products, pizzas, fast foods, pre-packaged foods, whatever.

Don't get me wrong, I do like to eat, whether I've been smoking Cannabis or not, but I do what I can to keep it as healthy as possible. I'm not always successful, even overindulging in good foods has it's detriments, and I do wind up "paying" for any swaying away from my nominal diet and/or over-indulgence; usually takes 2~4 days for me to adequately recover. I have found that doing some mild fasting and self-massage, meditative exercising and stretching is a great help in recovery and in overall health maintenance.

Self-massage, meditative exercising and stretching are also a great help in dealing with the seemingly unpleasant effects of Cannabis, henceforth, why I started that self massage tutorial thread. I just wanted to offer some useful information/demonstration as to an alternative in dealing with a wide range of health problems, both mental and physical, that so many people suffer from, whether they're Cannabis users or not.

I'm sure there are a few people that will scratch their heads reading what I've written only to think to themselves "What the fuck is this idiot talking about?" and then, possibly regard and blow off what I've written as pure bullshit. So be it. My disposition will remain solid regardless. I will take my lumps and continue on with my unconventional thinking regardless of the public scrutiny and ostracization.

Well, that's about all I've got to say.

 

[VaporNation]

Sativas make you go into a whirlpool of thoughts and for your friend those thoughts were probably negative which most likely created her anxiety.

 

[EveHallows]

Now, what happened with her is she started to worry. And as soon as your body receives a signal that there is a threat to your life, it immediately shots adrenalin into your body. Which can do a number of things Cause tingling or Numbness(EXTREME) shallow breathing and of course heart racing.
Live long~

I get that way also when I smoke too much. Everyone's always trying to get me to take another hit, just one more, come on... but they don't understand that I don't need much to feel good. I get the numbness and the worry too. What helps me is to have a fan or a/c blowing strong on my face. I think it makes me focus on how that feels rather than how the adrenaline feels.