recently quit pot-marijuana surprized about withdrawl.

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I Have recently quit marijuana and am very surprised at the withdrawal. I have severe deppresion and a laundry list of other mental health issues so the pot was a fantastic self medication, but now that Ive stopped the Mental problems are all back at once. I am experiencing (in less than clinical terms) Mental images of horrific events (torture rape etc.) rampant thoughts/visions of suicide, restless legs, anxiety/hypertension, insomnia, loss of appetite and the occational feeling of intoxication (thats the one I'm fine with:lol2:). I am very happy that this will go away soon and I can go back to being relatively sain again. things are getting much better already just thought I'd share though.

Has anyone else out there experienced this? Any good coping techniques? I believe the withdrawal is only so severe because of the mental health issues and extraordinary usage.

Specializes in Nurse Aide in ICU and a LTC facility.

HA! I love it! Micheal Jackson?! The thread starts off about pot addiction and you bring out The Gloved One? This is too good...thanks for explaining ad hominem, I must have missed it in freshman logic. You win the interwebs, you are the champion. 20 minutes? On a forum post? I like google scholar just as much as the next guy but this has become a homework assignment...and I plan on having a great weekend, thanks for the sentiment...I'll probably be BBQing while my friends smoke the devil weed. :)

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Specializes in Impaired Nurse Advocate, CRNA, ER,.

Ah yes, nothing of substance to offer so you continue to denigrate your opponent. Your stuff is better than anything I can post. I think the attorneys call that res ipsa loquitur.

Jack

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mitchell09 says "man, you need some friends"

....i am sure jack has plenty of friends, i would like to believe those of us in recovery all have a common bond and thats staying sober, i myself have never met jack, but from his insights here i do consider him a friend......

mitchell09 also said "i'm not about to put in the time it's obviously going to take to debate you on this."

sounds like the ol' im right and i am not gonna listen to a single thing you say cuz i am real busy, gotta eat at the bbq and jack gave way too much info for you to fathom.

paridigm: 1) a set of assumptions, concepts, values, and practices that constitutes a way of viewing reality for the community that shares them, especially in an intellectual discipline.

2) the generally accepted perspective of a particular discipline at a given time

ie: the way the medical world looks at addiction.

mark

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Specializes in Trauma/ER, Dialysis (yuck!).

I love it!

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Specializes in ICU.
Ah yes, nothing of substance to offer so you continue to denigrate your opponent. Your stuff is better than anything I can post. I think the attorneys call that res ipsa loquitur.

Jack

Thanks for making me laugh this morning ... lol... Oh Jack, don't you know that even though you are AWESOME when it comes to recovery/addiction and you are the BEST person to come get advice from in the addiction/recovery field,, and even though you put up these resources and documentation, , that you are STILL WRONG because,, you need a life man.

I am glad you have a life Jack, and I am glad you are here to spread the word and help us when we need you. Don't let a random yahoo make you lose any hair today. There are always going to be those people, and you know it, that will come in here and act like that.

ps. I'm not really posting this for Jack, but for everyone else who reads this thread. He already knows all of this, but not everyone does and might think this guy actually has a chance with no resources/documentation/ ie PROOF, against Jack on the debate of addiction/recovery. Yes, even marijuana.

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Specializes in Impaired Nurse Advocate, CRNA, ER,.

Mag...you've obviously been brainwashed by my hypnotic abilities and all of the incorrect data I listed. It's a conspiracy! Why read research if you already have all the answers (or if you have a life and use it to eat BBQ and smoke the evil weed)?

We've got a long way to go before there is a significant shift in the paradigm regarding this disease. I approach it the same way I do my recovery...one day at a time.

Thanks for the words of encouragement and for all that you do for those who struggle with this disease and the stigma associated with it.

Jack

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Specializes in Nurse Aide in ICU and a LTC facility.

It's not a disease Jack. Parkinsons is a disease. Cancer is a disease. Marijuana addiction is a bad case of a weak mind. Here's a couple articles if you're interested.

Adverse effects of cannabis

W Hall, N Solowij - LANCET-LONDON-, 1998 - ukcia.org

The diagnosis of marijuana (cannabis) dependence.

JA Schaler, DMWS Exist, PWH Animals - Psychiatric Times, 2002 - fungerendeliv.no

Cannabis: pharmacology and toxicology in animals and humans

IB Adams, BR Martin - Addiction, 1996 - interscience.wiley.com

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Specializes in Impaired Nurse Advocate, CRNA, ER,.

Thanks!

Jack

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I quit smoking pot 2.5 weeks ago and have been having terrible nightmares since. I am experiencing a lot of anger (near rage) at work and am even irritated with my wife (she is a non-smoker) who has been very supportive through all of this. The nightmares are bad enough but I also thrash around so bad that my wife is going into the guest room to sleep.

I am feeling paranoid, depressed and totally stressed out. I listen to heavy metal music on my way to and from work and I feel slightly calmer during that time, but this is really freaking me out. I have been smoking pot for 30 + years and probably would be called a heavy smoker as I smoke it several times a day every day. I haven't caved yet and resumed smoking it and I avoid all of my friends who do still smoke it. I rarely drink but if I do it is only a single shot of whiskey before bed to help me sleep and since that didn't help with the nightmares or thrashing I haven't even bothered with that. I'm becoming concerned that I may be insane and just didn't know it because of self-medicating all these years.

Any suggestions for an uninsured person to get through this type of harsh withdrawl? :uhoh3:

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Specializes in Impaired Nurse Advocate, CRNA, ER,.
It's not a disease Jack. Parkinsons is a disease. Cancer is a disease. Marijuana addiction is a bad case of a weak mind. Here's a couple articles if you're interested.

Adverse effects of cannabis

W Hall, N Solowij - LANCET-LONDON-, 1998 - ukcia.org

The diagnosis of marijuana (cannabis) dependence.

JA Schaler, DMWS Exist, PWH Animals - Psychiatric Times, 2002 - fungerendeliv.no

Cannabis: pharmacology and toxicology in animals and humans

IB Adams, BR Martin - Addiction, 1996 - interscience.wiley.com

If you read the abstracts you provided, the first actually describes the criteria for diagnosing cannabis addiction. It also states:

Marijuana addicts use abnormally because of what marijuana does to them and not for them. Marijuana reinforces its own use. Psychosocial stressors are not required to produce a marijuana addiction in biologically susceptible individuals.

The second doesn't discuss addiction in any way. It only describes the pharmacology/toxicology. The fact that a naturally occurring substance can exert pharmacological effects is nothing new. The belief that naturally occurring compounds are somehow safe is one of those marketing ploys that obviously works for many people. Cocaine, opium, peyote (rich in numerous alkaloids

Maybe you posted the wrong resources?

Your statement that "addiction is a case of a weak mind" is one of the myths associated with addiction. Your attempts to discredit the science of addiction by using nothing more than cliches and the rhetoric of groups pushing for the legalization of marijuana only serve to reinforce your lack of understanding of the current scientific information and lack of credibility. Read about the vrole of the ventral tegmental area, the pre-frontal cortex, the amygdala,

At this point, further "discussion" is pretty pointless. It was definitely entertaining. I have no doubt it helped others who lurk and only read the posts to see the need to actually read and understand the research available.

Good luck in your future endeavors.

Jack

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Specializes in Impaired Nurse Advocate, CRNA, ER,.
I quit smoking pot 2.5 weeks ago and have been having terrible nightmares since. I am experiencing a lot of anger (near rage) at work and am even irritated with my wife (she is a non-smoker) who has been very supportive through all of this. The nightmares are bad enough but I also thrash around so bad that my wife is going into the guest room to sleep.

I am feeling paranoid, depressed and totally stressed out. I listen to heavy metal music on my way to and from work and I feel slightly calmer during that time, but this is really freaking me out. I have been smoking pot for 30 + years and probably would be called a heavy smoker as I smoke it several times a day every day. I haven't caved yet and resumed smoking it and I avoid all of my friends who do still smoke it. I rarely drink but if I do it is only a single shot of whiskey before bed to help me sleep and since that didn't help with the nightmares or thrashing I haven't even bothered with that. I'm becoming concerned that I may be insane and just didn't know it because of self-medicating all these years.

Any suggestions for an uninsured person to get through this type of harsh withdrawl? :uhoh3:

What you are experiencing isn't uncommon, especially in someone who has used for so long. Withdrawal syndromes occur as a result of the alteration in the normal neurotransmitters of the brain. It takes time for those neurotransmitters to recuperate. There are detox and treatment centers that provide care based on sliding scale...many provide care free of charge due to donations and grants. Go to the SAMHSA facility locator to look for facilities. Send me a PM if you have more questions.

Jack

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Specializes in ICU, psych, corrections.

I had the same attitude as Mitchell before I found recovery and sobriety. I defended marijuana to anyone who would listen. And I remember being able to put down the joint/pipe after 3 years of daily pot smoking, all the while stating how I didn't have an "addictive personality". LOL. It may have taken 10 years, but my addiction found me again, only this time in the form of opiates. I do wonder at times why I was able to walk away from the pot so easily but was completely under the control of my pills. But who knows what God's plan was?

I appreciate all the information jackstem has to offer because through him, I've come to realize just how much of this is nature vs. nurture. I also am able to see why this disease will kill me if I do not take care of my recovery on a daily basis. At one time, I also thought addiction was all about lack of willpower but I know differently now. Hell, when I was using, it took incredible willpower to go through what I did to obtain my pills. Learning how to turn over control was a big lesson for me and asking for help an even bigger one. I'm grateful that today, I no longer have the attitude that Mitchell does....it not only benefits my personal health, but will benefit my patients as well.

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