Acute Stress/post Traumatic Stress From Pot

[Adam McKay]

Hey, I'm new here. For the past four weeks I've been experiencing, bar none, the most intense anxiety I've ever had in my life. This all began when I smoked a lot of old weed after my tolerance had fallen considerably. I ended up having the worst panic attack of my life, during which I convinced myself that I was becoming schizophrenic. It was so bad that I convulsing at the height of it. I've been constantly on edge since then and constantly vigilant for any signs that I might be going insane. Ironically, this makes me feel like I'm losing my mind. I have this fear that I'm not safe within my own mind, and even when I'm not worrying about anything in particular, the anxiety is still there in the background.

I know logically that I'm not schizophrenic, because when I take Ativan and calm down I display no symptoms of psychosis and the fear goes away. I know that this is anxiety-based, but that doesn't diminish the anxiety. I've been exercising, doing breathing exercises, meditating, but only the benzo seems to do the trick. I'm already beginning to build a tolerance to the Ativan, so I definitely don't want to be on it for very long. On top of this, I've been taking Remeron (15 mg) for three weeks, and while my depression (which I had before then) is better, the anxiety may have gotten even worse. Should I stay on the Remeron and wait it out, or is this a sign that it isn't working?

I don't know how to fight this. I'm constantly terrified. Since the triggers are my own thoughts, which center around insanity, this never goes away. I can't take this anymore. Please help.

 

[Jen93]

You probably don't have PTSD. Please stop smoking pot, and get help from a doctor.

 

[Adam McKay]

Well that just made me feel 10x worse. I am seeing a psychiatrist tomorrow. I haven't smoked weed since this happened.

 

[digger]

If you look up the diagnostic criteria for PTSD, you'll find that it specifically excludes events caused by substance use.
Best advice - go back to your doctor and discuss this with him/her. The advice for someone suffering from PTSD may not be suitable advice for someone suffering what you are suffering.

 

[digger]

http://www.ptsd.va.gov/PTSD/professional/PTSD-overview/dsm5_criteria_ptsd.asp You can see the criteria here.

If you look down to Criterion H that is where it talks about substance use. You also need to have a Criterion A event for PTSD. Hopefully your psych will be able to help you work out what's going on with you tomorrow.

 

[Spiderallis]

While it's probably not PTSD, it sounds like you're in a rough spot. I've read about a few people having similar reactions on some of the message boards I found about quitting pot- you're not alone, and this has happened before. I'm not sure what might help. For me, remeron has been a huge help with anxiety. Until you're able to sort things out with a psychiatrist, perhaps try some chamomile or kava-kava tea? They help with stress and anxiety, something to try out if you're afraid of becoming dependent on benzos.

 

[Deleted member 1860]

I'm glad you're seeking out professional help. No, it can't be PTSD in the absence of a criterion A trauma coupled with the fact that symptoms were brought on by drug use. PTSD is not the only diagnosis that excludes diagnosis after symptoms arise due to drug use. I wish you the best.

 

[Adam McKay]

I've read about a few people having similar reactions on some of the message boards I found about quitting pot- you're not alone, and this has happened before. I'm not sure what might help. For me, remeron has been a huge help with anxiety. Until you're able to sort things out with a psychiatrist, perhaps try some chamomile or kava-kava tea?

How long did it take you before the Remeron worked? Is three weeks enough to know that it's not working? I am on the lowest dose as well, but I understand that SSRI's work best for anxiety on lower doses.

I also know that people have had similar reactions, but the thing with me is that I didn't "quit". I had a low tolerance, did a TON of it once (after six months of going without it), and had the most severe panic of my life during. Maybe this isn't textbook PTSD, but it is, in many ways, stress brought on by trauma. Maybe it just brought to the forefront my own demons that I hadn't adequately dealt with, and that's why it's tough. Do you know how long it might take for me to get over this? I understand it probably varies considerably, but this is hell and I really can't wait to reach any light that may be at the end of this tunnel. And yes, I'll pick up some chamomile tea today.

 

[novemberDark]

Hi I had asd, it passes.

The thc in pot could be the working factor here.

 

[Spiderallis]

Remeron helped my insomnia within the first few days, but it took about 4 to 6 weeks for the other effects. The lower dose wasn't quite enough, but after an increase it's the best option for me- I tried a lot of others before this. Everyone's chemistry is a little different though, there's a few threads about remeron in the 'medications' subforum that might be helpful.

If you've had trauma in the past, the panic attack from pot may have shaken that loose. It's hard to say how long it might take to improve, not knowing exactly what's gone on and is going on. If it's purely marijuana-related anxiety, I seem to recall people saying they started to improve within a few weeks, and were pretty much back to normal within a few months. It's scary at first, but there's very very low odds that it's going to be an ongoing thing- it's not permanent. If the panic attack dislodged past trauma though, that would take more work to deal with. I had a bad experience with a different substance in the past. Reminding myself that it was just the drug seemed to help.

Would it help to keep yourself busy with someone else to focus on? If you've got a hobby, now would be a great time to enjoy it. Breathing exercises and mediation are great, but if you're having trouble clearing your mind it gets frustrating. Sometimes it's a bit easier if I dive into something pleasant before trying again- like reading, listening to some mellow music, whatever.

 

[Adam McKay]

Remeron helped my insomnia within the first few days, but it took about 4 to 6 weeks for the other effects. The lower dose wasn't quite enough, but after an increase it's the best option for me- I tried a lot of others before this. Everyone's chemistry is a little different though, there's a few threads about remeron in the 'medications' subforum that might be helpful.

Ugh. I guess finding the right dose/combo might take awhile. This is really bad timing for that. I guess the good news is that Remeron at least worked for my depression in the past. Hopefully that means it'll work for my anxiety too.

If you've had trauma in the past, the panic attack from pot may have shaken that loose. It's hard to say how long it might take to improve, not knowing exactly what's gone on and is going on. If it's purely marijuana-related anxiety, I seem to recall people saying they started to improve within a few weeks, and were pretty much back to normal within a few months. It's scary at first, but there's very very low odds that it's going to be an ongoing thing- it's not permanent. If the panic attack dislodged past trauma though, that would take more work to deal with. I had a bad experience with a different substance in the past. Reminding myself that it was just the drug seemed to help.

I think this stems from hypochondria, which I've suffered through numerous times before. I think it came from a misdiagnosis in my past in addition to the death of a close family member. The latter could be viewed as a traumatic experience. Maybe the pot brought that out, since that mentality was brooding behind the scenes before this happened. There have been numerous times where I've thought there was something wrong with me, and it was always the worst case scenario (ALS, cancer, now it's schizophrenia). The thing is, I try to tell myself that this is likely just health anxiety brought on by bad events, but that usually doesn't reassure me.

Would it help to keep yourself busy with someone else to focus on? If you've got a hobby, now would be a great time to enjoy it. Breathing exercises and mediation are great, but if you're having trouble clearing your mind it gets frustrating. Sometimes it's a bit easier if I dive into something pleasant before trying again- like reading, listening to some mellow music, whatever.

Social experiences seem to be the only thing that have the potential to keep my mind off of this. I have OCD, which is complicating things. I've been making a conscious effort not to google schizo, and it's been a week since I have, but this beast refuses to die. I've tried playing guitar, videogames, listening to music, etc. but everything outside of sometimes doing stuff with other people and Ativan seems to be reminding me of this fear. A big problem, though, is that I just finished college and I'm back home, but I don't have much of a social life here (I didn't keep in contact with a lot of people from HS, and I don't talk to my family a lot). So the social experiences are not frequent. I oftentimes am by myself, or I'm at work (and since I hate my job, that's not helping).

Any advice on how move forward? Would EMDR help? Do you think the misdiagnosis and death of a relative are the root of all of this?

 

[Deleted member 1860]

Get over it? I hate to break it to you, but if you've got PTSD, you've got it for life. (Maybe now you can understand why so many of us are pushing you in the "it's not PTSD, it's brought on by drugs" direction....although I must say you are very eager to attach this label to yourself which is worrisome.) Yes, you can experience remissions in symptoms, but again, you'll always have a higher level of self care to deal with in order to ward off spikes in symptoms, and sometimes that isn't enough.