If you have used marijuana extensively for a long period of time, you are going to experience some withdrawal symptoms. For some individuals the withdrawals are more severe than for others. It depends on body chemistry, degree of abuse, and other factors like whether you were using the drug to cover up some other problem.
For people that use marijuana to make themselves more comfortable in social situations, they may experience extreme discomfort and anxiety coming off the drug. Similarly individuals that used it for other reasons like appetite boost or to help with insomnia generally will experience some sort of a crash while their physiology changes to adapt to life without the drug.
Factors that influence marijuana withdrawal include:
1. Time Span
Did you smoke marijuana for a week? A few months? A year? 5 years? 10 years?
2. Frequency
How often did you smoke marijuana? Was it daily? Twice a day? Thrice a day? All day everyday?
If you smoked marijuana heavily for the past decade and used it at a high frequency (i.e. 3x per day), chances are that your withdrawal symptoms are going to be more severe than someone who has only used this substance for a few months a couple times per week. In fact the person who only used the drug a couple times a week may not experience any withdrawal whatsoever, while the individual that was addicted for 10 years may not be able to cope without the drug.
Marijuana Withdrawal Symptoms:
- Anxiety – You may feel more anxious in social situations and develop some sort of generalized anxiety. This is the exact opposite of how relaxed you felt while using the drug – your brain is trying to compensate for the chemicals it received while you used marijuana.
- Appetite changes – If marijuana helped boost your appetite, you may not feel hungry at all while coming off of the drug. In some cases, people actually feel hungrier coming off marijuana – it totally depends on the case.
- Cramps – Some people notice stomach cramps and digestion problems. Others may feel achy.
- Cravings (for marijuana) – At some point in time, most people will experience a craving to use marijuana again. This is because you stimulated your brains pleasure center and kept feeding it chemicals to make you feel good. It wants its fix, and knows marijuana makes you feel good, so you will likely crave the drug.
- Depersonalization – You may feel like you are not the same person or are going crazy. This is usually a result of intense anxiety. You may have never felt this way before; your brain chemistry has been thrown out of whack.
- Depression – Many people experience some sort of depressive symptoms when coming off of the drug. You may feel sad and as though you have lost all zest for life.
- Dizziness – Some individuals report feeling dizzy. Try not to lose your cool if this is happening, just accept it as a symptom.
- Headaches – Another common withdrawal symptom is that of headaches.
- Insomnia – Not being able to sleep at night is a problem, but one that you need to tackle head on. Try learning some relaxation techniques or getting more exercise during the day to help tire yourself out at night.
- Irritability – You may experience anger or frustration with the world when coming off of the drug. No one wants to get mad at little things, but this will eventually pass with enough time.
- Mood swings – Some people experience extreme changes in mood when trying to quit this drug. You may feel alright one minute and then raging mad or depressed the next.
- Nausea – Feeling nauseated, especially before, during, or after eating is common.
- Sleep disturbances – You may experience crazy vivid dreams or have disrupted sleep where you wake up in the middle of the night.
- Sweating – Some people end up sweating more than they normally would during withdrawal.
Note: It is known that marijuana stays in your system along with cannabinoid metabolites for between 4 to 21 days after your final ingestion. Some speculate that once the THC and cannabinoids are fully excreted, discontinuation symptoms become more prominent.
When will the marijuana withdrawal symptoms subside?
Depending on the length of time and frequency that you used marijuana, time period for withdrawal varies from person to person. Most people will notice that they are completely symptom free after 90 days. It also depends if you tapered off slowly or just quit one day randomly in “cold turkey” fashion. I think cold turkey is the best way to quit, but probably the toughest for your body and brain to re-adjust to normalcy.
Don’t freak out if you don’t return to normal after 3 months of withdrawal. Keep pushing forward and accept all of the symptoms that you experience without freaking out. Engaging in healthy activities like socializing, exercising, eating healthy foods, and staying busy will help you make it through this difficult time.
Fortunately marijuana withdrawal is easier than many other drugs – so consider yourself lucky. If you aren’t able to withdraw on your own or deal with symptoms, you should consider consulting a professional. If symptoms are still too extreme to manage, you may want to look into a rehab facility. Most people can quit with the help of family and a good social network.
Chose to give up cold turkey – I had a chest infection and didn’t want to make it worse. It’s been 16 days now and I’m feeling so crap. I’m not depressed or anything like that. Just feeling so run down and ill been smoking since I was 15, I’m 20 now.
I’m feeling nauseous, I’ve got the most intense pressure headaches to the point it’s reduced me to tears. Did anyone else get them like that? Will it be over soon I’m so proud I’ve gone so long without smoking but the pain it’s causing is making me want to smoke again. Someone give me advice please.
Wow!! I’m not alone, I thought I was the only one going through a rough time trying to detox and get clean. I am 24, been smoking for 3 1/2 months all day. I am on day 5, COLD TURKEY The reason I want to quit is because the drug started controlling me and I would smoke at any opportunity I had. It got to a point where it almost ruined my relationship with my love life.
The reasons were because my mood swings would get the best of me. I wasn’t being who I really am. My symptoms have been depression, severe anxiety, worries, frustration, bad-mood, good-moods, mad at the would. Just please let me tell you take it day by day. It gets better. Any comments appreciated…
Hey 2 BIG QUESTIONS REALLY NEED THEM ANSWERED SOMEBODY OCTOBER 9th 2016 :(. I have smoked since 15 am 23 now and have stopped cold turkey for 5 weeks now. My withdrawals are always the first 4-5 days of intense depression and evil thoughts and all sorts of sh-t, I’m also ADHD and this would be the 3rd time trying to quit the longest has been nearly 4 months, I still have never recall being completely normal as if I never smoked weed before.
CAN SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME IF THIS EVER COMES RIGHT AGAIN??? AND HOW LONG COULD IT POSSIBLY TAKE? I have never felt like I was in complete reality in life again I don’t really know how else to explain it. I feel like I’m 90% back to myself but missing that last 10% and its strange cos I remember exactly what life was like in my perception until the day I smoked it. It’s never come back to me.
Also one other thing if anyone is READING this I gave my girlfriend a bucket bong 2 months ago and its completely ripped her personality away she used to be intense, hyper, really crazy cool kind of chick now she’s the complete opposite of what I remember her as. It’s really sad I really wish I never gave her one and she’s worried she’ll never come right again. Will she come back to exactly how she was in time?????
She only smoked less than 10 times. I really worry about her, I miss the old her so much. I don’t know if this is the depersonalization people call it or what? PLEASE PLEASE SOMEONE ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS IF YOU KNOW THE ANSWERS, WOULD APPRECIATE THIS SO MUCH. JUST NEED SOME CLOSURE :(.
Bro. as far as pot you will be okay. Other issues I can’t speak of. Your love will be fine, but what Has happened is that pot showed you some things you understand, and some you don’t. You will never be the same! Integrate the good from it, into your life, jettison the rest. You don’t do “mind altering” drugs to stay the same, you do them to see though another reality! Just remember this experience. I know this sounds weird, but accept the reality for what it is, don’t feel guilty or scared and move on…hope that helps!
I’ve been smoking the herb for 10 years 5 of those every day. I got to a point where I noticed I was smoking just because I felt I had to and deep down I knew it was running my life. I have horrible anxiety and paranoia as if people are following me when I’m stoned now and honestly it is terrifying!
So I stopped cold turkey and have been having insane mood swings getting extremely tired almost like I’m burnt out. I feel nauseous dizzy and just not myself. Gotta get through it though! Good luck everyone, we got this!
I smoked hash for 8 years (age 15-23), then crack cocaine for 2 years (22-24). During my crack addiction, my hash habit turned to a gram every few days of potent skunk habit. When I quit crack cold turkey my skunk habit increased to a gram a day, which seemed to make coming off crack very easy (Shows the high potency of skunk!). From the age of 24-32 my skunk habit increased to 2-3 grams a day, smoking from waking in the morning at 7am to going to sleep at midnight-2am.
I never put a lot in each spliff but it was enough to get stoned. After quitting cold turkey 17 days ago, I can honestly say the withdrawals are the worst experience of my life. Even worse than the disgusting high I received from smoking half ounce of crystal meth in 5 hours (during my crack days).
1. First came the insomnia, I was awake for 6 days straight, extreme sweating, which is calming down a bit now.
2. EXTREME anxiety, tremors-or more like convulsions, in my arms, upper-body and legs.
3. Loss of appetite, which lasted about 5-7 days.
4. Diarrhea which started out as pure brown liquid with no lumps, gradually getting lumpier, stopped on day 15, poo is slowly becoming more solid (excuse the disgusting description).
5. Emotional ups and downs which are getting slightly better, but the angry outbursts at naturally annoying things which were so much easier to ignore when stoned, are becoming a real problem especially as I’m living with my mum who suffers from manic-depressive bi-polar disorder, we trigger each other off daily. I find myself happy one minute and crying my eyes out the next.
6. Restlessness for the first couple of weeks.
7. Feeling physically and mentally drained/tired which is still a daily occurrence.
8. Headaches, leading to blocked sinus and expelling thick yellow mucus (with small, thicker, darker-yellow spots).
9. Nausea before and/or during and/or after eating (but luckily no vomiting).
10. Bloating after eating followed by extreme farting and burping (looks like I’ll be single for a while longer haha).
11. Abdominal discomfort and sometimes pain after eating.
12. Cravings for a spliff which I can easily ignore due to never wanting to go through all this again and just want to get it all over with.
13. Visual disturbances (no hallucinations), like short term loss of focus, blurred vision. Feels like I’m stoned without the ‘nice’ feeling of being stoned.
14. Vivid dreams, from which I wake and can return to the same dream minutes to an hour later, to carry on the dream. This is probably the only good withdrawal symptom I’d be happy to never lose. Throughout the 17 years of my cannabis addiction I hardly ever dreamed and could never recall them if I did.
The main thing pushing me forward and stopping me from relapsing is knowing my head is getting a lot clearer and my ambition for life and my realization that I have so much potential to make something good of my life is more overpowering than the urge to smoke a spliff. The human mind is so much more powerful than any psychoactive, pleasure inducing drug. There is so much more exhilarating pleasure to be gained from life with a clean body and mind.
The only thing I miss about smoking weed is that it relieved the pain of my degenerative disc disease. Which is now slowly returning. Hence why I think the UK should wake the f**k up and legalize the use and regulation of THC for medicinal prescription purposes only. As difficult as quitting cannabis may seem, just remember, you, me, WE can all do this. Keep your head up, believe in yourself. The rewards we will reap from our perseverance will prevail and make it all worthwhile. End of essay :)
Day #2 and I feel crappy. I believe I only slept about 15 minutes last night and woke up from the scariest vivid dream ever, my sheets soaked with sweat to the touch. I’ve been smoking on and off for almost 9 months, with the last 3 months being the most I smoked, smoking everyday more than 5 times. I am sitting down writing this and I am sweating like crazy, feeling cold then hot.
I only ate a banana since today, my appetite for food is gone, and when I used to get high I ate a lot. I am emotional and quick tempered. I just can’t wait to get to the end of these symptoms, I miss sleeping so much… But like all of you said, it gets better right? Well I believe. Hopefully by next year I won’t be as attached to Mary Jane as I was before. Good luck to all trying to quit and find it hard, for those with less symptoms, I envy you guys. Peace!
Hey Guys, I have been a very heavy weed smoker for the last 15 years, 4-5 smokes per day. I have given up several times but have always ended up going back (except this time I hope) and just wanted to share my experience and what has helped me.
Sleep – I think this is the biggest one for most of us. No denying weed is a big help in getting to sleep each night! This time around I have been using ‘Sleep Drops’ which are all natural and have been a big help in getting me to sleep at night. Highly recommend!
Vivid Dreams/Night Sweats – Not really too much you can do about the dreams, but have found that lowing the temperature in your room to what it usually would be will help reduce the night sweats. I.e. Putting a fan on in your room, using lighter sheets, lighter duvet….
Nausea/Vomiting – After about 10-15 days to may experience nausea and vomiting. This seems to only happen to the very heavy users and what I am currently experiencing. It’s not nice, but does tend to only last for 24-48 hours… Not much you can do but hang in there… for me this is defiantly the worst part of giving up!!! But does also tend to mean that your body is starting to adjust to life without the green.
Best of luck to everyone trying to kick the habit!
Thank you for posting this article! I was a long term user up until about April 15 this year. I tapered off, but I was smoking cigarettes at that time. My symptoms were slight cravings for pot, for about a week. After 3 weeks, I suddenly out of nowhere got a craving for about a day. Then nothing, no more symptoms. I had smoked for about 24 years.
Then, I decided to quit smoking cigarettes. After about a week, some stressful events happened and I couldn’t cope on my own. So instead of reaching for a cigarette, I went for pot. For about a month, I only took 1 to 2 hits per day. Then I had to get an HIV test which sent my use up to about 6 – 8 hits per day for two weeks. Finally after I got a negative result from that test, I decided to start cutting back.
I had gotten up to 20 hits a day again. Makes me so upset. I just want to be drug free, but I also have anxiety which no “medical drug” or therapy could ever resolve as well as pot did. But as an addict, I know I should never touch the stuff again. So I’m trying to quickly taper down again. First day, I went down to 12 hits. Second day, down to 6 hits.
That day, I started having severe anxiety. Worrying about my parents dying and what would I do in this world without them. It was like my brain was trying to FORCE me to take a hit just to calm down. I also didn’t feel very hungry that day of only 6 hits. I’m still tapering down now. From past experience, I have learned that it takes my body about a week to adapt to whatever chemical changes are happening.
The thing that gets me is now I’m sure that I’m disease free, all my health problems have cleared up from the last year and I’m ready to dance in the streets, but anytime I get “excited” or intensely emotional, it makes me crave a hit. So for the next few weeks, I have to keep myself “calm” and avoid any overly emotional issues.
Thankfully, I managed to stay “quit” from cigarettes for the last 11 weeks now. Did I mention it’s an election year and the election is less than two months away? I like to envision a life where I am free from drugs. No smoking, drinking, toking or taking. I’ve overcome SO many addictions, you wouldn’t believe it.
I was drinking 8 cans of Mountain Dew per day, smoking pot, cigarettes and taking pain pills and somehow not dropping dead. That all has come to an end now. The last year has seen MASSIVE changes in my consumption. I lost 50 pounds after I quit sodas, but I dropped the weight too quickly and ended up with gallstones. They seem to have self-resolved.
The last thing I do now that is bad is pot. I wish I could smoke it but I also want to be FREE from these chemical dependencies. I just want to be able to be normal!
I’m on my 2nd day without it, but it’s been a long and hard road to get to this point. I used to be addicted to harder drugs and miraculously managed to get clean about 10 years ago. About 2-3 years ago, I started smoking weed all the while telling myself I could manage it. Gradually, I smoked more and more, and it started to take over my life – I would rush home just to get baked and prioritized it over everything else.
I should have realized that it would ultimately come to this point because I have a history of addiction, but I had beat it before and thought that it would not be the same this time around because it was only weed. Obviously, I was wrong – once you’re an addict, you’re always an addict. I have tried to stop many times before, but I was weak, and there was always something that stopped me from quitting – partner, friends, parties. Let’s face it, we have all found some reason to keep doing it.
I tried to think back to what made me stop using drugs before, and the simple explanation was that I could see my life as a drug addict laid out before me, and it definitely wasn’t pretty. That was not the life I dreamed of when I was young and neither is this one. I would love to be one of those people that have self-control and actually understand the concept of moderation at all times, but I’m not. Of course, I’m having withdrawals, but I’m just trying to keep my eyes on the prize – a happy life which I can be proud of.
I have been a chronic smoker for 20 years. I quit a week ago. Prior to that, I had only ever gone without when I traveled out of the country. If I ever experienced withdrawal then, it was likely masked by the travel exhaustion, extra heat (southern destinations) and different food that what I was used to. I am definitely experiencing withdrawal this time however. Not only am I currently going through menopause, which already wreaks havoc with my body with sweating, etc. but right now I am sweating more than ever, and the dizziness is killing me.
The first two days I was in bed with vertigo. Now I’m having diarrhea, head and body aches to add to the sweats, chills, and appetite changes. Irritable, yes! But it’s been a week, and I know that there is light at the end of the tunnel. I am extremely proud of myself for finally putting an end to this dependency. I am strong and I can do it. So can you.
Hi all, I’m 38 yrs old and I smoked weed everyday for 25yrs. I Started a career in management back in April and last month they did a random drug testing at work. I wasn’t picked but I made the decision there and then to quit. That was 28 days ago today. Cold turkey. I can relate to you all.
-1st week – no symptoms
-2nd week – cravings and body cramps.
-3rd & 4th week. Anxiety, paranoia, feeling empty, worried feelings, lack of concentration & restlessness.
Wow… that’s why I came to this page as I’m sat here now wondering if I have permanent psychological damage. I do miss it but I know it’s for the best not to smoke again. I also did a self test urine kit and I’m still positive after 28 days. Stay strong everybody. You are not alone.
I have smoked for 35 years. The reason why I quit is because the stuff I was getting is not the same as it was 20 years ago. The new weed is so much stronger, even though I tried to use just a little bit. I smoked about 4 times a day. I all of a sudden started getting heart palpitations, racing heart beat.
Which caused me to have panic attacks and thinking something was wrong.So I quit cold turkey. It,s been 3 months and I feel different. I have vivid dreams and shakes at night. My doctor gave me Valium, which I take once in a while, but I miss smoking. I had a very active life and functional life when I smoked.
I have been checked out by my doctor and I am healthy but if our state ever passes medical marijuana law I will try to smoke again. I am just scared of what is in this strong pot. All I can say is I sure feel different. ?
I’m so glad I found this site! 15 years of daily use, 2-6 bongs/blunts/bowls a day. This is day 2 after quitting cold turkey. Mood swings are in full effect. I can feel happy, depressed, angry, hopeless, elated, and enraged all in a span of a five minute conversation. I’m glad someone mention the head “pressure.”
I don’t have a headache (yet) but I do feel the “pressure” and it’s an odd sensation. I’m assuming the blank stares and trouble concentrating are due to the insomnia/fatigue? I don’t have an appetite. I feel the most depressed when I come home from work. That was my favorite time of day light up. It was the reason I rushed home from work every night.
I decide to quit after my birthday this past July. My boyfriend and I are talking about buying a house, marriage, and kids. I don’t want it to be a struggle to quit smoking when we’re ready to have kids. I decided it’s better to quit now, before we start trying. I was shocked when I added up how much I was spending. The money I spent in 1 year alone was enough to make a big down payment on a nice house.
I was so disgusted at how much money I’ve literally burnt in the last 15 years. The finally straw that broke the camel’s back for me was pre-employment drug testing. When I was in my 20s, you could use synthetic urine to pass a pre-employment drug test. Now, the test can tell the difference between the really stuff and the fake stuff.
You have to use “donor” urine. At 36, it has become pretty embarrassing to ask to a friend for a “donation.” I knew this wasn’t going to be easy but I had no idea it would be this difficult. Stay strong everyone! Keep posting!!
I am currently 41 years old and have been smoking since I was 15, a lot heavier in the past 5 years due to an emotionally draining breakup from the father of my kids. I am currently 21 days pot free and have had many similar experiences to a lot of others on here. The headaches, or feeling like I had a head full of cement, were quite extreme in the first 10 days, however they have subsided now.
Not back to great sleep, but think this is a lot due to the very vivid dreams I have been having. However am feeling a lot better now than the first 2 weeks…a lot happier and more connected with my beautiful kids. This blog has been an absolute life saver, knowing that I was not and am not alone on this journey. Stay strong and stay determined as it does get easier.
I wish all of you every success on this trying journey and hope that you all come through to a better happier you at the end of the trial. Magnesium flakes in a nice warm bath have helped a lot with the sleeping and are helping to relax and detox my body. I won’t say it is easy by any means, but I will say it is worth it ?. Good luck to all.
Whoever says it isn’t addictive is a liar. I’ve gone a week now. TV is crap, playing PlayStation is boring without it. I can’t sleep and have f-cked up dreams and wake up sweating when I do. I’ve smoked since I was thirteen, I’m thirty next week, about 1-2 grams a day.
A little hope to anyone who is giving up is that I have gone through this before. I gave up on my 27th birthday with all the same symptoms. I think it was about 3 weeks before I started to feel any better and a couple of months before I felt normalized. I went nine months.
In that time I had it once. I had 1 massive bong and went super paranoid for about half hour and didn’t want to do it again. What got me back on it was having a couple of tokes off my mate one day then half a joint the next, slowly building up my tolerance. That was the worst thing I ever did.
Good luck to everyone!
Wow, I am so relieved to have even found this website and read these comments. I have been honestly thinking I was dying. I’m 25 and have been smoking heavily for over a year now. I quit cold turkey 22 days ago and it has been so rough I thought I was losing my mind. The first week wasn’t to bad, had cravings here and there but nothing severe.
It wasn’t until around the 10th day that I had real physical issues. Tingling in one side of my body, lightheaded, feeling faint, out of touch with reality. I wasn’t sure what was happening to me, I went to the hospital and they diagnosed me with Migraines which I had never experienced before. It wasn’t until day 14 I realized maybe I was withdrawing, since then I’ve had severe enough anxiety attacks, mainly at night time, still having some physical symptoms like feeling some weakness on one side of my body, but not actually being weak.
This leads me to think I’m having a stroke and then the vicious cycle begins of me feeling like I’m going to die. I’ve had blood work, MRI, CT scan all of it and been clear on it all. I’ve never experienced anxiety before and now it’s like amplified 10 fold. This article and the comments have really helped me know that I’m not alone.
Anyone that says marijuana withdrawal isn’t really is fooling themselves or is very lucky to not experience it. It’s a daily grind to get through but with mental fortitude I know we can all get through this!
Thank you for this. Although I’ve read many pages on this, I haven’t read one as extensive yet to-the-point as this one. I smoked weed consistently for about 2 and a half-3 years, having quit cold-turkey about a month ago. So as you must know I’m going through most of the things you’ve mentioned as the THC has just managed to get itself out of my body. What are some natural supplements I could use to help me through it? (I know chamomile tea is one, I’ve been using it).
7/30/2016 was my last smoke. I’m 35 and been smoking daily since 17. I’ve smoked more of my life than I have been clean. I’ve decided to stop smoking regularly because I’m struggling to connect with people at work, my friends or my partner like I used to. Biggest issue so far, a feeling of gloom/sadness. Biggest upside, waking up in the morning I feel amazing! Maybe I’ll have the occasional toke when I can control it. But for now, it’s gym, cooking and a few wines as guilty pleasures.
I’ve given up before. Don’t have the occasional toke it, you will just build up a tolerance to it. If you feel the need to smoke have one massive bong and you will probably find you don’t like it as much as you thought you did. Good luck.
Wow! Thought I was the only one that had serious WD issues. Makes me feel better knowing there are many others. As a heavy smoker for more than 30 years, the withdrawal was brutal. Nausea, sweats, anxiety, anger issues, went thru it all but having quit a few times over the years for various reasons it doesn’t get any easier but generally the worst of it should pass in a week or 2, the mental symptoms will take a bit longer and it helps to keep busy doing other things like working out, hiking etc.
Eat soups, fruit and drink juices to help detox and sweat that sh#t out until the nausea goes away. There’s no better feeling than when the appetite comes back and your happy side returns. I’ve also noticed that when you’ve quit for a long time and then smoke some it will f-ck you up! And not in a good way…made me dizzy, gave me headache, screwed up my appetite and really convinced me that it was time to give it up for good.
So maybe that was a good thing…not to mention I don’t have the smoker’s cough and I seem to have extra money now that I don’t blow $300 a month on weed! Soldier on fellow pot heads! It does get better:)
Good comment. I’m a week in now and have given up before also. God it’s difficult. When I gave up having spare money was great. Not having to spend £400 (don’t know what that is in dollars, probably about $550) a month which was a third of my wage made me feel rich. I had a few grand in the bank then I blew it all on coke but that’s a whole different story. I haven’t given up again for the money though that’s just a bonus.
76th day I have been a cold Turkey so far, but by the withdraw is the most difficult thing to get through, I been smoking it since I was 18 now I am 44 and been the best decision I have made. The headache have kick in with sweats too but not far to go when it be 90 days n should be clear from the withdraw symptoms.
Yes there’s days when I want that joint but keeping busy is been great for me. I started when I was on the street homeless n been raped, then sexual abused on top of all this losing my child to adoption. I have been through so much to having most of the symptoms from anxiety to having personality disorder and most days forgetting everything but I know that it’s going be better for me to stay as a quitter.
So got to get pass this stage as 14 more day I should not have any issues of reaching out for that drug anymore. ??
I was just placed on probation for 12 months over one joint. I have been smoking weed since I was in high school I am now 39 years old this is gotta be the worst feeling in the world. I’ve been addicted to meth and was able to quit cold turkey with no problem because I wanted it bad enough. I have bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, impulse control disorder, and depression.
This has got to be the hardest thing that I have ever had to go through as a teenager I was always forced to take medication for my problems once I started smoking weed I found that it helped me better than anything else and now I’m forced to quit smoking because I got caught with it in my possession in my car. I’m really trying hard not to let this affect me but everyone around me is suffering because I am becoming a total b****.
I just want to stay reclusive in my room and nobody understands what I’m going through, especially my boyfriend. It feels like he doesn’t even care. I do need help I do realize I am addicted and I hate this feeling. I hope that this does not ruined my relationship but it is what it is. I gotta quit because my freedom is more important than smoking weed.
In am 52 years old and quit cold turkey 4 days ago. I guess I was a heavy user smoking mostly concentrate over the last years many times a day. Never thought that quitting weed would create such withdraw symptoms. I’m definitely feeling jittery. Sweating spells are really bad and I’ve given up on having a good night sleep.
When will these symptom subside? The reason for my decision to quit was I believe it was affecting my health especially my lungs which has always been susceptible to infections easily. I really enjoy smoking but need to do this. Withdraws are tough but I will get through this. I’m strong. Thank you all for your comments.
Last time I gave up I think it was about two months before I started to sleep properly again. Don’t give up though you will get there. I’m a week in now and my friend is on is way round, probably with some good sh-t. Luckily he’s agreed to smoke outside and probably wouldn’t give me any if I begged him because I have been going on about giving up for so long and he sells it. Anyways good luck.
Smoking is definitely a lifestyle. Changing any lifestyle is difficult. Anyone ever give up sugar? Coffee? Cigarettes? Meat? Internet? Sex? Guess what withdrawal symptoms are gonna happen. Let’s stop demonizing the withdrawals and pot because it’s more to do with your change in lifestyle. Lifestyle change withdrawals can happen when you lose your best friend or a lover that you needed in your life, does that mean we shouldn’t become close to someone again? Just some perspective.
I’m 40 years old and have smoked for nearly 25 years. Over the first 10 years it was recreational (weekends, after work etc) but the last 15 years I’ve smoked very heavily, probably more than 3 grams a day of high grade, all day everyday. I’m now on day 5 of cold turkey and wow, my back hurts so much I’ve not slept in 48 hours and have lost nearly 3 lbs in weight through not eating and sweeting.
I’ve also never known myself to be so emotional and so angry at the same time. I’ve removed myself from nearly all of my friends (they all still smoke everyday) and feel very alone going through this, but reading about all you guys not only strengthened my reasons for quitting it’s made me more determined than ever to quit for good. I hope that I can remain strong and come out the other end a clean non weed smoker who has his life back.
God bless you all and stay strong.
Not gonna lie I’m a bit surprised at how tough these withdrawals seem to be for some of you guys. I used to smoke all the time at least 2 or 3 grams a day for like 8 years with a break here and there and it usually only took me a week maybe 2 at max to be completely better. The worst I would experience would be just not eating or sleeping for like a week and then I would be just fine… Just goes to show how incredibly different everyone is, I guess. :/
A mate of mine insisted that regular use of marijuana brings us “closer to God”! What a laugh! After protracted use, I found my faith going up in smoke! With abstinence & new-found clarity, I’ve realized cannabis became my god – every move I made had to be preceded by a toke…
To add insult to injury, I STILL have faith issues. All the crap my goofball buddies “discovered” while we were high has only served to alienate me from my Savior and disillusion me abjectly.
I no longer advocate regular use of weed: an expensive lesson has been learnt. It is too readily available here in Africa to moderate its use. If you don’t have a “stop switch”, don’t start…
I am 30 years old and have been smoking since I was 15. 4 days ago I gave up ‘Cold Turkey’ and like many of you, I have been experiencing terrible withdrawals. I have never been of a nervous disposition, and considered myself strong mentally, so naturally when my body went into a constant state of panic, so too did my ability to apply reason to the situation.
On the second day of giving up, I was sweating profusely, hot/cold flashes, tingling sensations in my fingers and toes and irregular heartbeats. I was so alarmed at the state I was in, that I instantly thought I was dying or having a heart attack. After being rushed to emergency room, I had 2 EKG tests performed and my lungs listened to. The doctor reassured me that my heart and lungs were fine, and that I was just in a state of anxiety.
After coming home and resting a while, I began to experience more ‘panic’ convincing myself that something was wrong. My GF (girlfriend/guardian force) helped to talk me down and we went to sleep, calm. The next morning, I awoke after she had left for work, and immediately started to become anxious, thinking that I would be alone in my mind until she was back(just finished my degree, so time off). I realised quickly that the ‘fear’ of a panic attack itself, was in turn, causing my body to exhibit physical symptoms such as shaking and nausea.
Sitting down, I started to do some breathing techniques and think about what was happening. I forgot that I had actually given up weed, nicotine and caffeine at the same time! I decided to look up MJ withdrawals and happened upon this place. I almost cried with happiness, knowing that people across the world were helping one another with the terrors I was experiencing.
After reading of the experiences of fellow sufferers here, I now know that this is just a phase, and the tightness in my chest and panic will subside, and with it I can be born into society again, fully functioning. It will take a while for my body to accustom itself to life without smoking, and for this I know that I will suffer… but only for a while.
It is only now that I realise, I have kept myself in stasis for 15 years. I have never reached my full potential as a human-being, because I had the honour and misfortune of meeting that lovely green lady on that moonlit night. Despite the state I am in, I do not regret anything. I only think to the future and to give back the security that my beloved gave to me. I still become anxious and feel tired, but I know it has to get better.
Please, stay strong everyone. No matter where you are, you can overcome this. If you are alone, reach out to others and you will find they will reach back.
I quit smoking 29 days ago after having a bad panic attack after smoking, rapid heart beat, shaking, nausea, thought I was dying. About the time I was going to call 911 everything started to subside. That was a sign for me to stop! I smoked 3 or 4 hits every night pretty much for 30 years. Thought I would have trouble sleeping loss of appetite, headaches.
Had no idea of other withdrawal symptoms moody, lack of concentration,depression, sadness. Left work yesterday, came home and cried for an hour. Knew something was really wrong with me and was scared. finally a light came on and realized this might have something to do with quitting weed. Don’t know why I did not put 2 and 2 together sooner.
Went to computer and googled marijuana withdrawal. Came to this website and realized I had all the symptoms. Although this is no fun and I hate being miserable, I now know what is wrong and as bad as it seems it is only TEMPORARY. Might take 2 more months from what I have been reading to fell normal again… But I will. I read all of the posts on here. Thanks to all of you for sharing your stories. Hang tough. Better days are coming.
It has been 3 weeks since I quit smoking. I think it has been the longest deliberate attempt in 10 years. The cravings remain, it is quite delicious, and fixes a wide variety of problems. Stress induces cravings, dealing with unworthy people, really brings the cravings. It is a beautiful, pleasure giving plant.
But also, stupefies and numbs. A long time ago, when I had only been smoking for a couple years, I remember writing about taking a hiatus into an altered state. I remember the new years turning from 2006-2007 and I remember thinking then that I wanted to quit. It is a very warm refuge, like your favorite blankets. Now that it has been 3 weeks, I’m determined to make it at least 3 months.
It was constant constant, and pleasurable, or the fact that reality was so unbearable, or unremarkable, or not worth living. Many failures have happened, I had very high aspirations that were faltering even before I started smoking, because I was/am a true hedonist. Just enjoy, just enjoy. I feel happier now after quitting for 3 weeks, reality is not so oppressive, maybe it was the constant cycle of using to feel better, and then being hopeless at being stuck in the same place.
There are things I have continued to work on in the last 10 years, that are worth having. But the motivated and sharp person that I was in high school, that wanted to take over the world has not been able to be realized. I have to keep working towards what I want – a good job that utilizes my skills, and a partner who is worth having. Everyday, I have to work towards these goals a little bit, in steps.
If I work everyday for 3 hours towards these goals (minus the weekend) that’s 15 hours a week and 60 hours a month and 180 hours in 3 months. Eventually, these efforts will add up. Procrastination has been a problem that I am still dealing with and I always had this, even before smoking, but smoking definitely exacerbated it very much.
These days, it is hard to push past the mental block to do what I need to do, but I make myself sit in a coffeeshop for four hours even if I get work done for 30 minutes. There are constant distractions, and reasons not to, probably fears. But little accomplishments do bring joy, and when the task is finally done—it seems it was not so difficult after all.
I hope that I can live a normal, full life that I know Im capable of. I am also not a puritan and hope that I can smoke again one day, as it is really the best drug, I am not a puritan, and do think complete sobriety all the time is overrated – but I hope that it will be manageable in the future, and I will consider it what it is- which is a treat to be had in moderation, not everyday and not constantly
Please let me know your thoughts if you have been a heavy smoker- but were able to smoke again in moderation, not as a dependence or habit.
I’ve been at it for over 40 years and have had to console myself with the fact that I can never use again. :( The lasting damage requires immense effort on my part to reconstruct my life & beliefs. Moderate or controlled use? Pah! I know myself too well…
I’ve been trying to quit for a while now. I reached the point where the past few times I smoked, I felt disgusted with myself. I feel like I’ve let my whole family down, yet most of them don’t even know that I smoke. 5 days so far, and aside from being irritable, having the most insane mood changes, and problems sleeping I think I’ve had a breakthrough.
I recommend to anyone reading this, whether you are 400 lbs or fit as a fiddle, EXERCISE. 4 days in, I couldn’t handle how absolutely wild my mind was, so for the first time in a while, I threw on the running shoes and just went as far as I could run. You will cough, have trouble breathing at times, but KEEP GOING, whether you’re running or playing the sport you enjoy.
I can honestly say when I got home a handful of miles later, I was a changed person. This is the only thing that worked for me. I was awake 2/3 days and have read almost every comment on this page.
Hi, I’m a 26 year old male 5’6 169lbs. Just stopped smoking hash oil a week ago. Cold turkey. I developed heart palpitations like crazy one day, thinking I was having a heart attack. Saw my doctor and said it was withdrawals and high anxiety from being used to the MMJ. Gave me a beta blocker and antidepressants.
I’m on day two today and the beta’s make me dizzy and lightheaded but it subsides my panic attack feeling. Before I had these meds and while I’m on them I took up belly breathing, it helps but doesn’t help sleep. I’m going to take my 30days of meds and follow up here. Hope the best for everyone here.
I stopped a 40 year marijuana habit a few months ago and went through about 5 days of mild anxiety and depression. Then I started again on the 10th day when I felt back to normal. Now, I am on day 1 again! I am stopping because I am not enjoying smoking anymore.
Not looking forward to the depression and anxiety which are symptoms. The sleeping doesn’t bother me because I don’t sleep well anyway. Acupuncture is a great help in your detox, and meditation. Pot was interfering with my Transcendental Meditation and I need my daily TM.
I was a heavy smoker for the past 6-7 years, it got to be all day every day. I quit 3 months ago and initially I was doing pretty good, I was even surprised that I didn’t miss it more – but now I’m having so much anxiety, panic, and even dread. Nothing is fun, I’m not fun. I have dreams that are of a negative theme almost every morning lately.
I can’t even seem to drum up good feelings about myself for having quit and gotten this far. I also had stopped taking anti-depressants 10 months ago and stopped drinking alcohol last year as well. Hope this stage and these feelings will pass – I’m working on meditation and I do run in the morning, but I have some stressful things going on in my life and I can’t believe how hard this is. It’s almost discouraging.
Don’t give up. Ever. I have felt the same way, trust me one day you will understand what’s important and why you’re not happy.
I’m about to turn 40, I’ve been smoking for a good 25 years. I have 9 days clean and I’ve never felt such despair and loneliness before in my life. Over the years pot managed to push away all my relationships and now that I’ve stopped smoking I’m left with no one in my life. The depression is killing me. I cry most of the time, feel suicidal, and I don’t have any faith that anything good will happen for in the future.
My job and living situation is horrible & I’ve managed to push my family away over the years… so support from loved ones is nonexistent. I do go to MA now which has been good but the time spent out of the meetings is unbearable. I’m a good person and I feel like I’m being punished. It’s been years since I’ve had a girlfriend and that alone is tearing me apart as I feel rejected and unwanted… unloved.
I haven’t turned back to weed yet and I don’t plan to but I also don’t know how long I can keep this up before seeking out a way to snuff the emotional pain. I quit for so many reasons, particularly the fact that the weed sapped my motivation however now that I’m clean I get nothing done. I find myself bored and unable to engage in activities that I would really get into when I was high.
Every minute is a struggle, scratch that…. every second is a struggle. Doing this alone is so hard, so hurtful. I pray and plead to god to help see me through this but I lack the faith that he will put good things in my life. My level of confidence is at an all time low, which makes me feel weak and worthless. I already know I’ll be spending my 40th birthday alone and that thought makes me want to kill myself.
I thought life was tough on the weed, but off it I’m barely functioning. I’m at a loss as to what else I can do to ease the pain and I pray it goes away soon but from what I’ve researched it sounds like I’m in for the long haul. For younger folks on here who are getting clean, do it, do it now and stick with it because if you let it go on for as long as I have the above is what you will have to ultimately face when quitting 20, 30 years down the line.
This drug marijuana is not worth it, it’s not worth your sanity, your life. It will rob you of everything good that was meant for you and leave you alone with nothing.
I’m rooting for you, Alex! I’m 38 and a long-time daily smoker. I quit for a full year in 2014 the first two to three months were so tough. I was depressed, lethargic all day and couldn’t sleep at night, and had less motivation than ever while smoking. It gets better, so much better… your thoughts will be clear, your moods stable, your memory in-tact, and you’ll feel good again!
Sorry to hear about losing the people closest to you. I pushed mine away, especially during withdrawal. I’ve lost friends over pot, and made many stupid decisions because of it. Please know that all the awful feelings are temporary, they may feel worse than you could have imagined but you’ll find the strength to push through. Soon they’ll be an memory.
I chose to go back after year (that had always been my plan), but my smoking again became heavy and daily, and here I am quitting again… I’m on day 4, jittery and anxious but I’ve done it before and can do it again. Best of luck to us both and I’ll keep you in my thoughts.
Hi Alex- old post now, but it touched me. I know kicking the weed can be hard, but Baby – not that hard! I think you were masking your low feelings with the drug, and now you’re experiencing them in technicolor! If you feel suicidal and desperate take that seriously.
You need to see your doctor, and discuss your depression. Please don’t just put it down to withdrawal and sit it out, it is not right to be feeling so low, it’s dangerous. Really hoping you’re in a slightly better place now – but deep seated depression is something we have to learn to manage long-term sometimes.
Thanks friends for your comments. I started smoking weed on my third year in University. Since then my life changed completely. It reached a time I could no longer concentrate on my studies. I studied Medical Biochemistry and this intoxication could let me less concentrate! I got E’s on row, retakes and E’s again and this was the end of my career road.
I used to work as a freelance article and academic writer before but for now I can’t. What I can do at the moment is smoking in the morning till evening (cannabis and tobacco) am in a total mess now. I broke up with my girlfriend whom I got a son with while still in school and since then I find difficulties in establishing a new relationship.
All I know is that marijuana is the cause of all the mess in my life, but I tried quitting from it in vain! It’s my prayer that my life will become normal again! Today is my first day of the cold turkey. Please help me in this hard process. Thanks.
Im 29, and first tried weed when I was 17. I went through phases of smoking frequently and then abstaining over the years, but over the last two to three years I have slowly started to smoke more and more, to the point recently where it was every day. The amount I was going through was getting larger and larger and it got to the stage where it was starting to feel like I was developing a problem.
I started to feel like I was changing as a person, and relying on weed to enhance day-to-day things and make me feel ‘normal’. I started to experience bouts of anxiety and poor short term memory. It made me feel comfortable with being unproductive and unmotivated. I’ve decided to quit for the reasons above. I am fed up with living with a mental fug (pun intended) and want a change, so have gone cold turkey and have so far gone a week without it.
I didn’t expect withdrawal symptoms, especially seeing as I’ve stopped in the past without issues, but I put that down to smoking infrequent small amounts before. It’s tough, and I have had issues with sleep and mild depression. Somedays I just feel like crying for no reason. Mainly I just feel bored and a bit worthless.
I hope it gets better, I do feel a bit clearer mentally and it’s helpful reading all your comments and knowing that others have gone through the same experience. Good luck to everyone who’s abstaining/quitting, it really is for the best.
When you smoke cannabis it causes down regulation of the neurotransmitters on the cannabinoid receptors in your brain. A defense mechanism to prevent you from doing harm. Ever notice how you plateau when you smoke loads and can’t get any higher?
With a regular user these receptors return to normal pretty quickly. With heavy users your body gets used to the extra cannabinoids, meaning less receptors. When a heavier user stops it takes time for your body to adjust. With out a properly functioning endocannabinoid system you will experience the opposite effects of smoking… Withdrawal symptoms.
Understanding what’s going on in my body is helping me though. Maybe someone will read this and it’ll help them. Also consider supplementing with magnesium and b-vitamins. It will help your sleep and mood. Excessive sweating will cause depletion.
Yes, helpful. :)
Good stuff Matt thanks. And yes knowing the physiology behind the symptoms helps by making it less of a personal shortcoming and more a physical reaction common to all.
Hi, I’m 37yrs old, loved MJ since I was 13. When I was 27 I went to work on a cruise ship and had to stop. Did so with no problems and hardly felt any withdrawal symptoms except for perhaps minor cravings and restless sleep and more dreams . Had been smoking everyday avg 1gr per day last few years. Worked on the ships for 1 year.
Last 10 years have smoked everyday average of 1 gr per day. 14 days ago I had my last puff but this time I have had some stronger withdrawal symptoms. By the way I do not smoke tobacco and I eat well and exercise regularly. This time I have been having crazy dreams and a mildish headache during the day. Sleep has been ok kinda depends on how bad the dreaming is, lucid dreams are not much fun.
Sweat through 2-3 t-shirts a night. No anxiety, no depression, no anger, no stomach problems. Perhaps a bit subdued and bored…but I am on holiday in a different country. Will stay sober when I get back to my home country because I want to see what life is like without a monkey on my back. The monkey kept me from looking for a girlfriend because Maryjane was my girlfriend.
I feel the healthier and balanced a person is physically and mentally the easier it is to stop smoking MJ. Also not taking any other drugs like tobacco and alcohol, meds, whatever goes without saying. Eat well and exercise! I still feel ganja has it’s place but when it becomes an addiction and rules your life it is not good. Good luck everybody.
Hello to you all and good luck! I would like to know how I can best support my husband who is giving up weed after a LONG period of time. I gave up myself 6 years ago with no after effect – I was one of the lucky ones! So I struggle to empathize sometimes, which I know is wrong, and would really love some practical suggestions on what I can do to help. Any ideas?
Hi, I’ve been a chronic smoker for 12 years now with a couple of breaks (only for 2 or three months tops though.) Until today, I was not truly aware just how common these occurrences of insomnia, vivid dreams and headaches were. I can really identify with this. I work shifts, a random combination of early starts, late finishes and occasionally nights so not being able to sleep when you need to, for me, interferes with performance at work.
(I am very dubious of sleeping remedies, I find you feel pretty foggy the next day.) Sometimes I find my dreams to be so terrifying I am actually fearful of going back to sleep, or the experience will be so profound it will have an impact on my thoughts throughout the following day. I have a clear conscience; I’m a very honest person and am usually described as something of a free spirit.
Yet the dreams make me feel like I’ve forgotten something extremely important or that I’m horrendously guilty in some way. I just wonder does anybody out there have similar experiences? (Like you’re closing the door on Jah and that is a fatal mistake (that’s probably too out there for most), but) I’d feel a lot stronger and more inclined to quit if even one person said yes.
And the headaches – I always put that down to dehydration and caffeine, feel like a hypochondriac even fussing about such a matter but they can be pretty unpleasant. However once you’ve broken through to the other side, after about 4 weeks neural functioning is back up to speed. Then you have to contend with normal life.
Which is somehow faster than stoner pace but still utterly painful. Its quite a thing to grapple with- and it will no doubt plague my life for years to come. Hmm still sitting on the fence here. Weed keeps me grounded to some extent – but by default it also stops me from challenging myself. It’s a tricky one- my friends dismiss claims it is even a drug, but how we are as a result of it I am not of that opinion.
I’m join you all in this battle and the easiest way is to do together spiritually and if so I’m here to create a friend who would like to go through a personal journey with me. I was a strong user for 4 years (3-5) times a day and usually mixed with cigarettes and alcohol, not always but most nights due to stress at work. I’m feeling depressed, I have a son on the way and it’s hard to say that I can’t enjoy the full motion of this experience due to these symptoms.
Four days ago I mixed it with cocaine and I had the worst experience of my life and due to my quitting decision these symptoms almost seem unbearable, I’m not addicted having trouble not smoking cigarettes nor drinking alcohol nor am I addicted to cocaine it’s was an attempt to never be made again. I’m having mood swings, loss of appetite, I feel like I don’t know who I am and if the scary part is if this experience can actually be cured forever, but through the grace of God and how great he is and my faith that has grown stronger through this and I’m grateful for that, for sure.
I try to sleep but this odd feeling of no zest for life makes sleeping miserable and hard to deal with and I can usually only get 5 hours total. My anxiety level is off the roof and it hurts and one of the worst feelings I’ve ever experienced but just by reading everyone’s symptoms after 10 to 20 years of use seems to still be similar but I’m sure is magnified by 1000%. I’m quitting because my situation is different from all of yours, it was my idiotic move of mixing a downer strand of marijuana with one of the most extreme energy providers cocaine and left an imprint of distress and escalated when I tried to smoke once more just to see what would happen after I was over the cocaine and it was out of my system.
I’m posting cause I’m not a cocaine user, an alcoholic, addicted to cigarettes…it’s because I never wanted to quit and if I would have never mixed I wouldn’t have seen this site and I wouldn’t be posting today. You all, God is bigger than any feeling, emotion or addiction or drug or fix for any matter of what fixes you from the natural stress of real life but God has to be the only one who can keep us straight and he is merciful and will listen and take our times and turn them into turning point of our lives while quitting and create a divine relationship with him.
I sit here and will pray every single one of you one this blog. Let’s beat this together you all and be the better individuals we can be! God bless every single of you and I wish us the best! Feel free to reply if you want to converse if you would like. Thank you if have finished this whole post and read my story as I diligently read yours. Once again God bless you all!
I have smoked daily for about 11-12 years – I had recently cutback and was probably smoking 2 grams a week (in small spliffs). I am now one week in (didn’t smoke fags, just one skinners) – the biggest pisser is INSOMNIA – Some nights I manage a few hours but most nights, it’s less. People have commented that I look much healthier which is weird considering I am not sleeping.
I just got bored with it – it had lost its allure. I want to be totally sober. I spent my youth doing ecstasy/LSD/coke, I don’t touch alcohol (and will never start) – best thing I found to combat the feelings of withdrawal (sweats, anxiety, fuzziness) is eating healthy and exercise. Feel so much better for having done this. Just want to sleep…
I have been smoking for 9 years, everyday, typically 2-3 bowls a day currently which is a significant change from when I had used to sell it, consumption was usually 3-5 grams a day at that point. I’m over 30 days clean and the withdrawal is only as bad as you make it. Surround yourself by positive people, stay busy, occupy your body and mind because the more you are stuck thinking about the shit you are going too make the cravings worse and worse until you fall back into the habit.
It took about 7-10 days to really get back on track but with new hobbies and staying active this whole process has been relatively simple and painless. It’s the sleeping part that kills me the most but I am currently able to get a full nights sleep and the crazy vivid dreams are starting to subside. Just give it time people, stay active, do new things, make new positive friends, and keep your mind occupied until the urges subside. Best of luck people.
Feeling a little relieved after reading some of these comments because at least I might be able to explain what’s happening to me as withdrawal. I’ve been smoking weed for about 12 years now and really enjoyed it. So much so that I was an advocate for it to the extent that I recommended it to my mom who suffers from anxiety so she could come off of the pills she was taking.
Now, I had stopped before, actually for a couple years with no issue whatsoever, but after starting back up again and smoking daily for the last 6 years or so I decided to quit. Honestly, I was reluctant because it wasn’t really causing me any issues. But, I had become quite lethargic, my girlfriend refused to kiss me anymore from the smell of my breath and honestly, I just wasn’t getting the same highs. So, one day, about a month ago, I ran out and said, screw it!
I’m gonna go on another ‘break’. As some have noted, when you do this and come back to it, as I’ve done in the past, the highs are sooooo much better. Well, I’m not so sure I will come back to it now. Other than vivid dreaming, I didn’t really suffer from any of the symptoms until last week, BAM, it hit me in the night. Not long after I had laid down and fallen asleep, I was awoken to a elevated heartbeat, tingly sensation going through my head and body and immediate fever-like symptoms (getting instantly hot and sweating, and then going right into chills).
Then, I started getting the tremors! I thought I was having a seizure, and honestly, I may have, I don’t really know. What I do know, is that my arms, legs and even fingers started shaking. It felt like a combination of restless leg syndrome (if anybody knows what I’m talking about; that annoying/constant surge of energy going through your limbs) and shivering so intensely as from being really cold.
Then, it got even weirder; I was laying down through this, and suddenly felt like I needed to have a bowel movement. I was able to walk to the bathroom on my own where I was able to go a little and it immediately relieved the shaking and my body started to calm down. I know, weird, right? Well, I think this is also tied into the fact that my family has issues with the Vagus nerve stimulation.
Since that night it has not happened, or at least not near to that degree. Each day after I progressively got better, but have setbacks once in a while, like tonight. I have a pounding headache and started getting the feverish symptoms. But, for most of the day, I felt fine, almost completely normal. There are days when I feel so out of it, like reality isn’t real and my heart is beating off track.
This is such a horrible, annoying feeling and I do hope that it will go away because one of the reasons I smoked in the first place is that I had low patience/tolerance and was quick to anger and this whole process is making me feel really frustrated. I did follow up with my chiropractor, who, of all people, suggested that I might just be going through marijuana withdrawals and explained it to me in a way that made a lot of sense.
Then, after reading all of this, it helps comfort me a little knowing that, to varying degrees, we are all dealing with it. For whatever it’s worth, I did go to the doctor yesterday and was referred to a neurologist and an allergist, but she also concurred that withdrawals might indeed be what this is. I hope that’s all it is and I hope my story helps others.
I lost my mother on her birthday and I decided at the wrong time in my life to try and stop smoking. I’ve been smoking since I was 19 and here I am 34 and having the hardest time trying to stop just to get a career not a job. I think I really messed up when I had to travel to Denver Colorado for my mom’s funeral and bought that good good. If it wasn’t for weed no one would like me lol. I’m a better person when I’m high. I smoke so much I’m having every withdrawal symptom there is. This is one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do next to losing my mother… So sad.
I loved weed, smoked everyday and associated with nothing but it. At the same time I hid away from who I truly was and my family and true friends hiding my drug use. It all came to a head when me and my girlfriend split up because I was giving up and she wouldn’t and lied to me, was angry towards me and stuck by her little cousin who also puffed. It made me see what a weed smoker in bad cases can become.
I don’t have a problem with people that use it in moderation, but anyone with an addictive mind like me can become addicted. While it’s been hard as hell to quite with many side effects I’m actually happier, achieving more in life and back on a good track for my future. It’s not easy but this drug will destroy you socially and mentally. Trust me I know I’ve seen both sides and it’s better without it.
On day 6 of quitting and have been suffering from most withdrawals symptoms. Major loss of appetite, hot and cold sweats at night getting up every hour, short fuse over the most basic things, anxiety and lightheadedness. Rang a rehab centre and was told going cold turkey is very dangerous and that I should wean myself off. Basically was told to go have a smoke and see my doctor.
Well I didn’t have that smoke but went to the docs. Was prescribed valium for 3 days to help with my symptoms. Only minimal relief so have now booked my psychologist. Hoping to get to the root of my problem. Been smoking for 25 plus years so guessing it’s a long road ahead. Thank you all for sharing your stories you have all given me a push that I needed.
I quit yesterday and have been smoking every day for 30 years. I know it’s crazy. No withdrawal symptoms yet. Just more sleepy today than usual. I’m afraid of what’s to come.
Hey guys, 24, heavy smoker for the past 11-12 years, smoked every day non stop, from the moment I would wake I’d smoke about a gram and a half before I’d hit the hay at night. Longest I ever went without would be close to 4 days in that time. So I’ve been really dependent on Mary for half the years I’ve been alive. However 7 days ago I ran out of pot and my dealer stopped selling. I was given a job opportunity that requires me to stop.
It’s 6:20am at the moment, Day 7, rough night again, third night this week where I’ve probably managed to get all of 2 hours sleep max. Like most of you I’m dealing with the three main symptoms. Nausea being the biggest, feel like I’ve taken more painkillers in the last week than I have in the last two years to help cope. Loss of appetite is there but I force food down whether it be just a sandwich or some cereal, some things go down easier than others, with more solid meals I find myself chewing most of my food then drinking water with it to get it down.
The lack of sleep isn’t so bad but for fatigue, I’ve had two good nights rest in the past 7 days but in saying that I have had two of the most vivid dreams in those days. I’ve been getting the pangs of wanting to get high about 3-4 times a day, luckily though my willpower and determination to quit right now is at an all time high. It’s been a struggle to fight the anxiety away, but feeling depressed, angry or emotional hasn’t really affected me which I feel is a byproduct of my knowing this is the best thing for me.
Be strong everyone who reads this message because there is nothing more powerful than a person who sets their mind to something and is willing to achieve it no matter the sacrifice.
Update, I’m a month off the grass now, life is progressively getting better, I still haven’t really gotten too frustrated or angry with anyone. At least not as much as when I was craving a session when I still smoked. The pangs of wanting to get high are still hovering in my mind but definitely not as much as they were, they’re more like once or twice a week now and they subside when I do something, I’ve been taking walks when they strike but for the late night ones which I deal with by talking to my online friends.
Everyone has been really supportive that knows my situation. My job is going excellent, my memory is increased for short term remembrance. I don’t get any sort of tremors or shakes now and the headaches/nausea have subsided, I’m not taking painkillers for them anymore. I can eat again with no issue or need of water to wash it down. My anxiety levels have dropped tremendously, which I think is a byproduct of my thinking that I was a better me when I was getting high.
The amount of dreams that I’ve been having has been absolutely crazy, just last night alone I probably had six with momentary awakenings between. It’s been tough but I’ve stuck with it, I know I can kick this monster that has sucked a lot of the progression from my life. I’ll return after month 2 and fill you guys in how I feel then. Onward and upwards as they say, keep strong my fellows. It is and it will definitely get easier.
Wow, it’s incredible I found this web site and to see all your comments. I have been a heavy user of weed for around 5 years (all day every day style), it opened my mind to a lot of interesting things but also took a hold of me and I have now stopped for 1 month due to it ruling my life.
I gave up for a couple of months last year as I was traveling in countries where it was too dangerous to smoke, I found it a lot more easy to be without than I do right now. The last few weeks have been hell, I had terrible insomnia and sweats + night terrors and am badly depressed, cravings are getting more and more severe too… this whole time I was still under the delusion that weed was not addictive and there were no difficult withdrawal symptoms.
I believed all my problems recently were due to my inability to cope with ‘reality’ and the fact life is cruel and unfair. I was ready to smoke MJ as soon as I could get my hands on some again, what a relief to find this web site and hear from so many people that can relate. I hope I can stay strong enough to not smoke again and make it through the withdrawal stage.
It really sucks that I’m still recovering after a whole month… anyone know how long it may take to be completely free or can assure me the symptoms will defiantly end some day?
Saskia. It can vary from 3 months to 2 years. The brain takes a lot of time to completely recover from heavy daily use for years. longer than we think scientist discover now] But you WILL recover. Be proud that you did it. Only time take care of it now. Most people are 100 percent after a year however so that’s a relief I think. All the best, Bas