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Withdrawal symptoms from marijuana.

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Background: I have ADHD, I am 22, and am perscribed metadate cd 40 mg, and never had anxiety dissorder or panic attacks (atleast not unwarranted). I also was perscribed norco (10 mg hydrocodone) to take only at night to deal with MMA training related injuries, i only ever took one at a time after 9 pm, well after the metadate had worn off. I havent consumed cannibis in well over 6 months and before that it was extremly rarely (never more a couple times a month), so i have no tolerance to marijuana.


On Friday night (5 days ago), I decided i was gonna take a break from training so i wouldnt take the hydrocodone, i had taken it most days but i have had a few trail days without it so i knew i wouldnt get withdrawal. On the advice of my brother I decided to vape marijuana from a volcano vaporizor in an attempt the to ease an injury from training, i smoked 2 bags with my brother at around 7 pm ( i took half the metadate dosage only around 1:20 pm, didnt wait long enough i know), and then smoked 3 more bags on my own till about 11:30 (this was a crazy high amount for alot of regular users, let alone someone who doesnt really smoke) . At around 2 am i tried to sleep ( i took 2 benydryll) but i ended up having a panic attack, i crawled into my mom and dads bed and started sobbing begging them to forgive me for any flaw i had in my lifestyle. took 1 more benadryll and went to sleep The next morning i figured i would be fine, i took my metadate (at half the dosage) later in the day i would suffer really bad anxiety attacks and lingering anxiety. had 2 drinks that night and took some benadryl and slept fine, next day i took half the prescribed dose, and boom, right as it wears off, constant anxiety and anxiety attacks settle in. it gets so bad that my mom gives me 1.5 mg of bromazepam. next day my doc tells me that this is no doubt the combined residual effects of a panic attack and marijuana toxicity which is corroborated by a well known scientist at NIH (a friend of my fathers). the next 2 days were all exactly the same, once my metadate cd wears off, out of no where my body becomes aroused with the kind of anxiety i get when i look down a skyscraper (im afraid of heights), to the point of depersonalization/decentralization. At first i thought this was hydrocodone withdrawal, but i got none of the other symptoms (no irratibility, drug cravings, nausea, diarhea or any other flu like symptoms) My perscribing psychiatrist and everyone else have have been telling me is once the marijuana is gone from your system completely and this isn't going to last much longer.

I just have never experienced this before and im trying to make sense of it. Why my pulse is constantly fluctuating, why (without any thought or stimuli that would induce anxiety or panic) am i getting really bad such feelings of fear and anxiety. my thoughts are logical, so why am i getting such physiological symptoms? How much longer will it last? And this wont be permanent right?

Category: Family Physician-GP

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Category: HIV- AIDS Specialist
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Hello and thankyou for approaching DoctorSpring with your query.
I have gone through your case and I understand your concern.


What you are experiencing is probably a withdrawal from marijuana + behavioural disturbance set in by Marijuana.

The withdrawal from marijuana is uncomfortable or distressing but is NOT life threatening
Patient usually has anxiety and it is sometimes worse in patient who already has a psychological disorder. The fluctuating pulse you are noticing will be due to the fact that when you get very anxious your pulse becomes rapid and fast and slows down at other times. You may also feel depressed or low, tired and sleepy.

You seem to have inhaled an extremely high dosage of Marijuana.
The withdrawal symptoms may take some time to subside but will gradually decrease. It usually starts on the second day, peaks between 2 - 6 days and start resolving by 7 -14 days. These are approximate days and differs from person to person based on how your body reacts to the drug, how long your body takes to clear it, the dose that has be consumed and any underlying disorders.

What your parents , psychiatrist and everyone is telling you is right, that once the marijuana is completely cleared from your system you feel no longer experience these symptoms.

I can not say for sure how long it will last, cause as I said multiple factors play a role in the clearance of the marijuana from your body. It should not last for more than 7-8 days. But the fact is that even if the THC is cleared from your body, the emotional and psychological effect can prevail for few more weeks.

Symptoms should reduce in another weeks times, but can take a bit longer as the dose you have inhaled is high. No and you need not worry , this is not a permanent thing.

Continue with your usual medication Metadate CD as has been prescribed.

If your symptoms get worse you should visit ER.

I hope this has helped.
Thankyou


Patient replied :

Help it has, a few more questions.

So based on the general consensus, it would be opportune for me to take any possible measures to detox the thc and other cannabinoids as fast as humanly possible. As a med student myself i am well aware of the fact that marijuana has a nuisance of a half life and is fat soluble. I have heard that niacin is a good way to proliferate a good deal of the cannabinoids from fat cells and make for more efficient excretion. Can you elaborate on this? and if so what would be safe doses? And if not, what measures would you recommend to detox faster? keep in mind im not some idiot kid that is trying to beat a drug test, im not trying to satisfy a probation officer or get a job. I need to actually legitimately have this substance out of my body...

Second, On Sunday and Monday, i had massive panic attacks in the afternoon/evening hours, i was given 1.5 mg bormazepam right before bed so i could at least sleep. I was warned however that there is a risk of rebound anxiety, since these symptoms are more than likely acute, and caused biologically by a foreign substance, what would be your position on as needed usage of 1.5 bromazepam until the marijuana is ex sponged completely. And could it be the anxiety i feel now is rebound from the Monday dosage?

P.S as an answer to your question, i have never been diagnosed or struggled with anxiety or depression before in my life...


Hello,
Niacin does not help in removing THC from the fat cells. The only thing that migh help is regular exercise, as it increases your metabolic rate, hence helps to burn down your fat cells in which the THC is stored.
I totally understand that you want to legitimately have the substance out of your body. As I said you can try exercising.

Secondly bromazepam is a benzodiazepine drug, and it is used in low doses to contol acute anxiety and panic attacks due to cannabis withdrawal. Hence you can take bromazepam if required as prescribed by your doctor to
control any attacks of anxiety. The anxiety you now feel would not be due to rebound of the monday dose of bromazepam.

I hope this has helped. Wishing you a speedy recovery.
Thankyou.


Dr. Jaydeep Tripathy
Category: HIV- AIDS Specialist
Experience: 
MBBS from Sri Ramachandra University in December 2011
M.Med (Family Medicine) - TNMGR University, Chennai
MBA-MPH in Public Health in March 2016, SRM University
Finished AFIH in March 2016, SRM University
MRCP ( UK ), Internal Medicine, Royal College of Physicians, June 2016
Fellowship in Diabetology from Martin Luther University in January 2017

Currently Resident Physician, in MD Radiodiagnosis - Kamakshi Memorial Hospital, Chennai
Dr. Jaydeep Tripathy and 4 other Medical Specialists are ready to help you

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