# For those who are afraid of permanent damage from cannabis



## Katezorz (Jan 10, 2010)

I just want to reassure you that you haven't done anything to permanently damage yourself. I started getting panic attacks after smoking weed in the beginning of august, which caused chronic dp/dr. During that time my dp/dr was extremely debilitating, and I couldn't get out of bed for months. I was so afraid that I caused permanent damage due to the bad trip I had, which actually caused me to have a mini seizure (I was also on effexor at the time). But by November I was 95% better, and after that I was getting better and better for about a week. I was almost completely recovered. Then my doctor put me on prozac to help "speed up my recovery", which caused yet another panic attack and it all came flooding back. I don't blame the prozac, I blame the fact that I had an underlying fear of medication that I didn't know about at the time. I don't want people to freak out about taking prozac since it can help many people. I only took it once and there's no way it could have caused such a reaction like that since it was barely in my system, it was all mental.

But I was almost completely better. Now instead of panic attacks, I have GAD. I think I'm beginning to feel better again, as I can now control my anxiety somewhat. I realize everyone is different, but if I got better from cannabis induced dp/dr (mine was really bad at the time), I think that anyone can. Weed caused the majority of you to have panic attacks/anxiety, so it's really the same as everyone else on here who got it simply from anxiety/depression/abuse. You were probably already predisposed to anxiety, and it simply triggered it. It DOES NOT mean that you will be stuck like this forever because of weed or any other drug.


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## Bosko (Nov 9, 2007)

I totally undestand what your'e saying. But for me I never experienced any type of bad feelings when I used to smoke weed, infact It did me a lot of good mentally and physically. The thing is I smoked a lot of cannabis everyday, and this has lead me to believe that it has caused some type of damage to my brain. I dont experience anxiety about anything apart from my thought dissociation which is the primary symptom. Everything else like panic/anxiety/depression comes form my thought derailment problem. I blame cannabis for causing this, I cannot imagine what hearing voices is like but it is the only thing i could compare it too. My thoughts are not because of anxiety, my actual train of thought feels seperated from me.


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## Katezorz (Jan 10, 2010)

dancingwobbler said:


> I totally undestand what your'e saying. But for me I never experienced any type of bad feelings when I used to smoke weed, infact It did me a lot of good mentally and physically. The thing is I smoked a lot of cannabis everyday, and this has lead me to believe that it has caused some type of damage to my brain. I dont experience anxiety about anything apart from my thought dissociation which is the primary symptom. Everything else like panic/anxiety/depression comes form my thought derailment problem. I blame cannabis for causing this, I cannot imagine what hearing voices is like but it is the only thing i could compare it too. My thoughts are not because of anxiety, my actual train of thought feels seperated from me.


I really don't think that marijuana caused any permanent damage to you. I am not in any way trying to undermine your feelings, but rather I am trying to give you a different perspective on this. If you think about it, so meany people smoke marijuana for many, MANY years, and never experience any problems. I have a friend who is a doctor, and he has been smoking for 20 years! He is also one of the smartest people I know.

Your anxiety about your dissociation could make it linger for longer than it has to. I cannot speak for you, but I believe that with treatment, you will recover.

Another example is about a girl who had a hangover and has experienced anxiety/depersonalization ever since. Do you think that drinking caused any permanent damage?

Again I'm not trying to speak for you, and I don't want to come across as pushy. But every doctor I have gone to has told me that marijuana can't cause any permanent damage as far as anxiety and depersonalization go. Can you lose a few brain cells? Sure. But you can get the same effect from alcohol.


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## WANTTOBEBETTER (May 4, 2009)

Good post Katezorz,
I liked the hangover analogy. (was there really a girl who this happened to?)

The point is,we all have a predisposition for this in us. It may be deep in the background, but it is ever present. There a tons of different triggers that will bring this to center stage. Drugs (REC&RX), stress, depression, anxiety, OCD, migraine, traumatic event, abuse, etc... These things did not create the DP/DR out of no where. You are not permanently damaged. The triggers just brings it out.

I am 37 and I have had many triggers. Depression as a child, anxiety in middle school, drugs in high school, stress in college, stress&anxiety&depression now.

Greg


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## Katezorz (Jan 10, 2010)

WANTTOBEBETTER said:


> Good post Katezorz,
> I liked the hangover analogy. (was there really a girl who this happened to?)
> 
> The point is,we all have a predisposition for this in us. It may be deep in the background, but it is ever present. There a tons of different triggers that will bring this to center stage. Drugs (REC&RX), stress, depression, anxiety, OCD, migraine, traumatic event, abuse, etc... These things did not create the DP/DR out of no where. You are not permanently damaged. The triggers just brings it out.
> ...


Yes, there were actually a few girls who had hangovers that triggered dp/anxiety. I'll try to find the link to the forum I found it on, but it really opened my eyes after months of thinking that I'd done permanent damage to myself.

My mom had GAD for a bit when she was my age, and my dad had panic disorder for six months. I guess you can say I've been predisposed to this all my life, especially since I had terible school anxiety growing up, then social anxiety for years after that. But I got over both of them. It took a while, but with the right treatment, I became quite the social butterfly







. Marijuana triggered panic disorder in me, but I'm over that now too. Now the dreaded GAD, which has been the hardest thus far. But every doctor I have seen (which is many) told me that even though marijuana triggered it, it would have shown itself later on in life anyway. Pot was simply the trigger.

It sounds like you had a lot to deal with when you were younger. Have you tried EMDR therapy? I've heard that if you experience anxiety now due to trauma in your younger years, EMDR is the way to go. I don't want to get in your business or anything, but I also wonder if you've heard about it.


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## Katezorz (Jan 10, 2010)

http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0006322398002571

Here is a link that talks about a girl getting Dp/dr from drinking, but this isn't the one I originally found. A few girls were actually talking about it on a forum somehwre.


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## WANTTOBEBETTER (May 4, 2009)

Katezorz said:


> Yes, there were actually a few girls who had hangovers that triggered dp/anxiety. I'll try to find the link to the forum I found it on, but it really opened my eyes after months of thinking that I'd done permanent damage to myself.
> 
> My mom had GAD for a bit when she was my age, and my dad had panic disorder for six months. I guess you can say I've been predisposed to this all my life, especially since I had terible school anxiety growing up, then social anxiety for years after that. But I got over both of them. It took a while, but with the right treatment, I became quite the social butterfly
> 
> ...


You are well versed and quite aware of the workings of these problems. When I was your age I had no Idea what the hell was going on in my head. I thought I was the only one in the world experiencing this. The internet is a wonderful thing. Imagine people 200 years ago with this, no support at all, probably living in a madhouse. Just in the last two years I have been learning more and more and trying to wipe it out completely. (Has not worked yet but getting better)

I have smoke weed 3-4 times and it sets me off everytime (space cadet). Did 1/2 piece of acid one time (just kept me up all night, no hallucinations or bad trip) and I worry this may have damaged me (like hppd). However a few nice people on this site has helped me with this ridiculous obsession. Had it before and had it after, can't blame that. Only as a trigger. But still worries me.

I don't believe I have had any trauma in my life, just the pure terror of dealing with this. I believe my problem is purely biological in nature, getting much worse with the triggers that have presented themself. I am waiting on the miracle pill.

I will read up on EMDR. kind of reminds me of the tapping deal (EMT?) to relieve stress. sounds magical.

Thanks Kate,

Greg


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## Katezorz (Jan 10, 2010)

WANTTOBEBETTER said:


> You are well versed and quite aware of the workings of these problems. When I was your age I had no Idea what the hell was going on in my head. I thought I was the only one in the world experiencing this. The internet is a wonderful thing. Imagine people 200 years ago with this, no support at all, probably living in a madhouse. Just in the last two years I have been learning more and more and trying to wipe it out completely. (Has not worked yet but getting better)
> 
> I have smoke weed 3-4 times and it sets me off everytime (space cadet). Did 1/2 piece of acid one time (just kept me up all night, no hallucinations or bad trip) and I worry this may have damaged me (like hppd). However a few nice people on this site has helped me with this ridiculous obsession. Had it before and had it after, can't blame that. Only as a trigger. But still worries me.
> 
> ...


I only know so much about this because I'm a "no bullshit" sort of gal, and even though I wanted to hide under the covers everyday, I did as much research as I possibly could. Like you said, the internet is the shit







. I'm sorry you had to go so long without knowing what any of this was, though. Must have been scary.

There could be one "miracle pill" or many "miracle supplements". Have you tried taking any vitamins to help? Someone posted a regemin on this site, and I'm thinking about trying it out myself. Could get expensive, though.

EMDR is fantastic! It's slow, but I've actually gotten to the point where I can cry now. I hadn't cried in five months, then she did this thing where I invisioned my four-year-old self sitting on my grandfather's lap as she did this tapping thing with my knees, and it was like waterworks. I couldn't stop crying. It was like I let go of all this anguish that I'd been carrying around for months that I didn't even know about. You should definately try it out.


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