I've had an interesting story with my pot use. I was a pot head for 2 and a 1/2 years. The first six months was great, I was still in college and had my roommates to hang out with. Nights of watching movies, high off my ass, and eating the munchies seemed fun at the time.
During the "height" of my use, I would wake and bake all day long and smoke about an 1/8 every two days.

The bad part about all this was that I became dependent on using Pot to do normal stuff, like clean my room, play sports, work out, etc...

If there was any GOOD that did come out of pot use is that it really brought out an anxiety disorder/condition that I didn't know I even had. At first the pot really took anyway the anxiety, to the point where I really enjoyed "mundane" things like doing homework, chores around the house, etc...

It's been about 7 months since I've tried to really stop quit smoking weed, mainly because I literally saw my bank account and savings go up in flames.

It's been 17 days since I last had a smoke. Tonight, I was particularly bored out of my mind, restless, and angry at myself for not wanting to do anything or be productive. I kept telling my self, I've gone 17 days without, I can have just one smoke for tonight, and organize my CD collection along with my iPod collection that I've been neglecting.

Of course, the biggest fear I have that is keeping me from doing it "this one night" and then going perhaps 18 more days sober, is that I'll just end up relapsing and craving it more and more the next day and there after.

I've had these withdrawal symptoms time and time again in quitting pot. Yet, I still find myself going back to it eventually for whatever reason. I believe I'm quite experienced in dealing with these symptoms now, but this next time quitting is going to be really hell... I've been smoking daily for 6 months now, and am probably going to attempt quitting soon again.

Here's some helpful things you can take to alleviate some of the symptoms. Please look these up yourself and research the benefits/risks of each, as some people may have certain health conditions to prevent taking them.


5-HTP - If you're feeling depressed, this helps to give your brain more building blocks for seratonin. It also can help alleviate insomnia.

Melatonin - This hormone can also help you get to sleep (for me the insomnia is the worst part, because the less sleep I get the worse all the other withdrawal symptoms seem). Make sure you don't take it for too long, as your brain may stop making its own melatonin after some length of time.

Kava - This helps to alleviate the anxiety (and boy does it work!). It even has an interesting reverse tolerance curve, so the more you take, the less you need to get the same effect. If you drink daily or have liver problems though, this can also be hard on the liver, so I'd recommend quitting drinking, or not taking it if your liver isn't up to par. (I get mine from nakamalathome.com ) The instant kava is good for portability, and the actual root powder is very effective (but yucky tasting). Gotta have a stomach for this one, or mix the powder with apple juice or something. I highly recommend this, but be careful about the health warnings.


D/L Phenylalanine - Haven't tried this one myself yet, but have read that it helps your brain to replenish dopamine, and norepinephrine in the brain. (Might help, gonna try it this next quitting time)

Theanine - This one also helps with anxiety and can calm your brain if you get rapid thoughts that prevent you from sleeping like I do. It's basically tea extract without the caffiene. "Suntheanine" brand is clinically proven to work. Very safe, highly recommended.

Vitamins!!! - Vitamins C, B2, B12, Zinc, etc... Vitamins also help your body and mind to replenish brain chemicals and have many other benefits.

Cranberry juice - Helps to cleanse your body of toxins.

NAC (N-acetyl Cysteine) - Super antioxidant. Helps to cleanse your body (and lungs!) of toxins. Look for little juice bottles by a company called "function". The ones you want are "Urban Detox" or "House Call". They both have NAC in them, among other helpful supplements. Plus, if you're sick, the second one also helps with that.

Hope this helps ^_^

I am 68 years old and started smoking grass when I was 33. I smoked an ounce a month sometimes with alcohol, several joints a day after work.

In my early 50's, I lost my taste for alcohol and stopped drinking with no ill effects I recall. In my late 50's, I took early retirement and was smoking grass all day. Five months ago, the quality of grass I was buying was so poor yet expensive, I decided to quit. The process was helped by the lesser quality and had the effect of easing back so when I stopped, it was less noticeable.

HOWEVER, the dreams continue, the lack of sleep continues, constipation is a new problem and there is a slight quivering in my hands I can't tell if it's withdrawal or age. I have gained eighteen pounds as if I'd quit smoking cigarettes. I'm open with my physicians but they are more curious than informative. The good news is I don't have to get up in the morning and go do anything but I rarely get to sleep before 5:00am. I almost never go out or feel like being with other people. I am content to stay at home and watch television. I am no longer irritable or impatient and feel more peaceful and centered. Yesterday, for the first time in months, I woke up and felt rested. I hope there is more of that to come but I think withdrawal is taking a very long time. Since I smoked for over 30 years, I guess that's to be expected.

I understand completley where you are coming from. I quit smoking weed after doing it multiple times a day, and started having panic attacks, jittery feelings, feeling useless and like everybody is better than me. It really is horrible nobody understands it unless they have went through it because they think that it's just a non-addictive drug. But really try feeling like this. It's not fun.

I too have gone through this. Sweaty and hot flashes, low energy, poor sleep, etc.
The thing that helped me the most was a membership at the Y--exercise and sweat.
Most Y's have a steam room, and I strongly reccomend using one to help speed up the detox.
It made a big difference to me.

I have been smoking for about 3 years,daily to the point that being sober almost felt like being high.Between my boyfriend and I we would smoke atleast a half ounce a week,we are on day 5 of quitting and are getting different withdrawl symptoms, I have had a very sore back and neck, headaches, huge troubles sleeping, chills, hot flashes, VERY irritable and a loss of appitiete,all of which suck but are bearable for what its worth, soberness. However my boyfriend feels horrible, all he does is work and sleep, he has been vommitting,migranes, he feels like hes been getting sick for the past 5 days and is tremondously irritable.So anyone who doesn't get withdrawl symtons didn't smoke nearly as much or often as the rest of us. But coming from someone who royally feels like hell because withdrawl right now, its bearable, and soooo worth it. We all can do it!! Don't give up

I smoke an ounce in around 10 days, 3 cones on waking and then constantly through the day until I collapse at night... My job allows me the freedom to smoke on the job which means I cant even rely on not going 8 hours without cannabis...
I have tried to quit many many times, but the mood swings, short temper, aches and pains, sleeplessness, lack of appetitite, bowel disturbances.....I cant make it past 4 days!!!
Sadly I think pot will need to be a feature of my life in order for me to function to any degree...
Wish Id never touched the stuff!!!

After seeing many forums and replies about weed usage, while also studying the reasons behind mood swings, short tempers, sleeplessness, etc.... I've come to the conclusion that weed tends to hides and numbs these symptoms temporarily. I'll admit it does a REALLY good job the first few minutes/hours depending on one's tolerance. But once the effect wears off, you are left to deal with withdrawl symptoms which usually indicate larger psychological problems that you'd rather not deal with. You either numb it away by smoking more, or are left to face these issues you try so hard not to deal with.

Put it this way. Have you ever meet someone who has mood swings, short tempers,experiences lack of appetite, exhibits massive anxiety, have acute sensitivity, etc...who DOESN't Smoke weed, drink alchohol, or take any kind of illicit substances?

Take the time to go to a church or other religious organization and truly pay attention to those(not a majority but a noticable minority) who exhibit these exactsymptoms and don't take any substances.

Some are workaholics ( addicted to their work because it maybe one of the only ways that they can feel any self-worth) Others I see are guilt ridden people who tend to be addicted to their feelings of guilt and shame, perhaps from some childhood trama, and overcompensates for this by being overly religous or "devout."

Again, these people have deeper psycholgical issues they either don't recognize or don't want to deal with. In this case, their substance of choice? "Work" "Constant incessant Prayers" "Obessive Cleaning" etc...

By the way, I'm a recovering pothead myself, hope this helps.

i do believe that you get withdrawals if your a habitual user quitting weed... however going cold turkey is not the answer and you will relapse soon.
For me weed actually helps me out in a lot of ways, it affects me differently than it does other people. for example, instead of making me sleepy, i always got energetic after smoking, it helped me creatively, Im studying advertising and i paint...
however it impacted me negatively when i let it consume my life. So one day i decided to go cold turkey. The withdrawal symptoms for me are not so bad, mainly restlessness, being tired easily and not able to concentrate on anything. When you stop smoking weed things you did high (when your a habitual smoker, almost everything) seems boring.
Like i said going cold turkey was not the answer and i ended up smoking every now and then, just not buying weed anymore but smoking with other people. Slowly I cut it down to the point where ironically I smoked to clear my head of what i felt as 'brain shutdown'.
Now i barely smoke at all and it feels good, but by cutting it down gradually helped me a lot. Weed is not bad at all, anyone who tells you that is a fool. But not ever let it consume your life. My suggestion is get some positive goals in your life and follow it, smoking less and less gradually. Theres no need to quit completely but it must be in moderation. Good luck to everyone trying to cut down.

In response to james_rickman's post.
Read Andrew Weil's book called

From Chocolate to Morphine: Everything You need to Know About Mind-Altering Drugs, especially the chapter on MJ.

According to Weil, MJ is in a class of its own,( doesn't fall in the amphetamines, psychedelics, class, etc...) It has properties of an upper and a downer.

The book is a great insightful read for anyone who's tried and done drugs.

They said that withdrawal pattern you should be manifesting for aggression, anger, anxiety, decreased appetite, decreased body weight, irritability, restlessness, shakiness, sleep problems, and stomach pain. Onset typically occurred between Days 1-3, peak effects between Days 2-6, and most effects lasted 4-14 days.
well based on what you have said, should you experience any of these, I think you're fine.

I'm going thru withdrawing symptoms right now and its no joke!!!!!!!!!if iwuld have known this i would of never did it!!!!!!!!!!!no appetite,no sleep,chills,stress,and depression!!!!help!!!!

Yes it is normal. I smoked kill weed on a daily basis for a year one to three times a day at least. I had to abruptly stop for a test and I have been going through all those symptoms you mentioned. I havent smoked in about 2 months now and I still have them. Now here comes the scary part: Its actually true that schyzo is linked to cannabis. Not saying you have it. You do have some symptoms though (withdrawal, thoughts of suicide, anxiety) I now have schizophrenia. Doctors think the marijuana triggered that. Again, not saying you have it, just please be aware because those are some of the "early" signs of developing it.

im going through withdrawal right now too. and i have all the same symptoms as gabi13. i get hot out of nowhere start sweating. i cant sleep at night, it feels like im never hungry. i stoped 2 days ago and it doesnt feel like its letting up. i heard it could last for the longest 2 weeks. to people that say its not addictive, you havent been smoking right because right now im dying. AHH i wish i had a blunt!!!. but its fore the better

I have withdrawal symptoms where I can't sleep... i can feel my heartbeat when I start slipping into unconciousness... and sometime I here a slight ringing like I'm high... all my withdrawal makes me paranoid... I always feel like I'm dying when going thru my withdrawal symptoms... am I ok?

I smoked a few times a day for about four years<15yo-19yo>, when i stopped it was crazy, i'm already anxious a little by nature. But when i stopped i felt like i was going mental, reality just didn't feel real, i was doing weird things, like feeling a wood table like i was a kid discovering a new material. For a little bit i thought i might end up in a mental hospital. I also felt like i didn't know who i was. The anxiety for me was very high, I'm just now starting to feel better, about nine months after. It's crazy, if you smoke weed it should only be like on a special occasion, otherwise, you'll become dependent on it. <"I smoke a blunt to take the pain out, and if I wasn't high I'd probably blow my brains out." - Tupac Shakur>

All of you CLEAN people out there, please tell me....is there anything I can do that can get my pothead son to start thinking about recovery? I know in his heart of hearts that he has to, as his GF tells me he trys to 'cut back'.

He used to be a great guy, very smart and pleasant. Now he is paranoid, suspicious of everything including the government. Has a child he has not stepped up to the plate to care for??? I do worry that he is developing or self medicating a mental illness...i have a niece who developed schizophrenia at about this age....

I am so sick of the disrespect, I feel like my son has already died...he seems like he has a potential for violence I had never seen before..... sometimes I hope he just gets put in jail for something and gets cleaned up that way. What a terrible thought!
.is there any suggestions???
Thank you,
distressed mom
and happy rest of your life to those who quit.

i am in tears to read all this i swear i have been smoking like a chimney for almost 4 years, and with everything my family, and closer friends told me. I simply didnt listen. I always thought I was in control, and now i havent smoked in almost a month and at first I felt I was dying too. I couldnt belive the things i put my body through in the past due to such neglect, poor judgment, and impulsive behavior.

the anxiety is so bad i feel like i am suffocating sometimes, no sleep, night terrors, stomach pains and aches. i feel useless, and like a lost cause. ive thought about dying before my time the feelings seemed so real, and it lead to depressing thoughts of not experiencing things in life i now look forward to.

I feel like ive been lying to myself for an eternity, and I cant see how in my consequential suffering how I could at all deserve to ever feel normal again. i really feel like killing myself sometimes, and that i am just so worthless it would be better that way. the worst is just the feeling of fear and suffocation i wish it would just stop please i cant even know who to see, i dont want to take anymore pills or drugs.

i was never like this before, and i never want to be like this again. i want to be forgiven for what ive done to myself, and I just want to be assured that I am not a lost cause anymore. do the right thing, and think about how much control you really have.

i thought i knew it all, and i was very wrong. i am paying for it dearly

aa01
soon you will start to feel better and you will be over the hump. You are doing the right thing. you will get your life back

Woah, I'm actually beginning to think there actually are withdrawals from smoking pot. I decided to quit for my health. About a week later I found myself analyzing all the feelings I would get in my body and assume the worst of it. So, if i felt a little pain in my chest I would assume cancer or heart disease and really think deeply into it all and obsess about it, believing that I actually had it. Or a pain in the visual part of my brain (round the back and at the bottom) I would assume was schizophrenia because of the symptoms of schiz ie. hallucinations, linking with where the head ache was, I also had paranoid thoughts, I was watching Fight Club (has a lot of mental health aspects to it) for the first time with my dad and suddenly I got a strange rush, something what you would expect from some sort of drug and believed my dad was making me watch the film to make me freak out or make me schizophrenic because of the freaking out, which would cause a lot of stress added with smoking pot which possibly can cause psychosis which could cause the illness...yes I thought reaally deeply into all of this within about a second. This fear of being schizophrenic lasted the longest and is actually still present now, but I don't obsess about it anymore. I actually believed at one point I wasn't going to wake up..cried myself to sleep because nobody was in the house with me that night. So basically I believe anxiety is definitely caused by withdrawal from weed. Either that or I actually am a potential Schizo...