Major panic attack on Prozac- cannot smoke pot anymore without having panic attack?

[Vanished123]

Im an 18 year old girl. I was on prozac for maybe a week, only 20 mgs but i was taking it every day and it was not prescribed to me, it was my moms old prescription so i guess that was a very stupid decision. I smoked a tiny bit of pot on it, literally one bong hit, and about an hr later I started having heart palps and tremors- major anxiety. It was soo bad i couldnt even breathe. I was sweating and shaking uncontrollably. Ever since that I have just not been quite right. Can't smoke pot anymore, deathly afraid to do drugs again. I used to smoke every day, it always made me ao mellow. I've done LSD twice, MDMA frequently and coke. The only thing I've tried again recently is coke and I seem to be okay on that, oddly enough. Also, a few weeks ago I tried to smoke weed with my friend- took a couple hits of a blunt and felt the same anxiety I felt that night, only this time I actually blacked out, kind of like I was having a seizure. Starts out with losing my sense of reality- i felt like my life was a movie and my heart starts beating out of my ******* my chest.. its rlly scary. My friend said I was laying on the ground I was screaming and rippin the grass out and tugging on my face. While this was happening I had no idea what was goin on- I feel like I'm dead or losing my mind and im pretty much not in reality at all. After it happens ( this has happened before a few times before i ever took prozac) i am almost speechless- kind of stunned and still feel some anxiety. It takes about another hour to completely wear off. I haven't been able to smoke in over 3 months without flipping out and I'm too scared to do anything else. I'm even scared to do large amounts of coke for fear of anxiety. I used to do whatever and I was always fine. I want to do Molly this weekend but if I do I will definitely only take half a capsule and see how I feel. Does anyone have any advice about any of this? Or can tell me wtf is wrong with my body? I went from being a very frequent drug user/stoner to being scared ******** of drugs- its ruining my life pls help! Any advice is appreciated thank u
-Emily
Emily

[Dink31]

once you have anxiety attacks, you will always have anxiety attacks.  you just learn to deal with them as time goes on.

[nursegirl6572]

It is not appropriate to recommend taking ANY drug in order for you to be able to smoke weed.  Benzos are nothing to mess with to begin with, they have their own set of risks, and having a history of substance abuse, you would be going down a slippery slope trying that.  

I understand that due to you doing this for so long, you "miss" it, like an old friend, but what is the pay off?  Is it worth taking a chance just to see if you can get high again to risk another panic attack?  Panic attacks are the worst thing in the world, in my opinion, I don't know why ANYONE would do anything on purpose that they know has triggered them in the past.  And, if you would need to take a dangerously high dose of a benzo (or any dose really) to be able to smoke weed, it's just not smart.

Would it really be the end of the world if you never got high again?  Of course not.  Your focus should be on addressing the anxiety, not still worrying and wondering about smoking pot.  

[Vanished123]

Thank you I really appreciate all your advice. I want to be a nurse myself someday btw, you seem to be very good at what you do. Thanks again for the help
Btw do you think Xanax or some other type of anxiety meds would suffice? To be honest I'm a little worried about trying medication again after this incident

[nursegirl6572]

It's hard to say hon.  It may be feasible that somewhere down the line, you may be able to smoke pot without an anxious reaction, but if it were me, I sure wouldn't want to take that gamble.

Hope you get to feeling better soon....make yourself a doctor's appointment and start addressing your depression and anxiety.  You'll be so glad you did!

[Vanished123]

Thank you, I feel a little better about all of this than I have in months. It's been making me so depressed, besides the fact that I can't do drugs anymore I think just the sheer confusion about the whole thing was making me feel worse.
At least I can say I'm more educated about it now. Just out of curiosity, do you think these feelings will ever subside? Not that I even want to anymore at this point but will I ever perhaps able to smoke a joint in peace again? I doubt it but I would like to know.
Oh and Molly is the purest form of MDMA, similar to ecstasy but with no gross additives/other sh*t. Its a white powder in a capsule. After reading what you've told me, Molly this weekend sounds like a badddd idea.
Thanks again, I'll keep u posted
Emily

[nursegirl6572]

It's strange, but that's usually how it happens.  People smoked pot for years, no issues.  ONE day...boom!  Panic attack.  Anxiety hits and they can't smoke pot again without triggering that panic response.

I'll be honest, the "why" isn't nearly as important as how you proceed from here.  You may never really know anyway, most possibilities are just really theories anyway.  One theory is...a person may have been prone to anxiety and a certain "high" felt a wee bit different (even if it wasn't noticeable) and that triggered the panic.  

The Prozac may have contributed to it as well, hard to tell.  Prozac works by allowing more serotonin to circulate in the brain, so it's feasible that it was somehow related.  What's important to know is that you didn't in any way DAMAGE yourself.  You are just left with a lingering anxiety, because anxiety is a very powerful thing, that's all. You aren't physically ill, or brain damaged, nothing like that.  

The best way to handle this (besides the obvious cessation of drug use) is, if you don't start noticing some improvements in the anxiety after a few weeks, you may want to seek some professional help.  It probably is a good idea anyway, with your depression history.  You could address both problems at once.  I say go for it!

Hang in there....skip the "Molly" this weekend, whatever that is...lol.  Unless she's a good friend...then don't skip her..wouldn't want to make her mad...lol.

[Vanished123]

Thank you that was actually very insightful- I'm glad I can speak with someone who knows what they're talking about. But yes I took the Prozac to self medicate bc I have struggled with depression for years. Never had a problem with anxiety tho.
The only thing in still confused about is that I don't understand how this was cause by the pot, because I never used to react this way to pot, so why is it suddenly starting now? Did the Prozac a least trigger it or something? And I still don't understand if this is a mental or physical issue? Like is this stuff just on my head and that's making the anxiety worse? Or is it actually my body/brain that's really f*cked up?
Thank you
-Emily

[nursegirl6572]

Hello there!

Well, my dear....I hate to tell you this, but you keep tempting fate.  It's not the Prozac that caused your panic attack, it was the pot.  For one, there are never any guarantees your pot isn't laced with something, unless you grow it yourself.  This is a common occurence we see ALL the time...a certain drug (often weed) causes an anxious reaction, that unfortunately sticks around...especially when the drug is tried again.  What's the solution?  Lay off the drugs!  I'm telling you....that the drug itself probably didn't CAUSE your panic attack, but the sensation of the drug did.  From now on, most drugs you take will likely trigger panic...because you have conditioned yourself to that reaction.  But guess what??  That's a GOOD thing!!  I will spare you the lecture...all I will say is....drug use will usually lead nowhere good.  You can consider that panic attacks could have either spared your life...or at least spared you a lifetime of addiction and hell.

So, why DID you take your Mom's Prozac anyway?  Were you trying to self medicate an anxiety or depression issue, or trying to get high?  You're right too, that it wasn't a good idea, for a host of reasons.

Ok, so I've ruined your life telling you that drugs are pretty much OUT of the picture now (unless of course you want to continue to have panic attacks, which you WILL, trust me...we've seen it a LOT)....so what do you do?  

If you have a history of anxiety or depression, get some professional help.  If medications are discussed, steer CLEAR of benzos due to your history of drug abuse.  THAT is a road you don't want to go down.  If you haven't been anxious until the weed incident, give it some time...and stay away from illicit drugs.  The anxiety should resolve eventually, it may take some time.  I'm really not being some kind of goodie two-shoes...I have years of experience on this forum reading posts EXACTLY like yours...only difference is sometimes the drug involved varies...MOST times, it is weed.  Coke is like begging for disaster.  Could you imagine a panic attack while on coke?  Oh boy!

Seriously...look at this as a blessing in disguise.  You get to graduate from "stoner" to grown-up, and while that might not sound very fun....it's probably time to move on from party central.  Panic attacks are AWFUL as you've found out...there's just no good reason to put yourself in a position to have to experience that again. Those of us who have panic attacks WITHOUT the pot would give our right arm to have such a simple solution to ending the torture.

Very best of luck to you.  For so many reasons, I hope you really make an effort to do what you know is the right thing.  Even if you tempt fate and get away with getting high once or twice with no issues, it WILL catch up with you.

Let us know how you're feeling!