Feds Fund Study of Marijuana Withdrawal
Probing the biology of cannabis addiction.
Addiction expert Barbara Mason of the Scripps Research Institute of La Jolla, California, will oversee a four-year study of the neurobiology of marijuana dependence under a grant from the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA).
The comprehensive project will involve both animal and human research, and will make use of state-of-the-art functional brain imaging. The federal grant will also be used as seed money for the new Translational Center on the Clinical Neurobiology of Cannabis Addiction at the Scripps Institute.
Mason, director of the Laboratory of Clinical Psychopharmacology at Scripps, told reporters in San Diego that the research, which will also be conducted at several universities, is important work: “People are deciding every day whether to use or not to use marijuana, for medical purposes or otherwise, and there is little scientific information to advise this decision.” Mason has previously done work on medical therapies for alcoholism, and on the connections between alcoholism and depression.
An article by Terri Somers in the San Diego Union-Tribune quoted Dr. Mark Gold, an addiction expert from the University of Florida: “While treatments have been developed for addictions from alcohol to nicotine and narcotics, none exists for the cannabis dependent. This research will help the field define what cannabis is and is not, and how to treat it.”
Among the withdrawal symptoms common to heavy pot smokers, according to Mason, are anxiety, anger, sleep disturbances, and bad dreams. In earlier research, Mason discovered that those seeking treatment for cannabis addiction tended to cluster in two age groups—college age and mid-50s.
The research coincides with a growing belief in the psychiatric community that cannabis dependence is real and verifiable, despite years of assertions to the contrary.
There is at present a small and controversial body of clinical research, which strongly suggests the existence of a marijuana discontinuation syndrome. Dr. Gold and others believe that roughly one out of every ten pot smokers is at risk for marijuana dependence and withdrawal.
Photo credit: Kevin Fung, Scripps Research Institute
See also:
Marijuana Withdrawal
27 comments:
Can marihuana withdrawal make one more prone to panic attacks?
In theory, yes. Going cold turkey after a long period of heavy pot smoking can definitely trigger high levels of anxiety, so it's possible.
Actually, I quit after ten years of smoking an ounce of marijuana a week (more or less) and went through virtually no adverse affects that would have suggested any physical dependency at all. Hmmmm, perhaps the underlying assumption for your research that marijuana is addictive is faulty.
"perhaps the underlying assumption for your research that marijuana is addictive is faulty."
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You mean on the basis of your sole anecdotal report? I've never suggested that every heavy smoker will inevitably encounter withdrawal symptoms--only that the ones that do aren't faking it and can't easily shake it.
Just passed by to leave a comment about my experience about the withdrawal effects of marijuana. Im on the 12 day marijuana free after 6 years of daily smoking, the first 5 days i suffered from sever cravings, to the point of break my credit card in fear, because i almost gone out a buy marijuana, im feeling a little better now but i still experience cravings but not as intense as the first days, got some headaches to and on the 7 day the vivid dreams started, like they are almost real to the point that i wake up and im still debating wether they were real or not. Just want to give some strenght to those who are trying to quit, its hard but its possible, at least thats what im aiming for. Cheers ppl
PS: Please forgive my bad english but its not my native language
I was a person that always thought there were no physiologically addictive properties to smoking weed. And believe me I love smoking the stuff. However, after smoking everyday for quite some years I was getting the feeling that I needed to quit due to the fact that I would consistently wake up hacking up resin contained saliva.(not good) I am also a very active person and other than smoking weed I am a very health conscious individual in great physical shape. So I decided to take a break.
Monday the 26th was my last hit. A Memorial day bowl! That night I slept as normal...like a baby.
So Tuesday night(smoke free) I woke up at least five times which is not like me at all. Wednesday day I felt depressed about everything and I was very irritable also I wasn't hungry at breakfast(not me either).
Wednesday night I woke up a couple of times and was sweating profusely. I also had crazy dreams, which when I smoked I never remembered dreaming at all.
Thursday day I felt amazingly better and was excited to see how I slept. At first I felt like I couldn't go to sleep and when I did the dreams came on ever stronger. I did sleep deeper but still woke up once and I was covered in sweat again.
Today is Friday and day 4 of sobriety. I feel great! My appetite is enormous and I plan on working out hard.
I don't know if this helps anyone however I do know that this must be real(at least for me) because each day seems to be getting a little better.
Another thing I just remembered are that my fingers and toes would always be so cold and for the first time ever they haven't been. Maybe a circulation effect?
You've described a fairly common sequence of withdrawal events, along a time line that goes from a week or two all the way to several months.
I would hazard a guess that warmer extremities are a result of better circulation through not smoking. Same thing happens to cigarette smokers when they quit. Suddenly their hands and feet don't feel cold all the time.
for all those people out there that believe there are no withdrawal symptoms I envy you! I have smoked pot for almost 5 yrs now , going on my 7th day without smoking...with this said I wake up numerous times during the night with sweat pouring off my body , major headaches during the day , cant eat , stomach hurts and yeah the tears set in sometimes . now I have never had any of these symptoms while I smoked. therefore I highly doubt this was any pre-existing medical condition... its a decision only you can make to quit , so for anyone out there reading this , I wish you the best of luck ! and drink TONS of water and lots of Tylenol. and congrats on your success , wont you be happy you have all that extra money? I will!
"drink TONS of water and lots of Tylenol"
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Probably not a bad strategy....
hey theres nothing else really , besides alcohol
Oh, there's always some trouble to get into, if you look hard enough. ;-)
hi,
my situation is not easing up.
i have been smoking cigerettes and marijuana together for about 15 to 16 years everyday with later on in life all day. only the highest quality.
i had gotten very sick 8 days ago and decided to quit both cold turkey. i think i made a mistake, the first 3 to 4 days was all wanting a cig with mild sweats and no appetite.
after that nervousness, anxiety, sweats, hot cold, crazy dreams,
and losing weight on top of it.
it is beating me up physically and mentally. i loved smoking both but now regret using it without moderation and really abusing it.
i hope this all goes away fast because the feelings are ruining me. serious i never thought my twacky tweed can hurt me like this.
I quit smoking pot four days ago. I smoked everyday since July and ususally go through a quarter in a week/week and a half. I've had extreme insomnia. I've been taking a sleeping aid for and it helps a lot. Without a sleep aid I'll just lay in bed with racing thoughts for hours and can't calm down. Being pot-free so far has made a huge difference, I think more clearly and I am motivated to do things (in just four days!) I wish getting high made me more creative, but I've found just the opposite. At night I'll think that I just want a bowl so that I can sleep. But I won't go out and get it. Each day I seem to want it less though.
I have been smoking pot heavily since the age of 16. I am 22 now and realized it was time for me to grow up. I've been clean for 2 weeks. The first week was very hard (felt like a month). I would get hardly any "sleep", crazy dreams, cold sweats, and feelings up depression and anxiety that seemed to have dwindled but seem to be developing once again. Did I permanently damage my brain? Is there any hope I can feel as normal as I did when I was smoking pot?
"Did I permanently damage my brain?"
No.
"Is there any hope I can feel as normal as I did when I was smoking pot?"
Yes. But not today. If you have continuing problems with depression or anxiety, you may have to investigate other modes of treatment.
I've smoked weed since I was 14 -lots - I'm over 50 now and I haven't had a spliff for 2 months, a cigarette for 6 weeks and the teeniest amount of alcohol too - less than a bottle of wine in a month. I still feel depressed, tearful frequently, and am sleping a lot - I do have stress at work and worries and this might account for a lot - my wife is expecting our first child too so no wonder I'm worried. BUt I still seem to be getting panicky attacks, and I'm surprised that I haven't regained my energy yet. Having read this site the last thing I want to do is take medications (I take St Johns Wort though) . Feelings like 'I just don't feel right' are the norm - do youthink this is just recovery withdrawal symptoms too -after 2 months!
Hello I am on day 27 with no pot after quitting cold turkey. I did this once before and made it 4 months. I am really regretting ever starting to smoke pot again. But I can tell you that even after 4 months I felt a little strange but nothing like what is going on now. Also it took me 4 months before I could even pass a drug test and I barely passed it. This time around I am noticing major dizzy spells but usually only after smoking a cigarette, drinking caffeine, or even drinking a small amount of alcohol. I think I would blame this on synaptic confusion beings to the fact that the majority of my receptors are THC receptors. The last time that I quit I was on absolutely nothing other then a script for 30 pills of Klonopin that I only took before I went to bed. I did not even finish the script before I started feeling better. I only took the Klonopin between weeks 2 and 3. I really do think that the key is to drink tons of water and do NOT take anything at all, nothing that can confuse your brain anymore than it's being confused with the withdraw itself. I hate to say this but it is totally amazing how bad doctors are in the dark when it comes to pot withdraw. I would say that an EEG test should be done before and after quitting pot. That is the only way to see what is really going on. Secondly I am about to give colloidal gold a try to see if I can get those receptors to work correctly. I am going to alternate between 1 fl oz 40ppm Colloidal gold one day and 1 fl oz 10ppm Colloidal Silver the next. I will report back and tell you what I find. Peace out and good luck kicking this bitch of a habit.
I'm 22 and I smoke marijuana every day, but occasionally run out and can't find any. Here's my symptoms:
-Anxiety
-Irritability
-Unusual diarrhea after eating
-Headaches
-High blood pressure
-Loss of interest in video games
-Occasional panic attacks
-Tingling fingertips
My gastroenterologist knew I smoked b/c I had a symptom known as "stomach folding." He saw this after not smoking for about 2 weeks.
I am sitting here with very similar symptoms to you all after quitting on New Years Day. I am 32 and have been smoking on and off since I was 18. I have stopped a number of times after heavy periods (daily 3-4 j's) of smoking and every time I have stopped I have experienced varying levels of withdrawl. So its normal for some people.
Here is how it has progressed this time: -
Day 1-3, mainly tobacco withdrawl - irratibility, mood swings, feeling slightly down.
Day 4-9, insomnia, feeling slightly irritated, brain running faster, vivid dreams (but then I didn't dream very much when smoking)
Day 9-Now, Feeling panicky in the mornings, shaky, vivid dreams. Focused on breathing, abnormal feeling in chest.
The first time I had this badly it made me very depressed. I was also unfit and this didn't help matters. I had counselling and this helped alot with my depression. The counselling also taught me to get fit through excersise and to control my panic attacks through a visualisation technique which helped me calm down.
I close my eyes and visualise a stop sign and focus on breathing normally. This helps and calms me down.
I have to say that at no time am I feeling any cravings for more. So I don't believe there is physical addition. However I do believe that stopping so suddenly creates an imbalance in my bodies breathing and metabolism such that it takes a while to recover from.
All I can say is after a while (weeks to months) it "always" gets better and if you are feeling really down, go to see your doctor, be honest and they will help!
Cheers, P
P: I still think pot shows all the classic hallmarks of addiction for some people, rather than just physical rebound effects.
Mike: How did your doc define "stomach folding?"
Colloidal gold alone made all of my dizzy spells go away after my first dosage of 1 fluid oz at about 40 ppm. That is the honest to God's truth and it is totally amazing stuff. In the early 1900's they used it for alcohol addiction. Give it a try and post the results.
Well having read all these posts I am still confused. I've tried giving up numerous times and get no help from the medical profession or the help lines ect.
Every time I have tried to give up, I get severe constant sweats, all day none stop and cannot eat, not a thing. I have troubles eating even when smoking weed sometimes. I have been under 8 stone for the last 6 or 7 years, not by choice. I have no room for further weight loss I also get sweats (occasionally) when smoking weed. I do not understand, how everyone else, just gets them at night. If I only had them at night, and could eat, after a few days, I would be a happy lady, and in fact, would have stopped 3 years, ago. All other symptoms, I think I could handle, if it wasn't for the eating thing and constant sweats. This is so dilapidating, it effects every minute of the day, at the same intensity.
Giving up for me is hell, I can honestly say I 'feel' like I am seriously ill and worry that the extreme effects could result in me losing my job, as I cannot function.
The longest I have ever managed to give up is about 14 days, and dr's tell me it's all in my head, to take anti-depressant (which I m totally against), I have tried them twice, and ended up with even worse symptoms whilst on them, from being turned into a zombie, to such severe shakes, that food fly’s off my cutlery (very embarrassing that is) this is whilst on anti-depressants.
I am going to try again though; today is day 2 of no weed. I get through about a 16 / 8th every 2 / 3 days.
I have called in sick today, feel too ill. Have been sitting in wet clothes most of the day, I can’t keep up with the sweats.... haven’t eaten, cannot eat.
Isn't it about time Drs actually help people get off drugs, instead of judging them. I have seen, 5 or 6 different drs in the last 5 years, and get the same babble from all of them, take our taxable drug and you will be fine...
I am sure you can all tell I feel very angry about the constant conflicting information you get about weed and the medical professions attitude.
Mind you, this is one of the most honest threads I have read from users. . So thanks for that.
Nothing wrong with some of those Taxable drugs short term to help you quit the addiction imo.
That gets me pretty angry reading the doctors response though...
I'm 22 and smoke daily - I try to have reasonably frequent week long breaks to remove tolerance and prevent withdrawal when the day comes I do want to give up for a long period. Is this an ok strategy or shall I increase how long these breaks are or something? btw I have had trouble sleeping + insomnia since I was a baby and was diagnosed with Chronic Anxiety Disorder at 1 point. These are the main reasons I use weed - for a sleeping aid and anxiety reducer.
Wow amaze on how this is common for all of us quitting cold turkey. Is been 4 weeks now since i've stop. Symptoms were:
anxiety,
sweaty feet and hands
panic attacks
depression.
There is also a lot of negative thinking going on in my head. What has help me is telling my close ones and having some moral support. I started meditating and pick up a good book that has help me with my depression and negative thinking. Sleeping pills have hell me sleep and I started doing more exercise.
This is utterly hilarious. Cannabis is NOT addictive.
Cannabis is about as addictive as a burger is to a fat person.
If you want to stop, you can.
You claim there is "little scientific information" when in fact there is tons of it. Have you tried to search a paper / journal directory before?
I am sick and tired of all the pseudo authoritative bullshit propagated around this plant by unqualified bullshitters.
That goes for liberals as well as republicans.
Time for some truth about this plant please.
Guts of pain...day 3 :(
Major hater
i thought i'd share some things that have helped with my withdrawal and feelings of anxiety. i'm on day 15 without cigs and day 10 without pot.
i smoked them together every day for 10 years, but like others here have remarked, noticed i was losing my mind and turning my newfound anxiety on my loved ones.
one thing that helps is to sit in the hot car with the windows rolled up, or drive around like that with no a/c. since the marijuana is stored in fat cells, it is helpful to sweat and sweat and sweat some more. don't be afraid to take a very hot shower (with the bathroom fan off, if possible) if you get too keyed up.
its very easy to get dehydrated on mucinex but i recommend it to get rid of some of the resin in your lungs. also, believe it or not, screaming has done wonders for getting crap out of my lungs, far better than exercise.
remember the painful withdrawal symptoms are signs that your body is fighting. avoid dairy, chocolate, food additives, and sugar altogether.
stick to natural foods like nuts and veggies!
sunflower seeds have been a blessing, when i didn't have an appetite, i could at least eat a few of them to sustain my energy.
if you get a craving for meat, try chicken or fish instead of pork and beef. those meats won't help with your digestion and stomach pains.
for the love of god, listen to *new* music. the CD i bought has been the *only* thing that calms me down when i get anxious. also, remembering that i want to be sane and stable helps me from veering too far away from sanity and stability, when tested.
also, putting in earplugs seems to help relax me for some reason. TV and video games i would say are not good for the recently sober, and have triggered anxiety in the mornings for me.
make sure you get fresh air and sunshine. pet some animals. a lot.
keep a bag of baby carrots around for when you actually feel you might be able to eat something.
at some natural drug stores or grocery stores they sell relaxing mint oil in little vials. just a dab under the nose when i want a smoke has done wonders. mint gum is a lifesaver and i cannot get enough of it.
try green tea or dandelion tea with lemon in the morning. put garlic in your foods (but be prepared that you will sweat out the garlic in your sleep and your bedsheets will stink of it)
drink plenty of water (i've gone through about 48 bottles of water so far)
coffee will make anxiety slightly more difficult, but it has niacin in it, which cleans out the bloodstream to a degree. remember to drink 2 X the amount of water that day if you want to take on coffee. try jogging (just as much as you can take) or tennis.
talk to *old* friends about how you are feeling. even my biggest pothead friends can see i'm smarter, healthier looking, and are proud of me for going ahead and doing the dirty work of quitting, so they don't have to!
:>
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