THC withdrawal sickness

Hi Dum-dum. The anxiety you are feeling is completely normal for three weeks into withdrawal. I can completely understand how you feel right now. It really will get better if you don’t use any THC. It takes time for your brain to heal from the THC use. Most people who go through PAWS feel scared that they have permanently damaged themselves, so that is understandable that you feel that way now, too. But then they realize that they are getting better and healing and that fear of permanent damage goes away.

You asked how long to expect this to last- everyone is different so nobody can tell you exactly how long it will last. If you look through posts here you will see many people talking about their experiences with PAWS and that will reassure you that what you are going through is common in weed withdrawals.

You will get better, but you have to just ride it out and let the withdrawal run its course. I hope that helps you.

Thank you so much for your response. Sometimes I just need to hear from someone who understands. It seems this withdrawal from THC is not well known by doctors. I have periods where I feel almost normal except for still feeling social anxiety. I used to swim and go to the gym every day but the idea of going to either place still feels like it's too much although it would probably help me. Reading the other posts here does help although I really hope this doesn't last a whole year like some people have experienced. Again thank you for taking the time to answer. It helped.

I have been using cannabis on and off for many, many years. I have stopped for different reasons at different times for years at a time. We all know, if you've tried to give it up, that there are painful withdrawal symptoms because you are changing your brain chemistry and the brain runs the show. I see the withdrawal process on a spectrum. If one is the dramatic type, they will drag their pain out for months and years simply by seeing the quit as a loss and not a gain. Then there are those folks who decide to stop and they do it, knowing the physical withdrawal will go away faster if they focus on the win of the quit. Understand that it will take time for your brain to readjust and try to be aware of the good changes rather than focussing on feelings of deprivation and/or loss. Anything worth having is worth fighting for. Roll with the punches and it will pass and you will be in control again very soon and quicker than you might think. Every difficult day of withdrawal is really your process of healing. Withdrawal is not a sickness. Withdrawal is your body's way of showing you how much control THC presently has, but it won't always feel that way. If you are giving up nicotine along with the cannabis, that's a double whammy. Cut yourself some slack and know in your heart and mind that you are doing a wonderful thing for yourself. We can do this. Best of luck!

Thank you so much for your words of encouragement. I started keeping a journal at the worst point and it helps a lot to go back and see how I'm improving. The dreams are crazy though. I'm dreaming of people I haven't seen in 30 years. I'm still sweating too though not to the point of soaking the sheets. Never in million years did I think this would happen if I quit. There's just not a lot said about it. I think over the next few years we'll hear about it a lot more. Edibles are the worst. It's way too easy to increase your dosage to chase that high.

Dum-dum wrote:Thank you so much for your words of encouragement. I started keeping a journal at the worst point and it helps a lot to go back and see how I'm improving. The dreams are crazy though. I'm dreaming of people I haven't seen in 30 years. I'm still sweating too though not to the point of soaking the sheets. Never in million years did I think this would happen if I quit. There's just not a lot said about it. I think over the next few years we'll hear about it a lot more. Edibles are the worst. It's way too easy to increase your dosage to chase that high.

Regarding the latter part. I think it was always going to morph in to something it shouldn't once it became legal, especially in the US. The Dutch never did that, they were more pragmatic and became tolerant of its use once it was established it was less harmful than the propaganda said. It still has problems with illegal supply etc and it is still all about money because it's a business. The US seems to have enabled corporatisation to creep in. The list of ways you can choose to get high is reflective of that. You don't have to smoke or vape, just chew these little sweet like gummies or drink one of our cannabis shakes etc... as long as you use seems to the methodology.
Cigarettes were marketed as harmless, even healthy and certainly not addictive.... I think decriminalised was the way to go, but once you make it legal you open the doors to profit over safety or ethics. That's my opinion anyway. I wish you well in your journey and freedom makes a lot of good points. Just live as a non smoker and focus on what a great thing that is.

Tokeless you troll why don’t you tell OP that you don’t believe that paws physically exists and it’s all in their head and you never experienced paws but want to help! Idiot.

biohack9 wrote:Tokeless you troll why don’t you tell OP that you don’t believe that paws physically exists and it’s all in their head and you never experienced paws but want to help! Idiot.

More big talk with no substance. Show me your evidence or stfu. I've never said withdrawals don't exist. What I have said is that most symptoms are anxiety type and that how you approach your withdrawal is key.

No you said paws doesn’t exists it’s all in the mind. Nice backpedaling troll. The proof is in your post history. You think dopamine downregulation is anxiety LOL keep trolling loser.

Back it up or shut up fella... surely you have the science and facts on your side... show me

You’re so entitled that you want me to do the research for you??? Are you that incompetent? Do some research on PAWS buddy! It surely exists as everyone in this forum can tell you. Ever hear of serotonin syndrome? Ever here of dopamine receptors? Do you know the science behind THC? Shut the F up buddy. You’re trolling hard here thinking it’s “all anxiety and in your head”. Absolute fool. And troll again. Keep going.

https://www.recovery.org/marijuana/withdrawal/

PAWS is not an official medical diagnosis and it's not found in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. There are very few published scientific research studies that even confirm the existence of PAWS and there is a particular lack of any recent research about post-acute withdrawal.17 Dec 2020
https://www.verywellmind.com › is-...


https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5414724/

I've added the conclusion because it makes the salient point of mood and behavioral symptoms.

Conclusion
The CWS is a criterion of CUDs (DSM-5) and cannabis dependence (DSM-IV-R, ICD-10). Several lines of evidence from human studies indicate that cessation from long-term and regular cannabis use precipitates a specific withdrawal syndrome with mainly mood and behavioral symptoms of light to moderate intensity, which can usually be treated in an outpatient setting. However, comorbidity with mental or somatic disorders, severe CUD, and low social functioning may require an inpatient treatment (preferably a qualified detox) and post-acute rehabilitation or long-term outpatient care. There are promising results with gabapentin and THC analogs in the treatment of CWS. Mirtazapine could improve insomnia, and venlafaxine was found to worsen the CWS. Certainly, further research is required with respect to the impact of the CWS treatment setting on long-term CUD prognosis and with respect to psychopharmacological or behavioral approaches, such as aerobic exercise therapy or psychoeducation, in the CWS treatment. The preliminary up-to-date content for the ICD-1133 (intended to be finally published in 2018) is recommended to be expanded by physical CWS-symptoms, the specification of CWS severity and duration as well as gender effects.

There is no mention of 2-3 years in anything I've seen...nor, the myriad of symptoms ranging from painful legs, painful joints and many others that can appear when your anxious. Perhaps this explains why the visits to ED and the Doc come back with nothing wrong?

POST FROM ADMIN

@biohack9 and @tokeless. Please stop with the name calling and arguing - you've completely taken over this thread which is unfair to the original OP who was looking for help and support. A moderator has already had to remove unhelpful posts. If you continue, we will have to lock or delete the whole thread and you will both be given warnings.

Kirstin Asher wrote:POST FROM ADMIN

@biohack9 and @tokeless. Please stop with the name calling and arguing - you've completely taken over this thread which is unfair to the original OP who was looking for help and support. A moderator has already had to remove unhelpful posts. If you continue, we will have to lock or delete the whole thread and you will both be given warnings.

My apologies, but my posts have never been to dismiss people's symptoms but to offer another view. I guess I have reacted to being called a troll, because I am not. I will ignore further taunts because they distract from the message. Apologies again

Dum-Dum... my apologies to you too.