marijuana withdrawal - users can suffer same acute symptoms as tobacco smokers

Cannabis users can suffer same acute withdrawal symptoms as tobacco smokers when they quit

People who try to quit smoking pot can experience withdrawal symptoms that affect their daily lives, according to an Australian study.

Researchers found that when consistent cannabis clients were approached to stop the propensity for two weeks they endured a mixed bag of manifestations that influenced their capacity to work and their individual connections. 

marijuana withdrawal These included touchiness, resting troubles, emotional episodes and loss of longing. 

The impacts of the withdrawal indications were discovered to be like those experiencing nicotine withdrawal.

The most extreme impairments, that included depression, were seen among the users most dependent on the Class B drug. 

The study, of 49 cannabis users who hadn't been seeking treatment, also found certain symptoms were linked with a greater chance of relapsing. So those who experienced insomnia, physical tension and mood swings, were more likely to fail compared to others who had hot flashes, fatigue and night sweats.

• Cannabis is the most commonly taken illegal drug, with two million regular smokers in the UK. Half of all 16 to 29 year olds have tried pot at least once. 
• In spite of government warnings about the health risks, many people see it as a harmless substance that can help them to relax.
• However, according to The Royal College of Psychiatrists around 1 in 10 cannabis users have unpleasant experiences, including confusion, hallucinations, anxiety and paranoia. Long-term use can also cause loss of motivation and depression.
• Other recent research has shown the drug can be a major cause of psychotic illnesses such as schizophrenia in those who are genetically vulnerable. 
• Psychotherapist Michael Garnham is Head of Therapy at TTP Harley Street, a London clinic specialising in addiction and disorder therapy.
• He told Mail Online: 'In my experience of working with hundreds of drug users, withdrawal from cannabis can be one of the worst in terms of feelings of anger, anxiety and extreme mood swings. People also find it very hard to remain focussed both mentally and physically.
• 'The clients themselves do not associate these behaviours with cannabis withdrawal as they see cannabis as a natural product and therefore not harmful or addictive. All the cannabis clients I have known have at least doubled their original nicotine intake after stopping using cannabis.'
• The team from NSW said their research could help improve counseling and treatment strategies for cannabis users looking to break their habit.
• Lead author, David Allsop, said: 'Tailoring treatments to target withdrawal symptoms contributing to functional impairment during a quit attempt may improve treatment outcomes.'

The team plan to test whether these findings are confirmed by a larger sample size.

Marijuana, REM Sleep, and Dreams

Marijuana can affect how often you dream by rearranging your sleep cycle.People who smoke marijuana before bed often struggle to recall their dreams the next morning. Yet, when these individuals stop smoking, they tend to experience more vivid dreams than before.

Marijuana is known to affect various aspects of sleep, including activities that are not involved with dreaming. But there’s a simple reason why marijuana users tend to have less dreams.

This phenomenon can be explained by how marijuana affects the sleep cycle, specifically a stage known as rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.

Marijuana and REM Sleep

The brain is most active during REM sleep and most dreaming is thought to occur during this stage. Numerous studies have shown that using marijuana before bed reduces REM sleep. Researchers believe this is why marijuana users report fewer dreams.

During the night, the brain cycles through 4 different stages of sleep, spending the most time in deep sleep (or slow-wave sleep) and REM sleep. The amount of time spent in these two stages is closely related. In fact, studies show that marijuana lengthens the time the brain spends in deep sleep, which leads to less REM sleep.

Ingesting THC or marijuana before bed also appears to reduce the density of rapid eye movements during REM sleep. Interestingly, less REM density has been linked to more restful sleep.

Most studies on marijuana and REM sleep have looked at the effects of THC. However, other compounds in marijuana may interfere with THC’s effect on sleep. For example, CBD has been found to promote wakefulness compared to taking THC alone.

What Happens When Quitting

Regular users of cannabis experience an abnormal increase in REM sleep when use is stopped. This is called the REM rebound effect, which leads to longer and denser periods of REM sleep. The REM rebound explains why cannabis users often experience highly vivid dreaming when trying to quit.

The sleep disturbances that occur during cannabis withdrawal usually begin 24-72 hours after quitting and can persist for up to 6-7 weeks.

Interestingly, the REM rebound is not unique to cannabis use. Other substances that interfere with sleep, such as alcohol and sleep medications, can cause REM rebound too. What’s more, people who are sleep deprived often undergo a rebound in non-REM sleep.

The rebound effect appears to be the body’s way of coping with being deprived of certain stages of sleep.

The Importance of REM Sleep

While healthy people should avoid taking substances that alter their sleep, it’s not clear whether the effect of marijuana on REM sleep is actually harmful. In fact, experts are still not sure why we need REM sleep.

On the other hand, deep sleep is believed to be the most important sleep stage for repairing and restoring the body. Likewise, studies show that when deprived of sleep, the brain prioritizes deep sleep over REM sleep.

While more research is needed, it’s possible that the ability of marijuana to increase deep sleep, even at the expense of REM sleep, might turn out to be a good thing.

How to Get Off Marijuana

Marijuana takes a long time to recover from. A man in recovery from marijuana addiction spoke at an addiction conference I attended some years ago. He said: "It took three years before the marijuana bubble burst.

" While it may not take quite that long in every case, it can and usually does take longer than expected. In part this is due to the complex nature of the drug itself, in part how long it takes one's brain to be able to rewire itself, correcting whatever unfortunate changes the pot managed to make. Every person is unique in multiple ways, and differences show up in personality, traits, and susceptibility to addiction, meaning how fast you become addicted, and how fast your brain rewires itself post-addiction. 

In my own practice I've seen it take three years to recover from marijuana, but not always. Negotiating the rather wild waters of recovery depends upon what damage regular pot used made in your life your social and economic life, your relationships, your spiritual life if that is important to you. 

The next part of recovery getting over the problems drug use caused in your life is not physiological per se, it is more dependent upon cognitive and behavioral habits, psychological factors, and therefore more under your direct control in terms of setting things right again, picking up the broken pieces etc. I have seen people make progress more easily when they are able to get involved in a 12-step recovery program like AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) or NA (Narcotics Anonymous) or if there are meetings close to where they live, MA (Marijuana Anonymous). 

What going to AA etc. meetings does is provide someone in recovery with a social group that doesn't use drugs and in this "better living through chemistry" world we live in, that can be helpful. In the ordinary day in the lives of ordinary people, they may walk into an ordinary store with drugs on prominent display different strengths, different flavors, different colors, but right out there, our legal drug alcohol. That’s a better living through chemistry culture. So finding people to socialize with, hang out with, people who don’t use drugs, is sometimes difficult. 

People using drugs ordinarily hang out with others who are using drugs, and recovery can mean the end of a whole social circle for the recovering addict. So if it is possible you would be wise to find a local AA or NA or MA meeting and go every day, or as often as there are meetings. If that is not possible, try to find another social group that is not based on drinking or drug use. If your drug use isolated you socially, you definitely need to head out to find social groups with whom to interact. This is so difficult to do while you are depressed, but you can do it slowly but surely. 

In early recovery paranoid ideas, obsessions, fears, worries are hum-drum, common. But these screwy, frightening thoughts so routine for people in early recovery are to be ignored as much as possible, they’re unreal, they’re wrong, and meaningless. 

Another source of support in early recover. Consider hiring a “professional” to go through it with you. This includes psychotherapists, counselors, social workers, or community peer counselors. Here I’m suggesting you find one person to talk to who knows something about addiction and who also knows something about depression. In a 12 step program it is advised that people in early recovery get a "sponsor" who serves as that person in fact, people often recover more quickly when they have both an AA sponsor AND some kind of individual therapist who can support their continuing abstinence as well as their involvement in AA. 

An AA sponsor may be afraid of symptoms of depression, so if that’s a big part of the picture for you, then definitely find a therapist. A cognitive-behavioral therapist (CBT) may be helpful, although you might also make good use of a general "talk therapist" who knows cognitive behavioral techniques. CBT and talk therapy that uses techniques from CBT have been empirically studied as treatment for depression, and they have been found effective. These things really make a difference, both to the course of a depression, and to recovery from drug addiction. 

Using an anti-depressant is also an excellent idea—it will help your brain begin to make proteins ("Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor" or BDNF) that will lead to it producing new neurons in a process known as "neurogenesis.” So getting treated with an antidepressant prescribed by an MD is a wise move. 

Ask your doctor to start you on a low dose, and increase your dose very slowly. This will help you avoid what are commonly referred to as “side effects.” Stick with the psychopharmacological treatment, and stick with the prescribing physician—whether he/she is an internist or psychiatrist. Make use of every possible kind of support. Give yourself permission to go all out on this one, you’ll never regret it.

Begin a program of meditation right now, today. Currently this is being called "mindfulness" but really, it is good old-fashioned meditation, an activity that’s been used to help people with “mind problems” for almost 5000 years. It is not hard to learn, try it today. Simply sit down somewhere and for three or four minutes, partly shut your eyes (or shut them completely if that is easier) and try to pay attention to your breath, breathing in and breathing out. 

You don't have to breathe particularly deeply, just breathe your normal way. You can count each breath with each exhalation. Or you can say silently, to yourself "I's breathing in, I'm breathing out." If three minutes is too long, do it for two minutes. Eventually you will be able to do it for longer. Don't worry about all the thoughts that come into your mind and drag your attention away from your breath when you notice them, simply go back to paying attention to your breathing. Being dragged away by thoughts is entirely normal, it's how our minds work. Bringing our attention back to our breath is the magic, that’s the activity that rewires the brain. 

Doing this for very short periods of time in the beginning is much better than trying to meditate for a longer time that might get uncomfortable. You want to love your time meditating. I have written some simple instructions in how to meditate that I plan to post on my blog in Psychology Today. Daily meditation will rewire your brain. It will help regulate your emotions. That hyper-sensitivity to negative comments, to feeling rejected, will change. You'll become more resiliant

Start taking walks every day, the longer the better. Any physical activity or exercise you even half enjoy will help you. And exercise has been demonstrated to help rewire your brain more efficiently. Like anti-depressants, it kicks your brain into gear so that it begins making more BDNF.

Fields of Marijuana 

Educate yourself about addiction disease. There are many books out there about it, many of which are written by recovering addicts just like you. Read their stories, learn about this disease that is as they say in AA "cunning, baffling and powerful." It is but it can go into complete remission and stay there by the simple method of not using any mind-altering, “recreational” drugs. 

Cut yourself some slack. Whatever "bad" or "stupid" things you did in your addiction are NOT your fault, they are the fault of the disease of addiction. Addiction highjacks the brain. It highjacks the part of the brain responsible for making decisions. It high jacks the pleasure center in the brain. 

These problems will be corrected with time off mind-altering drugs (and by this I do not mean antidepressants). What you do now, in your recovery, is your responsibility. But what happened in the past, put that aside. You will make amends if you need to, later. For now try to dump all the feelings of guilt, all your worries about other people. 

Try to take these steps I've suggested, even if you are weighed down by depression. The ups and downs of pot withdrawal are difficult, but they will diminish slowly but surely, and you will recover completely.