Horrible smoking experience

[risk2029]

Excuse SWIM for possibly a little bit extensive story.

SWIM doesn't have a whole lot of experience with cannabis. He smoked a few times before assured by his friends first few times nothing really happens (which was true, kind of).
One time SWIM got a big hit which he held in as he always does, but after he exhaled he felt like it had burned him and immidiately felt intoxicated which made it hard to figure out what exactly is going on.
SWIM felt panicked for a few minutes until it got a little bit better and then it struck him. When he got up it was like getting up rapidly after sitting down for a long time - a rush of blood to the head that darkens the vision for a second (lightheadedness) and then goes away. Except this one didnt go away but instead persisted and turned into a painful rush.

The best description (not a hallucination or anything) SWIM could come up with: that it was like someone holding a lighter to SWIM's brain and the suffering was absolutely intolerable. SWIM finds it hard to put in words how bad it was. A wild panic and intense fear accompanied be severe pain(in no particular part of the body). At that point death would have been most welcome. It was kind of late and rather cold outside so when SWIM got a little better (in a few minutes that seemed like forever) he started shivering pretty violently, maybe a psychosomatic reaction.

SWIM quit smoking after that time for a few months, and then tried a hit off a bong and got the same powerful experience.

The reason why SWIM is posting this is because recently he had the same experience while sitting down in shower and quickly getting up, although it only lasted for a second or two and went away like the abovementioned lightheadedness; which points that it might not necessarily be cannabis' fault.

SWIM would appreciate greatly if someone could give him an advice and hopefully a theory or an explanation what the heck could it be.

SWIM would love to continue using but he's scared that it may repeat.

ps.SWIM tried searching but didnt find a decent answer.

[D(a)StoNeR]

Wow, SWIM has ever experienced anything like that, nor has he heard of anything like that. SWIM would recommend that you try smoking a different strain of marijuana. If SWIY can get ahold of mid-grade marijuana, try smoking that and see if it happens. SWIM thinks your body just may not be able to handle high grade marijuana because you are a lightweight, but he's never heard of anything like this.

[chipper]

Hey

This happened to swim once, about 12 years ago, and even back then, swim was no lightweight, whats strange is that swiy has described it almost exactly. Swim contributed it to being dehydrated. It has never happened since, of which swim is glad. In swims part of the world its known as a whitey, probably because of the loss of colour. Swim knows that alcohol and mj don't mix, swiy wasn't drunken, where they ?



Chipper

[Nature Boy]

Remember that smoking bong hits is a lot more powerful than smoking off a joint. This may be part of the cause, too little experience and too powerful a strain. There's also a good chance that SWIY may have some sort of condition. Does he suffer migraines? Also, it's good to know exactly what type of weed one is smoking. Is it clean? Does it have any unwanted chemicals in it?

[Each Hit]

swim has had similar experiences on a handful of occasions. they seem to be a result of swim smoking too much in a short time and/or going from resting to active very quickly, and he usually only experiences it when smoking lower quality material (when he has good stuff, a bowl or even a few hits sets him straight so he usually smokes a lot less). swim understands the comparison with the "quickly standing up" head rush. for swim, whenever this happens, he finds it best to lie down and take deep breaths for a few minutes. he doesn't get any pain, just light-headedness, nausea, and possible ringing of the ears.

swim does not get this effect as much since he quit smoking tobacco. he noticed it happened more often when he smoked tobacco and marijuana, so perhaps the nicotine affected him as well. it was, and still is, a pretty rare occurrence for swim. he could see how it could ruin the marijuana experience if it happened frequently.

also, swim does get migraines 2 to 3 times a year. nature boy asked, and swim thought it might be pertinent...

[grecian]

Other swims with similar symptons (although not so severe) have had iron deficiency (Anemia), check under your eyelid, it should be a healthy, vibrant red colour, if it is a pale/pink colour then this could go some way towards explaining your problem.

If this isnt the answer then it may be wise to visit your Doctor, (no need to mention the cannabis unless you want to), this could potentially be a more serious problem that smoking exacerbates or triggers.

[TitusCrow]

SWITC has never experienced anything like that.

Does SWIY take any medications? This experience could have possibly been a product of a medications and cannabis mix.

SWITC would speak with a doctor if this were to happen again.

[risk2029]

Thanks to everyone for replying!

Swim knows that alcohol and mj don't mix, swiy wasn't drunken, where they ?

No. Although SWIM likes to drink, he would only try to mix then when completely confident in weed, which he's not. SWIM's friend told him that mixing the two can ruin both :\

This may be part of the cause, too little experience and too powerful a strain. There's also a good chance that SWIY may have some sort of condition. Does he suffer migraines? Also, it's good to know exactly what type of weed one is smoking. Is it clean?

Actually you're right, every time SWIM felt sick, he smoked either a bowl (to himself) of high quality stuff or a huge hit off a water bong, so I think it's likely that it was just too much. How fast does the tolerance build up?
And no, no migraines, ever. SWIM's happy to say that even headaches (ways away from a full-blown migraine) attack SWIM once or twice a year, tops.

Does it have any unwanted chemicals in it?

SWIM's friends smoked the same stuff and felt fine, as they always did. The weed is probably not the best quality but far not the worst (SWIM has started out with the worst which had almost zero effect)

and he usually only experiences it when smoking lower quality material (when he has good stuff, a bowl or even a few hits sets him straight so he usually smokes a lot less)

The other way around for SWIM: lower quality weed has no effect; mid\high quality hits hard.

check under your eyelid, it should be a healthy, vibrant red colour, if it is a pale/pink colour then this could go some way towards explaining your problem

It's kind of pale-ish but generally red. So it's probably not that.

Does SWIY take any medications?

No, SWIY has taken a lot of antibiotics and such back in the day when he was ~10 due to some illnesses which are now completely gone, and been that way for years.
___________________

SWIM came to a conclusion that it's probably dehydration, lack of sleep and stress that mainly contributed to it.

SWIM would recommend that you try smoking a different strain of marijuana. If SWIY can get ahold of mid-grade marijuana, try smoking that and see if it happens.

SWIM has done it today in form of a joint. And heres a pretty strange thing: when SWIM holds the smoke in for a second or two he feels that the painful mental state is coming back very quickly and intensely and feels that way for a few seconds after the exhalation. SWIM's been careful not to smoke too much and ended up not getting stoned at all.

How much more effective is holding it in compared to just puffing it? The lungfulls seem to pose a problem...

[enquirewithin]

To be honest, SWIrisk2029 simply may not like smoking MJ at all. Some people simply get sick when smoking cannabis. (The most famous examples are, perhaps, Sasha and Anne Shulgin.) If you don't like it, don't be pressured by your peers to smoke it.

[risk2029]

Originally Posted by enquirewithin

To be honest, SWIrisk2029 simply may not like smoking MJ at all. Some people simply get sick when smoking cannabis. (The most famous examples are, perhaps, Sasha and Anne Shulgin.) If you don't like it, don't be pressured by your peers to smoke it.

I thought about that too. Problem is after that shock wore off I really liked the mildly dissociated state that lasted for a few hours after smoking. If only I could get from smoking right to that part...

[enquirewithin]

Perhaps just try smoking one or two lungfuls at first, and leave it for an hour or two. A 'mildy dissociated state' sounds about right. Regular smokers have a tolerance which makes it less strong for them.

[Henfer]

how about eating it? there are tons of recipes out there, and the high is mild and takes time till it works.

does it hurt when smoked pure? or its the same w/ and w/o tobacco? SWIM doesnt like the hefty nicotin rush.

[risk2029]

Thanks to everyone for the input.

The reason turned out to be (SWIM asked a doc) - low blood pressure. A sudden drop in blood pressure produces these effects. If that's of any interest to anyone.

SWIM found not holding the hit for too long to be the key.

Thanks again.

[Xato]

If you don't mind SWIM adding his 2 cents in, he thinks SWIY might share some same qualitys. He hopes this sheds some light on the wonderful experences of canabis using aswell.

When SWIM first started his canabis use when he was young it took him some time to adjust to this new feeling, being it was something he never experenced before. Even before his first time he too had this "lightheaded-ness", and still till this very day does. Even if not under the influence. Thinking it was the canabis he didn't really get into it. After more use, this feeling seemed less, no major difference, thus crossing out the canabis use being the issue in his opinion. A year into dabbing in and out of using (mainly stuck to weekends), one of his brothers friends got a bong of decent height. This being the very first time ever seeing, touching, and using one, he was very confused on how it worked. Taking a pretty big hit, please keep in mind that he only smoked joints, got such a headrush from this that it disoriented him and had trouble breathing. Not the normal trouble breathing because of the harshness against the lungs, but mainly from the headrush and the bong. As stated, a bong produces a much more powerful hit and this really is what caused most of the problems. SWIM waited a few minutes to collect himself, and tried it again. Through trial and error, the same effects were produced.

SWIM doesn't get these "feelings" as much anymore, weither under or not under the influence. He thinks it is just something you are born with and will be such till your in the ground. Just keep in mind that SWIM is a pretty heavy user and has been using for a few years now with daily use and sees no indication that cannabis use is the problem to this, and in fact helps with the problem in his opinion. Might SWIM add that if SWIY is looking to get buzzed or even stoned, stick with joints or blunts and control how much smoke SWIY wish to take in.

If SWIY feels though that a bong is the way to go, by all means please do because it is much more healthy for your lungs as the water does filter out some carcinogens (the chemicals that are "harmful", and I stress the "")

[CorvinusX]

An acquaintance had the same thing happen. He took a few rips off a huge (3 foot glass) bong and completely freaked out. He said his head was hurting and his chest was pained and he was lightheaded and disoriented. Maybe even peripheral limb tingling. Bad choice on SWIMs part to suggest the bong.

He demanded that SWIM and company take him to the college infirmary. They were completely stoned and knew it was an anxiety reaction / virgin lungs / new to psychaedelia condition and couldn't stop laughing as the technician looked him over.

She just diagnosed "marijuana intoxication," gave him a valium and tried to reassure him; SWIM took him home and he was fine. The guy now (2+ years later) smokes blunts like a pro.

[Ranke]

Swim has had something very similer once. The first time swim smoked pot he way over did it. Swim didn't realize how little plant material is required for one person. Swim was also trying to impress the person providing the pot. He torched three bowls over the course of about 10-15 minutes. Finally he felt it and it was overwhelming. He was dizzy, dissoriented, and everything looked like it was going in slow motion. After this he was given ~1/4 of an ounce of so so weed. Unfortunatly swim soon discovered that he did not enjoy it in the slightest. Swim would rather take a 3p dose of dxm than smoke again. Fortunatly a friend was willing to trade 3 tabs of acid for remaining 1/8th.

[snapper]

SWIM's 3rd time was frightening. The first two nothing happened, the third SWIM blacked out. Then SWIM got used to it and got stoned like everyone else. Then SWIM stopped for years and the day SWIM started again, SWIM again had a terrifying experience where the room started to spin around and SWIM had horrible vertigo and paranoia. Then SWIM got used to it again. Many times people find the effects overwhelming and get tolerant and/or learn to meter out their dose. Some people just hate weed altogether.
Interesting that low BP caused it, since THC has been shown to increase blood pressure because of its anticholinergic effects.

[risk2029]

So, SWIM's been smoking every once in a while since the time of my previous post and found that the headrush is still occurring when a considerable amount is smoked (when SWIM doesn't get the headrush, he knows that he's not stoned at all, or affected so little it's barely) but since SWIM is taking only 2-3 hits, the headrush goes away quickly. But when it comes it's just so overwhelming that it's hard to even remember how intensly bad it is.

SWIM disovered one thing that bothers him the most a few days ago - it happened that very first time too, but SWIM was so distracted in general that he didn't notice it. That is: racing heart.
When that happens, SWIM just knows something isn't right. Erowid lists racing heart as one of the symptoms of an "overdose"...

Does everyone have this? It's really distracting and worrysome for SWIM.

[snapper]

Tachycardia, or rapid heartrate, is also a normal effect of cannabis, again due to its anticholinergic effects.

[quili]

Yes, when swim first started smoking the racing heart thing really freaked her out because she's always mildly concerned with her heart and has a heart murmur. So she did a lot of research and asked various "knowledgable" sources and whatnot. Overall she decided it seemed safe and normal. She continued smoking and is now very used to the feeling. Also, it seems like the racing heart thing doesn't happen as much or as intensely to her anymore, but maybe she's just gotten used to the feeling.

[lazarus525]

SWIM just recently experienced his first "whitey". He laid off of smoking for about three weeks due to drug testing rumors and came back with really strong shit, did way too way too fast and spiraled into the worst experience ever. And SWIM's low blood pressure really helped him out here too . SWIM became deathly pale, cold as hell, white lips, with an enveloping numb as above mentioned. Yet no nausea though. He felt extremely anti-social and felt the need to sleep or at least lay down. Everything spiraled out of control around him (sober kids freaking out, high kids laughing belligerently, etc). He told his friends that he felt possessed by a strong evil, something like a bad trip to some extent w/o the extreme OEVs. Fortunately he has been experienced for a while with marijuana/psychedelics because if he wasn't, holy shit that would've been really bad. Thankfully he controlled it w/o making a scene and it ultimately dimmed down. The moral of the story is lighten up when coming back into the game and possibly even compensate if one has low BP because it was one horrible experience that no one else should feel.

[Metalcore322]

Swim gets the same thing and pukes....shit sux

[Wojack420]

Try taking something to combat the symptoms. Describe swim's symptons to a trained professional (doctor). Maybe something like pepto-bismal will help or some prescibed shit.