Anecdotally, most users maintain marijuana isn’t addictive. The medical community concedes addition is relatively rare (affecting 1 in 10 users) but it does happen. Either way, some people opt to take a break — or quit — using cannabis for a variety of reasons. Others need to pass a drug test, while a few of them need to reset their tolerance to weed. However, when the body is used to incorporating marijuana into its system, it can leave the person “craving” for weed’s compounds. And when the body doesn’t get its hemp fix, it can lead to a few (and sometimes several) marijuana withdrawal symptoms.

Here are some marijuana withdrawal symptoms and how you can mitigate these nuisances.

6 Marijuana Withdrawal Symptoms and How to Make It Manageable

Plenty of science-backed evidence theorizes how marijuana use can be beneficial to those who are suffering from certain ailments. However, just like most things we get our bodies to be dependent on (such as caffeine or nicotine), stopping cannabis use can trigger marijuana withdrawal symptoms — they range from mildly uncomfortable to dreadful.

Some marijuana withdrawal symptoms:

1. Sleeping difficulties

Problems with sleeping are one of the most common marijuana withdrawal symptoms. Though sleeping difficulties are a common withdrawal symptom — in general — some weed users who prefer an indica strain, or those who rely on the CBD content of cannabis might even sometimes use these specific marijuana types to induce sleep.

Therefore, if you’re one of those people, when you suddenly stop cannabis use, your body clock can get thrown off — as it’s “waiting” for its sleep-inducer. In this case, weed! To fix this, you can find other methods that can signal your body that it needs to sleep at a certain time.

An hour or two before your bedtime, you can set up a relaxing atmosphere and a dim light. They said, you should limit your use of gadgets — do your best to not check your computer or phone! There’s also no harm in drinking chamomile tea and/or lighting up a scented candle with essential oils that can calm your senses. When it’s time for your bedtime, lie down on the bed and avoid getting back up.

2. Odd dreams

Strange, vivid, or frightening dreams are also a common withdrawal symptom — and even scientists can’t definitively conclude why yet! To them, even the mere purpose of dreaming is still baffling. But they have a few theories — theories that the likes of Sigmund Freud have pondered before.

A few studies hypothesized that the brain is most active when it’s resting — and the REM stage is when the brain is most active. Therefore, if you’re already having trouble falling asleep, your body can find it difficult to invoke the REM phase. Moreover, if your system is used to the chemicals that marijuana has, your sleep — and dreaming — can be interrupted as it’s missing those chemicals that aid in an uninterrupted slumber.

Unfortunately, we barely have any control over our dreams. Perhaps the only thing you can do for now is wait it out. Odd dreams typically subside in a matter of a few weeks. If you keep waking up from nightmares, you can go back to #1 so it will be easier for you to fall back asleep.

3. Palpitations

Heart palpitations aren’t just the feeling of your heart racing. Sometimes, a pounding heartbeat or a “fluttering” chest (or when you feel as though there are butterflies fluttering their wings or your heart is skipping a beat) can also be considered to be heart palpitations — and it’s another one of the common marijuana withdrawal symptoms!

Marijuana may be known for its calming properties, but according to the American Heart Association, the use of cannabis can be harmful to one’s cardiovascular health. Therefore, a person’s increase in blood pressure and heart rate can likely have been “masked” by the calming effects of marijuana.

However, if a person already underwent the necessary steps that their physician recommended (in order to determine the state of one’s heart health) and the results yielded that there isn’t anything wrong with the individual’s heart, heart palpitations can just be caused by anxiety.

4. Anxiety, restlessness, or irritability

People with pre-existing anxiety or mood disorders are the ones who are more likely to experience anxiety as one of their cannabis withdrawal symptoms; those who don’t have an anxiety or mood disorder can shrug this symptom off as mere palpitations.

On the other hand, those with this mental health condition can sometimes overthink the feeling of palpitations, and anticipate that something is “wrong” or life-threatening. To avoid experiencing this ordeal, find yourself a “safe place” where you’ll feel at ease the most — this safe place is subjective.

Therefore, if you’re experiencing anxiety as one of your marijuana withdrawal symptoms, you can stay in your safe spot for as long as you’re permitted to — or until you can function again. Avoid triggers that can induce the sensation of uneasiness, as it can lead to feelings of being unsafe — and it can sometimes even escalate to full-blown panic attacks for some.

If you think you’ll feel better if you talk to a loved one, you can also do that — the external perception of these individuals can help you get a grasp of what the objective reality is. If they don’t see that anything is wrong with you, there most likely isn’t.

You also have to tell yourself that you most probably aren’t as ill as you feel that you are — and substance withdrawal is rarely fatal. If you find it difficult to convince yourself, or have others convince you that you’re fine, you can also just talk to your physician for added reassurance.

5. Problems with regulating body temperature

Additionally, anxiety can spike your blood pressure and heart rate — which is a conundrum that many of those who experience marijuana withdrawal symptoms face: the cycle of palpitations, anxiety, and subsequently, the effects of anxiety that trigger palpitations. When this happens, you might sweat more than your average — or you might even sweat excessively!

Not only that, when a person feels anxious, their blood vessels constrict — and this is why tingling or numbness in extremities sometimes occurs. When this happens, the fingers can feel clammy or cold to the touch. Again, the solution for this is to avoid anxiety triggers.

Moreover, if you get the chills, simply wrap yourself up in a warm or thick blanket to feel better. However, on the other hand, if you’re excessively perspiring, you can simply take a cold shower to help regulate your body temperature better. As much as possible, avoid having your body overwork itself — especially if you’re already at risk of having a stroke or a heart attack.

6. Appetite changes

Another anxiety-related marijuana withdrawal symptoms is a decrease in appetite. If you feel as though this is yet another withdrawal-induced symptom, then there’s the already-stated solution: avoid anxiety triggers! However, whether you’re an intuitive eater or small-but-frequent-meals follower, you still need to eat something at some point — regardless of your diet! 

Marijuana is known to give people the “munchies.” Therefore, if you find that you’re not as hungry as you were, it could likely be because you’re just becoming aware of your body’s more accurate dietary needs; there’s a chance that you’ve been eating more than how much you really need to eat!

Those who smoke cannabis with nicotine may sometimes find that their appetite increases once they cease the use of these substances — it’s long been suggested that nicotine is an appetite suppressant. Therefore, your hunger may have been masked by nicotine all along — and you’re only realizing your normal level of hunger because you’re sober.

When it comes to appetite problems, as a general rule, listen to your body — but do also understand that your body needs food for it to be nourished. Don’t overindulge and don’t restrict yourself from your basic survival need. Balance is key, in this case.

Summary

Marijuana withdrawal symptoms can be uncomfortable — but they can surely sometimes feel unbearable, especially when you think (or overthink) about it! Fortunately, marijuana withdrawal symptoms are rarely life-threatening. More often than not, it’s the anxiety that can make people think that it is.

However, this isn’t to say that fatalities are completely out of the picture. In some instances, seizures from other substances (that are/were taken along with cannabis) can kill a person. Additionally, complications from those with cardiovascular problems can possibly die from withdrawal symptoms. But these people are most likely individuals who already have/had pre-existing health conditions — and marijuana withdrawal symptoms only amplified the problems.

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