Ultimately, being well informed, well prepared, and committed to your goal is the best you can do before your take on the challenges of withdrawal. As you progress, keep reminding yourself that this is what you expected, and that you are equipped with everything you need to battle those temporary discomforts. There are a lot of people, including us, who promise to be there each step of the way. The nationwide push to legalize marijuana got a major boost when the Biden administration announced a plan to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule III drug in April 2024.
How severe are cannabis withdrawal symptoms?
Physical discomfort and mood swings begin to peak, although depression is a common symptom at about one week after quitting. As the brain adapts to the regular influx of marijuana, it begins to demand increasingly greater doses to achieve the desired effect. As consumption of marijuana increases, the chances for adverse effects increases, including the development of a substance use disorder.
Are you a regular marijuana user that has recently stopped using?
Look for ways to relieve your symptoms without turning to marijuana and consider reaching out to your healthcare provider for solutions that can help. The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) generally favors a gradual tapering approach to help minimize severe withdrawal symptoms. Marijuana, also known as cannabis, is increasingly recognized for its medicinal benefits and recreational use. However, regular and excessive use of marijuana can lead to Cannabis Use Disorder (CUD), which is characterized by a pattern of problematic cannabis use that causes significant impairment or distress. If you’re wondering whether your marijuana use qualifies as addiction, this blog post will explore the signs, symptoms, and factors to consider.
Cannabis withdrawal symptoms
A good example of this leaving a loud concert and noticing that everything sounds muffled. While at first, you might be worried that you’ve suddenly gone deaf, your hearing alcohol and acute ischemic stroke onset eventually returns, and the ambient noises of daily life return to their normal volume. Weedless.org is collaborating with researchers to explore this topic and others.
How do you know if your cannabis use is a problem?
MAW largely treats its symptoms with agents known to reduce them, but many of these drugs have not been well studied in people with CUD and their off‐label use is of uncertain efficacy and safety. There are no medications approved to alcohol use disorder diagnosis and treatment manage the cannabis withdrawal syndrome. Research on MAW has increased during the past 15 years, but remains less developed than for other drugs of abuse. It can also include motivational approaches and coping skills training [41].
- In an inpatient setting, all non‐prescribed substances are usually stopped.
- At this point, THC will most likely have cleared out of your brain completely, Piomelli says.
- In human studies, administration of CB1 agonists (THC) blocks or relieves withdrawal symptoms [20, 21, 22].
- You’re finally on the road to the new, cleaner you, and there’s no reason to look back.
- This effect may be more likely after long-term use of CBD than short-term use.
- You may experience symptoms like trouble sleeping, mood swings, and irritability when you stop.
Simple talk therapy can help you work on developing self-compassion and feel more supported throughout the quitting process. It’s pretty common to smoke with friends or in social settings, which can make it extra challenging to quit. Plus, some people assume that cannabis is harmless, so you might feel uncomfortable bringing up your decision to quit. While past research suggests that cannabis may be less harmful than other substances with lower rates of developing a substance use disorder, it does not mean that harm and addiction will never occur. “It’s usually seen in people who smoke on a regular basis, like every day, and it’s becoming more prevalent and more of a problem,” says Joseph DeSanto, MD, an addiction specialist at BioCorRx Recovery Program. They also vary in severity based on the length of time a person has used cannabis.
The prevalence of cannabis withdrawal symptoms is higher in users with a history of daily cannabis use, concurrent cannabis and tobacco use and other substance use disorders [4]. If someone is concerned about themselves or a loved one having cannabis use disorder and/or withdrawal, it is important to tell their doctor or mental health professional. They will perform a thorough history, asking questions about cannabis use and any effects it may have had both while using it and stopping. They may also refer you or your loved one to a psychiatrist or addiction medicine specialist, who has further training in the diagnosis and treatment of substance use disorders. Usually, cannabis withdrawal syndrome is not as severe as alcohol or opioid withdrawal, but it still can cause significant distress and make quitting difficult, as well as lead to relapse.
First, it’s important to be honest with yourself about your marijuana dependency. It simply means that stopping usage will cause withdrawal, much like stopping many other drugs would, whether illicit or prescribed by a doctor. As Piomelli explains, dependency develops when the body’s cannabinoid receptors, which are present in every organ of the body, have grown accustomed to being activated by THC. Withdrawal symptoms may include anger, anxiety, mood swings, aggression, irritability, restlessness, shakiness, sleep problems, decreased appetite, nausea, stomach pain, and more. There are also two other psychiatric medications that may decrease certain symptoms of cannabis withdrawal, the antipsychotic Seroquel (quetiapine) and antidepressant Remeron (mirtazapine).
Changing a habit takes effort, whether you decide to nix a daily sugar fix, cut down on alcohol or stop smoking weed. But perhaps the biggest benefit is living with intention — making decisions that positively impact your life rather than letting habit or addiction determine your fate. Outpatient rehabilitation programs often require multiple meetings or sessions each week with a therapist, substance use disorder expert, or another mental health specialist. However, you’re not required to check into a facility, and you’re free to come and go on your own. Still, many people who stop using cannabis experience physical and psychological symptoms. That’s because your body has to adjust to not having a regular supply of THC.
The signs and symptoms must be causing significant distress or impairing the ability to function in life, whether socially, at work, personal relationships, etc. Or you’ve been making great progress but after one terrible, sleepless night, decide to smoke a joint just to get some rest. If most of your social encounters revolve around marijuana use, deciding to quit may lead you to evaluate the people, places, and things that used to take up your time, Egel explains. If you still plan to spend time around people who smoke, setting boundaries for yourself can help.
The journey to abstaining from pot is less linear, and so staying away from weed, with no relapses, might be a bit more difficult than alcohol — especially if you’ve developed a dependency. If you want to stop smoking weed, it’s also important to remember that you don’t have to do it all on your own. Getting help from your healthcare provider or therapist can increase your chances of successfully quitting marijuana. Cannabis use disorder is more likely to develop in individuals who began smoking weed at a younger age or use the drug heavily.
They can also be signs that additional help may be needed to ease or resolve your depressive symptoms. Going into the adjustment period with a game plan can also be a big help, Roffman says. Prolonged exposure to cannabinoids causes complex adaptations in the brain’s neuronal circuits and their components. Some researchers believe that regular cannabis intake can desensitize and downregulate human brain cannabinoid (CB1) receptors. Changing a habit is challenging, so don’t get down on yourself if you slip up.
Although the effects of these changes have not yet been formally evaluated, increased use of high‐potency cannabis is likely to increase the risks for CUD and the severity of withdrawal [77]. Public health messaging should include independent information and advice on the risks of using higher‐potency cannabis. Sustained cannabis abstinence is the most effective treatment goal for patients who have a CUD and who have completed MAW [77].
Reach out to your doctor or find a mental health professional who specializes in treating addictions. It can be challenging to deal with the symptoms of marijuana withdrawal, giving up and divorcing your alcoholic husband so caring for yourself is particularly important during this time. Creating a new routine can also be helpful when you are quitting a substance such as marijuana.
Having them readily available makes it easier and more tempting to give in to a drug craving. Brain receptors, which regulate neurological processes like pleasure, motivation, learning, memory, fine motor control, and more, start to return to normal function. The patient is currently on sick leave but has a history of stable employment. Research suggests it often takes multiple attempts to quit successfully, so take heart.
Weed, or cannabis, is the “most commonly used illicit drug in the United States,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Fortunately, many non-addictive pharmacologic options exist for anxiety, as well as non-drug treatments, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). These mood and behavioral symptoms are usually “of light to moderate intensity,” the researchers wrote. Insomnia is often an indicator of CWS, but symptoms aren’t limited to sleeplessness. People often get discouraged when they’ve tried multiple times to quit smoking, and think they’ll never be able to do it. But that’s exactly the wrong conclusion, encourages Dr. Streem, who counts every attempt as progress.
Cessation of short‐term cannabidiol (CBD), a non‐psychoactive cannabinoid, does not appear to result in withdrawal [3]. The onset of cannabis withdrawal symptoms typically occurs 24–48 hours after cessation of use. The early phase of withdrawal is usually characterized by insomnia, irritability, decreased appetite, shakiness and, less often, sweating and chills. Anger and aggression and depressed mood may occur as early as 1 week into cannabis withdrawal but typically peak after 2 weeks of abstinence [33, 34] (Figure 1). No medications have been shown to be effective in MAW in randomized controlled trials (Table 2). As with all prescribing, a comprehensive medical, medicine and drug and alcohol use history should guide the use and doses of these medications.
Irritability and mood effects can also negatively impact personal relationships and work productivity. Soin and DeSanto stress that cannabis withdrawal symptoms are often connected to other underlying issues, like untreated anxiety and depression. Both doctors say you could benefit from seeking psychotherapy if you’ve been using cannabis to cope with a mental health issue and haven’t yet engaged in treatment.
Weinstein says anger, aggression, and depression typically peak after approximately two weeks of abstinence, although heavy cannabis users can experience such symptoms for more than three weeks. Cannabis pre‐detoxification harm reduction strategies are not well studied and there is no standard practice. As with other substances, an incremental and slow reduction in cannabis intake and/or use of lower THC products over an extended period (weeks) may reduce the probability and severity of withdrawal symptoms.