Best Strain for Anxiety and Panic Attacks?

[Ganjactivist]

This is a combination re-post of a question and a follow up post I posted in my introduction.


(Original):

I am a 23 year old male. I have suffered from a depressive disorder since I was 16. I have also had periodic anxiety attacks. Sometimes I get so depressed I literally can't get a single thing done all day. The panic attacks I have had in the past have made my heart rate increase to 170 - 180 beats per minute.​

The last few panic attacks I had happened after smoking marijuana. I haven't smoked since then, and it's been about 6 months now. I miss smoking, and the relaxed feeling I used to get when I first started smoking.​

Which strain or strains would be best for me?​

I'm looking for a strain that can uplift my mood to help with my depression, and at the same time relax me in a way that would prevent an anxiety attack from following use. It must also allow me to be clear headed as I am aiming to be more productive with my days.​

Let me know what you think would work the best in my case. Thanks.​

(Follow Up):​

I read that smoking pure indica strains or hybrid 70(Indica)/30(Sativa) or 50/50 can help reduce or even eliminate panic and anxiety. I have also seen cases of people claiming that the indica strain they smoked helped regulate their heart rate after the onset of an anxiety attack. I read a testimony of one person claiming to have had a panic attack, saying their heart was nearly pounding out of their chest, and after smoking a strain called "Blue Dream" their heart rate returned to normal.​

I'm not sure how true this is. After all I have only seen one person say something like this. I am just curious to find out if there really are specific strains that can manage the effects of panic attacks or if all strains simply make the anxiety worse.​

I would love to hear what you think on the subject.​

 

[purplehazin]

Hey Ganja! Welcome to RIU

Sounds like the best strain for you would be a Sativa hybrid. Subcool has some very good genetics, so take a look around (here's a sample: http://tgagenetics.com/strain/pandora/pandora.php)

As for the panic and anxiety after smoking, I think this has a lot to do with your setting. If an occasional user smokes in a uncomfortable setting, this could trigger some anxiety or paranoia. Whereas if they were smoking with friends watching a movie at home, they would rarely get a panic attack.

Shit, it's happened to me. Before I was legal a few years ago, I would blaze in my truck before work. One day I'm just finishing up a bowl and a cop car drives slowly behind me. I started to freak out and roll my windows up to stop letting smoke out and my heart was beating so fast. Anyway, moral of the story is to always place yourself in a chill setting when you smoke. This will alleviate hopefully some of your problems.

 

[Ganjactivist]

@Hazin: That's a great example. Now that I think back on it, I was smoking in a place that was stressful for me. Unfortunately it was the place where I was living. I was so stressed all the time, I figured smoking would chill me out. It actually ended up making my anxiety worse.

As for finding a possible great strain for stress relief, I think I found something pretty good. I haven't tried it yet because I can't get it where I live. Hopefully my state will pass medical use in 2011. It failed to pass this year Anyway, I plan to try it in the future. To anyone else who happens to be looking for a great strain for stress and anxiety, here's one that I found today: http://budreviews.com/16-Green-Leaf-Wellness/256-Mr.-Nice-Guy

It's called Mr. Nice Guy. (AKA, Medicine Man)

 

[Ganjactivist]

After doing more research over the past week or so, I have discovered a major discrepancy over which strain will truly help a person who suffers from an anxiety disorder. Some say it doesn't matter which strain you smoke as any strain could help your anxiety or potentially make it worse. Then the next group of people claim that a strong Sativa or Sativa dominant hybrid with high THC levels is the way to go for anxiety relief. Simultaneously there is yet another group of people who claim that a pure Indica strain with a high CBD/THC ratio is the solution. Yet again there is another group of people who claim that an Indica dominant hybrid is the best method. After all of that, there are other people who claim it doesn't matter what you try because they claim modern western marijuana does not contain enough CBD (The sedative cannabinoid called Cannibidoil) to relieve anxiety.

So after reading what literally hundreds of people online were saying about the subject, I decided to do some book reading. Unfortunately, after reading through a few chapters of a few different books I found that the "experts" in the medical marijuana field had about the same handle on it that the general public does. I mean they threw in a whole bunch of technical scientific mumbo-jumbo, but it was essentially the same. There were claims of CBD being the main cannibinoid to reduce stress and anxiety, while at the same time saying it is only found today in very small concentrations. In one book they say the highest concentration recorded for a Sativa or Sativa dominant hybrid is 0.1% - 0.35%. In the same book it mentions a higher percentage in Indica and Indica dominate hybrids, with CBD levels reaching 0.6% - 2%. In another book the percentage evaluation for CBD found in Sativa dominant strain was nearly identical to the findings in the previous book. However what I found odd, is in the second book they claim a high level of CBD in some Indica dominate strains that can range from 1.5% - 13%.

To be honest with you, I'm not really sure what to believe at this point. I figure the only way to find what works for you is to test different strains for yourself. I'd like to believe that CBD does help with anxiety as I suffer from a disorder on a daily basis. It is also my hope that neither of these books lied to me. I plan to try several different indica dominant strains over the next months to come, and hopefully I will find one that works for me and may work for you as well. I plan to keep this up for at least a year, but I am hopeful I will find something sooner.

Here's a list I have put together of some possible solutions to the anxiety disorder problem:

Strawberry Cough
Master Kush
Hindu Kush
BC Bud Blueberry
BC Bud Sweet God
BC God Bud
Bubba Kush
Big Bang
Firecracker
White Widow

I will update this thread as I try new strains. I will try to be as accurate as possible with the descriptions of my experience with each bud.

If you try one of the strains listed above before I do, I would love to hear about your experience. Or, If you have had success in relieving anxiety with another strain, I would love to hear about it. I'm sure many others would appreciate it as well.

 

[growone]

you are discovering the 'state of the art' in MMJ for depression/anxiety issues
it's poorly understood, and individual responses vary widely
probably the most useful information i've found, and used in practice is the ripening time
you can cut the anxiousness of a strain by allowing it to ripen further, that you can bank on

 

[ataxia]

GROW ... what's up man! you got to this one before me .. I was about to comment on this thread about 5 minutes before you but ran out to get coffee instead ( having a slight bout of anxiety now ..) fucking coffee.
Panic, anxiety, and cannabis .... a subject that's very near and dear to my heart (that beats 200 bpm).... i need a second to get my thoughts together ....

 

[growone]

GROW ... what's up man! you got to this one before me .. I was about to comment on this thread about 5 minutes before you but ran out to get coffee instead ( having a slight bout of anxiety now ..) fucking coffee.
Panic, anxiety, and cannabis .... a subject that's very near and dear to my heart (that beats 200 bpm).... i need a second to get my thoughts together ....

what's up ataxia? hope it's not the pulse rate
just to finish the thought on how a long ripening can change things
i revegged a nl#5, but left quite a bit of bud on, this strain was a bit edgy at 11 weeks of flower
anyhow, i ended up with some bud that had been on the stalk for a good 18 weeks
hadn't planned on using it, but it was still in good shape, and it was all amber
in the vaporizer, it was like a sleeping pill
not really stoney at all, just a kind of pure sleepy feeling
not so much anxiety medicine, but just shows how the strain character can change with long ripening

 

[Brick Top]

This is a combination re-post of a question and a follow up post I posted in my introduction.


(Original):

I am a 23 year old male. I have suffered from a depressive disorder since I was 16. I have also had periodic anxiety attacks. Sometimes I get so depressed I literally can't get a single thing done all day. The panic attacks I have had in the past have made my heart rate increase to 170 - 180 beats per minute.​

The last few panic attacks I had happened after smoking marijuana. I haven't smoked since then, and it's been about 6 months now. I miss smoking, and the relaxed feeling I used to get when I first started smoking.​

Which strain or strains would be best for me?​

Follow this link to a list of medicinal strains known to help people with anxiety problems.

http://www.medicalmarijuanastrains.com/tag/anti-anxiety/

 

[Mynamehere]

if you gettin panic attacks from weed, start off slow, a hit or 2. relax. been there. believe me. (i was like 11 but i got over it lol.) and sativas brighten up my day pretty good. and now im depression/anxiety free thanks to cannabis. And about any strain takes away my anxeity, yess indica dominants probobly work better for others but thc and im anxeity free. lol, peace

 

[cowell]

I just finished up a strawberry cough grow for this reason.. I also have bubba kush, but didn't know it was thought of as an anxiety crusher... will check out how I feel when I smoke some (haven't gotten into it much yet) later and report for ya.

other than just my person input, you have a few good lists already... I was only going to suggest strawberry cough, cause it's the only one I knew about when I ordered last.

 

[ataxia]

what's up ataxia? hope it's not the pulse rate
just to finish the thought on how a long ripening can change things
i revegged a nl#5, but left quite a bit of bud on, this strain was a bit edgy at 11 weeks of flower
anyhow, i ended up with some bud that had been on the stalk for a good 18 weeks
hadn't planned on using it, but it was still in good shape, and it was all amber
in the vaporizer, it was like a sleeping pill
not really stoney at all, just a kind of pure sleepy feeling
not so much anxiety medicine, but just shows how the strain character can change with long ripening

no i was just kidding about my bpm .... I'm ALWAYS anxious ... I didn't want to go on and on like i did in a similar thread ... But i agree with all the advice above ... There's so many questions that would need to be answered to give him a strain or advice. He's worried about his bpm... so i'd say a sativa would be out of the question. I'd also suggest that he not concentrate on his heart rate when or after he gets high .... anyone who has panic/anxiety disorder knows that the more you focus on something wrong and negative thinking the more you'll notice negative differences. also it seems like his anxiety has always been there with or without the ganja. sure the cannabis probably helps it poke it's ugly head out but it's not the drug that's causing it. Anxiety IMO is self induced,
don't get me wrong ..... I can't control my anxiety, but if i hone on trying to slow down my BPM, my breathing, my state of mind, negative thinking, what if feelings .etc .... it doesn't take much to let the tension go. But it does take time and concentration.
fuck there i went ... I was trying to keep my mouth shut but i get worked up when the subject is brought up. I feel like i've suffered from anxiety/panic disorder for so long that i've become an expert on it... having said that I still can't conquer it.
on that note .... PERFECT ADVICE Grow! gotta let those trichs turn amber to get rid of that speedy onset. While i don't agree that it works all the time, in my case the kick in the head couchlock induces anxiety sometimes for me, it's the only way to calm your smoke down..letting them trichs get amber.
and GREAT FUCKING POST Bricktop. I can't wait to start checking those strains out. It just sucks that everyone is a case to case basis so you have to do the legwork to find out what works for you.....
reps all around

 

[growone]

on that note .... PERFECT ADVICE Grow! gotta let those trichs turn amber to get rid of that speedy onset. While i don't agree that it works all the time, in my case the kick in the head couchlock induces anxiety sometimes for me, it's the only way to calm your smoke down..letting them trichs get amber.

i'll second your thought on some indica's becoming 'too indica' with a long ripening
haven't encountered that yet, but have seen a number of reports
mostly keying on the range of effects from different maturities
a staggered harvest where you harvest buds over a period of time can give the wide range of effects that a strain is capable of

 

[Brick Top]

PERFECT ADVICE Grow! gotta let those trichs turn amber to get rid of that speedy onset. While i don't agree that it works all the time, in my case the kick in the head couchlock induces anxiety sometimes for me, it's the only way to calm your smoke down..letting them trichs get amber.

For many strains you don't need amber trichomes for things to be cool and the gang. Lots of time what gives people the heebie jeebies is the strain they are smoking has not only THC but also THCV and that is what makes them a rocket-sled ride that can be too much for some people.

A good amount of THCV in a strain will put someone on the moon far faster than Neil Armstrong and his crew ever imagined the moon could be reached when they blasted off for it back in 69.

 

[ataxia]

For many strains you don't need amber trichomes for things to be cool and the gang. Lots of time what gives people the heebie jeebies is the strain they are smoking has not only THC but also THCV and that is what makes them a rocket-sled ride that can be too much for some people.

A good amount of THCV in a strain will put someone on the moon far faster than Neil Armstrong and his crew ever imagined the moon could be reached when they blasted off for it back in 69.

I agree with you on that .. however ... I just finished up a 90 percent indica dominant strain with mostly cloudy/clear trichs and it was like a fucking rocketship.. for me at least.
palpitations, strong speedy onset. Although alot of the phenos from the Cream Carmel from Sweet Seeds varied. some people had more sativa dominant other indica. I actually have a mother i'm growing out right now that's short internodes and squat but the leaves are very narrow like a sativa. I'm not sure what my point in this was .... other than i guess it varies from strain to strain, and breeders.

 

[josefontes]

i suffer from anxiety/ptsd - big bang is my favorite medicine so far - also like purple strains that are 85/15 indica/sativa hybrid for during the day (big bang can be a little heavy in the A.M.)

 

[Ganjactivist]

@Jose: Do you get rapid heartbeat with the 85/15? I'm also curious to know if you have tried any blueberry strains, and if so were they good for your anxiety?

Side Note: I'm sure I can speak for almost everyone who is pro medical marijuana when I say... Why the hell can't our federal governement just legalize it as a medicine? If there were sufficient research labs and enough strains available to run tests on, those who need it could go to a dispensary or compassion club and find the exact strain that would work for them. Just imagine if every single state in the country had that. One place where they evaluate your medical needs, distribute ID cards, cultivate and provide medical marijuana to those who need it.


Idealy the jars containing the cannabis would be labeled accordingly.

Something Like:

Name: BC Bud Blueberry
Genotype: 80% Indica / 20% Sativa
THC: 13%
CBD: 1.5%
Cerebral Effects: Relaxed mind, creative, talkative, mildly sleepy. Etc...
Physical Effects: Mild muscle relaxation, joint pain relief. Etc...
Recommended Use: To relieve negative symptoms of Anxiety, Depression, PTSD, Insomnia, Nausea. Etc...

(The above is purely an example, and in no way represents the actual effects or chemical potency of the strain described.)

However, I think it would be extremely awesome to someday soon see dispensaries all over america doing this. We would know what's in it, what it does to you, and how it can help you.

 

[Brick Top]

I agree with you on that .. however ... I just finished up a 90 percent indica dominant strain with mostly cloudy/clear trichs and it was like a fucking rocketship.. for me at least.
palpitations, strong speedy onset. Although alot of the phenos from the Cream Carmel from Sweet Seeds varied. some people had more sativa dominant other indica. I actually have a mother i'm growing out right now that's short internodes and squat but the leaves are very narrow like a sativa. I'm not sure what my point in this was .... other than i guess it varies from strain to strain, and breeders.

Sometimes it is not the herb that is really responsible for palpitations and paranoia, though it can be the trigger ... which might sound rather contradictory.

After several decades of smoking the most potent THCV rich landrace sativas ever and many pure heavy indicas and any numbers of crosses without any appreciable speeding up of my heart rate, virtually every strain I smoked made my heart race like mad. Once I ended up in an emergency room with a 237 beat a minute heart rate.

In my case I was born with tachycardia and for some reason when younger no type of herb would trigger it but when I aged they would all trigger it. I was prescribed a medication to regulate my heart beat and ever since I have been able to smoke virtually anything without any appreciable increase in my heart rate, just like when I was young.

That has made me wonder how many others might also have tachycardia and it is triggered by herb, but not knowing they have tachycardia they blame it all on the herb, and especially on clear or cloudy trichomes.

Amber trichomes will be more relaxing, to a point anyway since you cannot turn a pure or highly predominant sativa with a clear soaring head high into a heavy couch-lock indica body stone just by waiting for amber trichomes to develop and you cannot turn a heavy couch-lock body stone indica into a clear soaring head high sativa by harvesting when the trichomes are cloudy or even when clear. You can only fine tune what the strains genetics naturally make it.

But a more relaxing body stone might to a degree overcome a physical condition, but only if it is not as severe or as advanced as mine eventually became.

That is why I believe in some cases some strains that are too racy for some but very enjoyable too others might be because of an unknown physical condition that can be set off with what would under normal conditions for most people only be a slight increase in heart rate.

Once your heart begins to beat fast enough fear sets in and the adrenaline begins to pump and then people can freak, and it doesn't necessarily all have to come from the herb that was smoked. It might only be the little push that set off a condition that exists in the person every single day, 24 hours a day, but only needs that little push or a light trigger pull to set off an existing physical problem.

I'm living proof of that being possible.

 

[JayTrinity]

Hay im having a panic attack right now,
I have some Blue dream that just cured,
When I got my recommendation the DR. said your a mess and you should try weed but if that does not work I should also try pharmaceuticals because my blood pressure is getting effected by OCD and panic disorder.

I wont take Dr. Drugs because the gastro issues.

 

[Tw3nti3ight]

Hey Ganja! Welcome to RIU

Sounds like the best strain for you would be a Sativa hybrid. Subcool has some very good genetics, so take a look around (here's a sample: http://tgagenetics.com/strain/pandora/pandora.php)

As for the panic and anxiety after smoking, I think this has a lot to do with your setting. If an occasional user smokes in a uncomfortable setting, this could trigger some anxiety or paranoia. Whereas if they were smoking with friends watching a movie at home, they would rarely get a panic attack.

Shit, it's happened to me. Before I was legal a few years ago, I would blaze in my truck before work. One day I'm just finishing up a bowl and a cop car drives slowly behind me. I started to freak out and roll my windows up to stop letting smoke out and my heart was beating so fast. Anyway, moral of the story is to always place yourself in a chill setting when you smoke. This will alleviate hopefully some of your problems.

Have to agree, the setting and the "mind games" are a big part....Don't let that propaganda bs get to you...

My vitals are perfecto with cannabinoids... You are regulated.

 

[josefontes]

hey ganja - no i don't notice a significant increased heartbeat with the 85/15 - and now that i look at the numbers, i guess what i've been using during the day is a 87.5/12.5 (close enough). my heart rate definitely increases a little bit every time i smoke but it doesn't get to the point of being uncomfortable or worrisome.

here's my favorite daytime strain:
http://www.cannabis-seeds-bank.co.uk/dutch-passion-shaman-feminized/prod_264.html

As for the blueberry strains i've only tried blue cheese - loved it, but found it to be a little strong for a busy day.

Hope this helps brutha. Keep up the good fight - Arizona finally joined the 14 glorious states today!!! it's only a matter of time, its like Gandhi said: justice, like a ripe apple will fall in time [pretty sure i butchered that but it was something like that]