I googled this on a whim and now feel like I have a new avenue to search. I initially didn't even consider that the problem could be from weed itself, and am still skeptical this is the case. I strongly believe the pot is just highlighting another condition or illness but, at this point, it's pretty much impossible to rule out anything.
I first experienced this sensation roughly 9 months ago after literally smoking more than half of my life. I first smoked pot at 12 years old, I will turn 30 this year. In that time the longest "break" I took was a month spent in Italy smoking hash because flowers are basically non-existent there. I hadn't even experienced anything remotely "bad" from any drug experimentation in my life prior, and I've done enough LSD/shrooms/mescaline/peyote to get a small country tripping. So, no, it is not because I got "too high" or had an anxiety attack.
The first symptomatic experience caused quite a bit of alarm and, since my family has a history of heart disease, I decided a trip to the ER was in order. Specifically, the fact that it was my left arm and leg that were symptomatic suggested heart trouble as a high probability. When I arrived my vital signs were normal, heart rate and BP were slightly elevated but, to quote the ER Doctor "No one shows up to the ER totally calm without being on some serious medication." EKG and blood work all came back normal so they said I may have just had low electrolyte levels and to buy a Gatorade on the way home. I woke the next day symptom free and continued smoking as usual.
This past Thursday, the 7th, I smoked at around 11pm and spent the next two hours veg'd out playing video games(Barkley, Shut up and Jam: Gaiden FTMFW) and having a great time. Then, very gradually, I started to feel light headed, followed by nausea and finally by the return of the tingling. Since previous experience had suggested electrolytes as a factor, I drank a Smart Water and made myself zucchini for some added quick potassium. The symptoms prevailed for roughly 4 hours(5am, for those counting) with me being unable to fall asleep. Again, when I woke in the morning I felt absolutely fine and shrugged it off as dehydration. Friday, Saturday and most of Sunday were normal days. Sunday, as usual, I played disc golf and smoked a ridiculous amount of weed with several friends as we played. This is par for the course. Things were fine until, again, several hours after a bong hit late Sunday evening. Before you go AHA! and claim my bong as the culprit, let me say that I clean it religiously every single day with only warm water and rock salt. Bowl, downstem, full beaker. Everything. It is also my main smoking device. The symptoms again lasted several hours and I was finally able to sleep around 4am.
Now this is where I get truly concerned. We are a full 120 hours since the last time I used marijuana in any form and, though diminishing, the symptoms have not subsided. Every time I think they have gone away they simply return, suddenly, within a couple of hours. After waking Monday and still feeling the same way, I went to the doctor for a full blood workup including thyroid and other metabolic tests which all came back normal. My cholesterol is low, platelets and red blood cells are all well within normal ranges... fifty different tests and nothing the doctor deemed abnormal. That provided some comfort, but the problems persist. My first thought was poor diet, so I have been watching what I eat more closely(I already eat fairly healthfully simply because I enjoy cooking and eating good food) but have seen no improvement. I started taking a raw food multivitamin, already drink water or fruit juices almost exclusively etc. I would not consider myself "athletic" but I'm no couch potato, either.
Then my friend texts me saying he just got sent home from work for puking at his desk today. I ask how long he's been feeling ill and he says since Friday, the last time he came over and we got high together. If he had just said he had the stomach flu or something, I would never think it was related. He then starts telling me how it's "weird because I've had tingling in my left arm and leg all week" and that the symptoms will come and go in intervals of several hours. I then text my other friends I smoked with earlier in the week to see if any of them are sick, without mentioning specific symptoms, and the one I recently picked up a stash with says "Ya, I've been nauseous and had weird tingling feelings all week. Fucking weird. Why, what's up?" To further complicate matters, the herb I smoked Thursday evening is different from the herb I smoked Sunday evening. Different grower, different strain, in fact one is organic indoor soil grow and the other indoor hydro with unknown nutrients. The herb smoked during the day Sunday was probably 10 different strains from various places. Always the best SoCal(and, realistically, the world) has to offer, though.
After talking to my family about these issues, my brother calls me up and says he had the same thing happen about two weeks ago. I haven't seen him in over a month and we get our weed from completely different places. His initial experience was sudden and strange, but also went away after several hours. A few days later, he experienced severe nausea and tingling that lasted over a week. His doctor visits provided no insight and he wrote it off as a "weird bug."
So, ya. Here I am. Sorry for the lengthy post, I try to be thorough and consider as many possibilities as I can. I don't necessarily expect to glean much more useful information from this but, as it seems this thread has brought many a worried stoner from Google, maybe it can help someone else in the future... Even if just to prove to themselves, and others, that they aren't crazy.
Someone earlier mentioned Nitrate toxicity as a possible culprit. With the abundance of hydro based grows and the money driven MMJ market pushing growers to new extremes, I find this scenario a distinct possibility. Though the vast majority of herb I smoke has been flushed beautifully, not ALL of it is perfect. I will be sending a hair sample for testing of heavy metals, pesticides and other toxins and report back with the results.
Also, for the person who posted a list of anxiety symptoms and wrote off every single individual experience as a "head trip:" That list contains signs of any number of serious conditions including Hepatitis B, cirrhosis of the liver, hypoglycemia, diabetes, poor thyroid function, etc. and it is far more likely that the symptoms are inducing anxiety as opposed to being a result of anxiety. So, for others reading, don't be so quick to write these feelings off. Follow up with a healthcare professional over taking the word of an anonymous internet know-it-all.
I should also note that, though other drugs and alcohol were a big part of my youth, I have not taken a recreational drug aside from marijuana in over 7 years and I do not drink often or in large quantities any longer. I watch my sugar intake carefully, avoiding soda and other sweets, and was never a fan of coffee or energy drinks etc. I have no reason to have developed carpel tunnel syndrome, nor any occupational or continued exposure to chemicals that I am aware of.
