YOU ARE NOT ALONE - A companion online community discussion board for The Mental Illness Happy Hour podcast with Paul Gilmartin

Has anyone ever had an adverse reaction to Marijuana while taking medications? I have had multiple occasions where I have felt faint after smoking a little weed. It hasn't happened all the time, but recently I completely fainted after taking three hits. There were other factors involved, as in I had taken a 9 mile long hike that morning in high mountain elevations, and perhaps I was slightly dehydrated, and under nourished. I had drank 2 light beers too. It was very scary though. It was a double fainting spell with the second time being out 2 to 4 minutes.

I'm not sure it was entirely the pot. I play full-court basketball once a week and am in pretty good physical shape. A few weeks before my fainting spell, I was starting the first game of the night and I had a dizzy spell that lasted about 5 seconds. I went on to play the rest of the night with no problems.

I'm going to the doctor and getting checked out. So far, I'm A-O-K. A few more test upcoming including an MRI on my head and an ultra sound on my neck, and an echo-cardiogram. They took some blood (haven't heard the results yet. They also did an EKG, and that turned out fine too. I had thought that my episode was a seizure, but the doctor said it wasn't. He said it was just that my blood pressure was low, and when I stood up, all the blood left my head. I will say, I think the pot is one of the factors though because over the past 15 years, I've gotten dizzy two other times after getting high. I don't smoke it that often at all (a couple times a year). I think I'm not going to do it any more at all (but I do enjoy it from time to time, I'm just scared now).

Anyone else have similar experiences?

Well I take a lot of meds, and as a result I only have to look at some weed to get stoned, lol. If I smoke I go light, use a filter in the ciggie to block some of the THC, just enough to get a little of that God's warmth the plant can give you but not enough to knock the meds or knock me around. It's hard because when you take meds you're supposed to live like a Priest, no booze, no drugs, etc. Yeah right. I'm only human!

Although, I'm not half as physically fit as you Sir/Ma'am!

Meds aside, I do find a little toke helps me to come on here and really express myself, puts me in touch easier with my inner self and actual feelings. It's just too easy to have that little bit too much and end up lying around drooling and doing nothing. But I think if you're finding that you're not enjoying the smoke, and it sounds like maybe it is some kind of reaction to your meds, maybe coupled with the fact that you've used up your energy (in a positive way), I think you'll probably find that you just pass it up anyway, that you don't need it at all. Someone will offer and you'll realize, actually, you're not interested in it anymore. Maybe. Maybe not. Who knows?

Thanks for the response Scratch. BTW, I'm a sir. Yea, I can live without it easily, but sometimes I get the craving for it. I like the way in smells in its raw form. My intuition tells me that it is more than just a reaction to my meds, but I definitely think on that day, all the factors were right for a bad reaction. If I were to smoke it again, I think I would be worried and maybe anxious that I would pass out again. Sometimes, our anxiety can be strong enough to trigger what we fear, or at least exacerbate a small physical reaction into a more serious one. I am definitely going to avoid it, which is not difficult for me to do, but if I am around someone who is smoking, I might want to take a hit or two.

I can get very anxious and paranoid on weed. I mostly like it for the 85% of the time, where it makes my brain blissfully silent for the first time in ages. I can just sit and be silly and not worry about what people think so it's like a mini-vacation. But that other 15% of the time, I can get very worried that I'm going to get caught, I start picking and pulling my hair more and more. It's especially bad if there's nothing to do. Like if I have my computer I can play something for HOURS and just feel good. But if there's nothing to do, like it's just sit down and smoke time...woo...hell no.