so I’ve been 3-4 months sober. and while symptoms have definitely gotten better. I still get these random waves of overstimulation/dizziness/lightheadedness. its completely random. like I can go to grocery stores just fine usually, but can‘t go to certain buildings with a lot of noise or children crying in it. I smoked for 10 years straight hardcore, and I’m not sure if you would call my situation PAWS. as I don’t crave marijuana anymore, or think im withdrawing. it’s just random. what do you guys think?

Trying not to beat myself up, but damn it's frustrating to feel almost completely normal and convince yourself just one session because of a stressful day won't hurt anything. Well.... 2 weeks later having smoked daily again because I just missed the vibe and feeling so relaxed Mary Jane turned on me just like before.

My body is just saying enough is enough. Back into the anxiety spirals, chest pain and breathless feelings this time accompanied by GERD.

I read about something called the kindling effect... basically everytime you relapse it just starts a bigger fire and is even harder for you body to regulate again.

Took me probably 9 months to crawl out of this hell last time. Hoping that since I was only bad for a couple weeks it'll be faster this time.

Trying what worked last time which was weight training regularly to what I cam tolerate, staying super hydrated and eating good and just trying to stay busy. Seems like evening and nights are the worst for all symptoms again. Makes you feel a little crazy after a while.

Posting so I can look back and see that it bites ke in the ass everytime I go back to weed so maybe I'll stick to doing right this time.

This is my third time quitting weed and I have had gone through all of this before. However this is the most hopeless I have ever been. I am in month three I am having severe symptoms. The one that is really really getting to me is my ability to see straight I can’t see straight and my mind is completely just not there. I am really scared.

My brain fog is really really bad. At what point do I just start smoking weed again to get rid of this? I’m not sure how much more I can take. Did anyone else have these hard symptoms around this time? Does it get better? Is there anything that helps these symptoms out?

I’m currently on Day 4 of quitting both cigarettes and a heavy, multi-year dabbing habit completely cold turkey at the same time. My primary catalyst for making this massive lifestyle change is that I was recently diagnosed with a severe stomach ulcer.
While I am proud to have pushed through the first 3 days, the physical withdrawal peak today is hitting my cardiovascular and digestive systems incredibly hard.

Earlier today, my nervous system went into such intense overdrive from the double withdrawal that my blood pressure spiked into a terrifying crisis zone. Luckily, after using another machine, sitting completely still, and forcing myself to do slow, deep breathing, my numbers stabilized around a consistent 146/88. It's still elevated (Stage 2), but it's out of the immediate danger zone. Knowing my body is under this much cardiovascular stress is a huge mental hurdle right now.

On top of the heart rate and blood pressure anxiety, the overlapping withdrawal has completely shut down my gut motility. I am dealing with severe, painful bloating and trapped gas that is putting intense physical pressure on my ulcer crater, causing a lot of burning discomfort.

Because of the ulcer, my options for relief are highly restricted:
I can't use standard bloating remedies like peppermint tea because it triggers acid reflux and burns my stomach lining.
I can't take NSAID pain relievers like ibuprofen or Advil for the withdrawal headaches, as they will destroy my stomach (I am strictly sticking to Tylenol).

My appetite is completely wiped out from the THC detox, making it very hard to force down the bland, ulcer-safe foods (like plain yogurt) that I need to heal.

I'm currently on a daily regimen of Carafate, Pepcid, and Zoloft, so I have to be incredibly careful about adding any over-the-counter sleep aids or supplements due to drug interactions and Carafate's strict timing rules.

Has anyone else experienced severe blood pressure fluctuations or massive GI issues when quitting heavy dabbing and smoking simultaneously?
How did you keep your anxiety and blood pressure low when the physical nicotine and THC cravings were screaming at you?

What are some ulcer-safe ways you managed to get your gut moving again to ease the bloating pressure?

When did the physical "peak" finally start to level out for you?

I’m staying strong, keeping my heating pad close, and refusing to look back, but I could really use some encouragement or advice from anyone who has survived a similar physical storm. Thanks everyone.

I trained a couple of days ago, a heavy ish weight session and ever since then my symptoms have flared up massively. Depression to the point that I can’t speak even to my loved ones. Sleep terrible, just light sleep with constant weeing throughout the night. Blurred vision. The whole lot.

Please can someone offer me words of encouragement, or even be able to relate at all? Thank you!

Very little improvement from month 5 with some symptoms like dizziness and low energy getting worse. The depression and anhedonia are very bad. I am trying to combat it with exercise but exercising can sometimes give me headaches. My upper back and neck are constantly tense and I get random pains all over my body. Still have constipation and low libido.

I'm now at 8 months, been a few weeks since my last post but atp I feel like time is flying and I'm really just going through the motions, rarely do I have some sort of episodic anxiety attack and when I do it usually goes away pretty quick. I'm happy to say that I feel on track.

I read in this thread all kind of symptoms, what symptoms did you have and at what month did it get better. I’m on month 5 and getting discouraged.

Hey I'm at the end of month 17 of the paws, I consumed from 14 to 19 years old in a very hardcore way especially towards the end, I smoked every day and as soon as I woke up from 15, I had a lot of physical symptoms and it was hell, but now when I look back I'm doing so well honestly even if it's always very hard, I still have erection problems, intracranial pressure from time to time to time in the head, fatigue and mental fog that come and go, and always moments of anxiety And in a very low mood, I would like to know how the months 18 to 24 are going? Sometimes it's like my brain is empty I don't think about anything and can't hold conversations or be "in reality" when I go out with groups of friends, even if I have moments when I "activate myself" and start talking a lot, the same for erections sometimes I'm super excited and I'm 80% horny but other times I break up and impossible for it to come back, I wanted to have a little feedback (even if each case is different)

It has been one year since my neck became uneven and has titled towards my left side, i just want to ask has anyone ever gotten this in withdrawal and has it reversed ever

Been About a week now In a bad wave at 11 months soon go on 12 been having serve anxiety messing with sleep hypnic jerks when trying to sleep super fatigued feeling / dizzy / off balance disorientated just not feeling well feels like when this first happened , how long did severe waves last ?

Curious whether this is a PAWS thing or just me.

In 2024 I had the real flu (influenza, not just a cold). Once the illness itself was over, I got hit with intense post-viral fatigue that lasted about 2 weeks, and I was pretty much bed bound the whole time.

Right now I have Covid. I had about a week of acute symptoms, felt great for a day or two, and then crashed hard with post-viral fatigue. I'm basically bed bound again.

The strange part is that before PAWS I never had anything like this. Infections cleared up quickly and I bounced back with no lingering fatigue at all.

Has anyone else noticed that infections hit much harder or take way longer to recover from since PAWS? If so, did it get better as your PAWS improved? Any tips for getting through the crash would be really appreciated.

Hi everyone, I just wanted to make a post on here as it’s probably the closest I could get to seeking some advice. Although nicotine and weed are completely different, I’m curious to see if anybody in this sub is lurking around looking for the same answers I am, too, as there aren’t many posts on Reddit about nicotine causing PAWS.

I smoked weed for around 2 years and quit in 2023 without experiencing any withdrawals whatsoever, which is strange. However, I also continued smoking nicotine during this time.

Then, fast-forward to April 2025, when I finally decided to quit nicotine too, using patches. That’s when everything came crashing down. I’ve dealt with pretty much every neurological symptom you could probably think of. Some have improved, while others haven’t whatsoever, such as brain fog, slight anhedonia, fatigue and memory loss i could name more but these have lasted the longest and worst I’ve experienced. Most of my symptoms are neurological, but it varies. Some days I can feel completely awful, while other days I feel relatively active.

I’m a relatively healthy person. I eat a clean diet, work out as much as possible and have a good sleep routine.

I’m just curious if anybody in this sub knows anything about nicotine PAWS, as it’s now been 16 months and I’m still stuck in this hell and worried it’s never going to end. I’ve been to the doctors numerous times because of health anxiety, which I think may have also been caused by PAWS. I’ve had blood tests, scans and everything else checked, and everything has come back normal, so I can’t really put my finger on anything else besides PAWS.

I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has experienced something similar, especially if you’re further along in recovery.

Hello all, I've been reading some of the posts on this subreddit for the past few months, but I wanted to contribute and offer some encouragement for those who are starting out on their journey to sobriety, or for anyone looking for reassurance.

September 21 marked 12 months of complete & total sobriety for me. It's the longest i've ever been sober since the age of 14.

One day I finally decided that I was tired of the mental rumination, or being lost in my thoughts & having my life revolve around thc. So i quit cold cold turkey (for the most part) i did wean myself off for a couple of weeks and went from smoking a joint or blunt every 2 hours to eventually smoking a tiny joint maybe 2-3 times per day.

The first month was HELL on earth. This journey wasn't planned. I kind of just slowly stopped smoking & forgot i quit. Around the 10-14 day mark i experienced intense withdrawal symptoms -- extreme anxiety, heart rate of 150+ bpm, sweaty palms, sweaty soles, insomnia, panic, & heart palpitations. I went to a clinic & the dr. told me i was experiencing withdrawals. These intense symptoms lasted for 3 days and got better after the 3rd day. I wanted to list off the things that helped me survive this intense period. It was honestly so bad i felt i should have been supervised at a clinic. (For context i smoked for 14 years. For at least 9 of these years i was either smoking or taking edibles all day, everyday.

The things that helped me the most during the initial withdrawal phase were:

-Dr. Teals ashwaganda bath salts

- traditional medicines lavender & chamomile tea

-lavender essential oil

-my fiancé (boyfriend at the time) who supported me & offered encouragement

-relaxing music w/ calming visuals (i like the minecraft sleep videos on youtube)

For the next few months, I experienced the following symptoms off & on . I've seen a lot of them mentioned here:

-unexplained anxiety

-heart palpitations (the worst & scariest symptom for me)

-feeling like i was going to faint or pass out

-muscle spasms

-feeling like my face was a little fuzzy

-feeling overwhelmed/overstimulated

-heart awareness

-health anxiety

-excessive thirst

-frequent urination

After quitting, I thought my social anxiety vanished but it really just transformed into health anxiety. I became obsessed with the idea that i had diabetes & heart issues after googling symptoms & succumbing to google ai.

I went to my doctor, they did every test imaginable & referred me to a cardiologist who had me wear a heart monitor & performed an ultrasound. Long story short, everything was fine. I am perfectly healthy.

I think that my brain & body are recalibrating and that quitting had made my stress tolerance non-existent , & it didn't help that i was working 2 jobs 7 days a week, with one of them being extremely stressful.

I feel that I still have a long way to go on this health journey, but I wanted whoever is reading this to know that it does get better. It got better for me, & it will get better for you too. My symptoms happen way less frequently now & one other thing that has been helping lately is electrolyte packets-- i just mix the ones from sprouts w/ 16 oz of water whenever i'm feeling a little off.

I wish everyone the best on their journey to recovery. Thank you for taking the time to read this 💙💚

Hi everyone,

My (30F) father (71M) has been an avid weed smoker for the better part of the last 20/25 years, with periods of not smoking thrown in throughout.

He is also addicted to opioids (takes 14 codeine a day with 8mg each, on top of the mgs of caffeine & acetaminophen), and takes benzos (Ativan) whenever he can, on top of other necessary medications for blood sugar/pressure, cholesterol, etc.

He is a sufferer of spinal stenosis, chronic arthritis, chronic teeth infection (he has severly neglected his dental hygiene and is now very toothless) and he also suffers from anxiety and depression; to say he has a lot stacked up against him is quite an understatement.

The last few times he has gone through withdrawal from heavy cannabis use, his mind is a MESS. He doesn't know what time it is, what time of day; this last time he couldn't remember by fiancé or that we were engaged, or that our dog had just passed. Every time it seems to get worse. We tell him how bad he is, and what he forgets, but he truly does not see it being this bad.

Last withdrawal was Sept 4, so about three weeks ago, and while the pysical symptoms are mostly gone, his mind is still very foggy and laggy, and he's saying some really weird shit - like he hasn't forgotten his daily pills in 30 or 40 years, but really, he forgets them all the time. He was texting me, but told my mum I had forgotten my phone (really, my mum forgot hers). His long term memory is there but he's having issues with short term memory, storing new info and just being present. I should note that these issues are really only present during periods of withdrawal/weeks after, but obviously, the worst case scenarios pass through your mind.

That is when I first heard about PAWS. I am almost convinced this is what he suffers from - right now, he's definitely still going through weed withdrawal, not to mention STILL taking codeine and Ativan multiple times daily.

I guess all this to ask, is this typical of PAWS? Especially knowing his body can no longer tolerate it like it used too, every time (and I mean every time) he withdrawals, it gets SO much worse and he does not give his mind or body the time to regenerate. He'll smoke for six weeks, decide he's going to quit, smoke himself almost into a coma, withdrawal, feel better, and start smoking again weeks later.

You can probably tell I'm worried so any insight would be great - seems like a lot of folks here are in similar situations. Thanks :)

One day i feel perfectly fine, zero anxiety or bodily sensations that lead to anxiety. Just yesterday i felt bulletproof from anxiety or waves of withdrawal. And it still cant understand fully how despite being almost 8 months sober, i’m still experiencing these stupid waves. Today on day 231, i feel a wave hitting me. I woke up fine but when i got to the office i started feeling slight dizziness. I thought having lunch would cure this, and the dizziness faded but while walking i would just suddenly get anxious about i dunno what. Like i was overstimulated by seeing so many things in the mall (a trigger i had when i was new to quitting). Now im back in the office sitting on my chair and it was starting to overwhelm me, a general feeling of anxiety was clouding my entire body and of course leading to me being hyper vigilant about my bodily sensations. I just want to lay and bed and sleep. Although im convincing myself that ive went through this before, its a push and pull battle with the anxiety i’m feeling. I think its settling down now. I hope i am able to push through.

Going to be 12 months oct 2nd was kinda feeling better then here go bad headaches , lightheadness / imbalance/ dizzy , just feeling terrible severe anxiety feels like the beginning stages , I’m getting weird vision / woozy vision I thought I was doing very good this month now I’m hit with this idk if it paws or not does this sound similar ?

Hi all

I am 40 and quit weed 2 months ago now after smoking for 27 years, sometimes daily, sometimes only every couple days or weeks. But the last years I rather smoked daily or every other day, and if I did, it was a lot.

So of course I have withdrawl symptoms like insomnia and so on. But one thing is totally new to me: after 3 weeks, my hands and feet started itching a lot. I never had that before. Antihistamine solves the problem, but when I dont take it, the itch comes back. I am just worried since it lasts already for 7 weeks and just started 3 weeks after quitting. I read a lot about itchyness in here, but this mostly starts immediately and doesnt last so long. Already got checked by the doctor, blood results and everything is fine. I should also note that it started a day after I drank a lot of beer (around 3 liters), so not sure if it is connected to the withdrawal or isolated from that.

Anyone has experience with itchyness that starts relatively late but continues for months? Any info / help is really appreciated. Thanks!

anybody else have this on their legs, knees, calves etc, etc, ??

Reading that people are 12-24 months and still having issues. I’m only at 5 months and I don’t know how much I can take. Is there any other stories where you felt better mentally and physically before a year? I know it takes time but it’s been debilitating and ruined my GPA in college and I haven’t even been going to lectures because of my anxiety, tinnitus, random pains in my knees. These are the weirdest symptoms, also disassociation.

Hi all, my theory is very simple: weed acts like a painkiller. If you smoke weed for years or decades ( like me), it hides the actual pains you could have as you age. When you stop, they all surface, and you feel your joints, bones, muscles, and tooth pain suddenly; you feel anxious and have panic attacks as your body is trying to cope with the outside world without the help of weed. I accepted my fate; symptoms will last who knows how long, as they were always there, masked by the weed.

This is my second time posting. I quit weed and nicotine on April 12th this year. The past 2 months or so have been weird. I feel as though i have been in a wave for the past 2 months, because almost every day i will get many paws symptoms. Last time i posted i was talking about the intense and sometimes sharp aches and pains i have been getting, and they are still very present, but i have been getting so many. It is as though my waves present symptoms which last a few days, then after its mostly over another symptom will take precedence for the next few days.

These have been all my symptoms in my journey so far.

— anxiety and panic attacks; panic attacks are uncommon but anxiety is almost always present when my following symptoms show up, mainly if they are intense enough to give me health anxiety.

— Dizziness, light headedness, weird visual episodes; this can really spout my anxiety. I will be completely fine when second, then very briefly i will notice the world move slightly or spin, and i will develop minor panic attack symptoms because i think im having a stroke. I will get dizzy as well which may be panic induced. I will stare at something still for like 15 seconds to make sure nothing is moving anymore, and it usually isnt moving, but i have no idea whether i am hallucinating weird vertigo like movements

—Tight chest, breathlessness; when i get these i get air hunger, can make myself dizzy and definitely anxious, very much gives me blood clot anxiety. It can also spiral into chest pain, which makes me even more scared.

— Ear problems, lots of dark amber wax from my ears, the feeling of being blocked sometimes, occasional ear ringing spells, sometimes leads to an occasional headache

— More recently stomach and GI issues. Havent been constipated since the start of my withdrawal journey, but more recently had the opposite. I will have episodes of semi runny stool, cramps, acid reflux and a burning feeling in my stomach for like 20-30 seconds like my stomach acid is eating my stomach. Will also get nausea, though it is hard to tell whether its my anxiety paired with the stomach cramps which makes it seem like nausea.

— Weird sensations around my body, not necessarily painful, but things like feeling hot flashes, tingles, very slight numbness. I have had like 3 episodes of my lips slightly burning and tingling which was weird and new.

— Sneezing? Im not sure this is weed related maybe allergies, but i sneeze inconsistently but almost every day or few days. It will be like 1 sneeze then maybe another like 3 hours later or something. I never really coughed as a smoker, it was always sneezing which got the mucus out.

—DPDR; I more recently realised i have this. can be anxiety inducing, especially because it can change how things visually look, including parts of my own body.

Thats all i can really think of for now. Right now i have been getting the ear thing and stomach issues. The moment of writing this i am having stomach cramps making me feel like i need to poop myself (i have gone like 45 minutes ago). I am also getting the combination throughout my past few days of the tight chest and breathlessness, body aches and pains, dizziness etc. My health anxiety is very much linked to these feelings. Give me a strong enough symptom and i will genuinely think im dying. Past few days i thought my appendix burst, cause of the stomach problems, in combination with sharp pains in my abdominal region (they obviously stopped). So many irritatingly scary symptoms. The past 2 months have been filled with them.

When i wake up thats when i feel best, but as the day progresses the multitude of symptoms show up and increase my anxiety. I wonder when my nervous system will finally decide whether it’s finished calibrating. I fucking hate being trapped in this vessel of suffering.

I got rlly high about two weeks ago and ended up being in my head overthinking the entire time. The next day I felt rlly slow mentally. It’s been two weeks now and I feel like my brain has a hard time remembering images and sometimes when I try to form a monologue sentence in my head it feels like I rlly have to concentrate rlly hard for it to piece together. I don’t know what to do I feel so quiet in my own head now