any thoughts on this fear? is it rational?

[johnevans7929]

hi im new to this site. all my anxety started about 3 months ago now. i was hanging out with one of my friends and i got talked into smoking something called k2 (i found out later its like leaves with chemicals sprayed on that make you high) which i hadnt heard of until then (stupid mistake i know, i was scared to try it for the beginning and said no at first but then i just told myself just do it, be a normal teen and stop worrying so much about it) and the high was fine.
it was my first time doing drugs, im 18, so i was kinda scared at first but i didnt od or anything.
then that night i went home and started looking up a bunch of stuff and i was so scared because its kinda new and people have like ended up in the hospital because of it and stuff and i was freaking out and i kept thinking my brain was gonna swell or i was going to have a stroke or something. i even wrote out a little note ti my family telling them i loved them and stuff in case i died in my sleep. and since then ive been having like a ton of symptoms. i felt numbness or tingling sometimes, but that mostly went away, mostly now im feeling just headaches, (weird ones where they kinda only hurt when i move or when i turn my head fast) my vision feels kinda off sometimes, i feel disconnected sometimes, and sometimes i get a throat tightening.
i finally told my parents a few weeks ago and i went to the doctor twice and both times he just said he doubted smoking it one time would affect me. but im reall REALLY scared its not just my stress or anxiety and i actually did damage my brain.
im seeing a therapist too and lst week she told me she was thinking about putting me on medication cause im not over it yet. its just my biggest biggest fear that i actually damaged my brain with that stupid stuid mistake. ive been really emotional since then. and i get really depressed sometimes just that i feel like i ruined my life.
i finally talked my mom into getting an MRI so imma do that next week. but its just my biggest fear that its not anxiety and im not gonna feel 100% better again.... sorry this is so long too thanks to any troopers who made it through the whole thing
jonny

[debs71]

Hi Jonny and welcome,

It seems that this has been a pretty steep learning curve for you in terms of the drug thing, so I won't start lecturing you about doing drugs, the impact they can have, etc! I really feel your worry over all of this.

Ok....so firstly what I would say is that you must try to bear in mind one logical thing, and that is has been a fair while since you smoked the drug, and so far, apart from the worries you have, you are still alive and kicking and no real adverse effects have been noted.

My impression overall is that that experience scared you to death, and what you are experiencing now - and all of your symptoms - are more to do with the anxiety it has created, and is nothing to do with the drug.

If it was a one off thing the likelihood that you have any lasting effects/damage are slim to none. Drugs DO have lasting effects, but in the main it is habitual, long term users that experience them.

All of your symptoms at the moment - the vision problems, the numbness/tingling, headaches, tightening throat and that disconnected feeling are very common with anxiety. I for one have had them all, as I am sure many other anxiety sufferers here have too!

I would be totally surprised if your MRI showed any lasting damage hon.

I think you have just been overwhelmed with worry about it all and this is causing you a lot of stress and anxiety. It is good news that you are seeing a therapist as getting all of your concerns out into the open really helps lighten the load for you. There are some very helpful meds for anxiety which will help you, should you need them if things don't lighten up for you soon.

Please try not to worry. From what you describe I would bet that things will be 100% fine for you.

xxxxx:hugs::yesyes:

[djvtech]

This is what happened to me, except with weed. Was using it medicinally, but one night I had more than I expected and so then I panicked. After that is when I started getting anxiety and had dissociated feelings sometimes and became afraid of any kind of drug, herb, or medication. It was bad, to the point where I started fearing food and stuff.

All free of that now, without using medication because I was afraid of it. I don't know how medication is going to help you, you need psychological help. I doubt K2 did any damage, it's just a blend of herbs. Listen to debs - anxiety symptoms.

PM if you want, I know exactly what you're going through.

[johnevans7929]

@debs thanks a lot that made me feel a lot better and im like praying every night that its all just anxiety. yea the counseler is helping a lot but idk sometimes i just get really scared it did damage me somehow.
@djvtech yea i know exactly what you ment for like the first few weeks after i smoked it i was even scared to take iberofurn because i was like sure it was going to give me a stroke or something. and at the time it made total sense to me. imma pm you
im just really hoping at this point i eventually start to feel better again :)

[Anxious_gal]

Aw you poor thing :( I only ever have into peer pressure once , I smoked some stuff that turns out it actually does nothing , it's more of a myth / placebo effect.
But still I understand it can be hard saying no .
There's nothing cool about drugs , you've no idea how your brain will react.
There's been lots of people here who developed anxiety or panic attacks due to trying drugs.
You are stuck in a typical anxiety cycle , it's not the drugs it's your fear .
You need to realize your ok . You did no damage. The drug is well out of your system.
The anxiety is self inflicted due to your thinking process , so try and change the way you think. You are being irrational and your imagination is causing the anxiety.
All these fears you have are just thoughts they won't come true x

Glad to hear you are getting some therapy :)
You will be ok just trust that things will work out.

[ronski]

Jonny you are suffering the effects of nervous tension, in other words your experience with smoking the drugs has sent your mind into a flat spin. In some respects your body has done you a big favour in that you will not do it again and that you will be so glad of.
The effects of the drugs with smoking are more likely very transient so the chances of damage as your doctor stated is very very minimal. I don't think for a minute an MRI scan is warranted but if it puts your mind at rest then it's worth the money.
Life is all about learning, this experience has given you a lot more than any lectures would from your peers so now put it to one side and get on with your life and enjoy.
If you had gone home and not looked up the effects of the drug you would not be going through this trauma so that sounds as though you just panicked with the experiences of others. You learnt a valuable lesson my friend, be grateful and now forget it.

[HretchenGillet]

It seems that this has been a pretty steep learning curve for you in terms of the drug thing
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[johnevans7929]

yea i keep on wondering how much more different these last 3 months would have been if i hadnt smoked that stuff, or at least not read about it and just gone to bed. it was the first weekend of my freshman year going to college too so kinda a rocky start, thanks a lot though guys! sometimes its just hard to tell myself its all in my head ya know?