I have recently been cutting out alcohol and cannabis from my life. I was heavily abusing both. Yesterday and today are the first days in several weeks that I have had zero alcohol or THC. Yet I feel… high. And it’s freaking me out.
Some back info: I was on Lexapro and stratera for depression and anxiety. And I’ve been off for a month. I haven’t told my psychiatrist yet. I know I know I know I know… I need to. I will. I’ve felt great off the meds. But now…
I’m sure this is all me messing up the chemistry in my body. But why do I feel high???
Hi @Jayjayjay ! Welcome to HeartSupport, it’s so great to have you here
Congratulations on cutting alcohol and cannabis out of your life! It’s a great achievement when we can put off our addictive substances and things out of our life.
What you’re feeling does sound strange and I cannot give much advice outside of contacting your doctor about it. Feeling high could be a sign of a manic episode or something else in your mental health that should be discussed with your doctor.
I can’t comment much on the medications you listed as I have been unmedicated for so long I don’t recall how going off from my meds actually even felt like. Some of your feelings of high could definitely have something to do with going off from them or it could be something else in your brain chemistry that is influencing you to feel how you feel.
If you are really worried I would book an urgent meeting with the doctor, who has been controlling your meds and have an honest talk how you feel now and how you’ve gone off from the meds and when. I know it’s scary and you might fear the consequences, but it’s vitally important for your health to get help now.
First off, congratulations on cutting out alcohol and cannabis from your life, especially if the way you were consuming was unhealthy. It’s definitely challenging to stop using something that might have been a crutch for you and in your life. Making the decision to not rely on it anymore was very strong.
Withdrawals - both from substances and medications will of course affect your body chemistry. Although we don’t provide any diagnosis nor interpret symptoms here, I would simply encourage you to reach out to your doctor and to your psychiatrist. Let them know about these recent changes so they’ll be able to inform and guide you as you need. Feeling high might be a withdrawal symptom, but it’s always good to check with your doctor first.
These are important transitions for your body, and it might take time before feeling like it’s finally getting used to it. Oftentimes, withdrawals make us feel much worse before it gets better, both physically and emotionally. Personally, when withdrawing from SSRIs, I felt types of pain I never felt before or after. It was a strange, out-of-time experience overall that made it challenging at times to push through.
You got this, friend, and make sure to get a medical appointment so you won’t walk through this transition on your own or with unanswered questions.
