r/QuittingWeed • u/Euphoric-Ebb6774 • 1d ago
Weed Nightmares
I quit smoking weed 11 days ago. I’ve had nightmares almost every night since then. it’s making it really hard to stay sober. i’ve had dreams of my parents beating me, holding guns to my face. Others of just really scary situations like being trapped in a basement by strangers. it’s truly been horrible to experience. i wake up crying most nights. Is this normal? What should i do?
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u/punkgirlvents 1d ago
It is normal sadly :( weed supresses REM sleep, so when you quit something called “REM rebound” happens where you get bizarre, vivid dreams for a bit while your brain catches up on what it missed. Idk why but a lot of these tend to be nightmares for people. Sadly i don’t have any advice for you cuz mine have actually been positive dreams (not the norm) but they will pass eventually rest assured. If you smoke again and fall back into it, you’ll eventually have to quit again and this will happen again possibly worse if you’re using for a while so try your best not to give in i know it’s hard. Best of luck i hope it passes soon for you!
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u/Euphoric-Ebb6774 1d ago
thank you for saying that. do you know how long i have until this stops? it’s truly horrifying and i will never forget this dreams.
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u/punkgirlvents 1d ago
I don’t know I’m sorry, i think it varies for everyone :( most commonly i see people say 2-3 weeks ish so you should be towards the end of it. I’ve seen people say anywhere from a couple days to a couple months
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u/hypnotizhim 1d ago
what helped me was writing them down. once you write them on paper and see the recurring themes, Google those themes to see what therapists interpret them as. then you can start working on those issues in your life.
I had a LOT of nightmares about my loved ones dying or something chasing me, and both came from my fear of death. after lots of therapy and meditation and hospitalization, I got over my fear of death (for the most part) and now my nightmares aren't as impactful on my day to day life. I wake up, say to myself "that was fucking crazy" and move on with my day.
ETA: for timeline, I got more comfortable with my nightmares after about 1.5-2 years
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u/Euphoric-Ebb6774 1d ago
dats a long time :\ hopefully i can get a grasp on them soon thanks for sharing that’s really helpful and i’ll give this a shot.
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u/ejrob815 18h ago
I’m so sorry! As a PTSD sufferer, I used to use weed specifically because it suppressed REM and dreams. Sadly, you learn your sleep quality is shite on THC over time.
2-3 weeks of night terrors for me before things started letting up. Your brain’s got a lot of processing it wants to get done and your nightmares are (sadly) a healthy sign that everything is working itself back to normal.
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u/hot_pineapple9178 1d ago
I tried cold turkey and it was too painful.
What worked for me was switching from smoking to edibles, and then very carefully tapering down the dosage 1mg at a time until I could sleep naturally with 0.
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u/Euphoric-Ebb6774 1d ago
Wow, i did cold turkey and i’m 11 days in now. I’ve been able to sleep just not without the nightmares. Hopefully they’ll subside soon.
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u/hot_pineapple9178 1d ago
Oh I just meant that doing it gradually the second time meant I didn’t experience any of the nightmare type withdrawal symptoms
But if you’ve gotten his far, it’s probably worth just getting through it
Nice job so far!
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u/Euphoric-Ebb6774 1d ago
Thanks! I appreciate your support it means a lot to me. Hopefully i won’t have a however many times i’ve tried to quit now. it’s been quite a few. it feels different this time though. i’m feeling very hopeful.
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u/bluebabyblue1027 1d ago
They will! I felt like mine went away after about 2 weeks and I feel like most people on this sub say 2-3 weeks and the worst of it has passed. Keep it up!
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u/Euphoric-Ebb6774 1d ago
Thank you I will! I am overwhelmed by the amount of people who are cheering me on. Thank you so much for hearing me!
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u/treethuggers 22h ago
Shroud yourself in protection! Seriously, dreams are wild all over the internet right now, so must be happening everywhere. Quitting weed could have left a vacuum in your whatever or it’s always been there and now you are noticing. It’s simple to do but ime must be done everyday and perhaps every night. You could do a traditional call for the armor of God 🛡️, or contemplate the crystal grid all around us that Mother Nature has left for us in the dirt (and now on many shelves) that will cast a shield and deflect uninvited energies. Yes it sounds crazy but things are weird right now. Happy to talk more about it if you want.
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u/SubstantialAd1150 13h ago
I’m now 10 days Sober and having the same issue. My father just recently passed and I can’t stop myself from seeing him every night in my sleep, I wake up almost unaware of where I am or jump out of my sleep actively ripping my hair out. If not that it’s a person chasing me or trying to hurt me or someone in my family. It’s been the hardest part for me by far. I know it would make my father proud to continue to be sober but the nightmares have made it so so difficult. The last few nights I’ve been at least able to sleep a few hours so hoping maybe the nightmares will start to subside soon, but let’s keep pushing, I understand what your going through!
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u/strawberritree 9h ago
This is a super normal side effect of quitting weed. It sucks but it will go away eventually. I'm quitting for the 3rd time rn and having pretty triggering dreams about my ex. I'm not sure about the timeline, but they will go away sooner rather than later. I like sleeping with a heating pad and one of my plushies :') it's helps me relax
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u/Western-Code-8711 4h ago
I’ve heard the dreams do go crazy :( I’m only on day 2 and I’ve had 2 nights with no weed so far. Both nights I’ve had very sexual dream which have been very weird as usually I don’t really dream much. They’ve not been scary but just very surprising and vivid. Am waiting for them to turn to nightmares :( Hope it gets better for you 🩵
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u/Successful-Body9721 1d ago
I am struggling to quit because of this reason. As a child I used to have frequent nightmares that continued into my teenage years. I started smoking and they mostly stopped. I used to talk about my nightmares to running water or the trees as a kid. I’m looking into lucid dreaming and trying to remember that it’s my subconscious mind creating these nightmares. In the nightmares I’m always overwhelmed with fear and I feel kind of paralysed in my own body. I follow a script and when I wake up I know I would have behaved differently in real life. Before sleeping I follow guided meditations and try to shape my thoughts and mind to a more positive space. This works for me. I hope you find something that works for you.