You had good reasons to stop using weed. So now that you’re no longer using it at all, why do you feel more depressed than before?
Effects of Discontinuing Cannabis Use
Using cannabis or marijuana long-term can lead to changes in your brain and your experience of emotions. These changes can make you more likely to struggle with depression.
After quitting or cutting down on marijuana use, it is common to experience changes in how you feel. You might feel sad, unmotivated, irritable, or hopeless. These changes can be difficult, and it is often tempting to resume using cannabis to deal with them. This article will help you understand both the short-term withdrawal symptoms (like trouble sleeping, anxiety, irritability) and potential longer-term challenges, including depression, after quitting marijuana. It will also describe strategies to navigate these changes.
Short-Term Cannabis Withdrawal Symptoms
When you first stop using marijuana, it’s common to experience withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms can begin 24-48 hours after you stop using cannabis products, and usually peak within 2-6 days. However, the withdrawal symptoms can actually last for up to three weeks – especially if you’ve been using marijuana heavily. The severity and duration of these symptoms can vary based on your health, frequency of marijuana use, and the amount you typically used.
During this period, symptoms can include:
- Feeling down, hopeless, or irritable
- Changes in appetite, weight, or sleep patterns
- Feeling fatigued or lacking energy
- Headaches or physical discomfort
- Cravings for marijuana
Depression After Quitting
In addition to short-term withdrawal symptoms, many people experience ongoing emotional changes after quitting marijuana. These may include symptoms such as:
- Depression: Persistent sadness or feelings of hopelessness
- Anxiety: Ongoing feelings of worry, fear, or nervousness that may feel more intense than before quitting
- Stress management issues: Difficulty handling daily stressors
- Mood swings: Emotional ups and downs that can feel unpredictable and difficult to manage
- Self-esteem challenges: Struggling with feelings of guilt, shame, or lack of confidence as your body and mind readjust.
While withdrawal symptoms tend to fade after a few weeks, the longer-term impact of quitting marijuana can be more complex. In the weeks and months after quitting cannabis use, your brain and body are adjusting, and the absence of marijuana can bring feelings of depression to the surface. For some, this period can also expose issues related to mood and coping strategies that marijuana was covering up.
These longer-term issues might require some ongoing support or treatment.
Why you might feel depressed after quitting
Marijuana affects the brain’s chemistry, particularly the parts responsible for regulating mood and pleasure. Over time, regular use can change how your brain produces and responds to feel-good chemicals like dopamine. Research has found that long-term use of marijuana can blunt the system responsible for dopamine. When you stop using marijuana, your brain needs time to adjust and begin functioning normally again.
Because your baseline level of mood regulation was changed by marijuana, returning to your natural state can come with temporary physical and emotional changes as your system rebalances.
How to navigate depression after quitting cannabis use
Feeling down after quitting marijuana can be discouraging, but it’s important to remember that these symptoms are often temporary. Your body and brain are adjusting after long-term marijuana use, and this period of low mood is part of the process of returning to a balanced state.
Working with a therapist can help you better identify and understand what is going on and how to move forward. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), in particular, can be a helpful tool for identifying and shifting negative thought patterns that may show up when you’re feeling depressed. A mental health professional can also help guide you toward healthy coping strategies as your brain heals.
Antidepressant medication can also be helpful to manage physical symptoms. Unfortunately, there are currently no FDA-approved medications for depression after quitting marijuana specifically. However, there is good reason to believe that for many people, antidepressants can be effective for depression that happens after quitting marijuana use.
Summary
Quitting marijuana after long-term use can lead to noticeable shifts in mood and brain chemistry, sometimes triggering symptoms of depression. This experience can be difficult. However, these changes are often temporary and reflect your brain’s natural process of rebalancing. Understanding what’s happening and getting the right support can make this transition easier.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy can help you challenge unhelpful thought patterns and build healthier ways to cope now that marijuana is no longer part of your routine. Although quitting can be challenging, many people find that, over time, it leads to clearer thinking, improved emotional regulation, and more sustainable ways to manage stress. With time, support, and the right tools, things can get better. And you don’t have to go through it alone.
