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5 Ways to Counteract a Negative Marijuana Experience

Bosque borroso

Table of contents

  1. Relax, Hydrate, and Stay Calm
  2. Hot Showers & Capsaicin Cream
  3. Chew Some Black Peppercorns
  4. Ingest Some Other Terpenoids
  5. Balance Things Out with Another Cannabis Product
  6. New call-to-action

Culturally, we are moving into a whole new world of MMJ. No longer is it merely flower, hash, and edibles of varying degrees of trustworthiness. Nowadays, dispensaries offer vast ranges of beautiful foodstuffs, pharmaceutical-grade tinctures, oils, and products unimaginable in the 60s and 70s.

This new wave of – admittedly confusingly regulated – products increase negative experiences. In their youth, people who may have been casual cannabis users have returned, trying out what’s out there now and having their minds blown by the leaps in average potency levels. Here are some time-honored ways to stop too-intense cannabis high from ruining what could be the start (or renewal) of a beautiful relationship.

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Relax, Hydrate, and Stay Calm

One of the most reassuring things about using cannabis alone is that you can’t overdose on it. So remember: no matter how paranoid and angsty you’re feeling, the likelihood of you dying from natural cannabis ingestion is nigh-on impossible.

One of the best ways to counteract a negative marijuana experience comes from psychology in the first instance. Thinking “this will last forever” or “when will this end?” is the wrong way to go about it, though it is an understandable train of thought if you are in significant physical or psychological distress.

Simply listening to some music (classical music is often seen as a good choice, as is), going for a long walk, and watching a movie are all helpful in keeping your mind off your paranoia. Additionally, keeping your belly full, body hydrated, and mind occupied can help prevent an already lousy experience from worsening. When the going gets tough, use your noggin!

Hot Showers & Capsaicin Cream

People who suffer from the rarely occurring Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome (CHS) take hot showers to beat the nausea, vomiting, and stomach cramps they get after using cannabis. The reason why the steam and heat seem to defeat the nausea is the same as why capsaicin cream, a topical analgesic used to provide temporary joint and muscle pain associated with arthritis, sprains, aches, pains, and bruises:

“The transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) receptor may be involved in this syndrome. Topical capsaicin is a proposed treatment for CHS; it binds TRPV1 with high specificity, impairing substance P signaling in the area postrema and nucleus tractus solitarius via overstimulation of TRPV1. This may explain its apparent antiemetic effect in this syndrome.” – Dezieck, L., et. al.

A one-off negative feeling of vomiting, nausea, and stomach cramps after consuming cannabis doesn’t necessarily mean you have CHS, but it’s worth bearing your options in mind if you feel this way. High doses of cannabigerol (CBG) and cannabidiol (CBD) may induce nausea in some, so be careful and keep your cannabinoid use balanced.

Chew Some Black Peppercorns

If you’re facing a severe paranoia attack, chewing on a few black peppercorns might help. Interestingly, black pepper contains the terpene beta-caryophyllene, also found in some cannabis strains like Super Silver Haze. There is also ongoing research on beta-caryophyllene’s anti-cancer properties. But how does it help relieve cannabis-induced paranoia?

The research article, ‘Taming THC …‘, might help us answer this question. The paper states: “Scientific evidence is presented for non-cannabinoid plant components as putative antidotes to intoxicating effects of THC that could increase its therapeutic index. Methods for investigating entourage effects in future experiments will be proposed. Phytocannabinoid and terpenoid synergy, if proven, increases the likelihood that an extensive pipeline of new therapeutic products is possible from this venerable plant.”

One section in the article describes beta-caryophyllene’s antiemetic, anti-inflammatory, gastric cytoprotective, and antimalarial properties. Much like capsaicin cream, beta-caryophyllene may “awaken the senses” and help break you out of a negative thought spiral and prevent weed-induced paranoia.

Ingest Some Other Terpenoids

Different terpenes seem capable of increasing or decreasing the intoxicating effects of THC. For example, citrus fruits are good at livening the senses thanks to their high content of alpha-limonene. Some have also said that eating mangoes can help increase the strength of low-THC strains if eaten an hour before cannabis ingestion, thanks to its beta-myrcene content. Linalool, found in lavender, may help relaxation, while alpha-pinene (one of the most abundant terpenes in nature) can help beat short-term memory problems.

Balance Things Out with Another Cannabis Product

Some consumers use a high-CBD strain or product to help “bring them down” from a too-intense THC experience. Interestingly, taking low doses of tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV) may also help block THC’s effects. Be careful, though: Taking a too-high dose of THCV is psychoactive on its own and may increase the psychoactivity of THC.

Using other cannabinoids and terpenoids to “modulate” the THC high makes sense, and learning how to do this in combination with one’s diet could prove to be hugely beneficial, healthwise.

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Hopefully, these tips knowing will help you feel at ease if you’re a beginner cannabis user. There is still plenty of science to uncover. So much of a positive cannabis experience is simple trial-and-error that it is difficult to say with certainty what will help counteract the effects of too much THC.

We do know, though, that cannabis has the potential to be one of the safest medications around, with one of the broadest therapeutic indexes to be found among all the drugs in the world. Get your medical marijuana card today and see if cannabis is the thing you’ve been looking for to beat your pain and discomfort.

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