If You Stop Using Cannabis Will You Get Withdrawal Symptoms?

Sometimes, patients decide to take a break from using medical cannabis. There are a lot of different reasons, but one of the most common ones is to address concerns about building an increasing tolerance to cannabis.

People are often surprised to learn that you can build a tolerance to cannabis. But just as with any other controlled substance, such as tobacco products or alcohol, the body can become accustomed to a substance. When that happens, the results that you used to get from the substance decline, and you may start consuming more (or a stronger potency) to get the same effects.

Anything you can build a tolerance for has the potential to cause changes within your body when you stop consuming it. The same holds true for cannabis withdrawal, and most people do experience mild to moderate symptoms when they stop using it.

If you quit cannabis ‘cold turkey’ or start to taper off your use of cannabis or lower the potency of products you use, there can be withdrawal symptoms. How severe those symptoms are, however, depends on a number of different factors, including length of use, volume of THC used, and frequency (daily or weekly) that you use it.

How Quickly Can You Build a Tolerance to Cannabis?

When patients begin to notice an increased tolerance for cannabis, many people decide to either take a break or significantly step down the potency and frequency of use. But as the body becomes used to functioning on THC, you may experience cannabis withdrawal symptoms.

Like other controlled substances, there is no hard or set rule established to determine how long it takes someone to build a tolerance to cannabis. What the health community does know is that it is common to build a tolerance over time, where you may need to consume higher potency cannabis to get the same wellness benefits, such as temporary pain relief.

There are four main factors that determine how quickly you may develop a tolerance to cannabis:

1. Frequency of Use

Patients who use medical cannabis may not need to consume it on a daily basis. There are many patients who take it only “as needed,” which may be 1-3 times per week. Other patients with moderate to severe symptoms may feel that they need to use it daily for relief.

If you are someone who uses medical cannabis on a daily basis, your body may build a tolerance to cannabis at faster rates than someone who uses it infrequently. In fact, you may start to build tolerance after a week of using medical cannabis on a daily basis.

2. Potency and Dosage

One common mistake patients make once they get their medical cannabis card is to aim for the highest potency products. This is understandable if you are experiencing significant discomfort; you want the pain or symptom to improve so that you feel better.

Many health studies now suggest that higher concentrations of cannabis, particularly cannabis concentrates like wax, shatter, and budda, can be harmful to human health if they are consumed regularly. Concentrates have the highest level of THC and the greatest potential to amplify the rate at which your body builds a tolerance to medical cannabis.

3. Medical Cannabis Intake Method

Technically, all forms of cannabis can lead to building THC tolerance over time. However, smoking cannabis or vaping may accelerate the process. The reason is that, unlike other intake methods, such as tinctures, edibles, or capsules, you cannot precisely measure the amount of smoke or vape you inhale.

When you smoke or vape cannabis, you begin to feel the psychoactive and physiological effects of THC in under five minutes, and it can last up to three hours on average. While impaired by cannabis, you may be tempted to smoke again. In this way, you can end up getting more THC than you actually need to manage your symptoms.

A mix of different minor cannabinoids available in medical cannabis strains can be more effective than simply reaching for the highest potency product you can buy. Lower-THC strains with CBD are perfect for patients who want to manage symptoms without excessive levels of impairment.

Can You Effectively Reduce Your THC Tolerance Level?

Because tolerance to THC is progressive, some people choose to start using lower-potency medical cannabis. Just as regular use of high-potency or concentrated cannabis can build a tolerance, reducing the potency you consume can help you combat the problem.

Whether they stop entirely for a long period of time or “take a break” for a period of time, when you stop consuming THC, you begin to reset your tolerance level. After thirty days, the average person has purged most, if not all, of the tetrahydrocannabinol in their system. However, habitual users may find they miss the pain relief, relaxation, and other wellness benefits of using cannabis.

If cannabis cessation isn’t an option for you, start by keeping a journal of the strains, potency, times, and days of the week that you are using medical marijuana. Discuss it with your cannabis healthcare provider to determine how to address increasing THC tolerance and suggestions on lower potencies you can try.

What is Cannabis Use Disorder (CUD)?

When patients begin to notice an increased tolerance for cannabis, many people decide to either take a break or significantly step down the potency and frequency of use. But as the body becomes used to functioning on THC, you may experience cannabis withdrawal symptoms.

Patients may use cannabis successfully as part of a doctor-supervised treatment plan to moderate symptoms of epilepsy, anxiety or depression, chronic pain, insomnia, and more. But there are signs when someone has become chemically dependent on cannabis.

What Are the Signs of CUD?

One of the easiest ways to tell if you, or someone you love, has developed a cannabis use disorder is to observe how you feel if you go 1-2 days without it. If the withdrawal symptoms are severe, you may have developed a use disorder.

However, there are many other signs from individuals who may have developed marijuana addiction. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the following are signs that someone may have cannabis use disorder:

• Using more marijuana than intended.
• Trying but failing to quit using marijuana.
• Spending a lot of time using marijuana.
• Craving marijuana.
• Using marijuana even though it causes problems at home, school, or work.
• Continuing to use marijuana despite social or relationship problems.
• Giving up important activities with friends and family in favor of using marijuana.
• Using marijuana in high-risk situations, such as while driving a car.
• Continuing to use marijuana despite physical or psychological problems.
• Needing to use more marijuana to get the same high.
• Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when stopping marijuana use.

The prevalence of cannabis withdrawal is one of the most reliable indicators that there may be a use disorder. The problem is that patients may increase the quantity and potency of the medical marijuana they use because physical or psychological symptoms are worsening and becoming more difficult for the individual to treat.

Cannabis Dependence and Co-Occurring Disorders

Some people experience minimal to no withdrawal symptoms when they stop consuming medical cannabis. However, others can experience uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms. There is not a lot of research available for cannabis cessation and withdrawal symptoms, but using multiple substances can make THC withdrawal worse, according to some studies.

Your chances of developing a cannabis use disorder are higher if you already struggle with another controlled substance, such as tobacco or alcohol dependence. Much of the increased risk is psychological; habits developed, for example, to cope with stress.

However, some studies suggest that dependence on multiple substances can increase tolerance levels for any drug. The symptoms of withdrawal can be much more difficult to cope with if you are quitting all substances at the same time.

Common Symptoms of Withdrawal After Cannabis Cessation

Many people wonder what they will experience if they go from consuming cannabis regularly to reducing their intake or completely stopping cannabis use. How severe can the withdrawal symptoms become?

There is no hard and fast rule to measure the level of withdrawal symptoms you may experience. For example, if you have been using cannabis for a long time but have always chosen low-THC products, you may not notice any changes.

However, if you are at the level of regular or dependent use and you consume highly concentrated cannabis, you can anticipate more intense withdrawal symptoms. Those withdrawal symptoms may also appear more quickly if you use medical cannabis more heavily.

Physical Symptoms of Cannabis Withdrawal

There are two categories of symptoms of withdrawal: physical and psychological. Physical symptoms are often the first that we notice, as it represents a change in how we feel. Psychological withdrawal symptoms can be attributed to other things, such as a stressful day or a normal problem with insomnia.

Here are some of the physiological symptoms that you may experience if you stop using medical cannabis:

Abdominal Pain

When you stop consuming cannabis, the endocannabinoid system in the body knows within about twelve hours, as THC levels begin to drop. The endocannabinoid system regulates virtually everything in the human body, including digestive or gastrointestinal processes.

Cannabinoids or the absence of THC can increase inflammation in the body. One of the first places you will feel a change in inflammation levels is the stomach. You may experience mild to moderate stomach pain, gas, bloating, constipation, or diarrhea. Depending on how much cannabis you were accustomed to taking (and the potency of it), you may experience these symptoms for 1-4 weeks after you stop all THC intake.

Headaches

Did you know that cannabinoids affect vasodilation and blood flow in the body? Cannabis may temporarily increase your heart rate and blood pressure after intake, but overall, if may help reduce hypertension (high blood pressure).

When you stop consuming THC abruptly, this can change the blood flow regulation, increase pressure, and lead to headaches. Cannabis may also provide relief from anxiety, but once stopped, stress levels may increase, causing tension headaches.

Decreased Appetite and Nausea

Unlike wanting to eat everything in the fridge when you are high, the absence of THC can cause nausea, stomach upset, and a decreased appetite. The CB1 receptors in the brain help moderate and regulate appetite. As you know, some strains can stimulate appetite, but if you are not consuming THC, you may find yourself feeling less hungry.

Cannabis can cause dehydration, and this is common among patients who do not drink the minimum required fluids daily. Dehydration can also decrease the desire to eat and contribute to acidity in the digestive tract and nausea.

Muscle Aches

Marijuana withdrawal symptoms can cause muscle pains. It is not the THC that is causing the muscle pain, however, but the lack of THC changes your body’s pain perception. When you are using cannabis for pain relief, it can effectively “turn down the volume” of pain you feel because the endocannabinoid system is also responsible for pain messaging through your nervous system.

Medical cannabis does not make the pain go away, but the chemical engagement between THC and other cannabinoids with the human endocannabinoid system makes us feel that pain at a lower level of intensity. Sometimes, we can’t feel the pain at all until the effects wear off.

Previous injuries or joint or muscle pains may return to full levels of intensity once you are no longer using medical cannabis. This is also one reliable sign that THC levels in your body are falling naturally during your “cannabis break” and helping you reset your tolerance levels.

Psychological Symptoms of Withdrawal

Medical cannabis can help improve the quality of life for patients diagnosed with chronic pain, epilepsy, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, joint pain, and much more. We feel more like ourselves when we get a bit of a break from symptoms that are hard to manage every day.

But when you are no longer using cannabis, you can experience some psychological withdrawal symptoms that can impact your mood.

Irritability

Remember those cannabinoid receptors in the human brain? The CB1 receptors also control stress response and how we react to tense or hectic situations. Cannabinoid receptors can fluctuate with the messages they send neurotransmitters.

Serotonin and dopamine are neurotransmitters, and they are the human “happy hormones” that regulate our mood. Any fluctuations in these two neurotransmitters and mood are affected. If your body has become used to regulating mood with the assistance of THC, in its absence, you may find you feel more irritable.

Restlessness or Symptoms of Nervousness

What do you do with your hands? Or after you eat dinner, clean up, and head to the couch to watch TV? The habit that we create of relaxing or unwinding with cannabis can be challenging to reprogram.

Tobacco users, for example, find withdrawal symptoms after eating to be the hardest to manage, not because of the need for nicotine but because it was a comfortable habit and part of their day. Patients using cannabis also have habitual patterns regarding daily use.

For many people, medical cannabis provides help with symptoms of anxiety. When THC is no longer available to moderate those anxiety symptoms, they can reemerge, leaving you fidgeting, and feeling restless and nervous.

Sleep Disturbances

Some studies suggest that people who “quit cold turkey” experience higher levels of sleep disturbances compared to individuals who taper the potency and quantity of intake over a period of time. Basically, the body gets used to using THC and other cannabinoids efficiently to help you relax.

Patients who use more sedative medical cannabis products, such as Indica dominant strains, may find sleep disturbance to be challenging. You have to teach your body and brain how to achieve the same relaxation (physical and emotional) that you experienced with cannabis.

It can take some time to reset your circadian rhythm when you don’t have THC helping you get to sleep. For most patients who use cannabis, the sleep/wake cycle is strongly impacted by THC, terpenes, and minor cannabinoids.

Then, there is something called REM rebound. Some studies have suggested that after cessation, there can be a rebound where your brain may stimulate more REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. That sounds good if you like having vivid dreams. The problem is that the dreams can be so vivid with extended REM that you end up tossing and turning all night.

What is the Best Way to Reduce Your Cannabis Tolerance?

If you have been using cannabis for a long time to help with symptoms or health conditions, it is important that you talk to a cannabis healthcare provider before you “quit cold turkey.” This is particularly true if you are taking prescription medications.

Cannabis can impact the way prescription drugs work in your body. Over time, some people see their prescription drug types or doses change as a result of using medical cannabis regularly. Some people may experience uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms combined with side effects.

Most physicians recommend a “step down” plan. That is slowly reducing the quantity and potency of the cannabis you use monthly. This will help improve problems with building a tolerance to cannabis and also potentially reduce the severity of withdrawal symptoms.