panic attacks + marijuana

29, female, 5’3 around 240 lbs.

hi y’all. i’ve had struggles with mental health in various severities through my life since i was a preteen. in the past year, though, it’s been at its worst. in that time ive started smoking weed, at first every once in awhile and then daily. usually just a joint, maybe two when i get home from work. days off i’ll have one anywhere from 10am-12pm, and another before bed.

a couple months ago, i went to a doctor who put me on effexor (goal was to help with migraines, OCD, anxiety and depression), which was the first time i’d taken an SSRI. i took it for less than a week, and it was a really rough few days. but one day i got home from work, smoked a joint, and after about an hour or so i felt like i was going to pass out all of a sudden. then my heart started racing, i felt like i couldn’t breathe, my face tingled and my fingers went cold. i was fully convinced i was having a heart attack. went to the hospital and everything. every test was fine, but my potassium was low. they gave me some, gave me something else to calm me down, sent me home. it took me a couple of weeks to feel like i fully recovered from it.

saturday, i had the exact same kind of episode. no hospital this time because i felt really silly afterwards last time. but since i kept myself at home, this time i noticed if i stopped pacing around my house, i REALLY felt like i was going to pass out. it finally stopped after over 45mins when i started dunking my face in ice water.

i understand this is probably just a panic attack. i tried to get an earlier appointment with my doctor but i can’t see her until next month. im just wondering if this is anything else that i should maybe be worried about? could this just be from smoking? it’s only happened these two times. i’ve had anxiety attacks before in the past but they were minor. whatever these are, panic attacks or no, they’re terrifying.

sorry if any of this isn’t clear or isn’t allowed. i’m happy to answer any questions just looking for some sort of mental relief because it’s been really hard to sleep, any little jitter or anything my body does while settling makes me think it’s happening again.