Marijuana Withdrawal Basics

Irritability and broken sleep after you cut cannabis can be withdrawal. Tell a clinician. Do not also stop alcohol or a benzodiazepine alone.

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Key takeaway

You cut back on cannabis and now you cannot sleep, you are irritable, and you are wondering whether to start again. That pattern can be withdrawal, including for people without a cannabis use disorder. Tell a clinician if sleep, mood, or appetite got much worse. Do not also stop alcohol or a benzodiazepine on your own.

Last updated: Mon Oct 05 2026 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

You cut cannabis back, or you stopped, and now you are irritable, you cannot sleep, and restarting feels like the only way through the night. That discomfort can be withdrawal. It is not proof that you have to start again.

If vomiting will not stop, breathing is difficult, chest pain starts, or someone will not wake, call 911. If the mood includes thoughts of suicide, call or text 988.

Tonight, tell a clinician if sleep, mood, or appetite got markedly worse after a sharp cut. Do not also stop alcohol or a benzodiazepine on your own.

What showed up after the cut

NIDA's cannabis page says withdrawal can follow a stop or a sharp decrease in heavy or long-term use, even when the person does not have cannabis use disorder. One study it cites estimated withdrawal in 12.1 percent of people who use cannabis frequently. That estimate is not a forecast for your week. The symptoms that drive people back are irritability, broken sleep, unsettling dreams, low appetite, and low mood. Anger and restlessness are on the same list. A missing item does not mean the discomfort is imaginary.

The current NIDA page does not print a peak day or a two-week rule. Do not borrow a calendar from an old article. If a friend offers a day-count, treat it as a rumor until a clinician says otherwise. Read cannabis treatment for the disorder, the therapies, and potency. Withdrawal is one feature clinicians can use in that assessment. It is not the whole diagnosis.

There is no FDA-approved medication for cannabis use disorder or for medically assisted withdrawal. Research is ongoing. Do not start a dispensary product, a CBD oil, or someone else's prescription because the label sounds calming. Some products sold as CBD have been found to contain THC. Delta-8 THC products are not FDA-approved for safe use, and large amounts have led to emergencies, including trouble breathing.

Alcohol and benzodiazepines are a different emergency

NIAAA says a sudden stop after prolonged heavy drinking can be life-threatening, with symptoms that can include seizures. Doctors can prescribe medicine to make alcohol withdrawal safer, which is a reason to ask before you quit both at once. The FDA says stopping a benzodiazepine too fast can cause seizures. Read alcohol withdrawal and benzodiazepine withdrawal before you quit either one unsupervised. A pill kept for sleep is not a cannabis remedy.

Cannabis may also interact with warfarin, opioids, and benzodiazepines. Tell the prescriber before you change either the cannabis or the prescribed drug. Do not stop methadone, buprenorphine, or any other prescribed medicine because you are quitting cannabis. Opioid withdrawal follows a different clock. So does a stimulant crash. Symptoms that outlast the usual acute window come from a different SAMHSA document than this list.

Sleep is the night people restart

Insomnia is why the second or third night feels unbearable. Sleep in early recovery explains why a benzodiazepine or a drink is a poor fix for many people with a substance use history. A drink to knock yourself out is not withdrawal care. If anger on this list becomes a threat of violence, that is an emergency. If the person is a teenager, read teens and young adults before you assume an adult rule applies. Once a clinician has heard every substance, use detox versus ongoing treatment and home versus medical withdrawal to ask about the level of care.

Search FindTreatment.gov for a program that will assess cannabis withdrawal and whatever else you use. Call or text (800) 653-9376 if you want help looking.

Additional Resources

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Common Questions

Can I have cannabis withdrawal if I was never diagnosed?

Yes. NIDA says withdrawal can follow a stop or a sharp cut in heavy or long-term use, even without cannabis use disorder. One study it cites estimated withdrawal in 12.1 percent of frequent users. A percentage from one study is not a prediction for you. Tell a clinician if the symptoms are severe.

What does NIDA put on the symptom list?

Anger, irritability, aggression, feeling nervous or anxious, restlessness, lower appetite or weight, depression, insomnia, strange or unsettling dreams, headaches, sweating, abdominal pain, and tremor. NIDA does not say every person gets every item. The current research page also does not print a day-by-day calendar. Do not borrow a timetable from a friend.

Is there a medicine that treats cannabis withdrawal?

Not an FDA-approved one. NIDA says there are currently no FDA-approved medications for cannabis use disorder or for medically assisted withdrawal. Research is ongoing. Behavioral treatment is described on the cannabis treatment page. A product sold as a withdrawal cure is not that evidence.

How common is cannabis use disorder?

NIDA says studies have estimated that 22 percent to 30 percent of people who use cannabis have the disorder, and that how often someone uses is the strongest predictor. The disorder is a pattern of two or more symptoms in 12 months. Withdrawal is one of those symptoms. Withdrawal by itself is not the whole diagnosis.

Should I restart cannabis so I can sleep?

Insomnia and unsettling dreams are on NIDA's withdrawal list. Depression is on it too. If the mood includes thoughts of suicide, call or text 988. If vomiting will not stop, breathing is hard, or someone will not wake, call 911. A drink or someone else's pill is not a sleep plan.