Cannabis-friendly Mental Health Programs

[CarolKing]

I stay away from alcohol. It makes my anxiety worse and it's not good for my arthritis. If you are having difficulty with sleep, try some melatonin, like 5 mg. I'm working on some Grape Ape in my Nano right now. It's a nice Indica for sleep.

It's hard talking to a complete stranger regarding your problems. It really takes the right person that you feel comfortable and safe with. With the first session you will know if you mesh with that person. There's not a one size fits all in mental health therapy. Good luck with all that you are going through.

 

[biohacker]

I agree with staying away from alcohol.. that shit is toxic. In my opinion, Alcohol should only be used to carry medicine

I agree. And beer too!

If you need a little caffeine, the content in green tea is much less than coffee. beyond 75mg of caffeine you start getting the jitters and 1 cup of coffee far exceeds that, 2-3x recommended dose of caffeine, and thats just 8oz... tiny cup

I definitely don't "need" caffeine, and with all my testing/experimenting/biohacking I have determined that even a small amount of caffeine in green tea will affect my sleep as i'm extremely sensitive. My Psychiatrist (legalized drug pusher) explained to me when I asked why some people aren't affected by caffeine and can drink coffee right before bed. He said that even though they think they sleep ok, it definitely negatively affects their sleep architecture. Same with alcohol, THC, and anything else that is apparently "mood altering". My psychologist said the same thing, but she explained it better by indicating that it was habituation/tolerance that was the major issue.

You mention sleep trouble, I want to strongly suggest Valerian Root extract, tea, pill, etc. if you are having trouble sleeping.

I've actually tried everything over the past decade (stressful job, shiftwork) and now it has affected my bread & butter. This includes herbs, teas, tinctures, etc. If I don't have cannabis in my system, nothing will work, not even the strongest sleeping pills (Sublinox...lucky to get a few hours). However, since recently I was having issues again even using cannabis, I did try a good organic herbal tea will all that stuff, passionflower, skullcup, lavendar, chamomile, hops, etc. and actually think it does work! I just need to be careful because too close to bed and it will cause me to get up to use the bathroom and if it's too warm it will cause night sweats.

You also mentioned inflammation, I highly suggest you use Chamomile tea

For some reason this herb destroys my guts! But the inflammation i'm referring to is that toxic build up of (I think) Glymphatic fluid? Actually I think the newly discovered glymphatic system actually clears this metabolic waste built up by "sleep pressure". It's just that feeling of you know, not sleeping.... that makes your brain feel like absolute shit. Well, I get that pretty much all the time, and especially after not sleeping all night on shift. So if I vape, that feeling completely disappears! And then I can function, although I think the cannabis is just masking the pain and probably gives me a false sense that i'm able to do things that I probably shouldn't until achieving sufficient rest.

I'm going to ask my Tx more about the habituation and tolerance as you mention, if it is something to concern myself with or not.

The only reason i'm concerning myself with it is because I haven't been able to sleep without weed in a decade. This means no vacations, or going anywhere that requires sleep in a bed other than my own. I feel like i'm sometimes a prisoner to the plant, but at the same time require it medicinally. Pros and cons I suppose, catch 22. I also think it's a good idea to do detox's and cleanse and reset the cannabinoid system from time to time to prevent further receptor down regulation.

If you are having difficulty with sleep, try some melatonin, like 5 mg. I'm working on some Grape Ape in my Nano right now. It's a nice Indica for sleep.

Thanks for the tip, tried from 1mg up to 20mg (think I was nearly suicidal at that point) with no success. I've recently purchased a bottle (it's been 6 or 7 years since I tried last) and am going to try 1mg again and see what's up.

It's amazing all the different experiences you can get with different therapists. It's actually sad. Some say one thing, the others say the complete opposite, but as mentioned above, it's all about finding one with good rapport so you can help eachother. In the end, in my eyes, regardless of who...in my experience, even the psychologists are just looking at $. She says she's giving me "treatment" every week, but it's been months and I feel like I haven't even been treated. But she supports me, and that's the important thing.

It's my opinion if a psych wants to stop you from using cannabis, they are not fit to be practicing!

WELL SAID!!

 

[phooka]

Wouldn't it be crazy if the ability of
this plant to get us so high was actually its survival mechanism? Using humans to reproduce, similar to flowers that mimic certain types of insects, birds and even monkeys, to spread their pollen and reproduce. I accepted a long time ago that I am a slave to this plant..

 

[biohacker]

OMG dude, you just blew my mind! I was watching a Planet Earth episode the other day where this fungus infects an ants brain and tells it to climb higher and then sprouts out of its head or something lol. We are definitely severely influenced by many things including gut bacteria due to the gut-brain connection, and especially things like sugar, stimulants, etc.

One thing I forgot to add is that i've been reading up alot on Jack Kruse and Wim Hof (20 Guiness records) and started the Wim Hof Method of breathing and cold thermogenesis. I'm finding that becoming cold adapted by having very cold showers is greatly improving my mental health (Anxiety, depression, focus) and helping me not vape so much! Lots of other health benefits too....maybe one day i'll climb mt. kilimanjaro barefoot in shorts lol Hey, if a 77 year old can do it....?

Or just search for Wim Hof or Jack Kruse on YouTube for lots of vids... super fascinating (for me anyway).

 

[HomeFree]

Glad you found a psychiatrist, phooka!

If that one doesn't work out you can always get a new one. I don't know that any inpatient mental health places will allow pot. Probably a heck no due to insurance at the very least.

Don't get a crush on her or anything though.

I hope you get the relief you need phooka!

 

[little maggie]

I don't think it needs to be an either/or the way most feel here. Prescription medicines, especially those for anxiety, have been severely abused and overused by the medical system. At the same time, I think for some there is a place for antidepressants, pot, and therapy- especially those newer therapies that psychologists and psychiatrists tend to be less informed about.

The medical system is pretty crazy with over/underprescribing. Research on pain indicates that opiates are not a good long term treatment for chronic pain. So what are they doing where I work? There taking people who have found a stable dose of opiates that have allowed them to function in the world and taking them, rapidly, off all opiates. Unfortunately they have nothing to offer so these people are left with no opiates and no alternatives. Even if long term use of opiates isn't great I'm enraged at how pain sufferers are being treated. Since I work in Washington, when I run into something this is happening to I recommend pot.