Marijuana and depression and anxiety

[kellya86]

Yet again @sativasam has said it all better than I could have...

I really think you need nicotene out of your life now...

It will probably make things worse for a week but then you will get over it..

@sativasam from what I know, 5htp loweres your cannabis tolerance, something to do with resetting your receptors or something...
May be worth looking into..

I tried everything towards the end of my combustion days, to make weed exciting again...

Then I found fc...

 

[mephisto]

Great posts continue, just a warning to those of us who may be manic depressive/bipolar. 5htp can cause a wicked bout of mania/psychosis. I would go real slow in dosing <50 mg until you feel how your body responds. Between Serotonin Syndrome and 5htp induced mania, I am done with these type of trials. Don't get me wrong, I love my manic episodes, just never thought they could get MORE manic. Be safe! Don't forget our other natural friends like passionflower, lemon balm, lavender, mugwort, st. john's wort. Research and slow titration are key, IME. Much peace to all! Fuck pharma. (i know there's a Fuck thread too....)

 

[Cuthbert J Twillie]

Hey Mowgrass,
I'm new to forums too but have enjoying herb since 1970.
So with those years of experience maybe I can offer some insights.

You speak about mental health issues (being treated for depression - BTW the latest thinking is that no one under 21 should be diagnosed/treated as as bi-polar). Assuming you are under a psychiatrist's care (anti-depressants are a prescription med) have you been checked for OCD?

I've known many folks with OCD and in general they do not like/enjoy getting high. (My girl for instance - a nonsmoker - tried a brownie in JA once and got physically ill not to mention extreme anxiety). My Ex had extreme OCD (her shrink said off the charts) had some interest in herb prior to the disorder manifesting itself. After that she really lost her taste for bud.

OK maybe that doesn't apply to you.
In that case you may (as suggested above) want to try different strains and/or different sides of the coin (i.e sativas and indicas) to find which one(s) doesn't produce anxiety.

Then there is the 24/7 thing.
If you're buzzed all the time you're not really buzzed, buzzed has become normal for you/your default setting.
Variety is the spice of life and another cliche: Moderation in all things.

Good Luck to you and in general it's best to bring things out and talk about them, that's when things start getting better. I hope that is the case for you.

 

[Wizsteve]

i wanted to add you should try to avoid sativa strains or blend them well if you have a choice of meds.

 

[Mowgrassvapegrass]

Just wanted to update everyone on my status, or whoever is interested. I quit vaping Mary since the nite of my last bad anxiety attack. Went threw multiple weeks of waves of anxiety and depression, but now seem to have turned a corner and am really starting to enjoy life again. I know this site isn't all about quitting mary, but it seems to have really helped me. Who knows what the future holds tho. I really do think sum people just don't mix well over time with long term Mary use..and I think I'm one of them. Then again it could of very well been my overconsumption, not spread out enuff sessions, or strain, but I'm not gonna take any chances any time soon.

Let me know what you guys think

Lot of smart peeps on this site, glad I found it..

Love the open honesty, don't find that much in this krazy world anymore

 

[Ricardo]

Dude, it's good that you're doing what you feel is right, and starting to feel better. Many people use weed to ease anxiety but I've also known people with underlying mental issues who ran into problems through continuous high usage. Personally, I've had my share of depression - still take 30mg of Mirtzapine daily plus some bromazepam for anxiety. I'm going through some heavy midlife shit at the moment too and when I vape it doesn't all disappear but oftentimes it helps put things in perspective and I can usually feel the tension lift...
Just a thought.... I think I saw that you are trying to quit tobacco, is that right? Now that's one addictive drug! The waves of anxiety you mention remind me of when I quit smoking tobacco many years ago, as well as numbness, insomnia, disassociation from reality and all the rest.... I'm just sayin', maybe you've got a couple of things happening simultaneously. Anyway, feel better bro

 

[EverythingsHazy]

I see at least two issues here.

1. You want to be stoned 24/7. That can definitely get you into a slump after enough time.

2. The reason you feel like weed helps in the short term but hurts in the long term is because while it is a temporary mood fixer, it doesn't solve the underlying problem causing the depression/anxiety. When it wears off, you will have the same amount, if not more possibly, of depression/anxiety. If you don't learn to face and cope with your actual issues, they tend to just get worse.


Good luck, man. Depression is a bitch. All psychological issues are.

 

[biohacker]

Then again it could of very well been my overconsumption, not spread out enuff sessions, or strain, but I'm not gonna take any chances any time soon.

1. You want to be stoned 24/7. That can definitely get you into a slump after enough time.

I respect you taking a vacation from from our beloved plant, it may be just the thing that you need. However, it may be - and certainly has been in my case, overconsumption being my biggest culprit in affecting my mental health.

It's been nearly one month now, that I have not vaped in the morning, no wake n vape as my usual routine for the past couple of years, and no all-day vaping every hour or two, just to maintain a level of medication. I now still vape every single day, but it's in the later afternoon and I stop in the early evening.

All my side effects just vanished! Very MILD withdrawal effects (slight cold chills and that's it), night sweats completely GONE (first time in 2 years!), sleep is incredible, I feel amazing with so much more energy, yet i'm calm, my nervous system isn't constantly jacked like before, and my tolerance is no-existent! I'm also saving $$ as i'm down to less than 1gram/day (from 2+ grams), and just so much more happy than before.

So, i'm very happy that I don't have to quit, because vaping daily is still helping me in SO many areas of my life and health at the moment. Just another thing to consider when (if) you come back to vaping.

 

[TeeJay1952]

This is the only medicine I know of where the patient prescribes the dosage. When folks say Your Mileage May Vary it truly means different stroke for different people.

 

[max]

To me, from my own experience, and reading reports from others over a period of many years, it's clear that mj can affect different people in different ways when it comes to anxiety and depression. How much you use can be a factor as well. It shouldn't be a surprise really, since eveyone's body chemistry is somewhat different, and even common OTC drugs for cold symptoms will warn that it may cause drowsiness or irritability, which are pretty opposite effects.

 

[little maggie]

There are some very wise comments on this thread. If you feel better without using than don't use. At the same time, overcomsumption can definitely be a problem. I've had years of therapy and now rarely feel depressed or anxious. But a friend gave me a piece of cake she'd made and I ended up with intolerable anxiety. I'll never try an edible again.

 

[sativasam]

@Mowgrassvapegrass A good friend of mine quit cannabis after anxiety attacks. Just like you actually. He never looked back and neither should you. Only look forward.

 

[HomeFree]

This thread lead totally different than I thought it would. No worries though. I went through a stage like that where I thought cannabis may have been making it worse, quit for 2-4 years, and only got worse. Cannabis definitely can definitely cause anxiety with me at times though, usually for about 20 minutes max. Fortunately not for a year or two (badly). It helps me. Even if I got a whitey it usually mellows out and relieves stress after the initial rush.

I vape my happy cannabis if I am down, and relaxing ones if I am real anxious. Works better for me with the blues but there are some strains out there which obliterate any stress I have. Right now my favorite is a SAGE X Trainwreck. It is not very heady at all (even though it is categorized as a sativa - maybe it is a high CBD strain). I have been hoarding that strain for 8-9 months now as I have not seen it lately at all. I have no problem vaping some and conversing with family or friends at all.

I was hoping it would be about using cannabis to help.

I like super lemon haze and jedi kush for anxiety. Super Lemon Haze is fantastic for depression for me. Most lemony strains are. At night I like stuff like tahoe and SFV OG for anxiety, but too intoxicating for during the day unless I don't care if that person knows I used cannabis. But I get too self aware during the day to use it. Too heady.

Sorry if cannabis does not help you. Maybe an extended break is in order to find out if it is the cannabis overall. With me I kept it up hoping it would take a while to get back to normal. But twice I did 2-4 year breaks and it was definitely worse. You may want to try stuff like therapy and a healthy diet. maybe some vitamins too.

 

[Mowgrassvapegrass]

(You may want to try stuff like therapy and a healthy diet. maybe some vitaminstoo.)

Already a step ahead of ya changing diet and therapy are deffinitly helping..

I agree with everyone here man, it was deffinitly the overconsumption, the thing is I don't know how to stop from getting to that point, that's wut I mean by maybe sum ppl don't mix well with long term use. I always seem to go from only smoking at night to only smoking after work to wake and bake all day long.

Maybe after all this brain food u guys are giving me on overconsumption and strain and .2 grams a day, when I get these underlying ptsd symptoms under control I can come back to the beautiful world of Mary j and prevent myself from drowning in it. It seems like I would get to a point where I would become very irritable and depressed if I didn't use all day long. If you guys got any ideas on how to keep that at bay when/if I start up again it would be much appreciated..

U guyz (and galz?) are all fucking life savers. So glad I live in a place in time where I can pull a little rectangular thing out of my pocket and connect with ppl like me all over the world with the tips of my fingers. Otherwise I'd be left to deal with this all by myself...scary thot

 

[Kalessin]

For my part, just to add another perspective to the thread, I've been using weed to manage depression and anxiety symptoms for a few years now. At first I did have some issues with it -causing- anxiety, leading to panic attacks and me actually realizing how much anxiety I had as I'd never consciously confronted it before. I still struggle with my personal anxiety, but I haven't had a marijuana induced panic attack since I realized it was causing my physical anxiety symptoms(as this is always the way it would start for me) and I guess I was just able to work my way through it mentally. I vape about a gram a day now and if I didn't I'd be an emotional mess. No motivation to do anything, very little appetite, waves of crushing hopelessness...I'm on antidepressants now as well as it just wasn't cutting it alone, but the bud fills a crucial role in helping me maintain a minimum balance in my mind.

 

[Cardiox]

Here is my PERSONAL experience with this. I have had a lifelong battle with both things. It has been bad, but has gotten better. Honestly, my friend, marijuana did not help when I was lost and struggling. I actually have a theory. For me, when I was smoking weed a lot to dull some things, weed WAS my routine. I had to actually stop doing it for awhile. Weed will not help you gain mental strength if used the wrong way. You have to make marijuana fit into your routine. It can't be the main staple of your routine for MOST people. I had to stop doing it when it was not serving a purpose. NOW I enjoy it in moderation and it helps me excel. As far as the marijuana itself actually medicating your anxiety/ depression: it depends who you are. I notice that when I smoke (soon to be vape) , I feel awesome and have a lack of anxiety! The non psychoactive relief of my anxiety usually stays for up to a week, and then I am back to being a bit anxious. I do not think you even need to smoke every single day to get some relief! If you do too much, it will have the opposite effect entirely. There is not enough research about this, but marijuana absolutely is medicine. You can still abuse medicine! I suggest you take a break. When you have a set routine, you can try and use it moderately if you are ready.

 

[Ricardo]

These are great posts. Totally understand Kalessin's situation. Equally, Cardiox makes some very interesting observations. Luckily, weed is not physically addictive. It's an important part of all of our lives though - otherwise we wouldn't be hanging out here all the time . All things in moderation I say, and make every high a special high .

 

[Mowgrassvapegrass]

Ricardo and Cardiox hit the nail on the head. Every high should be a special high, not a routine high..imo. it always seems to get to a point where it doesn't get me high, just gets me normal, I think that's my problem. Becuz then I have to overconsume just to feel any effects. Need to get my routine down without Mary before adding her back to the equation. And hopefully becuz of all ur guys help, next time I will recognize slippage and prevent this from happening again.

Once again, when I think u guys have helped all u can, u surprize me with another piece of genius... muuuwa

That was a kiss

I will be back for more enlightenment latr!

 

[Cardiox]

Ricardo and Cardiox hit the nail on the head. Every high should be a special high, not a routine high..imo. it always seems to get to a point where it doesn't get me high, just gets me normal, I think that's my problem. Becuz then I have to overconsume just to feel any effects. Need to get my routine down without Mary before adding her back to the equation. And hopefully becuz of all ur guys help, next time I will recognize slippage and prevent this from happening again.

Once again, when I think u guys have helped all u can, u surprize me with another piece of genius... muuuwa

That was a kiss

I will be back for more enlightenment latr!

Keep your head up, man. I wish you the best and you got this!

 

[CarolKing]

Sometimes a t-break is in order when cannabis no longer medicates well enough. Start the clock over again.

I've used cannabis for many years. I received my medical certification almost 2 years ago. I used recreationally for 30 years or so and realized not only did it help for my anxiety but also for arthritis and nerve pain. Giving me the motivation to get out and stay active.

I have various strains that help to relieve anxiety and that help with pain. I started having anxiety at around 11 years old maybe even before that. Early on in my 20s I realized that cannabis helped with my anxiety that would come and go.

I have used different medications but cannabis seems to work well for me. Vaporizing and finding FC was a lifesaver, a very thoughtful community here. People that give of themselves everyday.

By all means if cannabis makes your depression and anxiety worse don't use it. It's not for everyone.

Best of luck in taming the beast.

 

[Mowgrassvapegrass]

The shitty thing is I live in illinois, probably one of the worst states in the country. They passed medical marijuana about a year ago but are very picky on who they will allow as patients. Anxiety and depression are not acceptable conditions in there lawful opinion. And dispensarys are...who knows where.

You have to have actual proof of 1 of I think like 20 disorders. The only one I think I could pull off would be rheumatoid arthritis, but I would need a doctor with x-rays to show actual proof.

So I'm stuck with the old you get what you get shit. Top grade is easy to find but knowing what strain it is and what it is best used for is a complete mystery..

I have no faith in Illinois changing anything they do becuz they wont. Our politicians are all corrupt, are last 3? Governors are facing criminal charges, just a shit tank. People are fleeing like crazy, wish I could be one of them but I have too much family to take care of here.

What would you consider a t-break?
A day?
A week?
A month?

Seems like my breaks are forced by my underlying dep/anx and last for about a year.

 

[CarolKing]

You could slowly cut back on your cannabis intake then go for 72 hours without any. That seems to help, it gives your body enough time to restart the clock. Some folks go for longer periods of time without our fav flower.

 

[Ricardo]

I'm a lightweight vaper, although I vape almost every evening - 10g lasts me 3 months . My T-Breaks are basically whenever I travel by plane - so a week or two a couple of times a year and the occasional day or two off at other times.

 

[Wizsteve]

The shitty thing is I live in illinois, probably one of the worst states in the country. They passed medical marijuana about a year ago but are very picky on who they will allow as patients. Anxiety and depression are not acceptable conditions in there lawful opinion. And dispensarys are...who knows where.

You have to have actual proof of 1 of I think like 20 disorders. The only one I think I could pull off would be rheumatoid arthritis, but I would need a doctor with x-rays to show actual proof.

So I'm stuck with the old you get what you get shit. Top grade is easy to find but knowing what strain it is and what it is best used for is a complete mystery..


What would you consider a t-break?
A day?
A week?
A month?

Seems like my breaks are forced by my underlying dep/anx and last for about a year.

I would think about moving to legal state head west my friend. Or start growing yourself this may be the easiest option for doing it legally (you be growing for a card holder) But whatever you do, you need to know what the heck your smoking lol . Until than you could tell friends you are looking for purple bud.
And only purple bud and will only buy if it's purple....
(trust me on this )

Make sure your prepared you will need to do some shopping first on the list will be sleeping pills or something that will help you fall asleep.
Remember you need to replace it with something else
24 fitness places for $10-20 dollars a month you could work out after work instead to try to unwind.


If you think you are over doing it , Make it a point only use it when with another person go out your way to share your weed you have with others from now your mission is to get everyone high ....

Do these things and your depression will fade away

 

[Cardiox]

The shitty thing is I live in illinois, probably one of the worst states in the country. They passed medical marijuana about a year ago but are very picky on who they will allow as patients. Anxiety and depression are not acceptable conditions in there lawful opinion. And dispensarys are...who knows where.

You have to have actual proof of 1 of I think like 20 disorders. The only one I think I could pull off would be rheumatoid arthritis, but I would need a doctor with x-rays to show actual proof.

So I'm stuck with the old you get what you get shit. Top grade is easy to find but knowing what strain it is and what it is best used for is a complete mystery..

I have no faith in Illinois changing anything they do becuz they wont. Our politicians are all corrupt, are last 3? Governors are facing criminal charges, just a shit tank. People are fleeing like crazy, wish I could be one of them but I have too much family to take care of here.

What would you consider a t-break?
A day?
A week?
A month?

Seems like my breaks are forced by my underlying dep/anx and last for about a year.

I notice a drop in tolerance after a few days but if you take a break(reasons other than tolerance) it could be a month or two until you feel ready. I am on a break right now until I get my crafty , it has been a few weeks! I actually feel better in general because I was kind of down and out a bit before taking this break. Unrelated to the weed though, bad things happened sadly.