Medicinal Marijuana: Has anyone had any... - Anxiety and Depre...

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Medicinal Marijuana

rachel913 profile image
36 Replies

Has anyone had any success with their anxiety and depression by using marijuana to help with your symptoms?

There was a dispensary that recently opened up near me where I can go buy some.. I'm really tempted to try it but I don't want it to make me feel worse.

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rachel913 profile image
rachel913
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36 Replies

I self-medicated for over 30 years. I can not speak for everyone, but for me it amounted to avoidance. I didn't deal with anything. I got high.

Over the past few years both myself and my significant other admitted it was, in fact, making the anxiety worse.

I quit several months ago and csn honestly say I'm done. I wish I never started. I have so many regrets.

I learned to enjoy life only when I was high.

Now I'm trying to learn to just enjoy life.

I am a better person now than then.

Just my opinion...

rachel913 profile image
rachel913 in reply to

Thank you for your input. I've gotten to the point where my anxiety is at a minimal and I do not have panic attacks anymore or anything like I used to thanks to the medication I have been taking. However I am still experiencing constant lightheadedness/off balance/spacey type sensations that will not go away. Whether this is because of anxiety or something else (I've had an EXTENSIVE medical workup done) i do not know and I'm tempted to try this because I have tried so many other avenues with zero relief..

in reply to rachel913

Each person is different. I can not speak for you.

But lightheadedness/off-balance/spacey type sensations are in fact what marijuana causes.

It sounds counter-productive.

I am unfamiliar with CBD oil but it seems more appropriate.

rachel913 profile image
rachel913 in reply to

yeah that's what i've heard and the last thing i want is to be feeling worse. i'm just wondering if i can take CBD oil with prescription drugs (Abilify & Pristiq) or if they interact with one another. Hmmm..

in reply to rachel913

Ask your DR or pharmacist.

My son and his wife are both pharmacists. They seem to know quite a bit about drug interactions.

rachel913 profile image
rachel913 in reply to

I definitely will. Thank you.

Mrsram profile image
Mrsram in reply to rachel913

I am currently using CBD vape pen with no THC and it has helped me with anxiety

Teddy45 profile image
Teddy45

Don’t it sent me off my head I would never do that again cannot say if it would have the same afraid on u

rachel913 profile image
rachel913 in reply to Teddy45

oh dear i'm terribly sorry you had such a bad experience.. if you read my comment i left above you'll see i'm running out of options in terms of dealing with my constant symptoms that could be from anxiety, or a different issue altogether. doctors are unsure how to help me anymore because all tests come back fine minus a hormone imbalance which i was diagnosed with PCOS. i'm just trying to explore other avenues to see if i can find myself some relief from this constant dizzy sensation..

tamka38 profile image
tamka38 in reply to rachel913

Have u been to a ENT?

rachel913 profile image
rachel913 in reply to tamka38

I have. I might go to another for a second opinion though.

Teddy45 profile image
Teddy45 in reply to rachel913

U could try it it could be ok for u me sister has what u have and she is taking what I am on and she sad she never felt better she has bin on it about 6 weeks xx

bornagain47 profile image
bornagain47

I am using CBD oil at the moment and it is helping my anxiety . CBD does not get you high . Do a Google search and find out about it yourself . If your in UK you can get it from theherbkingdom .they are on facebook and also have a group on there cbd questions and answers with lots of helpful advice .Hope this helps .Take care .

rachel913 profile image
rachel913 in reply to bornagain47

the only thing is that i've read you are not supposed to take CBD oil with the medications that I am on (Pristiq & Abilify), although that is based on the internet. I should just ask my doctor I'm just afraid of being judged.. but i need some relief BADLY from my constant lightheadedness/off balance sensation and i'm willing to explore anything at this point.

nicetomeetyou profile image
nicetomeetyou

I tried medicinal marijuana a couple of years ago including one strain that was just CBD. It didn’t help me at all after 3 months so I stopped. I do know it helps someone I know so it’s worth a try. And don’t worry about being judged. In this day and age it’s not a big deal anymore. Good luck.

rachel913 profile image
rachel913 in reply to nicetomeetyou

i'm at the point in my health anxiety journey where i'm willing to try literally anything and you're right - i've found that no two peoples experiences are alike with marijuana. everyone is different and the only way for me to know for sure is to just try it out and hope for the best.. thank you.

bornagain47 profile image
bornagain47 in reply to rachel913

CBD oil and marijuana are not the same . CBD is from hemp . I am taking it for health anxiety .I would rather take cbd than pharmaceutical drugs . It will not harm you but might help you a great deal . Take care x

fauxartist profile image
fauxartist

it depends on the type of pot your using...some is for mellowing you out, and then some can effect you differently..... the old pot sometimes made you paranoid, but from what I understand this hybrid stuff does not do that any more. They would be able to help you at the dispensary to explain it a bit more. There is also CBD oil that has the THC that gets you high removed. So if you have an addictive nature...I would use the CBD oil.

rachel913 profile image
rachel913 in reply to fauxartist

I just want something to help me cope with my symptoms. Like an Advil for a headache or a tums for an upset tummy. There is nothing for dizziness that I haven’t tried already that helps. If the calming kinds of hybrids can just make me chill out for a bit despite how I feel I would be grateful.

fauxartist profile image
fauxartist in reply to rachel913

I agree with AZ1970 about asking your doctor for sure....good advice.

AZ1970 profile image
AZ1970

My sister is on psychiatric meds and used medical marijuana. It sent her into a manic and delusional state. I would ask your doctor. I have never used it, so I cannot speak from experience.

rachel913 profile image
rachel913 in reply to AZ1970

If you don’t mind me asking what is her diagnosis? Like what does she suffer from that sent her into that state? :( I hope she’s better now!

AZ1970 profile image
AZ1970

She is not speaking to me right now because I wrote a letter to her doctor asking her to help her because she was a danger to herself. My mom has told me she has been diagnosed with bipolar. We have a family history of schizophrenia, so I have heard that may be in the mix as well. She definitely has PTSD.

rachel913 profile image
rachel913 in reply to AZ1970

You did the right thing by writing to her doctor. She’ll come around, it was only out of love. She’ll realize that on her own time :) and maybe the bipolar might not have mixed well with it. I’m not sure.. everyone’s experience with weed is different is what I’m finding.

AZ1970 profile image
AZ1970 in reply to rachel913

I think you are correct. Everyone’s metabolism and chemical make-up is different.

Stilltrying_ profile image
Stilltrying_

What I have heard about medical marijuana is that it can really help some conditions such as multi sclerosis and conditions where pain relief is required. I personally have never heard of it helping someone with dizziness and lightheadedness. I can see though that you are desperate and sounds like you will try it. You could always try it I guess but be prepared for negative as well as positive effects. I tried CBD oil for pain and all it did for me was come out the other end so to speak and I was on the loo a lot! It didn't help with my pain at all but some people swear by it. The only drug that has ever helped me is lorazepam which is a benzo. That works miracles for me but doctors don't like you taking them anymore. I just take one or two when completely deperate; around 12 in a 12 month period.

I hope you can find something that works but I doubt it will be the mariuana. Infact as i'm sure you'll know marijuana is far more well known as a cause of mental health difficulties rather than a cure.xxx

rachel913 profile image
rachel913 in reply to Stilltrying_

thank you for your input! from what i've seen everyone seems to have different experiences with it.. CBD is definitely something i want to look into.

Quest4peace profile image
Quest4peace

I’m also of the opinion that weed can potentially be terrible for anxiety. I smoked heavily in my teen years and I’m sure it played a significant role in the development and exacerbation of my anxiety disorder. I was habitually paranoid when I smoked. Like Domenic , I wish I could go back 37 years ...I would have never started.

rachel913 profile image
rachel913 in reply to Quest4peace

thank you for your input :) i'll definitely make an update post to see how it affected me!

ImpulsivelyMe profile image
ImpulsivelyMe

The results are different for everyone

rachel913 profile image
rachel913 in reply to ImpulsivelyMe

that seems to be what i'm finding!

Jeff1943 profile image
Jeff1943

Rachel, I have noticed over the past 2 years many people arriving on this forum and the Anxiety Support forum saying that marijuana caused them terrible mental problems, some claiming it was the cause of their anxiety disorder, a couple claiming this after only using it once. It is a psychoactive substance. I have only read one post where someone said it helped anxiety disorder. I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole as we say in south London, I did once years ago, that was enough.

I suggest the answer to coping with your symptoms lies not in dope or other magical cures, the answer lies within yourself and in particular the containment of fear that fuels anxious nerves.

No magic wand cures, Rachel, no instant fixes. Recovery comes through looking at anxiety, and the depression that comes out of it, in a completely different way.

No more fighting. Less introspection. Understanding the limitations of anxiety. Accepting the bad feelings for the moment, not shunning them or trying to swerve round them but to face them and pass straight through them. Again and again. Until we come to accept that anxiety is a bully and if we stand our ground, if we stop stressing and obsessing about it, then it will feel neglected by us and disperse. But not by lunchtime tomorrow, it takes time, practice and persistance.

rachel913 profile image
rachel913 in reply to Jeff1943

thank you so much for your thoughts. i guess what i'm struggling with is my anxiety has gotten SO much better, yet my constant dizziness/lightheadedness remains. i'm having a hard time accepting this to be due to anxiety for not a lot of people deal with these specific 24/7 symptoms.. i feel extremely alone and can't seem to cope. it's hard to accept this as part of a mental illness and nothing physically impairing.

Jeff1943 profile image
Jeff1943 in reply to rachel913

Rachel, first you must talk to your doctor about the dizziness and lightheadedness, maybe some tests or scans to rule out a physical cause. You may already have done this.

But as you have been experiencing anxiety and depression for quite a while it is most probably a symptom of anxiety and a very common symptom at that.

It is a trick tired minds play on us and once we notice it we go on noticing and expecting it to happen and over sensitised nerves and our imagination are always ready to oblige our worst expectations.

Once again, don't fight it, stop testing for it, the power of anxiety to harm you is limited. If you can frame your mind to accept it for the time being without fear, so that you agree to live with it then before too long you will live without it.

Drdabbss profile image
Drdabbss

Yeah stay clear from marijuana. It does not help anxiety it increases the feelings. But it also depends on your state of mind as well.

If you do find the need to dabble get a strain with extremely low amounts of thc and more CBD, indica strains not sativa. These tend to be less intense on the mind and I know many that use them to help sleep, my parents included.

For me, someone with health anxiety and a hypersensitive awareness of my body and feelings had to quit smoking. I feel better off without it but again it’s only my experience.

I had doubts about CBD oil, I have taken extremely good quality CBD oil 2 times daily for 4 months. Recently stopped taking it and I notice no difference. It certainly gave me a placebo effect but it also made me have crazy dreams and nightmares. Again everyone is unique.

I also suffer from dizziness and lightheaded,

The best medicine for these issues is water, healthy diet and hobbies that distract you from those feelings.

TheWhiteRose profile image
TheWhiteRose

Hello Rachel913, in order for you to be approved to get medical marijuana, you will have to talk to your primary care physician or your therapist. Although I do think that most therapists wouldn't even prescribe it, some would. However, they'd probably prescribe medical marijuana for anxiety, PTSD and other conditions. But definitely speak with your physician first.

I've actually tried marijuana before and I got to say that it works, although I get really hungry afterward, but it helped with my anxiety and depression.

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