Marijuana???

[eve22]

I have a friend that smokes a bit for her anxiety, i have never tried it because of my HA, i dont smoke at all of my cancer fears, how do you feel about smoking pot for anxiety?????
does it help???
Or make matters worse???

[bingjam]

Gosh if it helps let me know.

Hahaaa...

Everyone who I know that smokes it always seems rrlaxed... maybe its true!!!

[Hellly]

Hiya.

I tried it when I was on my Honeymoon is Amsterdam and I found it made my anxiety worse. Hand on heart probably one of the worse experiences of my life, for me it was like a 3 hour continuous panic attack.

That was just me and I know folk who find it helpful so what I will say is that everyone is different. Some it helps and it doesn't, I was just unfortunate to be the latter.

H

Xx

[MRS STRESS ED]

Personally I wouldnt advise it ,its not something I would think is going to help your anxiety quite the oppersite in fact but thats just my opinion x

[LunaLiuna]

There's conflicting evidence supporting both sides but obviously moderation is key like in all things. Some people it works really well with, others it doesn't.

Also, If you have a family history of schizophrenia then i wouldn't recommend it. A recent study seems to finally have found the link between marijuana and schizophrenia which points to it triggering a dormant existing problem rather than creating a new one. So be wary :)

[ankietyjoe]

Its basically Russian Roulette. I smoked it for years on and off with only good experiences.

Then, when it goes bad ( which it probably will if you're prone to anxiety) it'll go really bad.

It's SO prevelant as a trigger for long term mental problems its just not worth the risk imo.

[eve22]

Well i dont plan on trying anything that will make me worse! So i think i will stick to my Yoga :yesyes:

[NotCool]

Looking back in retrospect, I can easily and affirmatively say, that smoking marijuana contributed to the general state of my anxiety in later life. Ofcourse I used to smoke waaaay too much.

I guess for a healthy person, moderate and occasional doesn't hurt, although there are questions about the possible long term physical and mental health effects.

However, regarding people with mental issues, including anxiety, I guess the the general consensus is that it does way more harm than good, at least to the majority of people struggling with issues.

[UKmamainUS]

I tried it one time (is legal where I live, both medically and recreational and a friend of mine has some for her arthritis. She made brownies and I tried a small one).

I can say, hands on heart, I will never try it again. The effects scared the crap out of me. My jaw kept trending to the point I thought I had lock jaw, I lost all strength on my arms and legs - and a whole load of other stuff I can't remember. There were about 10 things and my body kept cycling through them until it was out of my system. I was scared. I was convinced I was going to die and the worse thing at the time wad thinking - Oh My God I'm going to end up in hospital dying and have to admit I'd done this one thing I am actually so against. So it set my anxiety on edge the entire time it was in my system. I know not everyone reacts this way but that's my experience. It did help with the three day migraine I was actually use it for and I slept better last night than I have in years.

[eve22]

Wow im not really hearing any good things about it! I dont want to try it now, be my luck everything i just read will happen to me!!!:blush:

[needhelp1]

24/7 I'm on this site as the result of smoking marjuana . My life is not at all good , marjuana worked against on me lol. Marjuana good for someone not everyone , I bet u may try weed one time inthe future, will u ??

[Worried 24/7]

Pre anxiety: Hahaha! I never realized how funny the news is!
Post anxiety: OMGICAN'TBREATHEI'MGONNADIE!!!!

[Yossino]

First and last time, I did a giant bong hit from a total smoke 50x a day stoner guy. It was a like a light switch, for as long as I was high I had the worst panic attack of my life. D to the u to the m to the beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

Oh I said last time, I lied, I ate some brownies and bam, same panic, although maybe not as bad cause I knew what it was.

That was a while ago now, not interested in a third time. Alcohol though? Couldn't panic if I tried when drunk (well kinda can, but it's such a barrier for me).

[hanshan]

Legality is an important issue - you can't ask NMP posters to recommend something that may be illegal in their jurisdiction.

That said, there is published evidence both ways concerning medical marijuana, but many medical professionals are starting to see it as a useful drug in a variety of conditions, and public opinion often supports them.

However, in particular, there does seem to be evidence against its use when the brain is still in formation, a period which lasts until the early twenties.

[yenool]

I think there are positives and negatives to cannabis use. It can help with pain, sleep and anxiety. I think it can help relaxation in moderate doses. However in high amounts it may have the opposite effect.

The problem is with it being illegal there is no real way to know the strength/dose or quality you are getting so effects can be unpredictable.

The other issue is using a lot of cannabis can be a way to kill time and run away from your problems. Spending all day every day 'high' can become a habit and while it helps you avoid short term negative emotions it doesn't do anything to tackle the problem long term.

So yeah, I would say use with extreme caution. For normal healthy people it may be a nice way to relax and the end of a long day (like a glass of wine or two), but for those who already have mental illness it has the potential to be counter productive.

[RoseEve]

Marijuana sparked my anxiety issues. I had my very first anxiety attack while smoking.

[Fishmanpa]

I'm pro weed. For me during my cancer treatment it was much better than opiates.

That being said, I don't think it's a good idea for anxiety sufferers. When I think back to the partying days of my youth, there were so many people who in retrospect, must have had anxiety disorders. There were the "buzz kills" who would be all paranoid or would "weird out" about the silliest little things. We'd spend the rest of the evening calming them down and tryig to talk rational into them and such ~sigh~...

Positive thoughts

[wcb123]

In my school years, before my HA, GAD and Suspected IBS, I used to smoke now and then and about 25pc of the time I would get paranoia attacks.. I was always a lightweight with it and could only handle one or two drags.

I used to be fine smoking solid (hash) but skunk was usually too strong and would make me trip (Smoking anything from Amsterdam would be a big no no in my case)

I don't do it anymore but my friends still do all the time and the other night i had a drag on some squidgy black type hash, first time since i was diagnosed with HA. It really helped.

To me, getting high on hash (not skunk) has a similar effect to Citalopram. It blocks your worrying thoughts. I take the natural anxiety herb Kalms and they also feel the same as smoking.

I am not into taking Citilopram again or any AD drugs so I'm contemplating giving it a go for a bit just to see it's effect on my anxiety. Just an 1/8th or so over a long period to see if it makes any difference.

[Serenity1990]

For me, there's a world of difference between marijuana and skunk. I think there's absolutely nothing whatsoever wrong with plain old organic weed, however I deem skunk to be as harmful as crack cocaine.

[Magic]

I would not mind trying it for pain just to see if it works.
I take drugs for pain, which cause other problems that perhaps marijuana would suit me better.

[blondielady]

It is legal in Colorado so you can always go there if you want to give it a shot ;). Its also legal in a lot of other places if you have a medical prescription for it.

That said I've never tried it. I have a strong hunch it would send my anxiety through the roof. Anything that alters me in any way, medications included, have me convinced that something bad will happen and I will die. My husband has had it a couple times. He said he just feels extremely heavy and tired for a while. Meh... that doesn't sound like something I'd like.

I do hang around a musician crowd quite a bit and they are completely notorious for being pot smokers. 2 people I know, I'm convinced, have anxiety issues BECAUSE of marijuana. They both are convinced the government is out to get everyone and they argue about everything constantly. One friend of mine is convinced that airplanes fly over and spray us all with chemicals.....

I say with anything if you're going to try it, try just a tiny little bit and see how it makes you feel. If the effect helps you to be a little less anxious, try a little more. However, if you find you are more anxious off it and more frequently than before, its obviously not a good idea.

[eve22]

Ok, i tried it, 2 poofs and i went into a panic! my body went numb, had a hard time swallowing, hard to breath!! it was awful and funny at the same time!! idk if that's even possible.. NEVER AGAIN!! i did not like that feeling at all!!! but me and my bff had some great laughs that night!!!

[youdontknowme]

Marijuana can definitely freak ya out if you struggle with anxiety. I know some people who manage their anxiety with marijuana, others who avoid it like the plague, and a couple more who are convinced that the herb almost killed them (poor suckers don't know what an anxiety attack is :P)

I've had much experience with both anxiety and marijuana over the years. Those two had a complicated relationship. They recently decided to take a break, lol.

I wouldn't say that marijuana always compounds anxiety, though. There were times when it helped, and I never spiraled into an uncontrollable "freak out" while high. I usually just drank a glass of water and spent some time alone in the bathroom to calm myself. I'm probably going to get back to it someday. There were times when it could be awfully fun, after all :)

There's also many different strains of marijuana. Different strains create different highs. If you live in a state where the stuff is legal, you could always talk to the dispensary workers about which strains are best for anxiety.

[eve22]

ha. the only part i enjoyed was coming down, i got very relaxed after it was wearing off!! but i just dont think its for me!! i live in Ky its not legal here yet! I was out of town where it is legal! no funny business. lol:D

[lukeneal26]

some people it helps others It makes 100 times worse I tried it once and has a wreck for a week after so id say avoid at all costs