Anxiety and marijuana

[keninpain]

I suffer from anxiety and use marijuana to relieve my anxiety. But if you google the subject all you can find is how marijuana is the cause of it. I have to disagree, I have great results when I smoke. I relax and am able to deal with thing's much better. I think the people who are saying that it aggravates it are smoking to much, or are using the wrong strain to relieve there anxiety. I guess it goes to show what's good for one might not be good for another. All I can say is I will continue to heal the way I feel is best.

 

[guyver]

I have a friend who swears up and down that after years of daily smoking he can't smoke anymore because since he had a panic attack every time he smokes he starts having a panic attack. I'm pretty sure it's in his mind and he just hates pot because of something he is associating it with. I have had panic attacks on pot here and there but usually it's just when I get super ripped and lost my grip on reality. Otherwise I think pot helps. I'm curious to know if there are any particular strains that are better for anxiety?

Interesting topic...

 

[keninpain]

from what I hear indicas are better for anxiety than sativas due to the hypee buzz

 

[ItsChrome]

hello my name is Chrome long time listener first time caller.

I just wanted to say i have suffered from depression and anxiety aas long back as I can remember. As a anxious depressed soul I found marijuana to be just what the docotor should have ordered. I find it calms my anxiety and cheers me up. with out the side effects and terrible existence of SSRI's and MOA inhibitors. I personally like a 60/40 type of Indica/Sativa mix. The Indica help mellow me and calm me but the Sative keeps me alerta and cheerful with out being all doped and mellow feeling. Higher sative blends will give me a head buzz that can cause anxiety. Also I find quantity control is a huge factor too. I find that smoking too every day over time can actually worsen the effect of my mood disorders. its about finding just the right dose to perk you up and brighten your mood but not necessarily getting totally stoned, not to say i didn't get totally blitzed from time to time cause I do. But for medical use I usually use less than a gram a day.

Well thank you for you time and I'll listen off air for your comments..

 

[keninpain]

thanks for the tip on the 60/40 blend wish I could try it. but I live in a state where i'm a criminal for trying to be well.

 

[ItsChrome]

thanks for the tip on the 60/40 blend wish I could try it. but I live in a state where i'm a criminal for trying to be well.

Ditto.. I have had the fortune of knowing growers most of my life so i always knew my strains that i smoked and from what i can tell the strains with a good 60/40ish blend works well for me. Have you considered growing? You dont need a whole lot of space or money to start.

 

[OldMedUser]

hello my name is Chrome long time listener first time caller.

I just wanted to say i have suffered from depression and anxiety aas long back as I can remember. As a anxious depressed soul I found marijuana to be just what the docotor should have ordered. I find it calms my anxiety and cheers me up. with out the side effects and terrible existence of SSRI's and MOA inhibitors. I personally like a 60/40 type of Indica/Sativa mix. The Indica help mellow me and calm me but the Sative keeps me alerta and cheerful with out being all doped and mellow feeling. Higher sative blends will give me a head buzz that can cause anxiety. Also I find quantity control is a huge factor too. I find that smoking too every day over time can actually worsen the effect of my mood disorders. its about finding just the right dose to perk you up and brighten your mood but not necessarily getting totally stoned, not to say i didn't get totally blitzed from time to time cause I do. But for medical use I usually use less than a gram a day.

Well thank you for you time and I'll listen off air for your comments..

Lol! I Could have wrote that about myself!

+Rep for saving me all that typing

 

[Firestone]

Ditto with the pure Sativas kicking off panic attacks. I knew a number of folks in the 70's and 80's who quit smoking because the couldn't handle the stronger Sats that were coming to dominate the market. You take a weed with a strong trippy high that generates some paranoia to someone w/ anxiety problems and you've got a formula for a panic attack. Santa Marta Gold from Colombia was notorious for biting your nervous types in the ass as were Hawaiian and Thai weed.

My college roomate,a novice toker, became convinced his jacket hanging in the corner was a monkey after taking a couple of bong rips of Thai Stick. I thought I was going to have to take him to the ER.

That's what I like about most of today's weed. It's generally got enough Indica in it to take that paranoid edge away. Kind of hard to panic when you can't get off the couch.

 

[ItsChrome]

Lol! I Could have wrote that about myself!

+Rep for saving me all that typing

but after after reading that I am sure you could have typed it better, so, so ,so many typos.

 

[Bruce Wheelman]

+1 for a good hybrid. My personal preference for Anxiety/Stress/Depression is Blue Dream (a 50/50) - a clone only strain that was developed in Santa Cruz for those ailments. I ALWAYS have some Blue Dream in my "medicine cabinet" - amongst other strains for other problems (used GDP yesterday for stomach flu/nausea - worked like a charm).

 

[OldMedUser]

but after after reading that I am sure you could have typed it better, so, so ,so many typos.

Just don't get anxious about it! lol

I guess being an old fart brought up with the strap in grade school, I learned to use proper spelling and grammatical construction to the point where it is almost obsessive.

I started grade school a month before my 6th B-day and could already spell encyclopedia while my classmates where coming to grips with the alphabet. lol

My mom was into early education and I was half-way through Tom Swift and the Hardy Boys collection before I ever went to school. She tried to get me bumped up a few grades but that wasn't an option in '59/60. So a wise ass like myself got stuck in classrooms full of kids that couldn't even spell their own names.

Being a small kid with a big mouth in a classroom of idjuts got me beat up pretty regular. I got the strap in grade one, twice in grade two and it expanded exponentially from there. Sure wish we could whip our kids like that now-a-days! We wouldn't have a generation of brain-dead punks wandering the streets with no aim in life.

I'm not saying that they're all useless. It's like going to a small town with lots of natives. The 10% that are lazy shiftless bums, drug addicts and welfare recipients are laying about the streets and visible to everyone. The other 90% are invisible because they are like all the other normal people, busy with their lives, working and contributing to society.

There is no difference regarding race, colour, creed or religion. About 10% will be unrecoverable, 20% will be semi-functionable and 70% will be folks like you and me, just people getting by and taking care of business.

Taking care of business to me means, keeping a roof over my family's head, feeding and protecting them and making room for for advancement. I've done that for my kids and for my current family and figure I deserve a little respect if not a freakin' gold medal!

Growing and imbibing my own medication keeps me from looking for an empty bell tower sometimes! Not that I ever would. If I need targets I've already got a list!

Pot keeps me sane, how about YOU!? LOL!!

 

[sungoddess]

MMJ isn't just ONE fix all. It's not like it's one plant. There are a ton of strains out there so you have to find the one that works for anxiety... and not just anxiety in general, but your anxiety. Mine & yours and Sammy Jammy's might be treated differently.

The internet is full of fact & fiction. Unfortunately some people believe everything that they read (not you, obviously, just saying). I wish we could delete all the false info out there.

I've dealt with a million medical issues, including being told I have anxiety and depression... I rarely do a total sativa b/c I have a ton of pain issues too & also the sativas mess up my heart rythm. Anyway, the hybrids or even taking a good sativa & idica & mixing them myself work out really well for me.

And whoever says it makes depression or anxiety worse, or MMJ is the cause... well, I had those issues before I started smoking... then I started smoking and they all went totally away so I'm going with... MMJ is the fixer. So I'm gonna keep on healing with you too.

 

[ItsChrome]

And whoever says it makes depression or anxiety worse, or MMJ is the cause... well, I had those issues before I started smoking... then I started smoking and they all went totally away so I'm going with... MMJ is the fixer. So I'm gonna keep on healing with you too.

I dunno I'm going to have to disagree. Marijuana use can definitely make anxiety and depression worse if not used properly. Like i said if i start smoking too much and using it as a crutch for my depression I find over time my depression will worsen as I become burned out from over use and lose motivation to strive to overcome my depression by becoming to sedimentary due to being to stoned to give a shit to do any thing. How ever If i smoke just enough to adjust my mood but not become stoned It helps me to not be depressed which allows me to get through the day and accomplish what i need to with out hindering me.

As for the anxiety well if i start smoking too strong of a Sativa, well yeah i get very anxious. How ever also if i start over using MJ in general like stated above i will also get higher anxiety due to deepening depression.

I think its dangerous and ignorant when people refuse to admit that there are negative sides to marijuana use, either medicimal or recreational. There are definitely negative side affects to using MJ its not a wonder drug that is 100% safe and positive. how ever it it alot safer and a whole lot better than anythign else we have out there.. and thats why I use and love marijuana but i also know how it affects me and how to manage and use it safely.

 

[keninpain]

you are right sungodess, unfortunately I have to get what I get if you know what I mean. I live in a state where it is still in the works for mmj. so the best I can do is support the cartel's that supply us with moldy, rat urine soaked smoke.

 

[sungoddess]

I dunno I'm going to have to disagree. Marijuana use can definitely make anxiety and depression worse if not used properly. Like i said if i start smoking too much and using it as a crutch for my depression I find over time my depression will worsen as I become burned out from over use and lose motivation to strive to overcome my depression by becoming to sedimentary due to being to stoned to give a shit to do any thing. How ever If i smoke just enough to adjust my mood but not become stoned It helps me to not be depressed which allows me to get through the day and accomplish what i need to with out hindering me.

As for the anxiety well if i start smoking too strong of a Sativa, well yeah i get very anxious. How ever also if i start over using MJ in general like stated above i will also get higher anxiety due to deepening depression.

I think its dangerous and ignorant when people refuse to admit that there are negative sides to marijuana use, either medicimal or recreational. There are definitely negative side affects to using MJ its not a wonder drug that is 100% safe and positive. how ever it it alot safer and a whole lot better than anythign else we have out there.. and thats why I use and love marijuana but i also know how it affects me and how to manage and use it safely.

It's just one of those things I guess that probably affects you and me differently when it comes to anxiety/depression. I have never had any negative effects from smoking too much and becoming more anxious or getting moody or down, but maybe it just effects you different in that way, but I can totally see how it effects people differently. I mean, for me, a sativa makes my heart rate increase, but for you maybe it wouldn't. It just warrants that a person needs to be in tune with their body and educate themselves.

 

[Bruce Wheelman]

Agreed with different effects for different people. Plus with the HUGE variety of strains, even a "sativa" might yield different results. Heck - I've always been a HUGE believer in set/setting (ie mood or mind set and where you are/who you're with) having the biggest impact on how a buzz comes on.

Bottomline - too many potential variables to say for sure that everyone with anxiety/depression will/will not benefit from marijuana (or a certain strain). I know my wife can't handle strong sativas due to the paranoia, whereas I like them in the morning or afternoon. I *think* most people would benefit from marijuana in fighting anxiety/depression - just a little trial & error in finding the right hybrid/strain.

YMMV.

 

[ItsChrome]

Agreed with different effects for different people. Plus with the HUGE variety of strains, even a "sativa" might yield different results. Heck - I've always been a HUGE believer in set/setting (ie mood or mind set and where you are/who you're with) having the biggest impact on how a buzz comes on.

Bottomline - too many potential variables to say for sure that everyone with anxiety/depression will/will not benefit from marijuana (or a certain strain). I know my wife can't handle strong sativas due to the paranoia, whereas I like them in the morning or afternoon. I *think* most people would benefit from marijuana in fighting anxiety/depression - just a little trial & error in finding the right hybrid/strain.

YMMV.

Hear, Hear!

well put.

 

[greengo840]

I dunno I'm going to have to disagree. Marijuana use can definitely make anxiety and depression worse if not used properly. Like i said if i start smoking too much and using it as a crutch for my depression I find over time my depression will worsen as I become burned out from over use and lose motivation to strive to overcome my depression by becoming to sedimentary due to being to stoned to give a shit to do any thing. How ever If i smoke just enough to adjust my mood but not become stoned It helps me to not be depressed which allows me to get through the day and accomplish what i need to with out hindering me.

As for the anxiety well if i start smoking too strong of a Sativa, well yeah i get very anxious. How ever also if i start over using MJ in general like stated above i will also get higher anxiety due to deepening depression.

I think its dangerous and ignorant when people refuse to admit that there are negative sides to marijuana use, either medicimal or recreational. There are definitely negative side affects to using MJ its not a wonder drug that is 100% safe and positive. how ever it it alot safer and a whole lot better than anythign else we have out there.. and thats why I use and love marijuana but i also know how it affects me and how to manage and use it safely.

I'm reminded of a slogan I read in the back of High Times "Drugs don't make me paranoid, cops do."

But in all seriousness I agree. There is a HUGE difference between use and abuse. I was middle management in corporate America for several years and now I'm a student, and in both environments my ability to perform at peak levels often depends on my mentality. Spending a day here and there living in the clouds can be great for the soul, but if I were to go all day every day then I would notice an increased lack of motivation regardless of the strain. The lack of motivation leads to depression for me because I like to keep busy and move forward. Fitting mmj into my routine as needed (bout a gram a day, but sometimes I spoil myself) rather than let mmj dictate the actions of my day has led me to more fulfilling times.

Different strokes/folks I guess.

 

[Bruce Wheelman]

I'm reminded of a slogan I read in the back of High Times "Drugs don't make me paranoid, cops do."

But in all seriousness I agree. There is a HUGE difference between use and abuse. I was middle management in corporate America for several years and now I'm a student, and in both environments my ability to perform at peak levels often depends on my mentality. Spending a day here and there living in the clouds can be great for the soul, but if I were to go all day every day then I would notice an increased lack of motivation regardless of the strain. The lack of motivation leads to depression for me because I like to keep busy and move forward. Fitting mmj into my routine as needed (bout a gram a day, but sometimes I spoil myself) rather than let mmj dictate the actions of my day has led me to more fulfilling times.

Different strokes/folks I guess.

^^^ sums it up....because I've been a daily toker all through college and then my adulthood. Most times in college I would wake-n-bake and spent all 5 1/2 yrs (BS and MS) on the deans list - with a full ride academic scholarship my jr/sr year and for grad school. Also a heavy daily toker (including regular wake-n-bakes and lunch time "outings") in my technical career - and have been upwardly mobile and the "go to guy" for 18 of the 19 years I've been in the workforce (and working for the same company). Lastly, like my user name indicates - I'm an avid cyclist that has both rode and raced, preferably with a nice buzz. I've never had a problem toking a bit before I ride - makes the time pass easier - which can be a BIG help when pedaling 100-200 miles.

Everyone just deals with it differently - my regular physician/internist, cardiologist, friends, and family will all agree - I'm much happier & healthier with marijuana than without (lower BP, no sleep aids needed, no anti-depressants, and more active/motivated).

Again, we're all individuals, so YMMV.....

 

[Tiger Balm]

NCal-cyclist,
I'm in the same camp as you.
I am coming off Pharma depression/anxiety meds, and feel so much better that i am angry i spent that much time locked up and put on ice, essentially - that's how it felt. Yeah, i had no anxiety, but i had no ambition, energy, and i was freezing cold, with purple fingernails. I was on Lexapro, expressed some irritation at the psychiatrist, and was slapped with another script - this one for Welbutrin. That one shut me up.
Around January, I mentioned to Dr that i was thinking of Medical MJ (thinking of getting a card if laws pass, etc). Dr freaked OMG!
So, then was put on Cymbalta. And that was a big improvement over Welbutrin! Huge.
So, yesterday, called Dr to say i want to come off Cymbalta in a controlled manner. I'd quit, but probably not wise. So from 30mg to 20mg for a month, and we'll talk. Ha, Ha, i'm feeling freakin alive now, with MMJ.
What it does is this --
It gets my mind out of calcified ruts, and lets me think creatively about my surroundings. I have gone thru things (this week up to the new moon is a good time for this) and organized, and recognized that some things are not working for me at this time. Those things go to the Salvation Army.
After the new moon Tuesday, the next two weeks are waxing moon, good for creative projects.

PS - am going green - using grow calendar (farmer's almanac) for personal life too.