Reducing mental health meds with cannabis

Well hello there Flump. :hug:

Is this controversial? Huh! Ok... I guess I can see how people might initially be fearful, with all the bad science that went into the questionable research intent on disproving THC’s modulatory prowess. I find it more helpful to actually pay attention to the responsible science. :battingeyelashes:

I started my daughter on oil made from CBD Critical Cure from Barney’s Farm years back, and saw immediate - and I mean immediate positive reduction and control of her off-the-charts anxiety disorder.

Within two weeks of beginning an intensive dosing regimen (the oil was a 2:1 CBD:THC ratio) she wasn’t having panic attacks any longer, her sleep patterns stabilized without the nightmares that had haunted her for decades, and she could plan to leave her home without fear for the first time in her 35 years of terrified living. A 2:1 CBD dominance with that marvelous terpene blend did so much more than I’d anticipated. For the first time in my baby’s life she felt what we all take for granted - the joy of waking up to a new day and life without overwhelming fear.

THC-rich buds are her go-to for depression, as it is for almost everyone I know who live with that dark cloud and choose cannabis as a natural additive. I think of phytocannabinoids as reserve troops.

I know THC makes all the difference when I need a lift. I don’t see how it can not be for others. It’s the nature of the ECS to create homeostasis, and it does that with cannabinoids. You aren’t gonna find a better source of cannabinoid-rich oils that the ECS can make use of than cannabis.

All disease, including mental and emotional disorders, are based in inflammation. There are an incredible number of anti-inflammatory agents in the entourage of any given cannabis plant. They’re like mini mental-health factories. Lol!

I look forward to where this discussion takes us. There are too many people that could benefit from cannabis to not keep searching for better and better answers
 
Thanks a lot for this very complete post. I hope you don't mind me asking but was you daughter taking any medication prior to using cannabis? I'm curious to know more on how cannabis can interact (or not) with current medication, especially SNRI and atypical antipsychotics.

I'm currently growing a low THC (~0.3%) and high CBD (~13%) strain but in light of your post, I think I should aim for a more balanced ratio..
 
Flump said:
Thanks a lot for this very complete post. I hope you don't mind me asking but was you daughter taking any medication prior to using cannabis? I'm curious to know more on how cannabis can interact (or not) with current medication, especially SNRI and atypical antipsychotics.

I'm currently growing a low THC (~0.3%) and high CBD (~13%) strain but in light of your post, I think I should aim for a more balanced ratio..
Click to expand...

Have you any experience with cannabis as a medicine? If not that plant would be a good starting point, one you can build on as you go. There’s a school of thought that feels the best start is with a high-CBD. I knew from consulting CajunCelt, who lived with PTSD and was training to be a cannabis clinician, that CBD Critical Cure was supremely effective against severe anxiety and inflammation, so that’s where I started.

At the beginning of her regimen she was taking the same meds she now takes, a low dose of 120 mg of Effexor, with Xanax for breakthrough. We couldn’t get her off the Effexor without a two-year taper, under her doctor’s oversight, and at the time Pennsylvania wasn’t a legal state. She wasn’t ok with trying to do that taper until she was a legal cannabis patient with an open-minded doctor.

Since I moved and haven’t been able to keep her supplied with the 2:1 meds she’s fallen back into many of the old patterns. Eventually she’ll find a stable way back, but for now a friend grows high-THC for her and she only occasionally comes across higher CBD. She’s working on getting on the legal rolls, and then she’ll have access to dispensary formulations.

There’s an educational platform online for cannabis education, and I’m in the middle of taking their course on Cannabis Fundamentals. I’ll look over the curriculum for you to see what information I can find about contraindications or interactions with SNRIs and antipsychotics. There’s a wealth of research material attached to this course. I’m bound to find something of value to add to this knowledge search. :battingeyelashes:
 
That low dose of psych drugs she was on was because my daughter was lucky enough to react so badly to all the drugs that took away who she was that we were limited to Effexor as a maintenance med. I always considered that a cosmic blessing.

We homeschooled our children. Her anxiety was just her quirky nature to us, until she attempted suicide the first time. :straightface:

One of the best features of cannabis is how it brings you back to the safety of the NOW, instead of the fear of what happened before or the trepidation that it’ll happen again if you don’t stay hyper-vigilant. Had she been using cannabis at that time the suicide attempts might never have been a memory we shared.
 
SweetSue said:
Have you any experience with cannabis as a medicine? If not that plant would be a good starting point, one you can build on as you go. There’s a school of thought that feels the best start is with a high-CBD. I knew from consulting CajunCelt, who lived with PTSD and was training to be a cannabis clinician, that CBD Critical Cure was supremely effective against severe anxiety and inflammation, so that’s where I started.

At the beginning of her regimen she was taking the same meds she now takes, a low dose of 120 mg of Effexor, with Xanax for breakthrough. We couldn’t get her off the Effexor without a two-year taper, under her doctor’s oversight, and at the time Pennsylvania wasn’t a legal state. She wasn’t ok with trying to do that taper until she was a legal cannabis patient with an open-minded doctor.

Since I moved and haven’t been able to keep her supplied with the 2:1 meds she’s fallen back into many of the old patterns. Eventually she’ll find a stable way back, but for now a friend grows high-THC for her and she only occasionally comes across higher CBD. She’s working on getting on the legal rolls, and then she’ll have access to dispensary formulations.

There’s an educational platform online for cannabis education, and I’m in the middle of taking their course on Cannabis Fundamentals. I’ll look over the curriculum for you to see what information I can find about contraindications or interactions with SNRIs and antipsychotics. There’s a wealth of research material attached to this course. I’m bound to find something of value to add to this knowledge search. :battingeyelashes:
Click to expand...
Hey Sue,
Thank you for your very detailed answer, it is much appreciated. I'm very happy that your daughter is alive and feeling better. Her and I seem to have a common background, in some ways... :circle-of-love:

I do not have much experience with cannabis either recreationally or as a medicine. I had a VERY bad experience with cannabis 20 years ago which was basically the starting point of my mental health issues. I'm not sure of what I smoked at that time but I smoked a lot of it in a short amount of time and on a scale to 1 to 10, I was high at 12. I was very young at that moment and it was my 3rd time smoking cannabis... You can get the picture.. :)

I've been afraid of this plant for a long time but few years ago I decided enough was enough. Read everything I could find on the plant and decided to grow my own to make sure I knew what was it in. This was prior to Canadian legalization. I enjoyed the high it provided me. I read everything I could find on the plant and came to the realization that this is a truly incredible medicine. Lots of articles on PubMed about the potential of CBD and THC in therapeutic avenues.

I know Effexor very well, since I'm also taking a low dose of it. I'm glad to learn that I can use cannabis while taking it. The med I would really like to get rid of is Olanzapine (Zyprexa). I've been taking the minimum dose of it every other day for the past few years and, while it has been wonderful to me, the side effects are the worst. My doc is okay with me stopping it but I tried a few time and couldn't... I was able to stop completly Effexor in my past which is known to be thought but I can't seem to be able to stop Zyprexa for some reason... :hmmmm:

Fast forward today, my idea is twofold : de-sensitize my fear of cannabis by slowly exposing myself to it and using cannabis to try and stop Zyprexa. My family doctor understands my approach and is in favor but can't really advice much because cannabis is quite unknown to him in medical terms..

Thanks a lot for any knowledge you can bring to this search! :Namaste:
 
Hi folks,
I read that cannabis can reduce the effectiveness of olanzapine the same way cigarettes does. I'll have to take this into account for my experiment. My plant is almost ready for harvest. I'll start experimenting with micro-doses using my vaporizer after the cure.
@SweetSue let me know if you stumble on useful piece of information. Not sure the strain I'll be growing next...
Cheers! :circle-of-love:
 
I have replaced 5 prescriptions with medical cannabis. I have PTSD,Agraphobia,Anxiety and insomnia. I had no I idea I was so dysfunctional on all those pills Now wow what a difference.
Grand daddy purple= Sleep
GSC = calmness and happy
lambs breath = being social and doing things
 
I too have anxiety/ panic issues. I started taking an oil (cbd 10 :1 per ml) a few weeks ago. Didn't really notice anything except a bit of the nerve pain in my neck/ shoulder/ arm subside. I jumped over to a higher ratio oil (15:1 per ml) and after a day or two at 2ml in morning and 2ml at dinner I've started getting nauseous/ cramping /diarrhea.
Think it might be the mtc oil giving me grief.
Best part is that my medical benefits are covering my products! I signed up with medical cannabis @ shoppers drug mart with a prescription.
 
I just wanted to comment on the prescription drug Ambian I have had chronic insomnia for years I consumed over the counter sleep aids + ambian only to get maybe 4 hours of sleep a night on average. When I tried grand daddy purple on the advice of a old friend I connected with my sleep problems were solved! Now I have discovered that there are some great strains for sleep. This is just one of the benefits of using cannabis as a natural substitute for prescribed or store bought sleep aids. it worked for me (maybe not for everyone) and I was able to completely stop the over the counter sleep aids and ambian.
 
mindrnd said:
Take a look at Level ProTabs. This would be your best bet. It's clean product, medical grade. Level Experience which can be obtained from Mind Research & Development
Click to expand...
I have eliminated 5 prescription drugs over time with Medical cannabis. It’s a new world for me not to be a slave to all those pills everyday and I am so so happy. I know it is not for everyone but it changed my life. ( I am not recommending anyone To do this but it worked for me)
 
mindrnd said:
Gods Gift is one of the most psychedelics / visual strains available next to Birthday Cake.
Click to expand...
I find its very good for me , i think too much , i am in pain all the time , it does hit you hard but when the first hit is over you couldn't care less if the world fell apart :lot-o-toke:
 
Hi flump,

I want to share my experience with you because my doctors and most of them in general will say that THC is not good if you suffer from mental illness. I used to smoke cannabis at a weekly basis for around 10 years and had no problem whatsoever until I stopped. That was the time when I got a personality disorder and 2 years later shcizophrenia was diagnosed. That happend because I refused to take Zyprexa any longer and I've been on many neuroleptics already. Atm I take Aripiprazole as it's written into my driver's licence. And both of the two psychiatrists I went to said that I have to stop smoking cannabis. But it's not true. Cannabis is plant medicine and the only mental-health drug that I need. It doesn't cause psychosis to me. I go and get my Aripiprazole of course although it makes me put on weight and I'm weak and tired all the time, but if I could I'd get off of it today. I tried it last year when I didn't get it for 3 months but smoked lots of DHO instead and it released all of the negative side effects that come with that. What can I say to me it's plant medicine and it worked very well but I ran out of cannabis and they tested me so I have to get my injections again.

The other thing I wanted to mention is that I grow an indian snakeroot that contains real neuroleptics like the ones I take that are reserpine and yohimbine. I will extract them and take it instead of my injections as soons as it's ready for harvest. In India they have been using it for a long time to treat mental illness and some european, I think his name was Rauwolf brought it back home and did some science on it. Today they use it to treat high blood pressure. I dream of being overall off of synthetic drugs, just having what nature offers me, and I don't care what people say about it today. The indications change time by time anyway, so why bother.

All the best
absolem
 

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