After I left a cheating boyfriend in Phoenix, Arizona, I decided to move back home to Wisconsin. On the way home, I stopped in Colorado to smoke weed. It's legal there, so I thought "hey! why not?" I stayed in the mountains and smoked a lot of weed. During my last day of being in Colorado, I smoked a joint and felt so amazing it felt like I was floating through outer space. This is when my mania with psychosis started. And read this carefully if you regularly smoke pot. I felt so happy and optimistic at first. But when I got to Iowa on my drive home, I felt ecstatic! I felt I knew the secret to happiness and nobody else knew it. I finally got home and did not want to see my psychiatrist, but then extreme irritability and agitation kicked in and I knew I needed to see him. He prescribed Zyprexa immediately. I went to pick up my prescription and began telling the pharmacist about the secret to happiness. He was very kind and did not judge. The Zyprexa did not work and it also made me gain 15 lbs in 2 weeks. My psychiatrist then put me on abilify and lithium. After a couple days, I was still so agitated and restless. I told my parents I hope they die of cancer when they came to visit me to show me support. They knew I wasn't right so they did not judge me. After a week, most of my manic symptoms disappeared. I now have a little bit of hypomania but not much. But I had to do much soul searching after my manic episode. I figured out I really do need medication, and that mj and alcohol are not my friends. I have been sober from alcohol, (which I abused for three months straight) and marijuana for over a month and I have an interview Monday working for pharmaceutical benefits plans from the state of Wisconsin. I am finally getting my life together but I just want to advise people who are bipolar to stay away from weed. Yes it does help some people with illnesses and diseases, but it's not good for us. Period.