[livelaughlove17]

I have a confession to make: Today is one of the only days in a long time that I have not smoked marijuana. I'm sad to say that I went from a "once every few months" smoker to an everyday smoker (I usually wouldn't smoke till the evening when I'd come home from work... not that that makes it ok).
Today's the first day that I'm marijuana-free. As much as I love the stuff and know that I'll probably partake in it from time to time, I have made the decision to stop using because my bipolar has been very unstable lately. After doing some research and also talking to my doctor, I learned that it is not always a good thing especially when mixed with anti-psychotic drugs (like the kind I'm prescribed). Right now all I want is to be mentally stable and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to reach that goal. If it means I gotta quit smoking pot then I've gotta quit.

I'm just wondering if anyone else has had any experience with marijuana and bipolar disorder?

I had smoked when I younger, and every time was like pure hell for me. I also am prone to psychosis and I do know now that this is a bad mix. Wish I knew that then.

[Phoenix_1]

I smoked when my partner grew his own, about 10 years ago. We smoked about once or twice a month. If I was depressed or stressed in any way, it was great - it put me into a happy, joyful hypomanic state. We broke up 6 years ago, and I'm not sure where he moved to.
Let me stress that he grew his own, so we knew what we were smoking. Some of the stuff you buy on the street is very different and can be mixed with who knows what.
About two years ago I tried some marijuana my step-daughter bought and it was just plain wierd - my vision got really acute, but nothing else happened. I don't trust stuff you buy on the street anymore.

I was a huge smoker till a few years ago - from my teens till I was in my late 30s. But I was one of those people who, if I had it I would smoke it, if I didn't have it, I wouldn't smoke it. i never smoked and drove, never smoked before work...I came home and took a few hits like someone would have a glass of wine. It never interfered with my life or my work.
I only stopped when my husband told me he didn't like it and I decided it wasn't worth ruining a marriage over.
I miss it more than I miss cigarettes and would definitely smoke again if I didn't think i'd be drug tested for a new job in the near future.
I never had any bad effects from mixing with anti-psychotics which I took for the last 4-5 years that I smoked.

[porcupine2]

I'll be honest on this one too. I've been smoking marijuana for years - usually at night so that by the time I go to bed I know I'll sleep well. Otherwise I only sleep a couple of hours at a time. When I am cycling and in a depression mode, marijuana helps me out of my funk. It's when I'm manic that I don't feel the need for it. Where I live we do have legalized medicinal pot, and I am eligible for it because I also have glaucoma. I can tell you the medicinal types are very strong - very little is needed. I'm getting a bit concerned that it's causing me to disassociate more than usual. I don't see myself stopping completely any time soon.

[nycgurl]

I am BP II and I smoke. Sometimes it causes terrible anxiety, but then I just take a benzo and I m okay. I have not smoked since October. The jobs I am applying for drug test. I miss it terribly. I only smoked in the evening like someone would have a glass of wine.

[IdoubtIT]

I've never smoked. But I imagine marijuana is like any other psychoactive substance in that some people can tolerate it, some people benefit from it, and others are destabilized. For me it has always been alcohol and I found it was interfering with my efforts to be healthy, so I cut it back by 90%. I'm doing better.

[Downsideup]

I smoke it every night, never in the day as I couldn't function. If I were in depressed mode then I'd be too tired to even roll a joint, if I were in manic mode I wouldn't want anything to slow me down.
All I can say is that it helps me sleep and lessens my weird dreams, I haven't had a bad experience using it but that's coming from someone who feels as though she is living her life as one constant acid trip half the time.

[xp1155]

It has only helped me when I tried it and was depressed- not manic. It helped me a few nights get motivated and do work that needed to be done. It has also helped me a bit when I was super anxious. I first tried it because I had awful, awful pains and nausea with my period to the point I couldn't walk and could hardly keep down water. I needed something to help me sleep and was on hardcore pain meds that simply were not working. It did help with that A LOT. I finally got surgery to fix the pain, so I don't use it anymore.

However, when I am on meds, it doesn't do a thing for me regardless of whether the meds are working.