BP weed article

How Cannabis Affects Bipolar Disorder | Psych Central News

Just wondering everyone's view on this I'm not sure if I brought it up before but I came across this article so if you have smoked or otherwise ingested cannabis what is your take?

I personally use it everyday and I would say that 98% of the time it helps with depression and mania I do not feel any side effects other than the munchies but I'm under weight so no biggie. I have been smoking for 10 years now and will not give it up and I think it's totally ridiculous for a doctor to instead prescribe me numerous drugs with multiple side effects than to just say hey if it works for you then keep doing it cuz seriously this just happened to me a psychiatrist I saw twice in my life says I should stop smoking weed !! And the funniest part was she didn't actually have a legit reason because it is decriminalized where I live so even if I got caught with it they would just fine me $20.00 and that is pretty unlikely since the cops have bigger fish to fry around here.

On the other hand my psychotherapist who see's me once or twice a week for the past year agrees I should smoke weed when I feel it will help me.

MJ doesn't work for everyone; in fact it can make things worse for some. Last fall I was severely depressed so I smoked some weed. It seemed to make me feel better for a time so I smoked on three consecutive days. The following night I was in a psych unit, so depressed I couldn't stand myself anymore and psychotic to boot.

I don't know if the pot did it, but I'm not chancing it again. I can be around it, just can't use it myself.

For me it makes my anxiety and paranoia worse. It actually gave me a panic attack once. Just me though.

Do you two mind me asking if you have any other mental illness along with BP? I wonder if that plays a part as well since I don't exactly have an anxiety disorder I have bpd which my thought patterns cause me anxiety but most often those anxiety provoking thoughts are not real so when I smoke it goes away since it calms my thinking

A friend of mine who to our knowledge does not have any mental illness becomes extremely anxious from weed and can't use it at all. Personally I felt that way in the beginning but most of my anxiety came from being worried about getting arrested for smoking so I never do it in public to this day.

I think if it works for you, then why quit? It's also naturally organic versus pharmaceutical. I wish it worked for me. I get paranoid and depersonalize on it real bad. I feel like I'm in a little box in my head watching out my window eyes.

Aw I like your description window eyes although I could see why that wouldn't be good for you! I guess I just felt like she was generalizing by telling me not to smoke cuz it's bad for people with BP when it 100% makes me feel better in times of need. Plus I am a vegan because I do enjoy more of a natural approach to my healing I would prefer to only stay on divalproex then to add anything more to the mix. Which my pmdd was raging out of control this week and I was out of weed I smashed up my bedroom door and I'm covered in bruises I finally smoked on the 5th or 6th day and my boyfriend said he noticed a significant change in me as well as I had to take Xanax at bedtime but finally got my period thank the high heavens cuz my body couldn't take anymore beating!

If it was decriminalized here I'd use it for the anxiety and pain. It's been effective for me in the past.

If I smoke weed during a severe depression, it will help me GREATLY! More than anything ever could. Nothing can replace the great positivity I receive from weed during severe depression. I'll always use it, if I have it, to get rid of suicidal thoughts and intentions. It's saved me before many times.

However, if I smoke it just to do it, it's a hit or miss. It can cause intense anxiety and racing thoughts. It can also trigger mania during my "high" time (2-3hrs) causing me me to talk very rapidly while jumping from one topic to the next. My hubby will tell me to slow down and take a breath. Sometimes I'll even forget my own train of thought because it's going so fast.

So to sum it up, if I use it when I actually need it...It's the best medicine. If I use it for other intentions, it can make my bipolar worse only during the duration of the high.

Aw man I'm sorry sidestepper I know the feeling my home town it is still something you could be jailed for which is one reason why I did move and I hope that changes soon I think we deserve to use a plant if it's effects serve us well. I do know a lot of people who find it very useful for pain management they usually take it in a pill form.

Sunny ! Same with me I do not smoke it recreationally only when my symptoms start to flare up unfortunately that is every day because the bpd/BP then throw in a week of pmdd combo is very intense I feel suicidal on a daily basis and in my opinion I have rapid cycling but if this psych wants to call it BP 1 whatever I like divalproex either way, which probably means I won't have to smoke every day anymore

I have GAD, combined with severe paranoia sometimes. I think that's why it makes me freak out.

I vape every other day or so I was talking to my pdoc the other day and she does not know I vape. I asked her what she thought about vaping and she told me to totally avoid it but she would not give me a valid reason as to why though. I live in a non legal state for now but my wife and I have been talking about to a legal state. I like to vape it cause it does help with my depression and anxiety and the main one is it helps me sleep better than most sleeping pills I have taken. I also enjoy making edibles with it that has a longer lasting effect without filling my lungs with more crap.

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Raspberrytorte I totally understand that I could see that getting pretty scary! I actually had the same reaction to edibles now that otroo mentioned that I got very sick to my stomach and almost passed out. I think the vape is the best I just don't have the money for it right now. I wanted to ask my psych more about why she thought I should stop but I barely know her at this point so I really haven't said much more than I have to.

I have anxiety and am a recovering alcoholic. Dunno if that's got anything to do with my problem with MJ, years ago I smoked it all the time and never had an issue. Then again, the strains they grow nowadays are much stronger than those we used back in the day.

I have c-PTSD too but that's in remission. I was Dx with GAD but I'm pretty sure it was part of the PTSD don't really have an issue with it now.

Every time I've done it, it's made my episodes worse. I'd never recommend it to anyone with BP, but that's just a personal bias. I know it helps some people.

In addition to my BP, I have several anxiety disorders. About a year ago I had a very bad auto accident that has left me with persistent pain. It helps me tremendously on a daily basis with both the pain and anxiety. I think it also helps to lessen the intensity of strong mania or depression.

My moods are a lot more stable with the use of medical cannabis. I can go a few days without it but my moods get progressively worse and I even experience suicidal ideation. My family is against its use only because of all the bad press and misinformation with "marijuana." I don't blame them because they don't know how it feels to be in my head or understand the relief medical cannabis provides for me. Yes, I still have my bad days which I think is normal for every human being to have but life is just a whole lot more tolerable.

My pdocs say once in a while is fine for me. But not the same for everyone.