Marijuana and BiPolar question

Spiderlegs · 02:18 PM

I know of someone who is BiPolar, to the point of psychotic episodes. They live with a person who uses pot constantly around them. I've not asked if the bipolar person uses, but it appears they do.

Is pot use dangerous for a Bipolar patient?

Moose72 · Apr 01, 2017, 12:20 PM

I know I've become psychotic after using pot. Several times, actually. There was a thread here a while back by a woman whose son was psychotic and they were trying to figure out if it was the pot or if he was schizophrenic. You might search for that.

bioChE · Apr 01, 2017, 12:57 PM

I was a heavy pot smoker, and it made me psychotic. Multiple times. There is a name for it, marijuana psychosis. It's sure as shiit real, as I am living proof. In order to stay out of the hospital I have to steer clear of the weed.

Apr 01, 2017, 01:11 PM

I haven't smoked in awhile but should. It might make some people hallucinate but whether or not it's good for a person is not your place to judge. The only thing I know for sure will happen if a person smokes, is everyone will treat them like a second class citizen and assume crap about them they have no business assuming.

Apr 01, 2017, 01:32 PM

Honestly, this question pisses me off so much I can't even tell you. Do you know what causes psychosis? Paxil, Prozac, Wellbutrin, lithium, etc....and it causes much more too. My mother in law and ex best friend are enormously obese and that is not good for the body or mind...they have lots of health problems, undeniably caused from the weight. How would overweight people feel if I constantly tried to tell them what they already know ....food is killing you!!! Obviously it's worth it to them, just like psych meds which can and do shorten lifespan and lead to suicide. It's up to the person what they choose to put in their mouths. If that food provides them short term comfort at a long term price, it's up to them to make that decision. Unless of course the person is developmentally delayed and incapable of making a decision for themselves, I highly doubt anything you have to say regarding pot and the "what if's" of it are going to matter. They'd have to be pretty darn stupid if they didn't know the cost/benefit analysis for themselves. I have never had psychosis as a direct result of pot but have from psych meds. Should I not take psych meds? I realize my anger is misdirected and I imagine you just want to help your friend. Your judgement will not help your friend.

Spiderlegs · Apr 01, 2017, 01:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ElsaMars

I haven't smoked in awhile but should. It might make some people hallucinate but whether or not it's good for a person is not your place to judge. The only thing I know for sure will happen if a person smokes, is everyone will treat them like a second class citizen and assume crap about them they have no business assuming.

Just curious, no judgement. I know weed makes me very anxious at times, other times just the opposite.

Spiderlegs · Apr 01, 2017, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ElsaMars

Honestly, this question pisses me off so much I can't even tell you. Do you know what causes psychosis? Paxil, Prozac, Wellbutrin, lithium, etc....and it causes much more too. My mother in law and ex best friend are enormously obese and that is not good for the body or mind...they have lots of health problems, undeniably caused from the weight. How would overweight people feel if I constantly tried to tell them what they already know ....food is killing you!!! Obviously it's worth it to them, just like psych meds which can and do shorten lifespan and lead to suicide. It's up to the person what they choose to put in their mouths. If that food provides them short term comfort at a long term price, it's up to them to make that decision. Unless of course the person is developmentally delayed and incapable of making a decision for themselves, I highly doubt anything you have to say regarding pot and the "what if's" of it are going to matter. They'd have to be pretty darn stupid if they didn't know the cost/benefit analysis for themselves. I have never had psychosis as a direct result of pot but have from psych meds. Should I not take psych meds? I realize my anger is misdirected and I imagine you just want to help your friend. Your judgement will not help your friend.

Just trying to learn, Elsa, thanks.

bioChE · Apr 01, 2017, 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spiderlegs

Just curious, no judgement. I know weed makes me very anxious at times, other times just the opposite.

Different strains of weed have different balances of psychoactive chemicals, that's why you can have a different response to them. Strains that are high in THC (predominantly sativa) have a much more cerebral effect and often cause the anxiety side effect. They can also contribute to the paranoia some experience ("The cops are coming!"). Strains that are high in CBD (predominantly indica) cause more of the relaxation, pain management, and couch-lock.....and wanting to eat an entire bag of Cheetos.

There's no reason to be upset by an innocent question from someone who is gathering more information about people's experiences. The OG post showed no judgement, rather I took it as the opposite with someone wanting to be able to help a friend.

Apr 01, 2017, 02:10 PM

Perhaps you can actually ask your friend IF they use and how it effects THEM if you are concerned?

bioChE · Apr 01, 2017, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bioChE

I was a heavy pot smoker, and it made me psychotic. Multiple times. There is a name for it, marijuana psychosis. It's sure as shiit real, as I am living proof. In order to stay out of the hospital I have to steer clear of the weed.

Just to clarify, this is not a guaranteed response to smoking weed for someone who is bipolar. It's a risk, but there are also a lot of BP people who successfully use marijuana to stabilize their moods. I am a big proponent of legalization and think everyone should have the opportunity to decide for themselves whether or not to use.

Apr 01, 2017, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bioChE

Different strains of weed have different balances of psychoactive chemicals, that's why you can have a different response to them. Strains that are high in THC (predominantly sativa) have a much more cerebral effect and often cause the anxiety side effect. They can also contribute to the paranoia some experience ("The cops are coming!"). Strains that are high in CBD (predominantly indica) cause more of the relaxation, pain management, and couch-lock.....and wanting to eat an entire bag of Cheetos.

There's no reason to be upset by an innocent question from someone who is gathering more information about people's experiences. The OG post showed no judgement, rather I took it as the opposite with someone wanting to be able to help a friend.

You and I obviously share a very different intellect it would appear. Also, your recount of how pot works is a little skewed. Would you admit one persons reaction to lithium is not going to be the same as another persons? I'm sure you would. I'm pretty sure indica can cause anxiety and a feeling that "the cops are coming" too. So can birth control pills and psych meds. If this person is concerned about their friend, would it not be best to talk to the friend? The OP admitted it was an assumption to begin with and then asks a blanket statement, if it's good for bipolar people, ....not their friend, but presumably all bipolar folks. This is not a question any of us are educated enough to answer.

bioChE · Apr 01, 2017, 02:24 PM

Deleted my own unhelpful response. No need to do that here.

Apr 01, 2017, 02:44 PM

I'm sorry if I come off harsh. Some people here may know that I'm going through a rough time. I went to the ER a few years ago for stomach pain and openly admitted to using marijuana when they asked. The doctor then said "that's what's causing your stomach pain, we see it in the ER all the time" and proceeded to run NO TESTS. It had been weeks since I smoked but I thought they might be right. The nurse came to me a moment later, said the doc was full of it and I had no marijuana in my system and to ask for a referral outside Kaiser if these doctors continued to make assumptions. I did ask and was declined. I've had stomach problems since I was young....long before my first puff of cannabis. Turns out I have something in my stomach and had those jerks looked when I first started coming, my family and I could have been saved years of torment. I'm ANGRY. I've had psych issues since I was young, long before that first puff but I have no doubt they have assumed that pot caused it. These are deadly assumptions people make so freely. Do you know how many people have been jailed long term for innocent pot use? How many lives destroyed, families in ruins because the bread maker was put in jail and kids growing up without a father or mother! Pot makes people laugh, eat and sleep....not commit crimes, become abusive or anything to warrant jail in MOST cases. If someone gets psychosis from it, hopefully they will stop. but assumptions do nobody any good and are freakin deadly. I'm sorry if I'm coming across as hostile...but perhaps it's for all the people who have lost their freedom unjustly due to other people's ignorant assumptions and need to control others.

Apr 01, 2017, 02:51 PM

I'd like to see a list of all patients that ER doc saw in her career and see if she even had one legitimate case of severe stomach pain from cannabis. Something tells me that was a convinient lie to save her additional work. I wouldn't even be smoking pot if they had done their freakin job right to begin with! Sorry for the anger but as I'm sure you can see, this strikes a huge cord for me and it should for others too if they have even half a heart.

bioChE · Apr 01, 2017, 02:58 PM

Definitely agree that much harm has come about due to cannabis prohibition. I guess I don't share the same anger, but if I had been through that same situation as you I might get hot under the collar as well.

To everyone who smokes, please light up a joint and puff one for me tonight!

Apr 01, 2017, 03:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bioChE

Definitely agree that much harm has come about due to cannabis prohibition. I guess I don't share the same anger, but if I had been through that same situation as you I might get hot under the collar as well.

To everyone who smokes, please light up a joint and puff one for me tonight!

People should be angry. They should be very angry. The government is a shady as frack, sinister, crooked azzhat. The people making the laws to jail people for it, were undoubtably toking up in their free time. Prohibition is a joke and all those big hat wearing, church going, Jesus loving hypocrites, who promoted it should have been jailed for trying to inflict their nonsense on the general public at great expense to our personal freedoms.

Apr 01, 2017, 03:09 PM

This might sound strange, but I want to thank the OP for starting this thread and helping me refocus my anger on something less destructive. I'm sorry for my hostility, it truly is not personal at all. Perhaps if you read what I wrote you will understand and forgive. If not, I'm still sorry.

Apr 01, 2017, 03:23 PM

My mom always said certain things to me growing up that I will always remember "got never closes a door, without opening a window" and "everything happens for a reason". I'm really sorry this came st your expense spiderlegs, but I really think your post might have been my "reason" today and I truly thank you and severely apologize. I know this won't make sense to you, but please understand that you made a difference for someone today beyond what you might imagine and I thank you. I hope you accept my apology.

Spiderlegs · Apr 01, 2017, 06:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ElsaMars

My mom always said certain things to me growing up that I will always remember "got never closes a door, without opening a window" and "everything happens for a reason". I'm really sorry this came st your expense spiderlegs, but I really think your post might have been my "reason" today and I truly thank you and severely apologize. I know this won't make sense to you, but please understand that you made a difference for someone today beyond what you might imagine and I thank you. I hope you accept my apology.

No need to apologize,you didn't harm me. I took the Bipolar test earlier and some of us had a discussion about that...I have some tendencies it appears (according to the quiz), since I use some weed, I was just inquiring. It has started making the anxiety worse for me. But what you went thru in the ER was BS. When my bones were broken and I needed physical Therapy, all any doctor would focus on was that I had to stop smoking cigarettes (which I did). Doctors can be cruel. They almost cured me to death. Hugs. Spider

Moose72 · 07:09 PM

I went downtown today with my daughter. Cars were all headed that way. "I wonder what's going on downtown" I said to my daughter. So we get one of the very last parking spaces and are walking down the street when I see a sign on the sidewalk "Hash Bash Special"! "OMG!" I say, "It's Hash Bash!" People come from all around for this ONE day a year when marijuana is legal. People were everywhere and most of them were smoking. I don't think I got any contact buzz, nor did my daughter, but it was quite the scene. And we just were walking in the outlying areas, not where the main events or times were! So I definitely smelled marijuana, but I don't think I got high from it and I don't think I hallucinated from it. There were however three people following us down the street rather closely. I figured they were going to kidknap my daughter, or mug us. So I walked faster. Then they turned where we turned. Then they followed us to our car! Then they got into the car next to ours! I guess I got paranoid. I got my car out fairly easily and driving home was better. Just a coincidence we were talking about this here and the next day...

LiteraryLark · Apr 01, 2017, 07:18 PM

I've always had a horrible reaction to smoking marijuana while being bipolar no matter what the strain or how "good" it was (my 420 friends prided themselves on getting really good stuff). However, I handle edibles very well, although I had small portions because my 420 friends were concerned about my well being as they knew I had issues to smoking. I heard the high is much stronger with edibles, hence the small portions. But I never had enough to feel it as far as I knew. Once it's officially legal I'll try an edible to see how I'd react to it, but you do have to be careful. My dad took a marijuana class and they said teens have died after eating edibles because they didn't follow instructions...AKA they'd buy a bag of gummy bears or a bar of chocolate and instead of only eating the recommended dose they ate the entire bag or entire bar and died. People will protest it. Technically, it wasn't the marijuana but the THC but seriously, where do you typically find THC? In marijuana.