[brsmurk]

I use marijuana to take the edge off and it really helps...does it make my bipolar worse?

[Michah]

Originally Posted by brsmurk

I use marijuana to take the edge off and it really helps...does it make my bipolar worse?

Sweetie, simple answer, yes!! Long term not good at all......I have not smoked since being dx as lithium and mary jane do not mix........not to mention what it does to your memory, paranoia, agitation when not smoking, DNA implications, low sperm count, cognitive function and the list goes on and on.

I am not denying the medical applications for the drug.......but for mental health issues......not good!!!!!

Please talk to your doctor about alternatives.........

[Berries]

Everytime I have had a pot smoking stint--like getting high on the weekends for a month or so--I have ended up in the hospital.

It is nice at the time, but not worth the consequences!

[brsmurk]

Originally Posted by Michah

Sweetie, simple answer, yes!! Long term not good at all......I have not smoked since being dx as lithium and mary jane do not mix........not to mention what it does to your memory, paranoia, agitation when not smoking, DNA implications, low sperm count, cognitive function and the list goes on and on.

I am not denying the medical applications for the drug.......but for mental health issues......not good!!!!!

Please talk to your doctor about alternatives.........

Im going to have to stop, I really dont want to but i do notice a crash if im not smoking a really bad one, if i didnt give a damn what my family would label me as id probably end up im the hospital myself.

[soc1]

Originally Posted by brsmurk

I use marijuana to take the edge off and it really helps...does it make my bipolar worse?

It can make it alot worse. Scientific studies show that a certain fraction of the population is susceptible to psychosis and mental illness as the result of smoking pot over a period of time.

Personally, I also self-medicated with pot for anxiety and chronic pain before going manic. At the time I was on antidepressants and scaled up the marijuana when I became extremely nauseated for something like a month.
I don't know what would have happened if I hadn't been smoking pot. Maybe I wouldn't have gone manic.

I also felt really good being high and like my mind was on and clear and full of energy and then would crash and feel blunted when I came down.

BTW I'd love to do it again but its too dangerous for me and not worth it.

[chalmette70043]

From experience, not a good idea. Not a good idea at all. But in all honesty it is hard to turn the cheek. I think you know what you need to do. You just need to do it.

[brsmurk]

Originally Posted by chalmette70043

From experience, not a good idea. Not a good idea at all. But in all honesty it is hard to turn the cheek. I think you know what you need to do. You just need to do it.

yeah i have to quit, it just feels so good it feels right i guess...i try really hard to rationalize, but its not worth it thankyou guys...

[niecy440]

yes for 25 years. Maybe it sometimes makes me sad because i start thinking negatively. But it really helps with nausea and depression. I'm considering quitting smoking because I already quit cigarettes and would like to not smoke anything because of my lungs. I've heard some people don't react well smoking pot. Causes depression etc Its all about knowing your symptoms and whether you can tolerate pot or not.

[niecy440]

Smoke pot daily and I can say sometimes it makes me depressed and other times it takes the edge off as someone else said earlier. I have a feeling if your meds aren't going well getting high could make you feel bad. But if your meds are right then go ahead if it makes you feel better.

[frizzyscissorhands]

I did smoke weed. For the past decade, in fact. And then, suddenly, my lungs/airways became sensitized to it. I have just quit ... cold turkey (a stint in the hospital for pneumonia didn't hurt, lemme tell you) ... no cravings. In fact, I don't want any! Strange, cuz I was a REAL fiend ... like the biggest pothead going. Looking back, I think weed only contributed to my manias. And ... I have this theory (based on the pot smokers I know) that many bipolar people smoke the stuff to try to emulate the high ... the great feeling of hypomania. Anyway ... me thinks no good for treating mental illness. I'm inclined to think that, if one feels the urge to self medicate, then perhaps one needs one's meds re-adjusted.

[DarkHollywood]

I don't smoke on a regular basis. If I'm at a friend's house and they go to smoke, I don't have anything else pending for the rest of the day and I'm not doing a lot more driving anywhere, sure, I'll join in. I personally haven't noticed anything too negative from the after affects. You are right, it takes off the edge and I may have a little depression after waking the next day, but ya know what, I sometimes awake crying and wanting to die even when I haven't touched the stuff, so I can live with it.

However, I did have a good friend of our family's that was like a brother to me. He got pulled over and ended up getting caught with a prescription pill on him that was not his, hence he ended up getting probation and rehab. Also, this was his second drug related offense. Anyways, while he was on I believe it was 12 months probation and going to the rehab meetings, he was, of course, not allowed to smoke at all as they did random drug tests. Now this was a guy who used to smoke with my brother every single night and he was fine after smoking.... I never noticed much of a difference except he got a little laid back. Now he couldn't smoke at all. He changed into a different person. I'm not talking just staying away from smoking the stuff, but his demeanor changed, he basically became very bitter towards life in general. He lost his longtime girlfriend due to his behavior as he chose to go out and drink instead of get high and we ended up cutting off all ties with this guy as he chose not to see his difficult behavior was breaking up his friendships and relationships. And this was someone who had never been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

So, I just wanted to share my experience with you and let you know that, just like with psych meds, every patient is different. Also, if you get the marijuana from different places, a lot of the time, the weed is always a bit different, stronger, weaker, etc... So people are always going to react differently on it. However, anyone who says that marijuana is NOT addictive or behavior modifying is full of it because I have seen someone unable to smoke it anymore turn into a basic jerkoff and stay that way. So, in my opinion, stay away from the stuff. It's not worth it.

- DH