stateofkane

I'm at odds in what to believe smoking pots relationship is with someone who suffers severe depression. I have taken anti-depressants in the past (zoloft) and I smoked pot while taking this. I must say that it did feel very relieving to get high while taking this med. However, I believe that this combination contributed to erratic and sometimes bizzare behavior. I have also been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder.

I haven't taken any meds in almost 2 years now. I don't smoke pot nearly as much as I used to. (Used to smoke it daily, now about once a month). My behavior and depression is much more stable than it was before and I don't know what to contribute this to, not taking meds or not smoking as much pot - or both. I still suffer some depression, but not as much. Smoking pot also isn't as pleasurable as it was when I took meds. I believe the zoloft did more harm than good for my overall psyche.


What do you guys think? Should people who suffer from depression or any psychological disorder smoke pot? Should they smoke pot if they take meds? My personal opinion is if someone takes psych meds or suffers from severe depression, they should steer clear of all mood altering drugs, alcohol especially. I am not a big fan of psych meds, but that's a different debate for a different time.

Vik*star*

Good Topic. I personally use Marijuana for relieving depression and recreationally. I would think Marijuana helps with depression as it loosens up long term memorys and with positive suggestions you can let go of these easily while stoned. Depression is mostly due to painful memories and altho at beginning it might feel like its actually bad when memories start coming in consciousness, once the high is over it actually feel relief. And subsequent highs will only help in purging the memory.

my_scatterheart

It's all dependent upon the person.
I've been "diagnosed" a lot of things, ...but I can tell you that sometimes when I smoke it's a bad decision, while other times, it is the most relieving and beneficial thing out there for me. There's no clear cut answer to this kind of question.

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The SARS Volta

It's gone through different phases as far as affecting my overall consistent mood. There are times where mj seemed to bring me down, others when it was sure to pick me up. The only regular result I have had is my use making me extremely fucking lazy.

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Mr.Tree

yeah. this summer i realized that my binge smoking(alot alot) gave me mood swings. but i'm out of it now. wooh.

you should just smoke at a moderate level(like a weekend smoker) and if you have access to any sativas that have proclaimed anti-anxiety(strawberry cough) properties, you could purchase those too.

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Bongy_Digital

im depressed im out of weed so yeah id smoke it to fix me up

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WildWill

Yup, it's all up to the individual's body chemistry. Some people tolerate MJ better than others, and for some people it's the greatest thing in the world for depression (myself included).

For some people it just doesn't work as well. Your mileage may vary

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Smaerd

I don't know if it's tolerance or understanding of Cannabis that changes how it effects people.

Vik*star*

^Probably both

Although I must say if you are using mj for depression, you will have to use it in a certain way different from recreational use for it have effect and that depends on person to person.

stateofkane

Thanks for the replies. I think the less frequently it is smoked; the better. This way the tolerance level is low. If you wait until you are feeling depressed, stressed out, angry or whatever, you will feel the effect of it and be able to reflect better on your current life events.

When I was blazing every day, I was depressed more, partly because I was never actually high, just in a daze all the time. I was also moodier and thought irrationally.

Blue_Dolphin

Personally, I think that smoking for depression only takes care of it while you are actually high. I can be upset about something, smoke and be ok but as soon as it's over, those bad feelings come back.

I do agree that things are easier to "handle" while smoking and you realize things but to me, they all come back once you get back to a normal state of mind.

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Jimmycube

In my experiences with depression both mild and severe weed has offered mixed results. When i smoked daily i think it did more harm than good. I just spent the day trying to numb myself as much as possible through smoking. I really wasnt getting any ware by doing this, i wasnt addressing the problems i had in life.

These days i smoke on occasion, prob on average a few times a month and i find it much more useful. I tend to cheer up a bit and just be more accepting of things. I only get this effect if i dont smoke often.

As far as the combination of anti Ds and smoking i never really noticed any difference in the high at all. I have been on a number on anti ds over the last few years and some did absolutely nothing (effexor, symbalta) at all but eventually i did find one that seemed to help a fair amount. Remron *mirtazapine* has actually helped quite a bit. It certainly doesnt fix everything but i no longer have the extreme lows like i used to. Things just seem to be more balanced i would say. Unlike many other anti Ds the side effects are also quite helpful to me. They include an increase in sleep and ease of falling asleep as well as weight gain *good in my case, could be bad in other peoples* and is one of the few anti ds that does not have sexual side effects which is a big plus.

Basically i feel anti ds can help but expect to try many different ones until u find what works for you. I also feel weed can be helpful in depression but only if used sparingly.

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