MJ for depression; all other treatments tried and failed

[BonsaiBud]

I smoke MJ for depression. It blows it away like a nuclear bomb. Anyone else use it as such? Yes, I will smoke a wake-and-bake. I will smoke when I get home from classes/work. I will smoke both weekdays and weekends. I shall smoke it as needed. I'll get a vape when possible. Until then: I will just smoke and grow as per my dosage requirement. And, no, I don't live in one of those fancy Med MJ states.

 

[texsativa]

I smoke MJ for depression. It blows it away like a nuclear bomb. Anyone else use it as such? Yes, I will smoke a wake-and-bake. I will smoke when I get home from classes/work. I will smoke both weekdays and weekends. I shall smoke it as needed. I'll get a vape when possible. Until then: I will just smoke and grow as per my dosage requirement. And, no, I don't live in one of those fancy Med MJ states.

Do you feel depressed or have you been diagnosed with major depression? For how long? What treatments have you tried? For how long did you try them?

 

[CheifnBud2]

Yes it does work. Some strains can make it worse, especially if you are naturally lazy and smoke a giant spliff of heavy indica.

Find something that suits you and dont over-do it.

If you wake&bake on a regular basis i dont think it's really going to help your depression.

 

[b8man]

Yup - me too. Other medications had nasty side-effects (what do you mean I'll be happy but won't be able to get an erection!??!!!??) and MJ is the only way I've found to rediscover my love of life. But, it's very very very important to pick the right strain, because some strains have the side-effect of making you lazy and sluggish.

Strains I know of which allow you to operate as normal include Satori, Nepalese Jam and Apollo 11. Waking and baking for depression means 1 hit off a pipe before 7am and then nothing until 4:20. An active dose to treat depression is VERY SMALL.

Abuse it and you'll just build up a tolerance quickly and get depressed again.

 

[ureapwhatusow]

there are two studies ill cite

one says low doses one says high doses treate depression

I think its relative to the depression (i.e. severe depression, smoke heavy, light depression, smoke light)

I have been diagnosed very early on in live (preteen) with manic depression

my depression was diagnosed as untreatable and i was given a 6 month prognosis
before suicide or without becoming permanently institutionalized
its is one of the most primative fields of medicine and most ppl are misdiagnosed

I have pysch hospital discharge papers that report me stabel and doing well cause i was smoking weed 3x a day at 13, not that the weed wasnt helping me backthen, but because even they knew it was my best alternative

what was really needed and still could use is a pyschotherapist who works with medicated patients

sometimes, when you have a severe psych disorder, you need more than one level of support

if you have medcine to sooth the mind you may need thearapy for guidance on how to be productive wiht that now medicated mind

Weed is self administered and there is a danger with psyhc patients self medicating and not working on the issues that were the catalyst to needing medication

I often thought about creating a weed smokers support group. i.e. a support group of people who use marijuana to combat pysch disorders.

A place were ppl can share their experience using marijuana as a catylyst to transform their lives

 

[Storm Crow]

"I often thought about creating a weed smokers support group. i.e. a support group of people who use marijuana to combat pysch disorders."

B8man, Chiefnbud2, Texsativa and BonsaiBud- ureapwhatusow, there's your core group! So what's stopping you? The "Chanting Growers" have managed to create a thread that goes on "forever"- why not this one? Just keep posting and you've done it!

Granny

 

[BuDzZPoWeRs]

I was diagnosed a couple years ago with depression an obsessive compulsive disorder.My doctor put me on paxil....now listen to me everyone don't ever take paxil!!!Pot help me alot during this time so yes I belive pot can help for depression but it's not the solution.
Ps:Now I'm off paxil since 06 no more depressed and no more oc disorder.

 

[BonsaiBud]

Do you feel depressed or have you been diagnosed with major depression? For how long? What treatments have you tried? For how long did you try them?

been diagnosed with major depression
13 years and counting
all of them (except wire-heading)
months or years for each different one

Yeah, I loved my Satori but they all died of salt poisoning. Should have never moved to Badwater Springs lol. Now I just have some half-breeds and they aren't ready.

I don't like indicas much.

 

[texsativa]

been diagnosed with major depression
13 years and counting
all of them (except wire-heading)
months or years for each different one

Could you please be more specific as to which treatments you have tried? Hum I have lots of questions for you.

 

[melty]

I agree with BuDzZPoWeRs.....Paxil is dangerous. I have struggled with Depression my entire life. Personally, I want to eventually quit smoking marijuana. I am probably one of the few on these boards, if not the only one who thinks that...hahaha. But I believe that the only purpose I have for using Marijuana is to help with my depression. But fuck, I really hate being depressed. I personally do not smoke pot every day or even every week. I am currently taking Lexapro. The medicine seems to work alright, but the side effects are remembering my dreams every night. I have been depressed beyond my belief, so needless to say for the most part my dreams are quite nightmarish. I want to stop using this medicine as well some day. I have been diagnosed with Manic Depression (By two doctors) and Social Anxiety Disorder. I have also been diagnosed by other doctors as not having these conditions. I am not an expert on these two "disorders," however I understand being severely, severely, severely depressed. I used to smoke pot all day long, every day, which just resulted in furthering my depression. For me, moderation is everything. I also agree with the folks who say that strain choice is important. However, in my experience with hybridized lines, individual plant selection is necessary. Pure Sativas and pure Indicas have helped me the most. I do not want to smoke an elite clone that fills me with fear and paranoia!

I do not want any living thing to feel how I have felt, and definitely want to help out.

 

[texsativa]

I agree with BuDzZPoWeRs.....Paxil is dangerous. I have struggled with Depression my entire life. Personally, I want to eventually quit smoking marijuana. I am probably one of the few on these boards, if not the only one who thinks that...hahaha. But I believe that the only purpose I have for using Marijuana is to help with my depression. But fuck, I really hate being depressed. I personally do not smoke pot every day or even every week. I am currently taking Lexapro. The medicine seems to work alright, but the side effects are remembering my dreams every night. I have been depressed beyond my belief, so needless to say for the most part my dreams are quite nightmarish. I want to stop using this medicine as well some day. I have been diagnosed with Manic Depression (By two doctors) and Social Anxiety Disorder. I have also been diagnosed by other doctors as not having these conditions. I am not an expert on these two "disorders," however I understand being severely, severely, severely depressed. I used to smoke pot all day long, every day, which just resulted in furthering my depression. For me, moderation is everything. I also agree with the folks who say that strain choice is important. However, in my experience with hybridized lines, individual plant selection is necessary. Pure Sativas and pure Indicas have helped me the most. I do not want to smoke an elite clone that fills me with fear and paranoia!

I do not want any living thing to feel how I have felt, and definitely want to help out.

That's a really good medication and I'm glad to hear it is helping. Maybe the dreams will improve over time. I also agree with you 100% about marijuana worsening your depression smoking all day every day, at least I had a similar experience. Many years later and smoking in moderation, I feel so much better, don't need marijuana, don't need medication. But I do enjoy smoking, especially with my wife.

One has to be careful smoking too much. I think that dependence can alter one's thoughts, in a way similar to the alcoholic...going a day without alcohol, he starts to feel terrible but feels better once he gets some alcohol in his system.

 

[melty]

I hope to be where your at in the future Tex. Music is the most helpful resource I have for now. But even with music, I can't freaking stay up til 5 in the morning every night listening to more and more! Moderation.......

 

[texsativa]

I hope to be where your at in the future Tex. Music is the most helpful resource I have for now. But even with music, I can't freaking stay up til 5 in the morning every night listening to more and more! Moderation.......

Feel free to shoot me a PM anytime. Things are really hectic though at the moment. Clinically significan depression is not at all uncommon during adolescence and into one's 20's-30's. Stressful school, relationships, just finding yourself is a pain in the ass. For me, I guess I had a big load lifted off my shoulders when I got married and settled into a career and living in a place I enjoy. I didn't just wake up, quit smoking, and felt better. The sun does rise though.

Don't forget to exercise often and eat healthy(er).

 

[Quentin]

I use the herb medicinal daily and i am not so depressed.Its medicine and its time we started treating it that way. Pharmaceutical drugs are far more damaging to the system then medicinal herbs. Im on carbamazepine everyday and its not very good as a good pipe full of sweet sticky medicine the way God intended us to benefit. Take care of yourselves and each other.

 

[przcvctm]

Good thread, BB. My depression is the consequence of PTSD. I only mention that because I know that there are a lot of different causes. I'm interested in how others are affected by depression and how they use cannabis is to treat the symptoms to be able to get out and be active and have some quality of life.

I'll start, but if I'm hijacking BB, say so and I'll respectfully delete. I can't speak about what caused my PTSD. I can't even think about it with out triggering powerful intrusive thoughts that are like strong flashbacks while awake. I have an almost anaphylactic reaction to even mild stress. The smallest task can cause me to feel overwhelmed. I hate crowds. I have no mental energy. I have to 'Babystep' mentally like Bob Wiley to achieve most daily tasks. Sleep is an escape. Fortunately my dreams are not disturbed by nightmares, and I'll nap to burn daylight until I can go to bed at night. I can touch silk and sense that it is soft to the touch, but I'm unable to feel pleasure. I can look at a magnificent sunset or breath in piney mountain air without any of the joy that I used to experience.

I had no idea that cannabis was used to treat my illness until my wife had an MS scare, and I was researching treatments for her. I decided to buy some crap off the street and try it. I found, like has been mentioned above, that in small doses my mind rebooted and came to life with creativity and interest which lasted long after the 'high' wore off. I found the high to be unpleasant, though. On one occasion, I pushed the limits of dosage, and found myself in a strange world. Nothing around me seemed real. Time was not progressing. I thought I'd try and sleep it off, but when I closed my eyes, I started falling into a black hole that I was certain would kill me. So I woke up and rode it out, sometimes jabbing a pen into the bottom of my foot to feel something real. Wild. But, you know, I wasn't depressed or anxious for two weeks after that.

I bore everyone with that experience because I'd love to get more input on strains that are enjoyable and effective. I've noted the ones already listed and need to get A11 it looks like.

Thanks for letting me write.

 

[Scoobs]

Grow your own medicine is my advice.

commercial strains are not the same as the other strains, and are not properly grown with regards to maturity, flushing, curing etc... Early harvested weed produces paranoia, agitation and anxieties.

The difference between well grown herb and commercial crap is like night and day.

I suffer from mild depression, like most people these days living in North America. Smoking a joint with some well matured home grown turns my depression around almost instantly and is much much safer than the pills.

 

[przcvctm]

Grow your own medicine is my advice.

Oh, believe me, I try. I suck at it regardless how much time I spend reading how it's done.

 

[hardhat22]

Did any of ya'll go through the zoloft stage?I spent 3 days in the psych ward after a couple of months of it.For a while,I spent every waking moment trying to plan my suicide in such a way that it looked accidental so my family would benefit from my insurance.Poison,all of it.
I also tried Lexpro.I ended up thinking I was having a heart attack and wore a heart monitor for awhile.Come to find out,it has an amphetamine in it which was triggering my anxiety over and over putting my heart under tremendous strain.The doc that prescribed it without researching it is no longer my doc,Lol.It was a med student working in his office that figured that one out,possibly saving my life.
I've tried all the rest and succeded only in huge weight gains and loss of sex drive or inability to get an erection.
If anyone is like me and is non-responsive to chemical treatments,you need to research double depression.After years of failed therapy,I came to the conclusion that I fall under that category.My psychiatrist agreed,adding that he never had believed in double depression until he met me,Lol.
I treat myself now with MJ,though it seldom helps my moods much,it helps much better than the pharma-poisons that were fed to me for years.Depending on the level of depression/anxiety I'm experiencing,I can mix a pure Sat with and indica dom in my bowl and get satisfactory results,and avoid divorce and child support one more day.I don't know how my family can stand living with me...
Peace

 

[relic1981]

im kinda on the fence about it. for me personally ive been on pharmies for depression and anxiety for almost 10 years now. the one constant medicine ive taken in that time is cannabis. ive been on multiple antidepressants and multiple doses of xanax and ativan. somedays/ weeks my mood is stabilized but most the time its not and without going into lala land with the benzos, cannabis is the only thing that works well and constantly without rebound anxiety (benzos) or feeling weird because of the ssri's. that being said i have such high tolerance that i really have to work at getting releif from cannabis. even in the morning, when my anxiety is highest, i have to smoke multiple bowls of really potent strains to do much of anything. after work its an all night affair until bedtime which is pretty late since im up thinking, and thinking and thinking! like i said cannibis is the only thing to constantly lift my mood with out the side effects of the pharmies, which i can hardly notice them working, but it isnt the end all be all. despite my attempts im still depressed and anxious, and look out if i run out before next harvest! to top it off ive ben in financial trouble for the past 4 years and that dosnt help anything. life for me is just one thing after another with me just hangin on for the ride. my saving grace is a women and my dogs who love me despite my shortcomings.

wishing things were better for all
relic

 

[K.J]

My story

My story

I was diagnosed with clinical depression about 10 years ago. At the time I was a semi-regular smoker and it was funny, because my therapist said to me one day after having started me on Prozac "you may want to stop smoking so we can see if the Prozac is working". So what was she telling me? That the cannabis was treating my depression and if I kept smoking we'd never know if it was the cannabis or the Prozac? Things that make you go hmmmmm....



Up until about 2 years ago I was a regular, daily cannabis consumer, but I rarely had anything better than semi-kind available to me (you know, the stuff that looks real good and smells pretty fine, but really isn't much better than the schwag?).

It definitely was the best treatment I experienced for my depression and anxiety (which wasn't officially diagnosed until about 3 years ago, though I've had it for a long, long time). I can only imagine how much more effective it will be once I am able to grow my own medicine and pick the specific strains that help me most.

I haven't smoked but once or twice over the past 2 years due to some issues I had in my personal life that caused me to be looking over my shoulder at every turn. But I will soon be going to a land where medical cannabis is legal and will be able to obtain a medical card for a chronic pain condition I have. The ironic thing is that instead of the nasty side effects I get from the narcotics I use to treat it, I'll be getting positive side effects from the cannabis such as assistance in treating my depression and anxiety!

Truth be told, I'm likely a Bipolar II diagnosis, as my doctor once made a comment to me about, after which he commented "but you don't want that diagnosis in your records". I wonder if it was because he knew I could keep it under control with the cannabis I was using at the time, which he and his nurses were aware of? He didn't want to give me our day and ages "scarlet letter" and I will forever thank him for that.

I've tried many treatments over the years, such as: Prozac, Zoloft, Cymbalta, Xanax, Effexor, Ativan, Risperdal, Gabapentin, Wellbutrin (which I currently take), and on and on and on (there are many I can't even recall the names of). Wellbutrin has by far been the best of them all, but mainly because it works somewhat and has little side effects for me personally. That said, I can't wait to replace it with cannabis.

Anyhow, I doubt I answered your question. Truth is, I don't yet know what strain will work best for my depression/anxiety/bi-polar condition, but I hope to find out soon.