bipolar disorder and mmj - Medicinal Cannabis Forum - International Cannagraphic Magazine Forums

learnin2grow · 10-12-2005, 06:03 PM

Hey gang. I haven't been around for some time thanks to my new diagnosis. I had a full-blown manic episode about a month ago. So now I'm bipolar. Life has pretty much sucked since then, but it's getting better. I am taking lithium carbonate as a mood stabilizer, and I'd say my mood has been stable. I have heard mj helps to offset the side effects of the drug, and some say mj is a good mood stabilizer in and of itself... perhaps I was self medicating all along... although I only smoked about once a week on the weekends to blow off steam. My doc is dead set against marijuana use, for no scientific reasons that I could gather... but my question: Anybody out there with a similar affliction? Any advice on alternative treatments? Thanks in advance.

HippieMama · 10-12-2005, 06:14 PM

Look in the last page of the epileptic thread in this forum....I posted about my experience there.....If you would like to talk about it more, pm me anytime!!

There is an EXCELLENT book by Carrie Fisher (Princess Leah of Star Wars Fame) The Best Awful.... It's a novel, but it's based on her bi-polar experiences....I was amazed at how similar our experiences were...
That book is a sequel to Postcards from the Edge, but you don't need to read
it to read this one.

I highly recommend it.....I really enjoyed it!!

I was hospitalized for the entire month of June this year and missed my son's high school graduation. I still cry about that....

Life can suck at times, but we are here to help each other, right??

Peace,

~HM

KingRalph · 10-12-2005, 08:37 PM

intermittent smoking is not very good for bipolar, honestly, continual use is the only treatment for bipolar. after a little bit of regularly smoking throughout the day, you will stabilize and a lil bit later you will become running at full functionality again. stopping this medication or smoking only once a day will leave you going back and forth between bipolarness. ingesting the herb would also probably help quite a bit in not having you get too stoned at certain times. best of luck.

HippieMama · 10-12-2005, 09:39 PM

Speaking from my experience....JUST MJ does not work for me because I also have the psychosis component of Bi-polar....I THOUGHT that just MJ would work as it does for a few friends of mine that also have it, so I (with the permission from my doctor) went off the depakote ....well 1.5 yrs later the bitch was back and it wasn't pretty.....

So, I say IF you have NO psychosis &/or have never been hospitalized, you can try MJ on a regular basis and see if it helps...

Good luck & here's to better days!!

~HM

learnin2grow · 10-13-2005, 12:23 AM

Thank for the input guys. I'm really struggling to find something better than lithium. Brain chemistry is something I value while I'm at work, so I hate having to take these damn pills that make me so foggy headed. The medics do not fully understand the mechanism of lithium, but it stands out as the gold standard of care for bipolar. That pisses me off. Perhaps there is something as simple as a mineral deficiency... who knows.

I was hospitalized twice last month to get over my manic episode. I was non-violent, but I had delusions of grandeur. I'll keep you guys posted on my progress.

HippieMama · 10-13-2005, 01:15 AM

Maybe I should start a thread about *delusions of grandeur*, OMG I am laughing too hard now...Ohhhh, the stories I could tell!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sinfuldreams · 10-13-2005, 01:36 AM

Just Pimples on my butt!

:
I'm not Bi-Polar ( as far as I know ) but I know at least 2.

Of course I'm never wrong, but then either are they!

I'm not sure if Cannabis will help. What King Ralph said sounds right.
And as Mama points out it won't help everyone.

I know 1st hand it helps in the 1st stages of Alzheimer's. Alzheimers makes the Mood Swing far and wide. Eating it was the best way to use it. They went from completely nuts to nearly normal. It didn't work towards the end stages.

I know a God Like 17 yearold girl. Her mom told me she started to smoke. Now this kid is bad news. Not sure how many Drugs she SHOULD be on but wont take. It seems at the moment, she is OK when she smokes ( Not a lot )
but still is a total BITCH. But better than trying to tear the walls down or kill someone. Does it help? Not sure yet but she is less agressive, for now anyway.

This is a tough situation and no one easy answer fits all.
Best of luck and keep us informed ok?
All My Best
Sin

10-13-2005, 02:04 AM

My wife is bipolar, and she didn't like the incontinence that lithium sometimes causes, so she is prescribed Zyprexia in its place. She's been on it for years, and seems to work fine.

HippieMama · 10-13-2005, 06:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mastergrow

My wife is bipolar, and she didn't like the incontinence that lithium sometimes causes, so she is prescribed Zyprexia in its place. She's been on it for years, and seems to work fine.

Really, incontinence from Lithium? I have never heard of that.....hmmm I'll have to look that up

I took Zyprexa while in the hospital, when I came home and looked it up in the PDR, the dose they were giving me was like 4x the highest does that was recommended, I was very upset. I saw the possible side effects and I
decided against taking it. I am on just lithium now. Someone mentioned that it made them feel foggy, I haven't found that to be true. I have extreme thirst & swollen feet from it & have to take water pills. I am in the bathroom every 20 minutes from 8 am - 2pm It really sucks :(

10-13-2005, 10:07 AM

hey there learnintogrow, From my understanding lithium is used to contol the "manic" 1/2 of the bipolar. Other drugs are used for the "other" half. The other half can be a number of disorders, but usually it's schizophrenia. Have the docs tried any other type of drugs or just the lithium? I have a few years experience in this field if you need to ask ....good luck

10-12-2005, 06:03 PM	#1
learnin2grow Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 45	bipolar disorder and mmj Hey gang. I haven't been around for some time thanks to my new diagnosis. I had a full-blown manic episode about a month ago. So now I'm bipolar. Life has pretty much sucked since then, but it's getting better. I am taking lithium carbonate as a mood stabilizer, and I'd say my mood has been stable. I have heard mj helps to offset the side effects of the drug, and some say mj is a good mood stabilizer in and of itself... perhaps I was self medicating all along... although I only smoked about once a week on the weekends to blow off steam. My doc is dead set against marijuana use, for no scientific reasons that I could gather... but my question: Anybody out there with a similar affliction? Any advice on alternative treatments? Thanks in advance.
	Quote

10-13-2005, 01:15 AM	#6
HippieMama Banned Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: New England Posts: 89	Maybe I should start a thread about delusions of grandeur, OMG I am laughing too hard now...Ohhhh, the stories I could tell!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Last edited by HippieMama; 10-13-2005 at 01:28 AM..
	Quote

10-13-2005, 01:36 AM	#7
Sinfuldreams Basement Garden Gnome Join Date: May 2004 Location: Minnesota Posts: 1,581	I'm Still God Like and your all......... Just Pimples on my butt! : I'm not Bi-Polar ( as far as I know ) but I know at least 2. Of course I'm never wrong, but then either are they! I'm not sure if Cannabis will help. What King Ralph said sounds right. And as Mama points out it won't help everyone. I know 1st hand it helps in the 1st stages of Alzheimer's. Alzheimers makes the Mood Swing far and wide. Eating it was the best way to use it. They went from completely nuts to nearly normal. It didn't work towards the end stages. I know a God Like 17 yearold girl. Her mom told me she started to smoke. Now this kid is bad news. Not sure how many Drugs she SHOULD be on but wont take. It seems at the moment, she is OK when she smokes ( Not a lot ) but still is a total BITCH. But better than trying to tear the walls down or kill someone. Does it help? Not sure yet but she is less agressive, for now anyway. This is a tough situation and no one easy answer fits all. Best of luck and keep us informed ok? All My Best Sin __________________ Amateur Hour (Ron Mael) Lawns grow plush in the hinterlands It's the perfect little setting for the one night stands Now the drapes are drawn and the lights are out It's the time to put in practice what you've dreamed about Sinfuldreams: <<< Can Only Speak of Future Whoring Nattynattygurrl : I Aspire to Whore
	Quote

10-12-2005, 06:14 PM	#2
HippieMama Banned Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: New England Posts: 89	Look in the last page of the epileptic thread in this forum....I posted about my experience there.....If you would like to talk about it more, pm me anytime!! There is an EXCELLENT book by Carrie Fisher (Princess Leah of Star Wars Fame) The Best Awful.... It's a novel, but it's based on her bi-polar experiences....I was amazed at how similar our experiences were... That book is a sequel to Postcards from the Edge, but you don't need to read it to read this one. I highly recommend it.....I really enjoyed it!! I was hospitalized for the entire month of June this year and missed my son's high school graduation. I still cry about that.... Life can suck at times, but we are here to help each other, right?? Peace, ~HM
	Quote

10-12-2005, 08:37 PM	#3
KingRalph mellow jello Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 826	intermittent smoking is not very good for bipolar, honestly, continual use is the only treatment for bipolar. after a little bit of regularly smoking throughout the day, you will stabilize and a lil bit later you will become running at full functionality again. stopping this medication or smoking only once a day will leave you going back and forth between bipolarness. ingesting the herb would also probably help quite a bit in not having you get too stoned at certain times. best of luck.
	Quote

10-12-2005, 09:39 PM	#4
HippieMama Banned Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: New England Posts: 89	Speaking from my experience....JUST MJ does not work for me because I also have the psychosis component of Bi-polar....I THOUGHT that just MJ would work as it does for a few friends of mine that also have it, so I (with the permission from my doctor) went off the depakote ....well 1.5 yrs later the bitch was back and it wasn't pretty..... So, I say IF you have NO psychosis &/or have never been hospitalized, you can try MJ on a regular basis and see if it helps... Good luck & here's to better days!! ~HM
	Quote

10-13-2005, 12:23 AM	#5
learnin2grow Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 45	Thank for the input guys. I'm really struggling to find something better than lithium. Brain chemistry is something I value while I'm at work, so I hate having to take these damn pills that make me so foggy headed. The medics do not fully understand the mechanism of lithium, but it stands out as the gold standard of care for bipolar. That pisses me off. Perhaps there is something as simple as a mineral deficiency... who knows. I was hospitalized twice last month to get over my manic episode. I was non-violent, but I had delusions of grandeur. I'll keep you guys posted on my progress.
	Quote

10-13-2005, 02:04 AM	#8
Guest Guest Posts: n/a	My wife is bipolar, and she didn't like the incontinence that lithium sometimes causes, so she is prescribed Zyprexia in its place. She's been on it for years, and seems to work fine.
	Quote

10-13-2005, 10:07 AM	#10
PFCruz Guest Posts: n/a	hey there learnintogrow, From my understanding lithium is used to contol the "manic" 1/2 of the bipolar. Other drugs are used for the "other" half. The other half can be a number of disorders, but usually it's schizophrenia. Have the docs tried any other type of drugs or just the lithium? I have a few years experience in this field if you need to ask ....good luck
	Quote