marijuana and bipolar disorder

[nightlight]

does anyone use marijuana as a mood stabilizer? i have bipolar disorder with acute psychosis, and i respond better to pot than any medications i have ever been prescribed. however all the research ive done tells me this is total bullshit and im actually agitating my psychosis by smoking pot. am i going to end up totally fucked down the line if i continue medicating myself in this manner?

[rebgirl420]

Im bipolar with psychotic features and I smoke like a fiend....though I continue ALL of my meds. You have to. You just can't stop or your manic will come back asap. So I say do both.

[nightlight]

i dont respond well to the meds though. they make me all zombie like and drain me of all creative energy.

[nightlight]

plus im basically set with pot, a couple hits every couple hours and i can get my shit done and not get whacky like usual

[rebgirl420]

well im kinda court ordered to take mine so thats not an option for me

[Matt the Funk]

Your just like me. I get psychotic episodes for ussually a week or more every month or two. Now wether I have bi-polar disorder or am schizophrenic has not been decided by my wonderful docs. But I mostly smoke weed to medicate, and it does a wayy better job then all the different meds I have taken. Meds make me a zombie and make me super sleepy ALL the time, while weed just makes me baseline-chill and funny.

[rebgirl420]

yeah i take trazadone 200mg, serequal 1,000 mg, lithium 250 mg and it makes me pass out

[Matt the Funk]

yeah i take trazadone 200mg, serequal 1,000 mg, lithium 250 mg and it makes me pass out
DUDE! 1,000mg of seroquel is sooo much...I was only on 300mg lol.

[rebgirl420]

yeah i know haha and its funny, every time I go in my therapist's first words are : "So do you need to up your dosage on anything?" haha Like WTF, THAT is how they solve everything ugh

[peaceandlove420]

I dono man I think the herb is giving me bipolar disoder. I have been smoking for 4 years and I occasiaonal take the month break. after daily use for a prolonged time I quit cold turkey. The effects I experience are a loss of appettie (I am currently on day 2 actually of a break) I havent eaten anything, trouble sleeping not so bad this break tho, and huge problem controlling my temper. I flipped my gord today and almost went into tears over a math test. I am easily agitated and all that shit. It goes away, but all this happeneing every time i quit has to mean something, i support the herb, but personal experiments at a constant don't lie.

[40oz]

Yes weed can cause problems in people with mental disorders, like bipolar disorder for example. Weed, like many psychedelics, can amplify emotions that you are feeling. If you feel insecure, weed could make you feel more insecure. If you are depressed it could make you feel more depressed and so on. At the same time marijuana can, in a person of the right mindset, help. If you feel like smoking is causing problems, just give it a break for a little or cut back how much you smoke.

[scStOnEr]

I'm bipolar helps me control mood and helps depression quite a bit counters antidepressant insomnia. I am medical for this reason. Currently on Trileptal 450mg, Lexapro 10mg, Temezepam 15mg, Valium 7.5mg, (for bzd taper), and remeron 15mg.. ahh thats long.

[Storm Crow]

I'm not quite bipolar (Mom really was, though)- I'm just "moody". When I get "manic", I do a lot of art work (paint, quilt, sculpt, etc) and do just fine on 5-6 hours of sleep. When I'm "depressive", 10 hours of sleep aren't enough and I'm lucky if I have enough energy to get any housework done. Pot does help a lot in keeping me from going too high or low. Without pot, I run a real risk of going alcoholic (Mom was). With pot, I can have that evening glass of red wine (for health reasons and a bit of de-stressing) and not drink the bottle dry. Whether or not pot will help you stay "normal", depends on your own biochemistry. Good luck to us all- Granny:hippy:

[Pipe Dreams]

Ive never been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, but both of my parents have it, {my dad is the worst fuckin case youll ever see}

I dont KNOW if I have it, but I show alot of the signs of having it. Im mellow on the herb, and an asshole off of it.

[jdmarcus59]

Iam surprised at how man people here are bi polar and take some of the same
drugs I do, I think I am older then most people on this site, that not good are bad I just have a felling that I am. so by that I can tell you that smoking pot
for so many years helped me as a mood stabelizer. but now I take a very big
hand full of drugs everyday and smoke weed when I got it, and I seem to be
keeping me out of trouble, ive been in prison 2 times and 4 mental wards, and
I dont ever want to go back. I pretty much screwed away about 25 years of
my life, and now I have to start over, and I feel to fucking old for that.

[Matt the Funk]

I dunno I kinda think bipolar disorder is an over given out diagnosis nowadays....just cause you have mood swings doesn't mean you are bipolar....cause if that was true every teenager in the world would be bipolar. But I think weed is the cure for BPD and Schizophrenia. Among other things. Weed has the properties of a stimulant,depressant,anti-psychotic, and hallucinogenic. I believe the fact that it has all these properties make it the most valueable tool in medicine available. Anyways I kinda forgot what I was talking about so yeah.

[nightlight]

I dunno I kinda think bipolar disorder is an over given out diagnosis nowadays....just cause you have mood swings doesn't mean you are bipolar....cause if that was true every teenager in the world would be bipolar. But I think weed is the cure for BPD and Schizophrenia. Among other things. Weed has the properties of a stimulant,depressant,anti-psychotic, and hallucinogenic. I believe the fact that it has all these properties make it the most valueable tool in medicine available. Anyways I kinda forgot what I was talking about so yeah.

i was misdiagnosed as having ad.d. for a pretty long time, but then i spent a few weeks in the psych ward being observed and they pretty much nailed it with bipolar disorder and acute psychosis.

[mrdevious]

I've heard conflicting reports about marijuana aggrivating bipolar disorder, or any psychotic or schizophrenic disorder for that matter, but I have a theory on this. I don't think it's necessarily the THC itself, or even the LSD, psilocybin, or whatever else. I think it's the trip itself. I've found from personal experience that when I had out of control, totally tripping balls experiences (mostly with cannabis oddly enough), the consequences on my own cognition were much worse (though temporary) the next day. I suspect it's the power of the trip, the blast of seratonin and other chemicals during the process, that actually has the potential to cause damage. Just a theory of course.

So yeah, I'd recommend if you are one of those rare people like I used to be who can completely trip balls on weed, to lay off a bit and have smaller doses.

[Nocturnal Stoner]

I swear cannabis results in mood swings in some cases

[BlAzInIt4:20]

Im Also mellwo on the herb.. mother was bi polar.. and i get a lil manic every now and then but when im stoned you can poke me over and over and i will jsut smile at ya :-).. so id say the weed wont hurt you.. but it also depends on you and if ur body accepts it ...:smokin:

[nightlight]

I've heard conflicting reports about marijuana aggrivating bipolar disorder, or any psychotic or schizophrenic disorder for that matter, but I have a theory on this. I don't think it's necessarily the THC itself, or even the LSD, psilocybin, or whatever else. I think it's the trip itself. I've found from personal experience that when I had out of control, totally tripping balls experiences (mostly with cannabis oddly enough), the consequences on my own cognition were much worse (though temporary) the next day. I suspect it's the power of the trip, the blast of seratonin and other chemicals during the process, that actually has the potential to cause damage. Just a theory of course.

So yeah, I'd recommend if you are one of those rare people like I used to be who can completely trip balls on weed, to lay off a bit and have smaller doses.

i definitely dont get like that from pot. lsd on the other hand i have to stay away from. my last trip was in january and i never really came back. im pondering whether or not try my next batch of golden teacher mushrooms, but ive never had too much trouble wiht those.

[Triple-P]

yea yea i been like that to, that was after i quit smokin weed for a year after highschool (now im 22) so like almost 5 years ago

took meds for awhile then stopped n started smokin weed again...its all mind over matter type shit

[jdmarcus59]

i definitely dont get like that from pot. lsd on the other hand i have to stay away from. my last trip was in january and i never really came back. im pondering whether or not try my next batch of golden teacher mushrooms, but ive never had too much trouble wiht those.

if you have troubles with your high on mushrooms, start drinking, alot,

it will calm you down, and you will have more fun..

[danielseckler]

does anyone use marijuana as a mood stabilizer? i have bipolar disorder with acute psychosis, and i respond better to pot than any medications i have ever been prescribed. however all the research ive done tells me this is total bullshit and im actually agitating my psychosis by smoking pot. am i going to end up totally fucked down the line if i continue medicating myself in this manner?
i have used or at least tryed marijauan in conjunction with meds like lithium and also tryed marijuana alone without nmeds after 3 years of trying marijuana with and without meds--different pperiods-i would have to say it DOES AGITATE BIPOLAR and now i take the meds without marijuana and never felt better.

[babybeee]

it's amazing how great it is to actually experience life when you're on your meds regularly and not smoking pot. you can fully feel emotions, you have more motivation to meet essential duties, and you feel like a productive member of society instead of someone with a problem who's self-medicating in order to feel nothing.

but it is extremely hard not to take just one bong hit before class or work.. especially if meds make you zombied out anyways.

it's just a lot easier for bipolar people to feel normal when we smoke.

[thefrenchman]

Hey Im sorry for semi-hijacking this thread but I was simply wondering what exactly (according to you, and not some web site) are the key symptoms of bipolar disorder? Just in case that question wasnt so clear I want to know how you would describe your life as a bi-polar person BEFORE being on any meds.

Also what meds have you been prescribed and do they have any side effects other than being zombie-like?

Thanks again and I wish the best to all of you, and hopefully (maybe) Im just terribly hypochondriac....

Im sorry if this post didnt bring anything to the conversation
:abduct:

[Bongboy89]

I have mild Autisim/Aspergers Syndrome, ADD, and OCD... Im very high functioning though as far as the autism part, if you saw me in public you wouldnt notice a thing..
Im on 1mg of Risperdal, 20 Mg of Adderall XR, and 40 mg of Prozac... Anyways, ganja is the best medicine to calm me down and make me mellow...

[naturesmeds]

I allow 'them' to put names on me, when convenient.
(schizo-affective=schizaphrenia + bi-polar)
Their chemicals=feel bad now + worse later
Nature's medicines=feel good now + increased concentration & objectivity +
greater awareness later

Greater awareness does NOT feel better.
You get higher highs & lower lows, caused by EVENTS.
(& the people involved)
Bush lied to us all so he could war in Iraq.
Take a pill & it won't bother you?
Who is delusional, the republicans or you & me?

I need a bigger dose of objectivity, where's the lighter?
K.I.S.S.

[naturesmeds]

How did these politicians figure that insurance companies could make so much money by covering our prescriptions, instead of Medi-caid(Medi-Cal)
& at the same time the government saves money?

The wealthiest get wealthier, while the poorest lose again.
I must be halucinating again.

[baked4now]

I have bipolar and i think that it helps me. im on only 10mg of abilify but when i have phycotic episodes it really helps me mellow out and sort things out. for example when i think someone is following me and stalking me. i just smoke a bolw lay in bed and figure out that thats just bull shit and im depressed. or when im manic and im finding myself to be god. i just smoke a few bowls and relize im just normal with alot of energy. lol weed is the cure for bipolar its just the way you use it. i think there should be weed therapy where people teach you the right techniques to use when you smoke pot to get rid of those crazy ideas you get. plus when your manic smoking pot is awsome!! :stoned:

[TheSmokingMonkey]

i recently read that low doses of cannabis increase serotonin levels but higher doses decrease serotonin levels. it's probably hard to self-regulate these levels. which is why we need waaaaay better medical cannabis in this country with standardized extracts and whatnot.

[fernandogress]

I am not an expert on the risks of marijuana overall.I see people become somewhat paranoid or unmotivated, but a quick search of the medical literature did not seem to comment on whether those are recognized risks in larger samples than the patients I've seen.A substance use expert could comment better on that.They are literally using the herb to control their mood. Often they use very tiny amounts, but usually daily.They usually seem to stop using if we have success controlling their mood with typical mood stabilizers, as though they found the drugs better than the herb.These are very anecdotal observations and should be interpreted as such...

[TheSmokingMonkey]

Not so much about bipolar, but about mood swings:

I have always been very moody, and suspected that I had a mild case of bipolar disorder. However, a psychologist and psychiatrist finally diagnosed me as having Generalized Anxiety Disorder - something I didn't even know existed.

I have found that magnesium supplements help mellow me out a LOT and I found out that magnesium deficiency is VERY common in the US.

You can get magnesium supplements at any health food store, or, GET THIS!

Hemp seed is super high in magnesium! It also has GLA (a type of omega-6 fatty acid that helps to regulate hormonal mood swings, like during menopause or PMS).

I want to stress that this is a super-effective nutritional supplement for anybody suffering from low-level mood disorders (and anybody who just feels stressed out sometimes).

I don't have much else to contribute but this has helped me so much, I thought I should share. :)

[coltron]

I won't say it's straight-up bad for bipolar, and I don't know you, but I know that substance abuse often goes with the disorder.

I do believe cannabis has good and bad interactions with mood disorders. Depends on you, your mindset, your smoking habits, other medications you're taking, and the support structures you have in place including therapy and those around you.

I guess it's up to you.

[jiggaassknee]

My mom has pretty bad depression and seeing as how I seem to cycle between extreme elation, euphoria, and confidence to feeling worthless, outcast, lonely, with suicidal thoughts, I'm most likely some form of bipolar. I smoke a lot of pot and it does help me feel NORMAL - and I still sometimes feel like I have that intense energy, complete immersion, creativity energy and the loneliness, outcast sort of feeling at other times...but it's not the same, which is good...but at the same time....ughhhh. Sometimes I just want to keep going up and up...but the weed takes me down, which is probably good for me, but it's unsatisfying - it feels like I'm missing a part of me (pot doesn't cause creativity, btw, just a relaxed view of social norms, which is good in my case). And at other times, it gets me out of bed in the morning, allows me to rest instead of finding a lot of unnecessary tasks to carry out with maniacal devotion.

I don't know. In this world, I'd smoke pot -- and I do. But in another world, where emotions flow more openly, where all relationships are more about quality than quantity, where people don't take substances to purposely impair their judgment, where people aren't socially ranked by their ability to please the rich minority, where war is seen as silly and childish, and where TV wasn't used as a brainwashing tool, I don't think I would ever need to touch pot.

[panphat2006]

i have bipoler if i dont smoke i end up in the loony been it slow my train of thout down and helps me feel beater my self and life i just was more studies done on it i know the are doing studies with adhd on kids so why cant the do it for bipoler and the have done some studies and i will try to put the http://www.showmethefacts.org/medical-marijuana-facts/bipolar-disorder/[/URL] to every one reads this enjoy life and rock on peace out
pete

[MikaKurai]

I just recently found out I was bipolar and I've smoked and been just find. Most definitely better than the meds. Still take them tho, but the weed just helps better as a mood stabilizer.

[rastaroids]

I have Bipolar disorder (bipolar 1). I began smoking about a month ago and found it to be really relaxing and helped me with sleep. But then I got some more weed that was different, and though enjoyable, was not as relaxing. I started learning about the different strains a little bit and realized that most people just talk about "marijuana" as if it is all the same stuff. But there are many different types. There are two basic types, Sativas and Indicas, and many hybrids of the two. A Sativa is radically different from an Indica.
For myself, being prone to mania, I would probably tend to do better with the more relaxing Indica-dominant strains. The Sativas, from what I understand, are more stimulating, cerebral, more of a high than a stone, and head-trippy, almost hallucinogenic if potent enough, and that would not be good for me most of the time. The problem is, unless you grow it yourself or know the grower, it is pretty hard to get clear info about the weed you are smoking.

[rastaroids]

Found a related threat here: http://boards.cannabis.com/indica/171211-do-most-indicas-put-you-sleep.html