Help with anxiety and insomnia

[hpgirl]

I've struggled for a loooong time with sleeping problems and anxiety... for the last few years I've been getting some relief using mmj and a vaporizer. It works even better than the xanax my doctor prescribes for me and I feel like with the vape, it's actually healthier. Are there some strains that work better than others?

I know some people claim their anxiety INCREASES with use (ex. paranoia) and sometimes I do feel a little bit paranoid about what people would think about my use of mmj... but over all I find it just really helps... it would be good to hear from people who use mmj for similar purposes - and to know what kinds of things work for them..

:)

[MrEden]

I've struggled for a loooong time with sleeping problems and anxiety... for the last few years I've been getting some relief using mmj and a vaporizer. It works even better than the xanax my doctor prescribes for me and I feel like with the vape, it's actually healthier. Are there some strains that work better than others?

I know some people claim their anxiety INCREASES with use (ex. paranoia) and sometimes I do feel a little bit paranoid about what people would think about my use of mmj... but over all I find it just really helps... it would be good to hear from people who use mmj for similar purposes - and to know what kinds of things work for them..

:)

Disregard anyone who tries to force you to use xanax (or any benzodiazpine derivate) instead of cannabis. I had a neck injury where I for almost 2 years went with quite noticable complications. Then I got klonazepam, similar derivate to xanax, but stronger, and it stays in the body longer, (consequently with more adverse effects in the long run).
For the first time, I got a pharmaceutical solution.

The irony was that here I thought I had a better alternative, both legal, and healthier I thought,,, in the long run, I started getting mental issues that far surpassed any side-effects ever concieved by cannabis. It tok me some years before I understood the true wide extend of the addictive forces behind benzodiazapines, which I only realized after having gone way too long, on dosages way too high (drug addicts would often stay between 4-8mg klonazepams a day, when I found that out, alarms were ringing)

Now, the reason Im telling you to disregard anyone who would claim that xanax is the solution, is because once you're truly hooked on benzodiazapam, you're as we would put it, f****d. There are no substitutes. Heroin addicts who use benzodiazapams (be it xanaxes, klones, roofies, etc) as means to step down from the heroin, and fail over the years, end up stuck with 2 serious biochemical imbalances.

You thought you had sleeping disorders before you started using xanax, you're guaranteed to add the same disorders as chronical ones when using xanax over the long run. Whereas cannabis makes you somewhat socially "retarded", xanax makes you a physical nerve-wreck.

I used loads of various meds, from paracetamol to cancermeds, all being either too ineffective, or with overwhelming side-effects when used for chronical illnes. Many I tried in order to step down, or hopefully replace the klonazepams (a.k.a klonopids). Because I had been a mid-heavyweight stoner since I was about 19-20years old, I had to be honest with myself when regarding cannabis as meds.
,,, obvious fact was that I enjoyed being stoned, and I didn't want to excuse my smoking on my injury, because smoking was, well, :rasta:

Our problems are merely semantics, thats all. The laws (and consequent norms) are confusing, but the solution is found in your head, where you just got to grab your "balls" with one hand, and flip the middle finger with the other, and rest assured that you were not put to life to endure pain "just because". If cannabis is helping you now, and you feel that it helps you reduce your xanax consumption, keep hitting it. The less xanaxes you do in the long run, the bigger the favour you're doing yourself.

Hell, I use about 0,5-1mg a week, now that I've become considerably more apt at smoking cannabis for the medicinal purposes, rather than the mere R&R.

Best thing is to grow you're own little crop for personal usage. If nobody knows, no cops etc. There are tons of vids and the like on the net for doing so indoors, and outdoors, teaching you how to stay out of trouble, and of course, yield premium cannabis.

Right, hope this helps. Im having a hit before going to my muscle therapist, and manipulate my muscles back in order.

[hpgirl]

Thanks for responding!!

I know all about the dangers of benzo's.... problem is, I'm already hooked. I've been taking xanax for the last 15+ years but have been able to reduce my usage with the help of cannabis for the last few years. Problem is - a scrip for xanax is legal. My DAD - who was a forensic psychiatrist - is the one who started giving it to me when I was 15 - every other doctor and psychiatrist I've ever seen since has done the same - they've tried to give me other benzos like clonopin and other sleeping meds like ambian but those mess me up waay too much and one doctor once tried to give me an antidepressant - which made me pretty depressed when I wasn't before, so no more of that.

I don't live in a state with legalized mmj. I used to live in NY and while it's not legal there, I had a safe, reliable and steady source. But we just had to move for my husband's job to Chicago and now I'm stuck... I would love trying to grow my own but given my living situation, just don't know if it would be possible :(

I hate this, I just hate it. I agree with everything you just said about how bad benzo's are....

[triptych]

hpgirl, have you found therapy helpful for the anxiety? I have anxiety issues (not the same as yours, but similar enough), but I'm still looking for someone who can get through to me, who won't regurgitate the same stuff I already know. My psychiatrist insists that benzodiazepines aren't a long term solution, but she's keeping me on them indefinitely.

If you have to taper off of clonazepam, you might want to substitute that with something that isn't renowned for causing physical dependence and an extended withdrawal syndrome that can be fatal.

About your original question, I found that MMJ increased anxiety once. I think it depends on context. It triggered a dissociative episode--losing sense of my surroundings, drifting out of consciousness--and a panic attack, but that happened once, with high grade weed, while I was trying to find my way around a new city around sunset. That was my own poor judgment. If I smoke with friends who I'm comfortable with, the anxiety is muted. I can relax. That so-called relaxation used to be my baseline "normal" personality style until I developed an anxiety disorder. Sometimes you don't really realize that you're living in a constant state of high anxiety until everything quiets down.

As for what people think, argh, screw it. People were all over the opium trend until the moral entrepreneurs decided to make that illegal. I have to quote MrEden on this:



Our problems are merely semantics, thats all. The laws (and consequent norms) are confusing, but the solution is found in your head, where you just got to grab your "balls" with one hand, and flip the middle finger with the other, and rest assured that you were not put to life to endure pain "just because".

[boaz]

I've struggled for a loooong time with sleeping problems and anxiety... for the last few years I've been getting some relief using mmj and a vaporizer. It works even better than the xanax my doctor prescribes for me and I feel like with the vape, it's actually healthier. Are there some strains that work better than others?

I know some people claim their anxiety INCREASES with use (ex. paranoia) and sometimes I do feel a little bit paranoid about what people would think about my use of mmj... but over all I find it just really helps... it would be good to hear from people who use mmj for similar purposes - and to know what kinds of things work for them..

:)

:) welcome. I've never had xanax or anything like that but from everything I've heard, mostly on this forum, avoid them. they are physically addictive. I personally am not a big fan of tinkering with neuro chemicals because for every action at the neuro chemical level, there is an equal and opposite reaction from the body that could continue long after the original action.

I personally use cannabis for just what you are describing and it has always worked well for me. I just recently came off a one month break and I can tell you I slept better last night that I have in the past month. I woke up this morning feeling like a kid on Christmas morning. :jointsmile: so, I'm my experience, it works.

Here is a cool link called leaf.ly (http://boards.cannabis.com/medical-strains/189314-check-out-leaf-ly-rating-strains.html) that breaks down the strains (sativa vs. indica) and the general effects one could expect from that strain. pretty cool info. if you have safe legal access to your meds.

below is a recent map showing med States and California has a new prop on the ballot in Nov. called Prop 19 that will legalize the growing and use of cannabis without the need for a doctors rec. I am already looking for a few acres in the country out there. :jointsmile:

good luck! :greenthumb:

[ZeroWingX]

What Strains helped you?
I have Cronic Anxiety, Its caused by an Adrenaline Disorder thats Genetic(got it from pops)
It causes me to have a high state of paraniod feelings, fast heart rate, massive panic attacks, and over stimulated Adrenal glands.
I found some Arizona stress on the streets not to long ago that was really kool, helped me clm down quite a bit and made me feel happy. But when I ran out I couldnt find anymore and now that I'm legal the stuff in dispenseries are WAY to strong and most of the time send me right into a panic attack for 20 min- hour before the relaxed effects kick in. Idk 1 min of a panic attack is to long and the good sometimes just isnt outweighed by the bad...
I learned the reason why and I'm working on some breeding projects for Marijane that will not give any sort of anxiety and will still calm you down significantly. So i wont be able to get high for a while, least I know by time I can again my anxiety will be kept away.
Let me know if you know of a strain that I can use to achieve this. I'll probably know it already and might even be growing it but its worth a shot lol.
I have some...exotic strains to say the least lol stuff a lot of people never even heared of lol...But come the next HTMCC you will...
One Love
:rastasmoke: