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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.
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...
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. :)
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
Found a related threat here: http://boards.cannabis.com/indica/17...you-sleep.html