I need some SERIOUS help...

I have been smoking for about 3 years, at first it was fun every now and again, but slowly became an everyday affair because it helped me with anxiety and depression.

Zolofts are the devil!

They ruined me and my personality, marijuana seems to be the only natural and real way for me to feel my best and live a normal life. These drugs the doctor gives me are killing my stomach because I am very thin and they affect me a lot worse.

Marijuana seems to be a Gods gift to my life and I want to pursue it.

My question is. Is it possible to move to california and get a medical marijuana card? I am ready to start a new life out there, but is it practical? I honestly can't keep trying these random medications and I dont like dealing with shady dealers around my area, I even was held up recently, this does NOT help anxiety!!

All I want is to live healthy and happy.

Please help, is this rare or common? I have no idea where to start, I know I am new to this forum but please any feedback would be very appreciated.

Thanks in advance I really hope to find a way..

peace.love

im sorry, but what exactly is a zoloft?

Zoloft is a medication marketed as an anti-depressant. It is a Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI). It is similar to Prozac and Celexa.

Here is a luscious use of the word "Zoloft" in context:

YouTube - Zoloft - Ween in Atlanta - 4/10/06

YES, they are a very common anti-depressant for teens and what not, I've come to find many of my friends being prescribed them too, and they are horrible, they make you emotionless, numb, they suck...

This video explains it best from an Anti-Zoloft medical marijuana user [YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkuNJ6pE1Ik[/YOUTUBE]

But can anyone explain if it is uncommon for a person like myself to move to california and obtain a medical marijuana card and begin a new life there? Please help, I've dreamed of moving to Cali since I was young, this just truly gives me a reason..

i tried dozens of this kind of medication when i was younger and the side effects allways seemed to greatly outweight the positive helpful effects of the drugs for me anyway. every1 is different with these things. recently when i went to a shrink he told me that there is nothing left that i can try that i wont get addicted to allmost instantly. i dont think that you can get a medicinal permit for anxiety n depression but im also not very familiar with american drug policy. my advice would be not to take any of those pills they are totally a crap shoot. keep in mind im not a doctor or anythin so please dont act souly on my advice but i have been on many of these medications n found that none of them made it better i think its easyer just to try to deal with your problems on your own learn to live with them if u can i had a couple rough years after stopping to take medications(addictions, legal trouble, financial, social, everything)so it did kinda get worse for me when i refused to take my meds until but im doing better now my life is slowly getting back on track and i feel better about myself then i ussed to im not the best at putting my thaughts into words but ive had similar problems to what u describe my whole life weed does help but dont abuse it or use it in combination with any other psycoatives because this could have many unpredictable effects on your mind/body give therapy a try? i was in a wilderness therapy program my psyciatrist totally lied to get me there but it helped me allot n in the end i belive i am a much stronger person because of it mind body n soul i still have issues but they definatly seem allot less significant to me then they used to

Anxiety and depression arn't usually things that marijuana gets prescribed for youd probably just get k'pins for it. However if you had some back pain...


Seriously though id reccomend do a little search for a good dealer. You would really pick up everything and move just for herb? Its not any cheaper buying it from dispensaries.

California is expensive to live in! Avoid Del Norte and Siskiyou counties. Getting relocated is never easy! But if you do decide to move, yes, you can get a recommendation! First thing you need to do is get a copy of your medical records. Just ask!

Next get yourself out here! Getting "legal", when you have a legit medical problem is quite easy. You make an appointment with the doctor (NORML has a list). Bring about $200, ID and proof of residency (phone bill, etc) and your medical records. You get a check up. You chat with the doctor. You pay the doctor and he hands you a letter that makes you legal! You may now grow 6 mature plants and have 8 ounces of dried bud. :D

Cards are not mandatory - there are 2 types. County cards- put out buy the local government...or not...depending on the county. I don't have one since (a) my county has yet to give them out (they are finally talking about it, though). And (b) I trust my local (corrupt) government about as far as I could heft the county court house!

Then there are the club/dispensary cards- I don't have one of these, either (my county's only dispensary was raided and closed). They are for a specific dispensary and nowhere else.

And psychological problems ARE covered by recommendations! My hubby's is mainly for depression. The law reads- any medical symptom that "If not alleviated, may cause serious harm to the patient's safety or physical or mental health." Depression certainly qualifies!

And wait til you have that first "legal" joint! :stoned: You won't believe how high you will get! Paranoia is a BIG bring-down! - Granny:hippy:

just grow your own, plain and simple.

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Originally Posted by legalize_it420_4ever

i tried dozens of this kind of medication when i was younger and the side effects allways seemed to greatly outweight the positive helpful effects of the drugs for me anyway. every1 is different with these things. recently when i went to a shrink he told me that there is nothing left that i can try that i wont get addicted to allmost instantly. i dont think that you can get a medicinal permit for anxiety n depression but im also not very familiar with american drug policy. my advice would be not to take any of those pills they are totally a crap shoot. keep in mind im not a doctor or anythin so please dont act souly on my advice but i have been on many of these medications n found that none of them made it better i think its easyer just to try to deal with your problems on your own learn to live with them if u can i had a couple rough years after stopping to take medications(addictions, legal trouble, financial, social, everything)so it did kinda get worse for me when i refused to take my meds until but im doing better now my life is slowly getting back on track and i feel better about myself then i ussed to im not the best at putting my thaughts into words but ive had similar problems to what u describe my whole life weed does help but dont abuse it or use it in combination with any other psycoatives because this could have many unpredictable effects on your mind/body give therapy a try? i was in a wilderness therapy program my psyciatrist totally lied to get me there but it helped me allot n in the end i belive i am a much stronger person because of it mind body n soul i still have issues but they definatly seem allot less significant to me then they used to

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Yes, very similar to me, I've tried 6 medications so far, I'm so over it. Marijuana is so natural and causes so harmful effects to my body like the pills, and it helps so much.

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Originally Posted by Storm Crow

California is expensive to live in! Avoid Del Norte and Siskiyou counties. Getting relocated is never easy! But if you do decide to move, yes, you can get a recommendation! First thing you need to do is get a copy of your medical records. Just ask!

Next get yourself out here! Getting "legal", when you have a legit medical problem is quite easy. You make an appointment with the doctor (NORML has a list). Bring about $200, ID and proof of residency (phone bill, etc) and your medical records. You get a check up. You chat with the doctor. You pay the doctor and he hands you a letter that makes you legal! You may now grow 6 mature plants and have 8 ounces of dried bud. :D

Cards are not mandatory - there are 2 types. County cards- put out buy the local government...or not...depending on the county. I don't have one since (a) my county has yet to give them out (they are finally talking about it, though). And (b) I trust my local (corrupt) government about as far as I could heft the county court house!

Then there are the club/dispensary cards- I don't have one of these, either (my county's only dispensary was raided and closed). They are for a specific dispensary and nowhere else.

And psychological problems ARE covered by recommendations! My hubby's is mainly for depression. The law reads- any medical symptom that "If not alleviated, may cause serious harm to the patient's safety or physical or mental health." Depression certainly qualifies!

And wait til you have that first "legal" joint! :stoned: You won't believe how high you will get! Paranoia is a BIG bring-down! - Granny:hippy:

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This is what I needed to here! Thanks SO much! I hope I can do it :jointsmile:

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Originally Posted by WhiteWindica

just grow your own, plain and simple.

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It's cheaper to just move than grow where it is illegal and get caught! NO thanks...

peace.love

A shitty experience with Zoloft was a very defining event in my turn to cannabis as a better treatment for my own psych-medded issues. I feel that when a patient comes in with both depression and anxiety, Zoloft is not a good choice, as it seems to exacerbate the anxiety portion in many people I've talked to or seen posts from.
Since you do in fact have an existing medical history, with documentation, that you have tried other options for medicating your troubles, you have an even stronger case for a card.
Best of luck!

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Originally Posted by NextLineIsMine

Anxiety and depression arn't usually things that marijuana gets prescribed for youd probably just get k'pins for it. However if you had some back pain...

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Originally Posted by Storm Crow

And psychological problems ARE covered by recommendations! My hubby's is mainly for depression. The law reads- any medical symptom that "If not alleviated, may cause serious harm to the patient's safety or physical or mental health." Depression certainly qualifies!

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I'm glad you poste dthat because I thought I have seen many people getting scripts for anxiety and depression. It actually seems like one of the more common diagnosis to get the card (as far as the boards).

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Originally Posted by chrons

Yes, very similar to me, I've tried 6 medications so far, I'm so over it. Marijuana is so natural and causes so harmful effects to my body like the pills, and it helps so much

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Did you mean so harmful effects or no harmful effects? I was going to suggest that although there are many drugs in the SSRI class that are very similar the effects from one person to the next can be quite different so you may benefit from a change to another in the same class. What all have you tried? They really are good drugs so maybe if you have tried mulitple SSIR's maybe the dosage is too high. Something to think about. You may benefit fro a combo of a SSRI and marijuana or not, it all depends on the person but you should keep your options open. Sopme people don't do well with SSRI's and marijuana. It's hard to know without some safe trial and error.

Am on zoloft right now it is 15mg people go up to 300-400mg a day. Cannabis can defenetliy help with deppression or anxiety. But if you have imbalanced chemicals in your brain than zoloft will make them balanced even tho you might not like the side effect of the drug. Thing is you can take the anti and not be happy. And than ones you are done taking it you your deppression might stop. Am in the same situation as you. But am always open to everything. My doctor told if i don't like the meds i can stop taking them. If you really dislike zoloft you can tell your doctor and they will try diffrent meds. All am telling you is that moving out to california and smoking weed everyday for your depression could work. But not if the chemicals in your brain unbalanced. Weed can't balance them. It raised them once you are high but the go back to the way they were. So keep your options open. :jointsmile:

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Originally Posted by FakeBoobsRule

....there are many drugs in the SSRI class that are very similar the effects from one person to the next can be quite different so you may benefit from a change to another in the same class. ....
maybe if you have tried mulitple SSIR's maybe the dosage is too high.

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Good advice from FBR; I've heard Zoloft referred to as a 'primitive' and 'crude' member of the SSRI family actually, haha!
Celexa is another and I found that it was FAR preferable for my own condition (primarily anxiety rather than primarily depression) but the dosage at which I responded was considered sub-clinical by my shrink and she wouldn't hear of me staying at it. That's kinda when I threw up my hands in disgust and started experimenting with cannabis strains known to be effective against anxiety specifically.
My advice is to find a knowledgeable shrink who you feel comfortable working with because sadly it CAN BE somewhat trial-and-error.

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Originally Posted by FakeBoobsRule

Did you mean so harmful effects or no harmful effects? I was going to suggest that although there are many drugs in the SSRI class that are very similar the effects from one person to the next can be quite different so you may benefit from a change to another in the same class. What all have you tried? They really are good drugs so maybe if you have tried mulitple SSIR's maybe the dosage is too high. Something to think about. You may benefit fro a combo of a SSRI and marijuana or not, it all depends on the person but you should keep your options open. Sopme people don't do well with SSRI's and marijuana. It's hard to know without some safe trial and error.

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Whoops, typo! I meant NO harmful effects.

Now the problems with SSRI drugs and marijuana is that marijuana lowers the serotonin levels in the brain, where Zolofts and most SSRI drugs have a chemical Sertraline which RAISES these levels in the brain, so when mixing Zoloft and Marijuana you are actually defeating the purpose of the Zoloft and the levels are fighting back and forth which can cause unbelievable mood swings and many other side affects.

Stick to the natural way!

peace.love

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Originally Posted by stinkyattic

Celexa is another and I found that it was FAR preferable for my own condition (primarily anxiety rather than primarily depression) but the dosage at which I responded was considered sub-clinical by my shrink and she wouldn't hear of me staying at it.

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My wife is prescribed Celexa, and actually has been for several years. She has responded very well to it, and at pretty low doses. (Like, 10 milligrams of it.) We've both been all over the place with antianxiety/antidepressant medications, I've even gone so far as to subject myself to guinea pig status trying out experimental medications for a research group. Some of them, can't remember names, were insanely powerful substances and rendered me unconscious before I ever even knew what hit me. I was left feeling almost hungover the next day, and completely and utterly numb mentally. The affliction is terrible in itself, and so much worse when the prescribed medication only exacerbates the problem.

MMJ isn't a cure-all for many of these disorders, but it is a damn fine blessing to have... especially when so many of these "Doctor recommended, FDA approved" medications leave you feeling worse than you were before. I'm trying to stay optimistic that politicians will begin to see the positive effects its use is having in so many peoples lives, and maybe the winds of change will finally start to blow. They'll have to realize sooner or later that the prescription of all these chemical drugs isn't making society that much happier. One day...

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Originally Posted by chrons

Whoops, typo! I meant NO harmful effects.

Now the problems with SSRI drugs and marijuana is that marijuana lowers the serotonin levels in the brain, where Zolofts and most SSRI drugs have a chemical Sertraline which RAISES these levels in the brain, so when mixing Zoloft and Marijuana you are actually defeating the purpose of the Zoloft and the levels are fighting back and forth which can cause unbelievable mood swings and many other side affects.

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No Sertraline is not found in all SSRI's. Sertraline is only found in Zoloft, that's its generic name. I have seen studies that go both ways, that marijuana lowers and marijuana raises serotonin levels in synaptic junctions. It seems that research may be pointing in the direction that at lower doses marijuana inhibits reuptake and in higher doses marijuana increases reuptake. If you prevent reuptake, then there is more serotonin at the junction. So in lower doses combined with an SSRI you are getting a synergistic effect. If you've been smoking while on the SSIR's in moderation, this may be why you are having the side effects because you are getting the synergistic effect from both.

You should not smoke weed with any antidepressant medication. Just try out the meds alone first. Give it 2 weeks and then you c how you feel. You can start smoking after you give it atleast 2 weeks. You don't have to but weed works on serotinin just like zoloft so when you mix you don't know really know what is doing what. So try ethier just taking the meds or only smoke a little bit and not everyday. You can't really expect changes to happen really soon everything requires time my friend. Just be patient and you will find what is right for you.

Ok I think all those anti-depressants are over-rated, and overused. I can only think of a couple select ppl not on one of those (imo) stupid pills. Half of them have nothing to be depressed about yet think they have to take it because dr. says so.

We are becoming soo medicated that our water even has prescription drugs in it...I mean when you find prozac in there something's wrong.

But that guy was funny lol, "I wanna go fast!! err... but when you're on marijuana you're like nahh I don't want to" LOL... I somewhat agree, unless I'm in my 5.0 then I'm always haulin ass :jointsmile: