I told my doc I smoke...

A few years ago I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. Since then I have kept my weed use quiet as to avoid being lectured by my doctors. However, I've been going through a bit of a 'fuck it' phase and last week I came clean to my doctors about smoking.

The first question out of the docs mouth was, "why?" I explained that weed is tremendously helpful in regulating my moods. I find that it really keeps me even when i smoke it daily. I even feel better during the day when i can't smoke. I don't know if it's just a buildup of the drug in my system over time or if it's that the relaxed mood simply carries over to when I'm not high. I told him that marijuana has been a great supplement to the Lithium and Seroquel I take each day.

Surprisingly, there was no lecture. The doc told me that if I truly felt it was helping me than he doesn't have a problem with it. He warned me that it may affect my memory over time, but overall he was very positive and supportive.

Now i feel a little silly for being afraid to mention it. I was convinced my admission would result in being sent to NA.

now if only PA would legalize medical marijuana AND have it approved to treat mood disorders. i ain't holding my breath.

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Originally Posted by insanechub

I told him that marijuana has been a great supplement to the Lithium and Seroquel I take each day.

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Seroquel is a great drug :) I was prescribed it to help me get to sleep (and fuck does it work LoL). Makes me feel like ass in the morning though. Lithium is a horrible drug though... I was on it for a short time and I am convinced it changed me for the worse over the long term.

No point to my reply, just bored and rambling :)

My doctor asked me the following question ....

Do you take any illicit drugs like marijuana or cocaine ? With that loaded question my answer was "NO" and I don't intend to bring up the subject in the future.

Your doctor, your lawyer, and your psychologist are 3 people you can tell pretty much anything that doesn't involve hurting someone else or hurting yourself (not counting drug use) and they can't say shit to anyone. You should be completely honest with your doctor, you'd be surprised. I know a friend who admitted using cocaine to a doctor and he told him that he should just be careful because it is dangerous. And that was the end of it.

But yeah, I too am bipolar, and I've never taken any prescription drugs for it, although I have taken seroquel once lol, and slept like a rock. I find that if I smoke daily, it helps completely level out the mood swings. No ups, no downs, just a nice median. Pot is a miracle plant, fuck the haters that wanna keep it illegal.

I have suffered badly from bad dipression ever since i was a teen. I started smokeing cannabis when i was 14 and still do to this day i am now 32 and it is the best thing for dipresion i have found. I ugot to a stage once were i was actually hurting myself a lot by punching my self in the face, punching walls even headbuting walls when i got relly bad. Cannabis stoped me doing anything like this. I even used to think about killing myself very often but cannabis stoped me thinking like this.When i smoke i can get on just like everyone els. Which makes me mad that its not legal. I wouldnt take any of the govermental created drugs perscribed by drs or hospitals as everyone i know who taken perscribed drugs all suffer with bad after afects. Cannabis keeps me sane & i know for a fact if it wernt for cannabis i most likly would have topped myself a long time ago.


LEGALIZE CANNABIS EVERYWERE NOW.

demonangel :rasta:

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Originally Posted by someuser

Seroquel is a great drug :) I was prescribed it to help me get to sleep (and fuck does it work LoL). Makes me feel like ass in the morning though.

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yeah...i LOVE seroquel. i take 600mg before bed and i sleep better than i ever have before. mornings are rough. at work people stay away from me until 11 or 12 because i'm so cranky and out of it

i don't mind lithium. mostly it helps my depression. it's the only prescription drug that ever has, really

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Originally Posted by insanechub

yeah...i LOVE seroquel. i take 600mg before bed and i sleep better than i ever have before. mornings are rough. at work people stay away from me until 11 or 12 because i'm so cranky and out of it

i don't mind lithium. mostly it helps my depression. it's the only prescription drug that ever has, really

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600mg of Seroquel? Damn man, 25mg puts me on my ASS big time (as in, it isnt until the next day around the later afternoon that I dont feel like I traded my ass for my head). I am in awe of you brother :stoned:

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Originally Posted by demonangel2_uk

I have suffered badly from bad dipression ever since i was a teen. I started smokeing cannabis when i was 14 and still do to this day i am now 32 and it is the best thing for dipresion i have found. I ugot to a stage once were i was actually hurting myself a lot by punching my self in the face, punching walls even headbuting walls when i got relly bad. Cannabis stoped me doing anything like this. I even used to think about killing myself very often but cannabis stoped me thinking like this.When i smoke i can get on just like everyone els. Which makes me mad that its not legal. I wouldnt take any of the govermental created drugs perscribed by drs or hospitals as everyone i know who taken perscribed drugs all suffer with bad after afects. Cannabis keeps me sane & i know for a fact if it wernt for cannabis i most likly would have topped myself a long time ago.


LEGALIZE CANNABIS EVERYWERE NOW.

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I hear ya man. I was diagnosed with severe clinical depression several yrs ago and I tried just about every SRI and SSRI out there w/o any luck. Weed has really took me from the point I was seriously rdy to take drastic action to the point I'm actually happy again... It is freaking amazing. Only problem is, I do have to admit I've been getting a little too lazy... Use to go to the gym all the time... Now, every day at 3pm I get so fucking blazed it isnt funny and go for a little nature walk... I repeat the same thing before bed... I need to start being a little more assertive with life :thumbsup:

I go for very long walks. Helps put prospective on loads of things. Its amazing what some fresh air can actually do. Arround here it is very hard to get any smoke for about 7 months now. If you do get some your very lucky. It used to be abundant. You could get if when ever you wanted but now you end up having to travel fair distances to get just a little amount. Wish i could aford to move to Amsterdam all my worries would be over. Plus i here there are a lot of jobs there if only you can get there in the first place. No jobs at all around my area of the uk i been out of work for just over 12 months apart from a week & 4 days with an agency which also ads to my depresion even more. Havnt been as bad as this since high school years. But at least i manage to get some smoke to keep me going even if i have to travel and pay a lot more than i would here. Legalizing is the only way forward.

demonangel :rasta:

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Originally Posted by demonangel2_uk

I have suffered badly from bad dipression ever since i was a teen. I started smokeing cannabis when i was 14 and still do to this day i am now 32 and it is the best thing for dipresion i have found. I ugot to a stage once were i was actually hurting myself a lot by punching my self in the face, punching walls even headbuting walls when i got relly bad. Cannabis stoped me doing anything like this. I even used to think about killing myself very often but cannabis stoped me thinking like this.When i smoke i can get on just like everyone els. Which makes me mad that its not legal. I wouldnt take any of the govermental created drugs perscribed by drs or hospitals as everyone i know who taken perscribed drugs all suffer with bad after afects. Cannabis keeps me sane & i know for a fact if it wernt for cannabis i most likly would have topped myself a long time ago.


LEGALIZE CANNABIS EVERYWERE NOW.

demonangel :rasta:

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I am having all those problems right now. I constantly feel like there is no point to life and that i should end it now. the only thing holding me back is hurting my family and slowly that is starting to matter less. My parents are having me see a psychiatrist but the first appointment was going to be today and the fuckhead called in sick. When i smoke though, i feel alot better. i dont wanna die when i smoke and I'm not as "numb" as when im sober. i know smoking can have problems later on so i have a vaporizer. did you do nething that helped? actions, other thoughts, etc. If i keep myself busy like online forums and video games i dont think about it. Once i have a few minutes of time though.... I have been at the "hurting" stage since Jr. high (Im 17 now).

ALSO, if you guys could post prescription drugs that helped depression and ones that didnt/made it worse. I dont want to have to try one of the many meds and start having even more thoughts of suicide or nething like that.

man, i dont have any disorders or problems but what i can say is weed keeps me thinking positively...even when im not high, im barely angry at all like i used to be (went through a lot of shit, so normally theres times where you question negative things going on) but i always feel chill and relaxed and thats better than anything since my moms side of the family has had a bad past of high stress-induced heart attacks :rasta:

ckoutlaw: You can buy generic prozac (fluoxetine) for something like 5 bucks a month from walmart. Obviously, you will need a prescription from your doctor. I wish I was your age when I went to the doc first. It takes guts, I know.

Fluoxetine has been used for over 20 years... With a history like that, it is probably much safer than one of the newer drugs. However, doctors do not get paid to promote cheap generics.

If you do take it, remember, it takes about 3 or 4 weeks to feel the affects. I think this discourages a lot of people because, when they are at their lowest and finally get to the doctor, they still have to wait several weeks to feel better. But, man, WHAT A LIFE CHANGER.

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Originally Posted by someuser

600mg of Seroquel? Damn man, 25mg puts me on my ASS big time (as in, it isnt until the next day around the later afternoon that I dont feel like I traded my ass for my head). I am in awe of you brother :stoned:

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yeah, my docs are always a little amazed by how large my doses have to be before i start feeling effects. it took a lot of switching meds before they figured out it wasn't necessarily that the meds aren't working, it's that the dosage is way too low for my body. i even have problems with aspirin. i usually have to take more than the daily allowance in one shot to kill a headache. most often i don't bother and just suffer through the pain.

luckily i don't have the problem with weed. i get stoned pretty fast.

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Originally Posted by ckoutlaw

ALSO, if you guys could post prescription drugs that helped depression and ones that didnt/made it worse. I dont want to have to try one of the many meds and start having even more thoughts of suicide or nething like that.

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i was in a pretty bad place a few years ago. i had been hospitalized twice after suicide attempts, therapy and meds weren't helping. I had come to the conclusion that all head doctors are quacks and i was wasting my time trying to get better.

in the hospital i learned from talking to other patients that meds that work for one person don't always work for another. it often becomes a series of trials and errors before finding which med/dosage works for you. For some people it takes only 3-4 weeks before they see results, but for others it takes longer.

I hope that doesn't sound discouraging. I wish someone had told me I may have a lot of work to do before finding what works. I had been on so may meds that I had given up.

When you are in the hospital they force you to take your meds (trust me...they literally strap you down to a bed if you don't do what they say. i misbehaved and got strapped in a lot). During my last stay they did blood work to help figure out good doses of lithium and for the first time i began to feel better. Now i get routine blood work so they can tell if my lithium levels aren't high enough.

i know i'm long winded, but my point is that you should be prepared to try different drugs and dosages. your doc may get it right the first time, but if he doesn't you shouldn't become discouraged. Eventually you'll find something that works, and it is totally worth the time and work. I really believed I couldn't be helped after awhile, but even I have found drugs that do the trick.

I've been diagnosed with Bi-polar disorder and was taking 300mg of seroquel a day. It worked all right but after a few months I just stopped taking it because it made me lazy and gain some weight and started smoking weed again, weed works well at stabalizing moods and helps with my anxiety and sleep problems aswell. Also weed doesn't do anything to my weight.IMO Weed= Seroquel that's healthier.Just smoke weed man.

lithium is not a good drug, in fact its actualy the metal lithium that its made of and can cause liver damage and toxic poisoning. unless your bipolar disorder is severe i would talk to your doctor about changeing the meds your takeing. lithium is something that should be taken as a last resort, its really not good for your body.

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Originally Posted by insanechub

yeah...i LOVE seroquel. i take 600mg before bed and i sleep better than i ever have before. mornings are rough. at work people stay away from me until 11 or 12 because i'm so cranky and out of it

i don't mind lithium. mostly it helps my depression. it's the only prescription drug that ever has, really

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why not just take a nice doob out for a walk b4 bed. it always helps me get to sleep

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Originally Posted by Matt the Funk

I've been diagnosed with Bi-polar disorder and was taking 300mg of seroquel a day. It worked all right but after a few months I just stopped taking it because it made me lazy and gain some weight and started smoking weed again, weed works well at stabalizing moods and helps with my anxiety and sleep problems aswell. Also weed doesn't do anything to my weight.IMO Weed= Seroquel that's healthier.Just smoke weed man.

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We are all talking about how crazy it is that cannabis is illegal because it could replace all these super expensive drugs.

But thatâ??s a huge reason it is still illegal

seroquel causes diabetes

thank you smokin and insane chub and neone else that has or will help me in the future. it has been very hard to even get up in the morning. ive cut back on smoking (UGH) so it is harder than ever. sometimes ill just feel a surge of anger and depression. no thoughts or reason for it. it fuckin sucks. i had 2 somas and passed out on the couch. made me feel better...but not much better. still had those god damned thoughts. ive noticed that if i am away from from school its worse cuz school keeps my mind busy.

....do you think i should mention my green habits to my doc? i would like to also tell her about the other drugs...acid and all but im afraid she might tell my parents.

doctors are people like us, that have their own opinions about marijuana and its uses. talk to the right doctor. if it wasnt for marijuana, i wouldnt have gotten over my anxiety attacks. it didnt necessarily make my anxiety go away, but it made me mentally stronger, able to handle anxiety. i havent had anxiety for about a year. marijuana gives me something to fight for. we need to let our ppl in office know that we will not settle for this crap anymore. all wisemen know that making a piece of nature illegal is just ridiculous. sometimes i think its a huge elaborate joke. :stoned:

my girl asked here doctor if it was ok to smoke occasionaly when she was pregnant and to my surprise he said it was fine and if any thing it would help with morning sickness.He did suggest ingesting it instead of smoking it though.All these doctors know the truth about weed they just can't support the drug cause or government won't let them

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Originally Posted by XIII

lithium is not a good drug, in fact its actualy the metal lithium that its made of and can cause liver damage and toxic poisoning. unless your bipolar disorder is severe i would talk to your doctor about changeing the meds your takeing. lithium is something that should be taken as a last resort, its really not good for your body.

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the point of having regular blood work done is to monitor all of that and make sure you aren't taking a toxic dose or doing any damage.

also, for those who say 'just smoke weed' the problem is that you never know when you are going to run into supply issues and then you are left completely "un-medicated". at least with the prescriptions I know i can keep a steady supply. [i lost my steady 420 supplier a few months ago and i have no idea when i might smoke again. without prescriptions i'd be fucked right now.

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Originally Posted by insanechub

the point of having regular blood work done is to monitor all of that and make sure you aren't taking a toxic dose or doing any damage.

also, for those who say 'just smoke weed' the problem is that you never know when you are going to run into supply issues and then you are left completely "un-medicated". at least with the prescriptions I know i can keep a steady supply. [i lost my steady 420 supplier a few months ago and i have no idea when i might smoke again. without prescriptions i'd be fucked right now.

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I know what you are saying about the whole maybe not getting weed thing, but I am not that old and I can get weed whenever I want 24/7. But it really is IMO better then the meds. I guess it depends where you live and the availability of weed.

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Originally Posted by loki475

if it wasnt for marijuana, i wouldnt have gotten over my anxiety attacks.

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i used to take klonopin for my anxiety and it was mildly effective. (i have pretty bad social anxiety). They won't prescribe me anything like that now because i tended to stockpile them then overdose.


i kinda screwed myself. sometimes i have panic attacks just because someone initiates a conversation. it's embarrassing, even crippling. marijuana helps of course, but it didn't take it away or make me strong enough like it did for you. I'm a bit envious.

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Originally Posted by Matt the Funk

I know what you are saying about the whole maybe not getting weed thing, but I am not that old and I can get weed whenever I want 24/7. But it really is IMO better then the meds. I guess it depends where you live and the availability of weed.

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i completely agree. I would stop taking prescription meds entirely if I knew I would always be able to get weed

i told my doctor about a year ago that i smoked weed on a daily basis, he freaked me out when he asked if i wanted to smoke :thumbsup: it was a suprisin answer. But currently he has diagnosed me with being BiPolar and told me to stay with my current daily plan ( smoke->school->smoke->munchies->gf->smoke->sleep ) :pimp: