[quote=Dr.G.H.]

I want to know if the incident that this patient felt was normal amongst [QUOTE]marijuana users?

"normal" for a small percentage of innexperience marijuana users, yes. When I first started using it I tripped out pretty hard myself, but eventually learned that you have to know your safe-dose. After a decent tolerance builds up, as with every smoker, the safe dose has a significantly larger margin for error.

Most likely though, what your patient experience was due to anxiety attacks, in themselves, triggering the psychotic episode. Marijuana can already increase anxiety levels if a person has any kind of negative mindset, or chemical inbalance. When a person trips that hard, they feel out of control and this can cause more anxiety than anything if you don't know how to calm your mind. From a Buddhist perspective, I'd also suggest the possibility (held by many people regarding many drugs) that such "freak-outs" are the result of clinging to ones ego, so much that being torn away from it by the drug can be psychologically devestating.

Also, I really think you should check out the weed he was smoking, to be sure it's not laced (it my not be visible to the naked eye).

Anyway, just advise your patient to slowly take it one toke at a time and wait to observe the effects of each toke.

So I ended up asking the patient to tell me what (if anything was different than before) and this is what I found out. Apparently this patient first purchased marijuana that smelt good, he said it was a very nice smell, and that were lots of seeds. The marijuana the he purchased just prior to the incident was different. He said this new one had no seeds at all and appeared to have orange hairs over it, and that it smelt very different, almost like citrus and skunks.
Actually, this is a pretty common strain. I'm not an expert on all the varieties, but there's 2 main groups of which are "indica" which has more painkilling-effects and more of a body-stone, and "sativa" which is more psychadelic and somewhat less of an analgesic. But the strain you describe, I smoke most commonly with no negative effects.


My second question is: were his negative effects caused by a certain strain, or did it have to do with the fact of seeds or no seeds in the marijuana?
The seeds just mean less potency/quality. But yes, the strain (indica or sativa) may have caused it.
If it is a question of strain/type of marijuana, do you know which strain/type is relaxing and ??not trippy? (as the patient would say)?
Indica.

- courtesy of a very-currently-stoned toker:thumbsup:

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On a separate note, this is quite fortuitous that your a neurologist, as I've been desperately trying to see one for years now (damn canadian medical system). Anyway, if you could spare me a bit of your time, I've been in terrible chronic pain for almost 5 years now, and I'm only 21 and don't know what's causing it.

I injurred my low back in Judo when I was 16, just as soft tissue-damage, and it's just gotton worse since then. A year later, I unjurred an mid-upper vertebrae in Aikido (which I thought I could handle as a very light martial art) by falling on it several times in a practice involving throws. Then a month later, An overzealous chiropractor decided to adjust my neck because of a minor kink, and it's been in HORRIBLE pain ever since. Now everythwhere in my back, neck, head, legs, and sometimes arms, hurt like hell all the time.

X-rays show nothing except mild compression in the one upper vertebrae in my back. The neck and low back look fine.

I've tried (repeatedly) chiropractic, massage therapy, physio therapy, accupuncture, stretching, ice, hot baths, and yoga, all of which only somewhat alleviate the symptoms for a few hours.

I've used:

Accetaminophen: which doesn't work at all anymore
Ibeprophen: which I need to take 4 of just for mild relief
Robax: Does nothing
Cannabis: which used to work amazingly but does nothing now.
Celebrix: Does nothing
Flexeril: Does nothing for pain, barely lowered my back spasms, made me feel almost "drunk".
Tramadol (In tramacets): I need to take 150mg to get the usual 60-75% pain relief.
And, though I really want some to finally have some relief, I can't seem to get a prescription for Oxycontin because my doctor's clinic can't prescribe narcotics of any sort, and I can't change because docs here won't accept new patients who already have a family doctor.

Hope that wasn't too long, but would you have any idea what might be wrong with me, or what I should do?

Thanks

- James