My father is 65 and started smoking a couple years ago. He has a pretty nasty form of life-long Bi-polar, so I was worried. It doesn't seem to be affecting him too much (he also just retired to a very nice place) and he enjoys it. I'm worried though since he hates taking lithium type medications. Does anyone else have any experience with something like this? He has an extreme temper as well.
I took lithium some years ago, I didn't like it one bit, but everyone is different. I think smoking weed can actually be very bad for those who are dealing with depression and bipolar issues, but if your dad seems to be doing ok then I'd not worry too much about it. We are all wired differently after all I know a guy who suffers from depression and weed has actually helped him feel a bit better. What reaction you have to weed depends a lot on your body and brain chemistry.
I don't think weed is good for bi-polars, weed is known to increase mood swings and worsen one's temper.
It will aggravate his condition. At that age, the regenerative mechanism of the body is not at its optimum. Taking medication with drugs is also trending into uncharted territory due to interactions of these drugs in the body. He has either to take one or leave the other. The best way is to schedule visits by a rehab officer.
My father most likely has undiagnosed bipolar. He has been smoking pot since he was a kid. He happens to be a very high functioning addict though. Today, he's in his early 60s and we actually encourage his pot habit because, he gets all kinds of nuts up when he's quitting. He's a lot more stable on the stuff. But then again he's been smoking for the better part of his life. So, you gotta take that into consideration.
This is a shame. I had a boyfriend his sister was on Lithium and I understand "you can't go off of it." I'm inclined to think that there is some truth to it being difficult to get away from but not that you can't go off of it. Nothing is impossible. Extreme temper...that's funny because that boyfriend had that issue too but his was from athletic steroid use. The mother was basically psychotic when she would get angry. It was unbelievable. Your Dad is 65 years old you said. He would need to want to do something about it. I don't blame him for not wanting to take lithium based drugs. More than likely he has trauma associated with the medications. Bad experiences. Doesn't like the way he feels on it. I don't really know exactly what it feels like but I've seen people on these things. There is no scientific testing for psychiatric disorders they just basically observe, listen, and diagnosis. There are no blood tests and so forth. So there is this doctor that I have read several of his books. Listened to his lectures. I would say that his suggestion would be to take a look at food allergies. Your dad is not interested in medications so this would be a great thing to try. Best way to do it is to eat really clean. No gluten, casein or dairy. There are some chemicals in foods that I've found to cause anger. I don't remember which cause I just try to eat really clean. Just remember if you can't pronounce it or don't know what it is, you shouldn't eat it. This doctor gets into a certain method where you slowly put back each to see what you are allergic to. I decided on vegan. Most meat has steroids and hormones in them (also antibiotics)...so there is one thing to consider. You can buy meat that is free of these things. Unfortunately the colon is where meat gets stuck so this is a whole other problem. Myself I found and seen that a real state happiness is achieved when eating raw; fruits and veggies. But, to each his own. This might be a good start. The doctor that I was referring to; Dr. Mark Hyman. The book "Ultra-Mind Solution"