Ive been smoking cannabis for a while - and it's the only thing that really helps. (Depression is this ongoing battle that comes and goes) I do not want to get dependent on pills, as it has more health risks than marijuana. Plus I use to take a bunch of pills for numerous things and I'm worried I could develop liver problems. Anyway I know to get your card they ask why, so would my answer be acceptable?
It depends on which state you are in. In California I have been told that you can basically just ask a doctor to perscribe it to you and they will. In other states you have a certain disease or disorder and they have all kinds of stipulations that make it hard to get if you are not basically dying. I do want to say that my husband has extensive mental problems and has tried taking all the pills that the doctors perscribe. His last Bipolar episode he decided he would try it their way and he almost killed himself because of their pills and the depression side effects that the pills had. Every time he told the doctor he felt really depressed they would just up his dosage unitll he was a depressed zombie. He has since stopped taking any kind of pill and only smokes Marijuana. While he still gets depressed this has been the longest that he has stayed normal. The depression doesn't stay for months at a time and he has yet to have another Manic episode. And as soon as he takes a hit, his depression goes away. We have researched and researched about the benifits of Marijuana on mentally ill patients. It isn't for everyone but for some people that have not had sucsess with the pills that they love to dish out, it is a Godsend. My husband also has Borderline Personality Disorder and PTSD. I don't know if it should be used to treat depression in regular people, but I do know that it has helped my husband and he is an extreme case. Marijuana is not dangerous, it does not kill anyone and anyone that thinks that antidepressants are safer than Marijuana should talk to a family that has lost someone due to suicide after starting an antidepressant. And don't even get me started on alcohol. I come from a family of Alcoholics and I know what it does to people, Marijuana isn't even comparable.
Just my own personal opinion, no. I only say that because I've seen so many get more depressed on it, including myself. I understand from your original post it makes you better and is the only thing that helps but I just wish there was some other way you could weed all negativity from your life and begin to feel happy with yourself and about yourself without ANY help. Just by being okay with YOU.
I am not aware of rules or valid reasons to get medicinal marijuana on those countries where it is being implemented already. But I think depression should not be a reason to use it. There could be other ways a person could try like being in a support group.
I'm pro-legalization, but I don't think marijuana is an effective treatment for depression. Most depressed stoners I know simply withdraw more & more. I think there are lots of medical uses for marijuana and also it is a recreational drug with fewer negative side effects than alcohol. HOWEVER, I do not think it will effectively help someone who is depressed. . Exercise is an effective tool to combat moderate depression, however. I know what you're saying about pills ... but smoking dope is just another crutch when it comes to fighting depression. Just because you like getting high (and I do too) doesn't mean its a cure for all that ails ya.
No it would be a legitimate reason for you to get a card to obtain marijuana as treatment for depression. There has been research presently that shows that marijuana affects the brain in the imbalance of dopamine in your brain. Do consider the medications that you were on previously. Check with the doctor who has prescribed these medications if they are going to cause problems with your liver. He would be the one who would be able to discern whether or not you should be considered about the side effects you will experience with those drugs and just what you need to look out for if they do occur. Be honest with your doctor and let him know that you do seem to have success with marijuana and ask him for his opinion as far as the use of weed would be conducive to your mental disorder.
Honestly, it probably is..you can get a card for just about anything. But you don't want it because you're depressed, you want it so you can smoke.. I know you wont listen to me, but if you do.. It isn't going to help with depression, it will make it a lot worse. I'm not some anti-drug person, I actually used to smoke at least an ounce a week...but what I found when I quit, and many people will agree, is that you feel much better..you feel less tired, more alert, more happy...everything is more enjoyable sober. The first week or two..or three will suck, no doubt about it, you'll crave it badly..but don't give in and you won't regret it
No. There is no proven scientific evidence that marijuana is an effective treatment for depression. Get a prescription for a serotonin reuptake inhibitor if you're concerned about dependency of the more potent antidepressants
From what I've seen, pills don't help with depression much. I've had a couple of depressed friends who got prescribed a bunch of pills for their depression, and for what I saw, they didn't help at all. The pills just made them look like zombies. They were always drooling and stuff like that. They told me they hated them. I won't tell you to smoke pot instead of taking medication because I'm no doctor, and that would be irresponsible of me. But if I had the choice, I would certainly choose weed over pills.
I also think that depression would be a reason to not use marijuana. Marijuana is known to increase or exacerbate symptoms such as short-term memory loss, anxiety and paranoia - Symptoms which people who suffer with depression are already prone to. If anything, marijuana would probably make depression worse in the long run, although it might alleviate the symptoms temporarily (short-term).
EXACTLY! I was thinking the same thing but didn't quite know how to say it. Yes, short term, a high might make you feel better. In the long run, it's going to have some negative effects that are possibly just going to make things worse on you. Thank you @Sparkster for that.
I'm all for medical marijuana but I don't think any professional would be willing to give you a card given that marijuana has ben thought to exacerbate mental health issues.
As others above have already mentioned I don't really think in the instance of depression or other mental health concerns that marijuana is a good idea. This article from only last year talks about research that showed the link between marijuana and increasing anxiety/depression: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a...is-DOES-increase-risk-anxiety-depression.html I think medical marijuana has a place in the management of physical pain, but I don't think it's the answer in the case of depression.
I personally believe that marijuana could help with depression if it isn't abused. However, it could potentially cause a dependency that is unhealthy and that could turn into an addiction. I know that my doctor has told me that marijuana can have negative impacts with depression, so I'm not really sure if it could really help in the long run.
Depression will never be a legitimate excuse to abuse substances that are supposed to cure people and help them out of pain or discomfort. Medical marijuana is for physical pain relief but it also has psychoactive effects. You have to understand that depression is psychological pain and it's not advisable to use a psychoactive drug to treat something psychological because things will only get worse for you.
Have you talked to your medical doctor about it? There are certain anti depressant medications that have a far lower risk associated with them and at low doses can have very few if any side effects. I take the lowest dose of celexa and it does wonders with not a single side effect. I've taken almost every SSRI there is and this is the first one that I actually felt okay taking. Sure, withdrawal from SSRI's bites and you do have to have a type of dependency on them as you need to continue taking them daily but... isn't that what you are proposing doing with marijuana? And it's not generally good for depression.
I agree that antidepressants are probably a better option. Having said that, I don't think you should rely on them if you can help it. Some antidepressants can also have adverse long-term side effects. The trick is to use them to alleviate the depression and increase your dopamine/serotonin levels gradually over time until they return to normal then ween yourself off them (with the aid of your doctor). This usually takes some experimentation with different antidepressants. Different ones affect different people differently. It's a case of finding the one which works for you.
Right! It's a journey! Just like recovery. And just like recovery, sometimes counseling or therapy is necessary to go along with it. Take losing weight or getting fit for example. Sure, a calorie defecit from not eating as much would work for awhile. An increase in activity would work for awhile. But to get the best results a combination of eating healthier AND physical activity are optimum. So, a combination of learning coping skills and cognitive therapy or counseling with SSRI treatment gives you a better standing to deal with depression in the long run.
Doctors don't like to prescribe weed, you would have to find one that is very open minded. Along with that you would need to have tried almost every other antidepressant available. Including many types of therapy session along with maybe ECT and TMS. Weed has its side effects just like any drug, like cough, lung congestion, anxiety, paranoia, sleepiness, increased apatite, and euphoria. The euphoria is why you feel less depressed. It reduces inflammation and changes your dopamine levels. That's why a lot of people prescribed it as a physical pain releiver.
Umm yeah maybe it is, however there is many other better and more reasonable ways to combat your depressions. Sometimes marijuana could worsen the depression and cause other side effects.