Depression + weed = win

i dont know if this helps, but many people in my family have psychiatric disorders. NONE of them are totally cured. However, marijuana has improved their lifestyles, in almost the same way antidepressants do. Marijuana has been proven to have great results with anxiety and depression, not just because of the high, but also because of many other effects that marijuana does to the brain. So yes, marijuana can be used to help depression. However depression is never overcome by drugs alone, you must have a therapy that works for you. Using ANY substance as a crutch can only hurt you.

 

You're neglecting the fact that, like I said I already tried everything (yes the MAOIs too).

Western medicine has a very poor track record in general with this kind of thing. Maybe not with pure depression (ECT has 80% cure rate with "uncomplicated depression IIRC), but when there's lots of other things involved (don't really want to go into it because I'm in the mood to think about it) it fails pretty hard for a lot of people, especially when there's lots of hard to define existential angst type stuff involved (which as gay and contrived as that sounds is a real bitch to deal with). I.E. This wasn't brought on by fucking up at work or my girl leaving me or something.

I'm very aware that the "problem is still there". You act like I've just been too lazy to "man up and face it" LOL. I'm not gonna go into some long rant bitch post, but I've done craaaaaaaaazy shit in attempts to rid myself of anxiety and self esteem issues. I've tried to "face my demons" in ways most people would shit their pants doing. The fact that none of this is based on reality really (i.e. I'm happy with my looks, my intelligence physical fitness,etc) tells me something else is going on.

I know I'm probably fucked regardless, but weed will alleviate the pain at least for a while and allow me to have some good times. Which is more than I can say for the other bullshit.

Don't be so quick to judge just cause you got off lucky (and I'm certainly happy for you btw)

I've had very very experienced psychiatrists tell me flat out that, as much as we've learned about the brain over the years, we still don't really know jack shit, and meds are largely a shot in the dark. The brain is incredibly complex.

I might be trying ayahuasca soon... which is kind of an unusual approach, but hell, why not? I've heard from people that it helped them solve apparently unresolvable mental issues.

You're also ignoring the fact that quite a few people say they've been fucked up by anti-depressant medication. SSRIs and the like are hardly safe.

 

Purecussion, your astounding level of confidence in modern psychiatric diagnoses and treatments, as well as the "whole medical community" is astoundigly ridiculous. Modern psychiatry is often quite ridiculous in its pseudo-certainty of accurately diagnosing and effectively treating a huge myriad of conditions. This quote sums it up nicely:

.

 

I don't give a shit about what the scientific community judges to work, if it doesn't actually. I care about what works from my own personal experience. The fact that the medical community is in bed with big pharma doesn't exactly help their impartiality either. You think I'm BSing you about my experience from treatments? lol. It's more than just "not knowing everything". It's not knowing much at all. Both my counselor and the dude who was giving me meds (who's been practicing for 30 years) said that it's largely a matter of guesswork. They really don't know what the fuck they're doing, and I appreciated their honesty.

You're not a AMA lobbyist now are you?

 

i also was going through a depression when i tried bud. and now i'm much happier. some people mistake the feeling pot gives me for "i don't care about anything". they say it makes people lazy. the feeling isn't "i don't care", it's "it doesn't bother me". when i toke up, i like to go out and do things. it gives me motivation. so now i self-medicate with it once a day.

i think it should definitely be legalized at least for medicinal uses. i don't trust pills. i've had two other friends who were given cymbalta when they were depressed. one of them became very unsociable, stopped talking to me or any other friends and just stayed home and slept all day. the other dropped out of college and also stopped talking to friends.

im not a doctor but i think its pretty clear that mmj its a much better solution.

 

(aside) Are you currently taking Ziprasidone, by any chance?

Back on topic

http://www.sfn.org/index.cfm?pagename=brainBriefings_endocannabinoids

 

I came back to MJ because of my depression. My depression comes through as anger. I get very angry for no reason. Yell at the kids, my husband and even the poor dog. I am NO fun to be around when my meds are not working.

That being said, my prozac quit working I started to take my xanax like candy for stress. Driving is a HUGE one for me.. I get mad and yell all sorts of bad things. Lord help him if my poor husband is driving.
So on a trip to San Diego I ran out of xanax I was a complete nut job. Panic attacks, bouts of anger and yelling all due to the fact that I was afraid of the "city" I'm from a small rural town in Central ca. I was sure I was going to be held up, and my children taken off to Mexico.. Irrational I know..

So seeing how this was a vacation my sister said "dude! take a damn hit already and shut the hell up" LOL gotta love her..

So with that one hit my tension in my shoulders melted away( like my xanax did for me) I was much more enjoyable to be around. Much more interested in the family vacation. Much more tolerant of the children and their shenanigans. And just easier to be around. That opened my eyes big time.

So I don't know how it would work for others, esp if your depression is the kind that makes you really sad... but for my anger it really helps to calm me down and not take life so hard.

 

Ok... well I have depression. And it pretty much started with that. Yes the weed helps.

 

These are words of wisdom. I know a couple of people who used to drown their depressions with heavy smoking. Their lives spiraled even further downwards until they took a t-break. Now they have a reasonable relationship to marijuana (not smoking heavily 24/7) and their lives are better

I used to feel like shit for a very long time. I was afraid of talking to other people and I was sure that even my closest friends conspired to keep me out of the group, only because I was such a bore and a failure of a person. That's what I used to think. I smoked marijuana everyday, though not heavily, and it helped me being honest to myself, addressing my problems and getting rid of them. Today I am a very happy person

 

ROFL! Weed not an antidepressant.. Thanks for the laughs!

 

Well if weed is not a anti depressant then i am the mayor of london .

I had depression and anxiety since i was 16 and at the best of times i have night where i feel suicidal and i sit in my room and go to pieces.

When this happens i put some of my top44 indica in my bong i take a toke and all my cares they do go up in smoke. relief comes over me and i feel normal again and tears of happiness fill my eyes because its such a relief for me when i feel that bad.

Then 20 mins later i lay down and i sleep and i wake up feeling stable and content.

I have been to the doctors been given this medication that medication and the side effects well i do not even want to talk about those.

I believe marijuana is safer then ssri's and the anti depressants that the doctors dish out. Some people say weed works for depression others do not. Personal i believe it all depends on what type of you toke.

top44 indica sends me in to a good palce when im depressed it is a pure indica.
Nyc diesel that makes me very happy its makes me get up and go and do a days work and i smile as i work. I believe it is mainly sativa.

There are many types but i believe indica is the best or a plant that has mainly indica like a 80/20 mix of indica/sativa

My top44 is a 100% indica and it does wonders for me

Thats why i am getting more soon. Enough to last me to keep the blues away.

Just my thoughts.

 

to percussion and the dude ur debating with

so i dont really know shit about medical but ill tell you from my LONG TERM experience with depression and weed


so before i was introduced to weed, my depression was way up there man like fuck i was a sad kid. but i started smoking massive amounts of weed. like every cent and i was just a 14 year old kid.anyways , for the time being of being high, yes it did help out my depression. but when i wasnt high, the depression was right back. like dont bull shit me because i have plenty of friends that feel the same after long term smoking and just stoppin the next day.YES i now understand the placebo effect you are talking about PErcussion. i felt buying more weed would make me happy and it did, but when i was out of weed back to massive depression.

im not on anyones side but im gonna tell you right now, if you dont got the funds, dont smoke your problems away cuz it only works for so long till your out of cash.i know first hand.but hey man i still love to smoke weed when im feeeling down but idk really know if that depression is really gone because right now in life im kind of at that "fuck it " lifestyle , and i am currently happy i dont want to say weed helped me to fix my depression because if it is there, its not nearly as bad it was couple years ago. but it did help me COPE and thats all i can foresure say weed did , because i feel i defeated this depression myself.not trying to sound bad ass but i kind of did , it took a fuckin while, but i did it myself

oh and i do get pretty moody when i stop smoking weed but then im like back to normal with in like 2-3 days

 

Marijuana increases blood flow to the left frontal lobe. Depression is correlated with decreased left frontal lobe activity. So there might even be a physiological basis for this.

 

I was Depressed to the point that I had to go to a hospital for 2 weeks, because of fear of suicide by my family. At the time I didn't smoke marijuana but like once every month, but then afterwards I got to my current smoking of everyday and I've never felt better...I feel more confident about myself and just believe I can do anything I want to. I currently live in SC but I am moving to California in a couple months for medical marijuana, and may even start growing for a dispensary or even make one...Weed is not only a substance to me, It's a lifestyle, and if all i did was smoke and sell and grow for the rest of my life, i wouldn't be happier. Glad it helped you as it did me. +=

 

This is the problem. MJ helps me greatly, but it is ridiculous for those that have a good reason to use it medically have a hard time getting legal permission to do so. MJ would no longer be a drug if we could simply grow it. No more paying for a plant because its risky to grow. We would have all the weed/medicine we needed and still have all of our money.