Treatment for Bipolar Disorder?

I swear we need a FAQ.

Insurance does NOT cover MMJ. SOME PPO plans will cover your initial visit with your recommending doctor as a "doctor's visit", but not very many.

 

I'm not really sure why there hasn't been more research done on the relationship between MMJ and bi-polar disorder.

I started smoking recreationally/medically (unknowingly, because I was self medicating my depressive symptoms at that time) at 15 and was diagnosed with bi-polar at 17, I dont remember if I have type 1 or 2, but its the one with more extreme depressive periods and less extreme manic periods.

It has helped me a great deal. During my depressive periods I could go for days without eating and I would sleep up to 15 hours a day. And during my manic periods I could stay up for days and my mind would be racing all the time.

Weed has helped me eat more often (munchies yay) and gives me the motivation to go out and do the things I love when Im depressed. When I am manic, it helps with my severe insomnia and I feel like Ive actually gotten a deep and restful sleep the next day. It also helps me focus in on thoughts, and have conversations with people period. Usually I would be in a group of people, straining, searching to get a word in, but I can't think of a damn thing to say to save my life.

I was also taking Trileptal (anti-seizure originally, now being used for bi-polar) medication which gave me extreme headaches/migraines occasionally, and with the help of marijuana, I was able to keep those to a minimum.

After a while, I realized that I only needed MMJ to help me instead of synthetic drugs and here I am today. While I can't afford weed all the time, I wish I could because I do see a lot of my symptoms returning after periods of sobriety.

Ive read that it can exasperate bi-polar symptoms in some people, but from my previous experimentation with the drug in my earlier years, I knew that it was beneficial to me.

Hope that helped a least a little.

 

I'm not bipolar- my Mom was, though. I'm just a bit moody at times. Cannabis helps keep me more stable, lowering my (usually mild) mania and lifting me up when depressed. However, every one is different, so there is no real way to say what cannabis can do for (or to) you or what strains are best for you. Indicas do seem to settle me down when I'm "up there". Here are a few more studies/articles for you. Wish I could help you more.

Cannabinoids in bipolar affective disorder: a review and discussion of their therapeutic potential.
Cannabinoids in bipolar affective disorder: a revi...[J Psychopharmacol. 2005] - PubMed Result

Cannabis in bipolar
Bipolar Disorder Daily News Blog: Cannabis in bipolar

Recipe For Trouble (anecdotal)
Recipe For Trouble - 48 Hours - CBS News

The effect of extreme marijuana use on the long-term course of bipolar I illness: a single case study.
Clinical Studies and Case Reports



Granny

 

Ralta here,

I really empathise. Im 22, was diagnosed at 18 following my first major epidode. I was in Aberdeen, Scotland, doing a degree in history, and everything suddenly started to go wrong, Grandfather passed away, friends abandoned me mutiple times, and I ended living with a girl the landlord placed me with and she didnt speak to me. As people on here probable get, I am normally quite verbose, but I stopped speaking to people, and eventually the stress of two essays due on the same day and working every hour god sent in a Asda/Walmart superstore brought on what started as a lack of eating, that turned into two weeks living on cigarettes, two pieces of bread, and water. I was calling my mother in tears demanding help writing the essays as I could not even think past the sentance I was on, then my girlfriend left me. My mother came up and collected me. That started a massive depressive episode, that lasted three months where I would stay in my room and not look anyone in the face, and just generally be a ghost in a shell. I eventually was forced to go and apply for unemployment benefit, and this led me to find a job and then I went to my GP who referred me to the psychiatric team of my old hospital. They were helpful but the meds didnt work, namely respiridone and cipralex. This has continued with various doctors doing very little other than prescribe me pill after pill. None of which work, may I add. They turned me into a vegitable, even to the point of sleeping 14hours a day. Surely modern medicine can do better, or apparentally not.
The conditions are not secondary, from my experience from fellow sufferers here and myself, I get very 'jazzed' when manic, I cant sleep and I am very very talkative, to the point of annoyance. When I get depressed, I get very quiet, lose weight and generally rather unhappy with absolutely everything. The tablets exaserbate rather than help anything eg abilify makes me angry and violent, I break things, which I NEVER do. Antidepressants do sweet fuck all and the only one they give me that helps to calm me is xanax, which is problematic as I have an addictive personality.
For me, sativas although fun, are not a cure for bipolarism as I have found. Indica, hashish type seems to keep me very calm and level, but then sap energy, but not like the meds. I have been off weed for two weeks now as I made a promise to myself not to smoke until I have seen the nurse in Bordeaux tomorrow, where I am making my points for either MMJ or tacit approval of its use. Personally, though it is difficult to self medicate for me, I would rather do something illegal that keeps me manageable rather than take the legal prescription pills that I am given. And yes, rapid cycling isnt the half of it, sad/happy/despair/joy/exhiliration all in the space of an hour today, and most days since the MMJ has worn off...
Yeah, I empathise with you. Good luck, and btw if your friend isnt willing to help you with it, then you know you have a true friend there...

Ralta

 

Sorry to chime in late on this discussion--I just joined, for the very purpose of finding out about cannabis and bipolar disorder, since I am also rapid cycling bipolar II.



>How would I go about getting "officially" diagnosed with bipolar II rapid cycling? I'm not really sure how this works. I know what I have, so why isn't it in my medical records? Why haven't I already been officially diagnosed? Who should I talk to? (Please keep in mind that I don't think I want treatment from whomever diagnoses. I just would really appreciate a formal diagnosis once and for all, it's annoying to me that I have and haven't been diagnosed.)



If you have not been "officially" diagnosed, then I doubt there would be any paperwork in your medical records to show it. Were you "unofficially" diagnosed by a physician? If so, that person should have referred you to a specialist in psychiatry. Personally I would recommend an ARNP clinical nurse specializing in psychiatry rather than a psychiatrist. My experience was that the ARNP was more willing to actually listen and make good recommendations. A psychiatric professional can give you an official diagnosis based on the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria. Once you have the diagnosis, they can't force treatment on you. They may recommend one of the traditional medications but what you actually do is your personal choice.

Some things to think about:

1) I don't know how young you are. If you are only hypothetically 18, I strongly recommend that you do some research on effects of cannabis on adolescents. I urge you to be as informed as possible. I might get yelled at on this forum for saying this, but cannabis advocates are just as likely to over-simplify and ignore facts as people who are against it.

2) I also think you should give therapy a try. It is a difficult process--believe me, I do understand and empathize. But if your goal is to improve your situation and get the most out of life, no chemical can do that on its own. If you are ready to explore cannabis as an option, you should be ready to explore some of the other options that are out there as well.

3) If you're looking for reasons to smoke--the only reason that matters to you is that you choose to.

 

What ftr said...Since your doctor has apparently not been active in diagnosing or treating you, have you considered seeking another opinion in order to rule out other, highly treatable causes of mood disorder such as hypothyroid, metabolic disease, horomone issues etc.
MMJ is a wonderful substance, but it helps to have a clear and accurate diagnosis before you start self medicating.