Weed for depression

[MichWolverineFreak]

Ive been depressed for two years, and even though ive never considered it, I think Im gonna try pot. I read online that it helped a guy get out of his depression, and everyone else who posted on there sounded happy, so whatve I got to lose? Hell I hung myself earlier just from the result of the Michigan Michigan state game (and wouldnt die), so do you guys think I should do it?

[Thirteen]

Honestly, considering the legal issues against it, I'd say no. However, if you can medicinally get approved for it, then it'd definitely be worth a try.

But, you have to do your research. Keep in mind that when you're no longer "high", you'd be depressed again. Also, there are different benefits and risks with medicinal marijuana, much like any other medicines. Some people prefer medicinal marijuana because it's not "chemicals", like the pharmaceuticals. Some people react better to actual medications (like anti-depressants) though, so you should probably consider those first.

[Ryan1]

Hey Mitch,

Your best bet is to see a doctor to evaluate all your options. Often time’s people choose to treat their illnesses with drugs like pot when it really requires more attention then that. In many cases for people who struggle with something in their life they result to harder drugs because pot simply doesn’t cut it anymore. While marijuana isn’t as harmful as the others it defiantly has side effects of its own. Be careful what you read on the internet because you never know the source of the information.

If you haven’t seen a doctor I think it would be in your best interest to do so. They are able to give you the appropriate medication and monitor your usage to ensure you don’t abuse it. Depression like other disorders requires you to correct the issue. If you don’t care about yourself it’ll never get better, it always boils down to the individual. These emotions must stem for something, perhaps re-evaluate your situation and see what needs to change in order to take some stress off your life.

I’m more then willing to talk anytime you need someone I’ll be here for you.

[Dr.Bobby]

Originally Posted by Ryan1

Hey Mitch,

Your best bet is to see a doctor to evaluate all your options. Often time’s people choose to treat their illnesses with drugs like pot when it really requires more attention then that. In many cases for people who struggle with something in their life they result to harder drugs because pot simply doesn’t cut it anymore. While marijuana isn’t as harmful as the others it defiantly has side effects of its own. Be careful what you read on the internet because you never know the source of the information.

If you haven’t seen a doctor I think it would be in your best interest to do so. They are able to give you the appropriate medication and monitor your usage to ensure you don’t abuse it. Depression like other disorders requires you to correct the issue. If you don’t care about yourself it’ll never get better, it always boils down to the individual. These emotions must stem for something, perhaps re-evaluate your situation and see what needs to change in order to take some stress off your life.

I’m more this willing to talk anytime you need someone I’ll be here for you.

^This.

Pot isn't a treatment for depression. Many use it recreationally b/c it temporarily masks some of the symptoms of the depression. But, it doesn't address the underlying causes for your depression. So, at best, you'd get temporary relief, but typically, you'd develop a dependence on it, since you're not really fixing the problem and you'll come to rely on the quick fix to feel better, if only for a short while.

Tell someone who can help you get a proper assessment and treatment, teen depression is something that usually responds nicely (and quickly) to proper medical treatment.

[RforPirate]

I'm going to try to make this un-biased as possible

Only reason I would say no is because it's illegal, but I smoke marijuana on a daily basis.

I read on here people that use marijuana for depression only masks it, but what do those garbage chemical anti-depressants do?

Overall marijuana has made me a better person, and again too bad it is illegal.

[edit]

[The Morrigan]

Anti-depressants don't fix the underlying causes of depression. That's why people have to be weaned off them or they get withdrawal symptoms. All anti-depressants do is boost serotonin levels in the brain which relieves the symptoms of depression. They only treat the symptoms, not the cause which is why combination therapy has be shown to work the best at treating depression as the pills relieve the symptoms and therapy helps with the underlying issues.

If you’re suffering from depression, antidepressant medication, used under the guidance of a mental health professional, may relieve some of your symptoms. But antidepressants aren’t a silver bullet for depression. Medication doesn’t cure the underlying problem and is rarely a long-term solution.

Source

Anyway, back on topic. Like most people have said legality is obviously an issue here which is why I think you should discuss this with your doctor and see what they think about it. However, using weed to treat depression may cause you to develop some kind of reliance on it just like people can do with anti-depressants which is why I'd advise against using it for this purpose.

[edit]

[Revolution]

Of course, no drug can fix the underlying causes of depression. Any drug, including prescriptions, just minimizes the symptoms,so that you can focus on your recovery.

The reason that weed is not good for this is that it is illegal. In some states, I think depression is a reason they will prescribe marijuana. But if your doctor isn't prescribing it, you don't know if it's going to be safe. Marijuana can cause anxiety and panic attacks in some people, and without a prescription, I can not recommend you try this for your depression.

[Thirteen]

Let's put it this way... Out of the 2 options, an anti-depressant is meant to kind of "balance out" the chemicals in your brain that make you depressed (unless the Depression is more environmental, then medication works in combination with therapy).

Marijuana has THC, which also stimulates the brain, and temporarily makes you feel less depressed. However, not only is it not guaranteed (I've had a Depressive Episode that was so bad, pot didn't really help), but it also affects other areas of the brain. So, though you may feel happier, it may also impair your motor skills, or just make doing classwork a bitch. Different people feel different highs, so I can't say.

However, you cannot argue the fact that not only is it illegal (even if you DO have medicinal laws, you have to be 18/19 in most places anyways), but you can also get in a lot of trouble at school, or at a work place for being high. You can lose your job, get kicked out of school, etc. depending on how the authority of the premise chooses to punish you.

So although I'd say yeah, an occasional bit won't hurt you (as long as you're responsible, and don't get caught). But the idea of using it to self-medicate, when you could end up in jail for such, is probably a very BAD idea.

[OMFG!You'reActuallySmart!]

Since this deals with bodily health, I've given references to scientific literature for what I've said. All of the articles are full-access so you can read them from the abstract to the references if you wish.

Marijuana has shown through various scientific studies to relieve symptoms of depression, although it's not unanimous as many other studies state otherwise. Below are 2 studies that describe how marijuana relieves depression and they don't use complex medical lingo so they're easy to understand (both are PDFs):

http://www.ijpsy.com/volumen11/num1/...ression-EN.pdf

http://www.doctordeluca.com/Library/...nMjUsers05.pdf

For those who are more biologically-inclined, the below study describes how proteins and receptors known to mediate depression are affected by marijuana, such as TRPV1, BDNF, 5-HT1A (serotonin receptor) and CB1 (cannabidiol receptor, as one of the main ingredients in marijuana):

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...tool=pmcentrez

While there is somewhat of a link between marijuana and depression, it's important to remember that marijuana is not free from side-effects. Memory impairment is only going to happen with long-term use but cardiac and respiratory function is damaged much sooner. If you try to be clever and not smoke it, cardiac function still will be damaged. There is also well-documented kidney damage regardless how you administer marijuana:

http://www.catstcmnotes.com/download...%20Therapy.pdf

As for addiction potential, it's debated, it's not a clear-cut psychological only addiction. For long-term use at higher doses, you usually have physiological addictions.

Originally Posted by Capt'n Cara

All anti-depressants do is boost serotonin levels in the brain which relieves the symptoms of depression.

I'm afraid you're not entirely correct because anti-depressants do not simply, "boost serotonin levels in the brain". That's over-simplifying to such an extent it's incorrect and if you read the source you cited, you'll see it goes against what you're saying. Neurochemical systems do not operate in isolation of one another, they are intersecting and interdependent. Also, not all anti-depressants intentionally target serotonin receptors. Again, this is found in the source you provided, yet you're disagreeing with it. Anyhow, this isn't the sole focus of the thread. The only thing you corrected stated was anti-depressants do not completely address underlying causes.

[MichWolverineFreak]

Im actually more towards using it because I think the government is doing false tests to make marijuana seem bad. For example, in the 70s they would test on monkeys(half the size of humans) with 200x the dose that humans use.
I found a bunch of independant studies by universities (like Harvard, UCLA) that actually says the good outweighs the bad. Im worried about the weed my friend said he could get me though, because apparently it can be laced with crack.
My aunt is depressed and went on antidepressants, and the problem escalated to the point that she tried to kill herself. Now shes in the emergency room...
LEGALIZE MARIJUANA

[OMFG!You'reActuallySmart!]

Originally Posted by MichWolverineFreak

I found a bunch of independant studies by universities (like Harvard, UCLA) that actually says the good outweighs the bad.

Usually studies focus on a certain aspect with a certain paradigm in mind, otherwise it'll be a book rather than a study (there are studies that can be over 100 pages long mind you ). I'm interested in seeing those studies you mentioned. Can you provide a link to them or reference the title of the article? It doesn't matter if all you can find is the abstract/summary, I can probably get the entire study myself.

Originally Posted by MichWolverineFreak

My aunt is depressed and went on antidepressants, and the problem escalated to the point that she tried to kill herself. Now shes in the emergency room...
LEGALIZE MARIJUANA

Anti-depressants are like any substance you ingest, there can be side-effects and some are worse than others. Virtually all anti-depressants have the side-effect of increased suicidal thoughts. Marijuana is not free from resulting in depression, it's a contested area with contradictory results.

[Thirteen]

Originally Posted by MichWolverineFreak

I found a bunch of independant studies by universities (like Harvard, UCLA) that actually says the good outweighs the bad. Im worried about the weed my friend said he could get me though, because apparently it can be laced with crack.
My aunt is depressed and went on antidepressants, and the problem escalated to the point that she tried to kill herself. Now shes in the emergency room...
LEGALIZE MARIJUANA

First of all...
Do you KNOW what kind of NEGATIVE effects marijuana can have on you? There is definitely positive, but you have to be responsible enough to understand there are rewards AND risks.

In fact, the bit about your friend getting you weed that is possibly laced is just one of those risks. The other thing is, even though I personally agree the war on marijuana is excessive, it's STILL illegal in your state nonetheless. That's a risk too. I don't think the possibility of jail time is worth it, but if you can get it legally in the future that's different.

The case with your aunt is unfortunate, but there are also many different anti-depressants, as well as the possibility of a wrong diagnosis. There are a couple factors to that scenario alone, so completely dismissing scientific medicine is stupid. Especially when you consider that science is also the one with positive claims for medicinal marijuana.

You can't take a completely hypocritical, two-faced stance to the same thing you're also trying to support. Keep in mind, as has been said, it's still possible to be depressed, or even suicidal when you've smoked marijuana. As I mentioned, one time I had a depressive episode, marijuana didn't help it. It didn't make it worse, but it didn't help. I was still feeling suicidal, and the only reason I didn't attempt was because of my boyfriend being there.

Point is, nothing is absolute when it comes to mental illnesses. You should probably see a mental health professional, instead of trying to self-medicate.

[MichWolverineFreak]

Ah hah... Being illegal... look, two guys smokin weed at 1:00 am in the middle an abondoned Golf Course in Flint, MI is wayyyy different than anywhere else. In a relatively large city of 100000+ people with about 45 cops basically means you cant get caught for weed. You ever heard of Flint? Highest assault rate and almost highest murder rate in the US. The cops dont have time for nonviolent teenage potheads. Believe me, we got robbed one time and the cops didnt even come.
Im worried about my parents catching me, but its unlikely, because they can sleep through anything. Im not necessarily worried about being caught out after dark, they wont even ground me.

[MichWolverineFreak]

Look, this wont be a regular thing. I dont have a lot of money, i just want a short trial of it.