Cannabis and schizophrenia

[stevecam]

I don't mind a smoke or two ever now and then, but some times I will have someone ask me what it is like, and sometimes a few of these people might have schizophrenia

 

I have never known for sure what would be the right thing to say, I would love to hear what other people have as an opinion

[jabez]

I know 3 people (who have told me) who have schizophrenia. One of them used to smoke it when he was a teenager but can't handle it as a adult so doesn't touch it, he just does lots of speed now! BTW, the cannabis did NOT cause it as schizophrenia runs in his family.

 

The other two people I know are a bother and sister, they love a smoke and it clearly makes them feel and act a lot better than they do without it.

 

So I just don't think you can tell how ANYONE will react to herb, but at the end of the day ITS JUST CANNABIS! It wont kill or do any long term damage to anyone. So next time they ask what it's like, just roll a joint and give them a few puffs, either they'll hate it and won't touch it again or they'll love it and you might actually be showing a follow human being how to have a better quality life.

 

Peace

Edited September 5, 2009 by jabez

[goldcoast]

Mate after i have read for coutless hours everything possible i can about Weed from both sides of the spectrum that schizophrenia is heritary in their family tree somewhere and MJ doesnt have anything to do with it. Alcohol is so so much more dangerous than pot will ever be that is poison killing your body insides. I have found small withdrawal symptons from bongs but never the vaporizer but u gotta expect these if you do something everyday for a period of time of course your body will react in someway that common sense. Vaporizer once a week to take the edge off is what i have been doing and works

Cheers

[cybergenesis]

I have known people that were schitzophrenic that were told cannabis without doubt causes their psychosis and they must not smoke it.. Last I heard they were doing both speed and heroin instead (speedballs).. Great one doctor.

[sparkler]

A friend of mine has had schizophrenia and a separate diagnosis of SAD (shizo affective disorder) for most of his adult life, almost 15 years. His condition isn't genetic (nobody in his family that he/they know of has suffered either illness) and it's definitely not because he smoked a bit of dope when he was a teenager. He was however a full blown speed addict at the time of diagnosis and his doctor still believes it was his meth use that led to him basically, and literally, losing the plot when he was first diagnosed. He still has fairly serious relapses every few years and is in and out of psychiatric hospitals when he does.

 

He smokes weed every now and then - if he's at a party or after dinner with friends. Very occasionally though, 2-3 times a year. He did smoke it for a few months (consistantly) a couple of years ago but found he felt far too paranoid and suffered more delusions (than usual) when he was smoking as a habit, he also said it killed his social skills.

 

He does however drink like a fish and has several alcohol binges per week - whilst on his medication. Even though he's a complete dick to be around when he's drinking and even though every single one of his mates avoid him like the plague when he's drinking, he says booze calms him down...is a relief from his illness...and according to him, makes him more social.

 

So I guess it depends on the person...I know a woman who's had schizophrenia for over 20 years and has been smoking weed since her teenage years. She has no problem with it whatsoever, she finds it's more beneficial than any of the pills she's been prescribed and she seems like your average girl whether she's straight or stoned. She also only drinks at Xmas and her birthday. Everyone is different it seems.

[luciddreaming]

I have known people that were schizophrenic that were told cannabis without doubt causes their psychosis and they must not smoke it.. Last I heard they were doing both speed and heroin instead (speedballs).. Great one doctor.

Yeah it's proven now that some people just need drugs to fill in a missing spot in their lives. More scientifically, some people just have that feeling of need for some neurotransmitter boost, probably dopamine. This is thought to be why some people smoke Cigarettes, knowing the dangers and all. Same with Alcohol and Cannabis and Heroin and whatever else. It's all just to fill in this gap they feel. I don't know how to explain it and don't know the exact science but I have this need too. Weed and cigarettes fulfill this desire for me.

 

If people like this get persuaded off one substance they will just switch to another almost inevitably.

 

Most of the population has this sort of thing, which is why drug use of any kind is so widespread in every culture. It's usually called an addictive personality. But that's not really correct.

 

Anyway yeah Cannabis has not been proven to cause schizophrenia nor bring it out in people who would have got it anyway. IMO Sativa (high THC and low CBD) might bring it out just because it produces schizophrenia like symptoms and this could lead to that pattern of thinking with prolonged use. Government propaganda about Cannabis turning you schizophrenic doesn't help. This sort of anxiety with any illegal drug use is only prevalent in Western countries. If some person from an Eastern culture gets anxiety on a hallucinogen for example they don't think "I'm gonna be like this forever", they think "this is showing me something wrong in my life that I need to fix" and they come back better than they went in.

 

Anyway, CBD is a proven anti-psychotic, so I would say as long as a schizophrenic can get Indica Cannabis consistently, it should be fine, or if they only smoke occasionally if they have Sativa.

[crank]

at the end of the day the government will keep labelling 'temporary drug induced psychosis' as skitzophrenia.

anyone can have it from any drug being taken over the top. Meth on the other hand triggers it pretty quickly

causing vivid paranoid hallucinations auditary and visual.

 

pot on the otherhand you need to smoke serious quantities on a continual basis over a serious amount of time.

 

My mate was smoking halfbags a day and started to flip out, he went and got help and was locked up by doctors, until he saw someone from a marijuana harm minimisation group, they explained to him what happened and the doctors were fuckheads.

 

Hes a normal bloke now, doesnt trip out, he still smokes but in moderation.

 

and how does this happen? its called no proper drug education in our schools and a campaign of fear and lies.

 

Alcohol has now been proven to cause MORE psychological damage than marijuana if someone was to binge drink daily over a period of time.... not to mention organ failure, arse cancer, you get the idea.

 

thats why the drug dude who classified illicit drugs in the UK got fired, he scaled up the risk between alcohol and marijuana and lost his job. Gotta give him credit because his research is going to cause a shitstorm.

[cybergenesis]

I'd like to say that there is a lot of debate about "Cannabis Induced Psychosis".

 

I am not convinced yet that it exists.

 

A large study examining such cases found that people diagnosed with Cannabis Induced Psychosis, had the same incidence of schizophrenia in their family history as people diagnosed with schizophrenia. What this is suggest is that genetic factors are at play, these people would develop psychosis anyway.

 

What I think happens (I have experience with psychiatrists) is a patient comes in with psychosis, but they also happen to smoke pot, so the doctor goes "Oh ok I'll put you down as Cannabis Induced Psychosis", also I think doctors that believe Cannabis does cause psychosis are much more likely to put somebody in this category.

 

I have never seen someone smoking excessive amounts of pot "go psychotic" and I've seen people abuse the drug to death.

[TheRedDragon]

Well, I know someone who has schizophrenia, they tell me they want to smoke pot to make it worse

[cybergenesis]

Well, I know someone who has schizophrenia, they tell me they want to smoke pot to make it worse

 

Dude your saying some weird contradictory stuff in this forum... Well it seems that way to me..

 

You ask about smoking passionflower etc yourself, then in another thread mention someone with schizophrenia wanting to smoke it. Then you say your friend is interested in trying marijuana as though its a curiosity thing (and that she has schizophrenia), then you also say that you know someone with schizophrenia that wants to smoke it to make it worst? That and combined with other things you have said make me suspicious... At the same time you are asking about your friend trying it for the first time, you are saying you want to try it for the first time?

 

Is this friend you? its too obvious.. I mean do you have schizophrenia? If so then don't smoke it or do ANY drugs. People with schizophrenia who smoke marijuana can give it a bad name, because it gets "blamed" for their problems.. Its not a drug for somebody that is not grounded to reality...

 

Something doesn't add up. Though if you have schizophrenia then you are living proof that the causal link is that people with this disorder seek out pot, rather than pot causing the disorder (which has been discredited).

 

I smoke a lot of weed and hopefully people can tell tell I have good reality checking skills, thus why I have the problem with your posts.

Edited January 27, 2010 by cybergenesis