Cannabis & Bi Polar

[RaoulJuke]

Does anyone know  the impacts of cannabis with bi polar?  are there strains that are better for it than others?

[Lenore]

I agree, saw first hand an undiagnosed person with bi polar who started smoking weed. Occasionally they would faint during a sesh...ended up they sought medical advice and were diagnosed as Bi polar schizophrenic.

 

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From my personal experience, and that of those I know with bipolar, it is entirely strain dependent.

AND it varies from person to person. What others have found good for their head, has not necessarily been good for mine.

 

Your example isn't straight ol' bipolar either. It's a bit of a false analogy as there are two conditions at play.

Cannabis is also *alleged* to aggravate symptoms of schizophrenia.

I've only ever known two schizophrenics in my life. Both of them had tried and decided to avoid it as they both found that it made their heads worse. The fella said it felt like he was off his meds.

I can't even begin to imagine how that would feel. I've only ever experienced mild psychosis, that was caused my multiple factors. Lack of sleep, too much stress, abruptly stopping SSRI.

 

I've smoked the "wrong" strain in the past, and it "fucked me up". That strain, as I mentioned, was apparently a pure sati. I've also found SOME sati dom strains have pushed me towards the edge too. That is, they "sent me loopy".

 

I'm only speaking from experience, from both a personal side and from what I've seen in/heard from others with mental illnesses.

 

If you're bipolar, and want to treat with cannabis, personally I'd start with an indi dom hybrid. But that's just my opinion based on nearly 20 years of what I've seen.

 

FWIW, mental health/illness/disorders is something I've spent a lot of time learning about because of my head, family history, and friend's heads.

All my friends have had some kind of head issue/s. Birds of a feather I guess.

 

[Indycar]

If you are going to experiment, follow along the lines like leni suggested. Try the hybrids, indica dominant ones, somewhere around the 60% Indica and 40% sativa throughout the day. Also, try avoid from getting too stoned as you want to be medicated and not stoned out of your eyeballs, better off taking a couple of tokes every couple of hours during the day. Then settle down with indica strain after dinner.

 

Stay away from the sativa's if you suffer from schizophrenia, anxiety or paranoia. As sativa's can send you off if you have any of those conditions.

 

Seems to be a bit of history of it in my family, and I suspect I may have it mildly. Though I don't have the screaming highs and lows that I've seen in others. And what l suggested above seems to keep me settled and relatively pain free and productive throughout the day.

 

Good luck with it.

[pedro de pacas]

You lot could be right?, my experiences with people that have Bi-Polar were from the 80s, when it was mostly sativa's being smoked 

 

mind you bi polar is a chemical imbalance in the brain, ya probably should get the right medication for it, not be trying every strain you can find 

 

lots of people lost the plot on the pot in the 70s,80s, ask any nurse from then, was the worst drug for mental imbalances, till the ice-cream came along in the late 90s

[Lenore]

If you are going to experiment, follow along the lines like leni suggested. Try the hybrids, indica dominant ones, somewhere around the 60% Indica and 40% sativa throughout the day. Also, try avoid from getting too stoned as you want to be medicated and not stoned out of your eyeballs, better off taking a couple of tokes every couple of hours during the day. Then settle down with indica strain after dinner.

 

Stay away from the sativa's if you suffer from schizophrenia, anxiety or paranoia. As sativa's can send you off if you have any of those conditions.

 

Seems to be a bit of history of it in my family, and I suspect I may have it mildly. Though I don't have the screaming highs and lows that I've seen in others. And what l suggested above seems to keep me settled and relatively pain free and productive throughout the day.

 

Good luck with it.

 

That's the key I found, less is more. You don't want to be getting too stoned. Just need a little to slow one's overclocked brain down a smidgen. It works a treat for me. I can focus and get tasks complete without getting too distracted.

Although, I do like to get stoned to the gills right before bed, helps me get to sleep and stay asleep.

I have melatonin for those difficult nights too now, handy when I'm budless.

 

There is a condition related to bipolar disorder. See, with bipolar, you have Type I and Type II. Type I being more severe form, Type II being less severe. Then there's cyclothymia. It's like having a mild form of bipolar. It's like a step down from Type II.

 

 

You lot could be right?, my experiences with people that have Bi-Polar were from the 80s, when it was mostly sativa's being smoked 

 

mind you bi polar is a chemical imbalance in the brain, ya probably should get the right medication for it, not be trying every strain you can find 

 

lots of people lost the plot on the pot in the 70s,80s, ask any nurse from then, was the worst drug for mental imbalances, till the ice-cream came along in the late 90s

 

Yes Pedro, while I curse and despise the pharmaceutical industry, pharms do have a place.

I would not be here without them. I'm still taking an SSRI actually. That helps with the depressive symptoms of the bipolar. Since moving to the bush though I have noticed I don't need them AS much. When I left Brisbane, I was needing to take it every morning. Now, I only take one every 2nd day. My environment was not doing me ANY favours. I'm getting a lot more sun now and that's helping to kick my brain chem back into balance.

Once I'm free of Bris and settled in my new home, I will be able to stop taking it, eventually.

 

Many of the problems with weed and mental health is the sati sending people over the edge.

Sati's aggravate many mental illnesses, esp paranoia and anxiety.

I think that's where the misconception of weed causing mental health issues might come from. "The good ol' days."

 

[merl1n]

Have to agree with you Len, the sati's do have a tendancy to send people close to the edge, over the edge. Especially with paranoia

"I think that's where the misconception of weed causing mental health issues might come from..."  ...the medical fraternity IMO.

Most of them do not differentiate between sati's and indica but rather lump them altogether.

I can remember when 'Skunk weed' first appeared and they blamed psychosis on the strength of this new skunkweed.

Very often they didn't even bother looking at underlying influences/aspects of life. If you were a consumer then '...it must be the weed...' 

Some of them still work on this mentality.

[Lenore]

Have to agree with you Len, the sati's do have a tendancy to send people close to the edge, over the edge. Especially with paranoia

"I think that's where the misconception of weed causing mental health issues might come from..."  ...the medical fraternity IMO.

Most of them do not differentiate between sati's and indica but rather lump them altogether.

I can remember when 'Skunk weed' first appeared and they blamed psychosis on the strength of this new skunkweed.

Very often they didn't even bother looking at underlying influences/aspects of life. If you were a consumer then '...it must be the weed...' 

Some of them still work on this mentality.

 

Between the medical establishment and the government, most people have no chance and just believe what they are told by "the experts".

 

My doc is funny with canna, she doesn't want to even discuss is but knows I use it medicinally. She doesn't give me grief but she'd rather I didn't smoke it, and I'm with her there, I'd rather be ingesting it. My lungs are fucked.

 

i've had doctors fixate on my cannabis use in the past. I never saw those doctors again.

 

I even had a GP fixate on my bipolar and wouldn't address the issue I went to see them about. I just wanted to know if I needed to address my shoulder pain. My mental health wasn't even an issue at the time. He pushed the issue and I ended up yelling at him. He then tried used me getting crook at him as proof that he was right.

No mofo! You piss most people off they are likely to raise their voice at you too. I ended up finding a sit and wait clinic to get my shoulder checked. Turned out it was just a strain and pinched nerve. *eyeroll*

 

I don't like doctors and the medical "profession" as a general rule.

[merl1n]

Let's just say I've had more than my fair share of experience with the medical profession. They may think of themselves as experts, but that's all 90% ego driven, my view more like "Hacks"

I've been given every (False) diagnosis under the sun, many of which have been labelled psychological in nature. "You must be crazy to be having pain like THAT..."

Got labelled a hypochondriac and when I recently told a senior Dr 'Don't you dare say hypochondriac' she says 'we don't use that term anymore', 'No, you now say 'Idiopathic in nature' same shit, different label'.

She DID NOT like being told that.

But Then when they finally found a physical cause, no one would dare take any responsibility "Well, don't blame ME"

And yet 20yrs on that false diagnosis still follows me and then there's the 'Ohh, you have a history of drug use' scenarios. Ohh brother.

I also have a history of dealing with fuckwit doctors too, but none of them ever focus on that fact.

Edited July 25, 2019 by merl1n

[Antipanti]

 

I've been diagnosed many an ailments in my time. Everything from schizoaffective to treatment resistive.

 

It is now clear that I am infact a paranoid schitsophrenic. With good prognosis.

 

Cannabis and Meth amphetamines were my poison. Which are infact antagonistic to this condition (makes it worse).

 

When i'm not psychotic and i'm medicated and stable. I am pleasant, easy going and in tune with reality.

 

When i'm under the influence... i'm a piece of shit. Psychotic, unwell and intolerable. A far cry from reality.

 

My days are best spent smoking shard, listening to music and occasionally lashing out at people unexpectedly and un - intentionally etc.

 

There is no excuse for this behavior and it will be the death of me i'm sure. People who shouldn't cop it do and those that should aren't in the firing line altogether.

 

I'm a sober man as it stands. Medication has saved my life. My cognition is returning and my outlook on life is positive.

 

If your a schizo, be vary wary of cannabis and yes particularly sativas. CBD is proving to having anti - psychotic effects.

[Wilston]

Does anyone know  the impacts of cannabis with bi polar?  are there strains that are better for it than others?

 

Best to speak to a psychiatrist about that one. I have heard of people using cannabis for bipolar disorder.

[Lenore]

Best to speak to a psychiatrist about that one. I have heard of people using cannabis for bipolar disorder.

 

The problem with that is a majority of mental health professionals are still stuck in "cannabis is bad" mode.

After over 20 years, I quit looking for and going to see mental health professionals. Having said that, I've managed to get a handle on my mental illnesses, learned my triggers, and found ways of coping with the problems that arise.

I've also have an awesome GP for the past couple of years who is pretty good when it comes to dealing with mental illnesses. She basically became my therapist, was happy for me to just go in and talk to her, and she understood my disgust at the mental health "industry".

 

If you have a good shrink/psych, absolutely talk to them about it. Who knows, if they're really good, they might even be able to point you in the right direction regarding strains. I wouldn't hold my breath though.

Sorry for the cynicism, I try not to be too cynical, but it's hard with the BS I've had to deal with over the decades.