Marijuana and crohns/ anxiety

[Scaryman]

Has anyone had good results with marijuana and high anxiety? I was recently hospitalized for 10 days in my local hospital, then did a AMA discharge to fly out to Chicagomfor emergency consultation. They had me on Zoloft and Xanax. :lol: even the doctors recognized my insanely high anxiety. My question is the nite before I flew out to Chicago I obviously indulged in a bit of weed to calm me down since I had no pain killers or steroids and was coming cold turkey off deloudid. (insane I know.)

I did notice a positive effect on my high anxiety, but not sure if it was a marked improvement. As human nature we judge ourselves hard. I know that it helps with the crohns trip we all are on. Any info on people with high anxiety would be helpful.

 

[ctrl z]

10 years ago I had a problem with super high anxiety. I was on some really crazy doses of xanax for a year. I used marijuana to help me get off of the xanax and at the same time it helped with my anxiety. I'm sure results would vary for each individual. I know some people that get incredibly paranoid and anxious from marijuana but that could also just be a reaction to whatever strain they used.

 

[SkinnyNinny]

It's a good question, a lot of people ask about weed as a treatment but don't really consider that this is a medicine that is way different than any under the counter synthetic drug.

For starters, it's probably safe to use the term 'psychotropic', meaning the effects happen upstairs in our brain. I guess this sounds simplistic and non-scientific, which is should because I'm not a doctor. But there's a complicated reason to explain the simple observable outcome of using this as a treatment, and it is connected to the typical 'high' or 'stoned' effect that most people associate with the drug. Most synthetic drugs focus on the 'healing effects' and filter out the other psychotropic effects, sometimes effectively, sometimes not. Like morphine or Percoset, it's difficult to achieve the desired pain treatment without feeling high or other effects.

I'm no expert, however it is generally well known that the high you might achieve or the relaxation effects often depend on your mental state before you take the drug. This is particularly true for weed, in my experience. Sorry, Marijuana. So, if you are an anxious person to begin with, it's likely the high you will experience will be influenced by that. You might become paranoid as your anxiety becomes a focus while high, or you might let it go and become relaxed - I suppose this sounds contradictory, however how your brain deals with the drug varies in your attitude and what you expect to happen. This is why sometimes it is helpful to be in a calm, prepared mood or at least be aware of the coming effects so you know what is coming and then deal with it. For example, if you think you may become paranoid, you can remind yourself that this is a side effect and you are not experiencing reality.

Sounds complicated...at the end of the day, be aware that this is a natural, wholistic experience and the outcome is not easily predicted like most other drugs that are produced, because it is really a whole suite of psychotropic drugs working together. Which is why you can't overdose on this drug, but you can on a synthetic pill that does not contain the ingredients that physically stop you from getting higher. For example, if you smoke a lot of weed you cannot smoke too much because your body will physically crash and not allow you to smoke more!

Sounds to me like your situation is already stressful. Dealing with it involves more than just taking a drug, any drug. Be aware of yourself and how you think, and what is behind the anxiety. Taking pot on a regular basis will help this, but it may also promote apathy, or not really caring about much at all. So, you need to be aware of yourself, and perhaps deal with it in other ways. Meditation, physical activity - exercise, good food, good social connections - it all works together. Good luck, be safe, and I hope it all works out for you.

SN