YOU ARE NOT ALONE - A companion online community discussion board for The Mental Illness Happy Hour podcast with Paul Gilmartin

Hey y'all! I've got a problem... maybe?

A little context first: I have Bipolar 1, as did my late father. I know he smoked weed occasionally and he had said it "helped" him a lot. I smoked casually/socially for years, then over the past two years I've begun smoking every day. Before it was legalized I had a medical card to help with the nausea from my meds and anxiety from my PTSD, but all the professionals I had to talk with to get my card warned me that marijuana can negatively affect people with Bipolar disorder and exacerbate paranoia and psychotic symptoms.

Because I've been smoking multiple times a day for a couple years my tolerance is very high, I want to take a break so it will lower. I also want to cut back to see how it affects my mental health, but at the same time I don't notice any real difference in my thinking when I'm high so I figure why not just smoke? I'm finding it difficult to cut back, but I start a new job at the end of the month and I'd love to be at a place where I don't feel the need to smoke before I start the position.

Anyone have tips on cutting back or quitting? How has marijuana use affected your Bipolar symptoms?

Thanks in advance <3

Hello Killizabeth,

I don't know about bipolar, but many many years ago I quit getting high because I noticed that it was making me paranoid, and who needs that? (It used to be pleasurable and mind-expanding when I started).

A few years ago in Vegas, I went to a shop and bought some gummies and buds, and really enjoyed the effect.
One thing I wasn't really aware of back in the day, was the difference between the Indica and Sativa strains. They'll affect you in different ways, right?

As far as cutting down or quitting for awhile, here are a few ideas that might help;

1. Realize that you can resume in the future if you want to.
2. Stop to consider that it's become a habit (with monetary expense) that's no longer helping you in the way it used to.
3. Treat it as an experiment, as you'd do with any psycho-active drug. Take notes, and analyze the effects of various doses at different times, or circumstances.

Let us know your progress!

SD

Hi Betty,

Like snoringdog, I don't have experience with Bipolar Disorder, but have also had paranoid episodes while using Cannabis. Back in my early twenties when I was also using cocaine, I experienced the most frightening paranoid experiences from smoking weed, not from using cocaine. I favored legalization, but since my earlier experiences I've never seen it as being as benign as it's sometimes portrayed. I'm not sure that there's enough research on long-term effects on people with mental health issues either.

Take care and keep us posted on how you're doing.

rivergirl

rivergirl wrote: ↑October 10th, 2021, 11:18 am Hi Betty,

Like snoringdog, I don't have experience with Bipolar Disorder, but have also had paranoid episodes while using Cannabis. Back in my early twenties when I was also using cocaine, I experienced the most frightening paranoid experiences from smoking weed, not from using cocaine. I favored legalization, but since my earlier experiences I've never seen it as being as benign as it's sometimes portrayed. I'm not sure that there's enough research on long-term effects on people with mental health issues either.

Take care and keep us posted on how you're doing.

rivergirl

Hi,
It is very important to recognize that the use of cannabis such as CBD can affect individuals in different ways, and for some people it can lead to paranoid episodes or other adverse mental health effects. You can visit the Best coffee against weeds in Bangkok
It's always better to ask the doctor for prescriptions.