News Top Army Doctor Leery Of Treating Ptsd With Marijuana

[anthony]

Oh, the voice of reason is beginning to shone through on the subject. I doubt those who use it will be convinced, as they have convinced themselves that it makes their life better overall, than worse.

Top Army Doctor Leery of Treating PTSD with Marijuana

The Army’s top doctor is skeptical that the first-ever federally-approved study will show that marijuana can help U.S. veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. “It’s been found that using marijuana has a lot of adverse health effects,” Lieut. General Nadya West says. In April, the federal government approved a three-year study to try to determine if actual marijuana, not merely chemicals extracted from it, can help those with PTSD.

Many veterans say smoking marijuana has eased their symptoms of PTSD. Like the Army, the Department of Veterans Affairs has doubts about its effectiveness. Proponents, the Army surgeon general adds, too often emphasize the benefits without acknowledging the downsides. Marijuana “is more dangerous, with some of the carcinogens that are in it, than tobacco,” West says. “So to make it sound as if it’s perfectly safe, the impact that it has long-term on certain areas of the brain, especially young people developing, that’s been proven: irreversible damage to the hippocampus and things like that that can really have impacts on individuals long-term.”

I have had this same discussion with many a person over the last decade, and every single person who gave it away, within months, found their life actually better for ridding it from themselves. Marijuana is like alcohol, it masks some things to give you the perception you feel better, BUT, like any mask it requires constant improvements to the adhesion to keep it in place (continually upping the dose to get the same results), and the physical and mental damage it's doing to your body for the longevity of your life, is horrendous to say the least.

The longer you smoke it, the shorter your life becomes, and the less chance of any real bonding to life itself. Any hope towards participating in life just dwindles away with marijuana.

PTSD is political in relation to veterans, thus politicians try to win votes by allowing marijuana to be used.

 

[BlackbirdSinging]

I'm not a combat veteran and I don't smoke marijuana. I did ask my therapist her opinion on using marijuana either the oils or when marijuana oil has been put in capsules or in food. She told me she was extremely hesitatiant about the use of it. She said that it can cause some people to feel paranoid which can make anxiety worse. That was all I needed to hear. I have enough anxiety without adding to it. If it works others I'm glad they can find relief. For me I have to pass.

 

[anthony]

If it works others I'm glad they can find relief.

This is the problem though... it doesn't work like some claim so. It masks, and creates some symptoms to worsen / appear that weren't present before, but just like alcohol, people view the euphoric aspects as being good for them, when in fact symptoms are worsening and worse, physical and mental health is decaying.

The flip side to this, is that medication can and does the same damn thing. It creates numbing, it has longevity consequences. Which of the two do you take? Neither or in very limited moderation, is the honest answer. BUT... anyone with severe PTSD symptoms would attest, anything is better than nothing when your options are all leaning towards killing yourself. Kill yourself v smoke pot and continue living? Choices, choices.

Many medications worsen depression, just as marijuana can do, and does do...

Me personally, I really like the research from MAPS in using medical grade MDMA combined in therapy sessions. It makes dealing with trauma a fast and furious approach, thus you don't need marijuana, medication or alcohol as some masking solution, and more importantly, nothing longevity that would cause other implications.

 

[joeylittle]

Besides, the only thing that marijuana is useful for, in terms of PTSD symptom relief, is sleep. And, just like a benzo, it's not a good idea to become dependent on the effects.

Now that they are isolating the non-psychoactive CBD, and successfully re-creating it in laboratory conditions, it's possible that the useful application - against nightmares - can become available in pill or spray, without any of the potentially negative psychoactive or addictive effects of THC. That could be useful, though it's still no replacement for full trauma processing and remission.

 

[Neverthesame]

As someone who gets the paranoia from marijuana. I can't see this being all that good an idea.

When I was 17-18 first time I tried smoking that stuff, I got paranoia from it. This was before I I had ptsd, not just before symptoms. Before the trauma itself. After, oh boy... not cool.

People seem to behave better on pot than booze. Though I don't think either is a good idea to live on.

 

[BlackbirdSinging]

The flip side to this, is that medication can and does the same damn thing. It creates numbing, it has longevity consequences. Which of the two do you take? Neither or in very limited moderation, is the honest answer. BUT... anyone with severe PTSD symptoms would attest, anything is better than nothing when your options are all leaning towards killing yourself. Kill yourself v smoke pot and continue living? Choices, choices.

When I was diagnosed I was diagnosed with severe PTSD and it damn sure felt severe. I'm not able to take the medications for depression or anxiety and when I heard that marijuana could possibly help symptoms I was really curious. My approach has become to try to increase seretonin naturally. I have to try to do something for myself on some kind of a chemical level. I do some reading on ways to naturally increase seretonin and apply the tips that seem practical. I'm sure it's still not enough. I have to at least try right?

 

[anthony]

People seem to behave better on pot than booze.

Very nice addition, true dat.

 

[anthony]

My approach has become to try to increase seretonin naturally.

I guess that depends on where you got such an idea. There is no evidence in relation to serotonin being lacking with depression. That was all pharma companies say so, now debunked. No science.

 

[BlackbirdSinging]

I guess it helps me feel proactive in some ways. And I don't think blueberries sunlight and green tea are going to hurt me too much :laugh:.

 

[anthony]

Well... Until someone with too much time on their hands decides to test some obscure aspect of one of those and find something wrong beyond x amount. :O_o::cautious:

 

[hodge]

A good friend of mine got gout from eating too many blueberries. She doesn't drink and doesn't eat much red meat. It's the uric acid in them. So, blueberries in moderation :-).

 

[anthony]

Haaaa. That didn't take long to find out.