I think a better approach is to change the law, since based on what I've read/heard/watched marijuana is safer than the drugs i can be prescribed for anxiety such as clonazepam or other benzos. Laws are not always right, but anyways better coping skills like what taking more dangerous prescription drugs or banging my head against a wall. Keep in mind this is just my personal opinion and is not meant as advice or encouragement to do anything illegal.
-
We are a multilingual website again. Read the notice about this.
-
Understand AI use at MyPTSD: all AI use is explained in our AI help page. AI use is by choice here. It exists if you want it, but does nothing unless you choose to use it.
Marijuana Really Helps Me
- Post starter Jade-
- Start date
- Status
I think a better approach is to change the law, since based on what I've read/heard/watched marijuana is safer than the drugs i can be prescribed for anxiety such as clonazepam or other benzos. Laws are not always right, but anyways better coping skills like what taking more dangerous prescription drugs or banging my head against a wall. Keep in mind this is just my personal opinion and is not meant as advice or encouragement to do anything illegal.
AngelKeeperJ
Sponsor
Marijuana helps me with my pain issues. Unfortunately it is illegal, and I don't have a 'helper' anymore. They moved away so I am forced into quiting, but I am pretty motivated to quit anyway.
Just hope I don't end up in total body spasms! They are much less troublesome when I can use it. For me, it helps by lessening the intensity of the muscle spasms that I have.
I will never understand why alcohol is legal, and marijuana is not! Many people who have no medical care, are left to "self-medicate".
Just hope I don't end up in total body spasms! They are much less troublesome when I can use it. For me, it helps by lessening the intensity of the muscle spasms that I have.
I will never understand why alcohol is legal, and marijuana is not! Many people who have no medical care, are left to "self-medicate".
Icon Nikon
Gold Member
I agree with you AKJ, but you know that.
I just wanted to pop on here and say that I hate how society views people who use pot. How they inflict shame and guilt on those who already carry around too much of that.
Yes, it is not healthy for your lungs, but quality of life, in my opinion, should always be held above quantity of life. And I strongly despise that attitude of some who just feel it is okay for people/doctors would not only dismiss pain and suffering but also deny access to other pain medications just so long as it is not them who suffer.
Marijuana is unlike any other drug available to those suffering. So yes I too feel it belongs alongside all other mediations for pain and distress. And much like cigarettes, alcohol, cigars, chewing tobacco, and Rx medications (which all have some nasty side effects if we view them from the same lens), I strongly believe that as long as it is used responsibly and respectfully (as both it and cigarette smoke would severely hurt my excessively delicate lungs), then where is the harm just as long as the contents are regulated to be safe, except in the pockets of big pharmaceutical companies.
So I support you and others on here in whatever you choose is right for you, and wish that it was an option for me, even if not used. However, I applaud your efforts since you will be spending much time around your granddaughter. I relate my own 4 days of intoxication at the ripe old age of 3 months due to exposure to fumes during a brewery tour with bio family to that of any baby's exposure to secondhand smoke, legal or illegal.
I hope you can do it without experiencing too much additional physical pain, mental distress/depression, or ugly nightmares.
Best wishes to all who are struggling in one way or another in this regard,
Alex
I just wanted to pop on here and say that I hate how society views people who use pot. How they inflict shame and guilt on those who already carry around too much of that.
Yes, it is not healthy for your lungs, but quality of life, in my opinion, should always be held above quantity of life. And I strongly despise that attitude of some who just feel it is okay for people/doctors would not only dismiss pain and suffering but also deny access to other pain medications just so long as it is not them who suffer.
Marijuana is unlike any other drug available to those suffering. So yes I too feel it belongs alongside all other mediations for pain and distress. And much like cigarettes, alcohol, cigars, chewing tobacco, and Rx medications (which all have some nasty side effects if we view them from the same lens), I strongly believe that as long as it is used responsibly and respectfully (as both it and cigarette smoke would severely hurt my excessively delicate lungs), then where is the harm just as long as the contents are regulated to be safe, except in the pockets of big pharmaceutical companies.
So I support you and others on here in whatever you choose is right for you, and wish that it was an option for me, even if not used. However, I applaud your efforts since you will be spending much time around your granddaughter. I relate my own 4 days of intoxication at the ripe old age of 3 months due to exposure to fumes during a brewery tour with bio family to that of any baby's exposure to secondhand smoke, legal or illegal.
I hope you can do it without experiencing too much additional physical pain, mental distress/depression, or ugly nightmares.
Best wishes to all who are struggling in one way or another in this regard,
Alex
Cerulean Synapse
Bronze Member
I have to tell you I have the same effects as Jadebear here, and my S/O wants me to smoke it, because it makes me less, jumpy, makes me sleep better, in less physical pain, because I've had migraines and a spine disorder since I was a teenager. And it makes me have less flashbacks, less anxiety and no nightmares. And I'm a better person to be around. I only smoke it when my ptsd flare ups are bad, and then it seems to take the bad cycles away. I would say you are not in the wrong for doing this.
kittiekittie
Bronze Member
Marijuana to me is just so LOGICAL. I hate that more physicians and lawmakers don't understand this. IT IS STIGMA AND PROPAGANDA.
It alleviates so much. I don't need a sleeping med, I don't get nauseous, I am more productive, I am relaxed, I am a totally different person. But some strains aren't good for me, and this is why it would be so awesome to be able to do it legally, because then I could control it. I am not allowed to have benzodiazepines because I have had issues with hard drugs. I haven't touched any for 4 years, but marijuana helps me regulate.
I am in therapy, but sometimes I cannot afford to go as often as I need to. Marijuana is cheaper than my therapy believe it or not. I can get a joint for free (from a friend or something) but I have to pay $140 (no benefits) to talk to a therapist for 50 minutes.
I did manage to convince my doctor to give me a tiny prescription for ativan. I had never tried any benzo drugs before, 'downers' where never a choice drug for me and I really really don't like them. Ativan does awful things to me. It makes me completely unable to function, it makes me feel dissociated, and I get a hangover from them and am a mess for up to 3 days at a time. It also adds this haze to everything that I don't normally have even with marijuana.
The worst withdrawal I have had from marijuana is being snappy or grouchy like someone quitting cigarettes. The withdrawal I have experienced from prescription medication has been downright debilitating and has scared myself, and those who are close to me. Street drugs have been nothing to me in comparison to the withdrawal of these friggin meds. And I have to take them, because that's what is legal, and what is accepted. I am trying to apply for medical marijuana, but we will see how it goes.
It alleviates so much. I don't need a sleeping med, I don't get nauseous, I am more productive, I am relaxed, I am a totally different person. But some strains aren't good for me, and this is why it would be so awesome to be able to do it legally, because then I could control it. I am not allowed to have benzodiazepines because I have had issues with hard drugs. I haven't touched any for 4 years, but marijuana helps me regulate.
I am in therapy, but sometimes I cannot afford to go as often as I need to. Marijuana is cheaper than my therapy believe it or not. I can get a joint for free (from a friend or something) but I have to pay $140 (no benefits) to talk to a therapist for 50 minutes.
I did manage to convince my doctor to give me a tiny prescription for ativan. I had never tried any benzo drugs before, 'downers' where never a choice drug for me and I really really don't like them. Ativan does awful things to me. It makes me completely unable to function, it makes me feel dissociated, and I get a hangover from them and am a mess for up to 3 days at a time. It also adds this haze to everything that I don't normally have even with marijuana.
The worst withdrawal I have had from marijuana is being snappy or grouchy like someone quitting cigarettes. The withdrawal I have experienced from prescription medication has been downright debilitating and has scared myself, and those who are close to me. Street drugs have been nothing to me in comparison to the withdrawal of these friggin meds. And I have to take them, because that's what is legal, and what is accepted. I am trying to apply for medical marijuana, but we will see how it goes.
One subtle form of propaganda is the name itself: marijuana. This is the name given to it in the Reefer Madness days, and it was so named to instill fear of Mexicans and other Spanish-speaking Latin Americans. In this respect it is an artifact of the racist side of the drug war, that locks up black and brown people at far higher rates than the actual numbers that use illegal drugs.
For these reasons, and to counteract the propaganda, I prefer to use the term cannabis, as that is its scientific name.
For these reasons, and to counteract the propaganda, I prefer to use the term cannabis, as that is its scientific name.
kittiekittie
Bronze Member
this is an excellent point - I am aware of the things you have brought up but never really considered changing my terminology, so used to calling it marijuana. But you are absolutely right.
AngelKeeperJ
Sponsor
I've smoke P*t for almost 40 years, with timeouts for my babies, but have not had any for two weeks, and intend to keep away from it. For me, it's about the shame I've felt for so very long. I'm becoming a grandma and that gives me a reason to quit as well as having early COPD. My doc has known for several years, and my lungs are her concern. She asked me if I could find another way to use it other than smoking. It takes too much $$$ to actually do it. Plus, having a supplier has become a problem.
I firmly believe it is better than many of the Rx's, and helps nausea and muscle spasms. I'm past the worst of it, so hope when I get home, I continue with my plan.
The fact that alcohol is legal, and p*t is not, boggles my mind. Alcohol has ruined SO many lives', yet it's completely acceptable to some people. I think when the government finds a way to make money on it, it will become legal.
I have learned that I'm the same 'me' without it. My T said that eventually, it would not be as important, once I dealt with the feelings I ran from for so long. I'm not saying I will NEVER use it, cuz that could cause a relapse. I just want to enjoy the lack of shame I have had for so many years.
I firmly believe it is better than many of the Rx's, and helps nausea and muscle spasms. I'm past the worst of it, so hope when I get home, I continue with my plan.
The fact that alcohol is legal, and p*t is not, boggles my mind. Alcohol has ruined SO many lives', yet it's completely acceptable to some people. I think when the government finds a way to make money on it, it will become legal.
I have learned that I'm the same 'me' without it. My T said that eventually, it would not be as important, once I dealt with the feelings I ran from for so long. I'm not saying I will NEVER use it, cuz that could cause a relapse. I just want to enjoy the lack of shame I have had for so many years.
@Angelkeeper J,
Not to dissuade you from your choice, but there are small, hand-held vaporizers (the Iolite is the most popular one I know) that are smokeless and nearly odorless. It looks like a walkie talkie that you inhale from the "antenna" (which is actually a tube.)
Shame is not a good reason to quit, and kind of puzzles me. I guess it may be from the attitudes people around you give. In my eyes, you have nothing to be ashamed of, and the only people who think that it's shameful are dreadfully misinformed (IMHO). It IS better than many of the Rx's. Even just to keep some around to use "as needed", under conditions you spell out in advance (never within 3 hours before seeing my grandkids, or never more often than once a week, or whatever makes sense to you). We all have things we keep secret from someone, it doesn't make those secrets inherently bad. I pick my nose when no one is looking (so do 90% of adults, most of whom won't cop to it).
I also find that cannabis doesn't give me the feeling of having "run" from my problems so much as "take the thing that's bugging me away from my face and heart and be able to hold it at arms length and take a calmer look at it." Alcohol is much better for running from problems and forgetting about them (until the hangover hits, when they often come back with a vengeance.) I suspect harder drugs can be like that but I don't have the personal experience to say. Cannabis is practically a vitamin and vegetable in comparison, and I know people that have healthy and happy lives who consume it like that - daily, for health. In this also, your mileage may vary.
Not to dissuade you from your choice, but there are small, hand-held vaporizers (the Iolite is the most popular one I know) that are smokeless and nearly odorless. It looks like a walkie talkie that you inhale from the "antenna" (which is actually a tube.)
Shame is not a good reason to quit, and kind of puzzles me. I guess it may be from the attitudes people around you give. In my eyes, you have nothing to be ashamed of, and the only people who think that it's shameful are dreadfully misinformed (IMHO). It IS better than many of the Rx's. Even just to keep some around to use "as needed", under conditions you spell out in advance (never within 3 hours before seeing my grandkids, or never more often than once a week, or whatever makes sense to you). We all have things we keep secret from someone, it doesn't make those secrets inherently bad. I pick my nose when no one is looking (so do 90% of adults, most of whom won't cop to it).
I also find that cannabis doesn't give me the feeling of having "run" from my problems so much as "take the thing that's bugging me away from my face and heart and be able to hold it at arms length and take a calmer look at it." Alcohol is much better for running from problems and forgetting about them (until the hangover hits, when they often come back with a vengeance.) I suspect harder drugs can be like that but I don't have the personal experience to say. Cannabis is practically a vitamin and vegetable in comparison, and I know people that have healthy and happy lives who consume it like that - daily, for health. In this also, your mileage may vary.
kittiekittie
Bronze Member
Geeeeeeeeeeeez am I ever behind the times! I am totally looking into that later. WANT.
I'm seriously considering trying this. I've done the prescription meds thing and thank goodness finally got unhooked from those. HBOT has helped get rid of a lot of my PTSD/TBI symptoms, but not all. Unfortunately I have a lot of stress in my life that I can't seem to get rid of. I'm wound tighter than a $2 watch in the hands of a 3 yr old! My muscles are constantly tense to the point of chronic pain.....during what I call a stress episode. It may have another name that I'm unfamiliar with.
When I am stressed out at this level I am completely incapable of relaxing. All day long my shoulders draw up towards my ears and I have to consciously release them. I also become incapable of making a decision...of any kind. I desperately need something to take the edge off when I get like this. When I get to the point of cracking up I will take a 1/2 an ativan. Ativan calms me down into the zombie zone. I am VERY addicted to it and it took me 5 months to get through the withdrawal process and it was worse than when I quit cigarettes! So, it is a dire emergency for me to take one and a lot of times I just sit in a corner and shake and suffer.
Those of you that are using cannibis for your PTSD, do you think it would help me when I am having the worst of my symptoms? I smoked it when I was a teenager, but I don't really remember how it affected me, and I smoked it to get high....which I have no interest in now. I probably couldn't stand to get 'high' now, as I absolutely have to be in control. I do remember that quitting wasn't at all hard, so I'm not worried about addiction. Interesting thread and thanks for any advice!
When I am stressed out at this level I am completely incapable of relaxing. All day long my shoulders draw up towards my ears and I have to consciously release them. I also become incapable of making a decision...of any kind. I desperately need something to take the edge off when I get like this. When I get to the point of cracking up I will take a 1/2 an ativan. Ativan calms me down into the zombie zone. I am VERY addicted to it and it took me 5 months to get through the withdrawal process and it was worse than when I quit cigarettes! So, it is a dire emergency for me to take one and a lot of times I just sit in a corner and shake and suffer.
Those of you that are using cannibis for your PTSD, do you think it would help me when I am having the worst of my symptoms? I smoked it when I was a teenager, but I don't really remember how it affected me, and I smoked it to get high....which I have no interest in now. I probably couldn't stand to get 'high' now, as I absolutely have to be in control. I do remember that quitting wasn't at all hard, so I'm not worried about addiction. Interesting thread and thanks for any advice!
kittiekittie
Bronze Member
Wow I'm really sorry you had to deal with that. Benzo withdrawal is said to be one of the WORST to go through. My doctor won't give me a prescription for them anyways though because I have a history of drug use. Which is good - but I don't particularly like them anyways because of the zombie-like effects you mention. If I took one I have to pass out. I can't go about my daily business and be okay.
I get what you're talking about with the shoulders thing and being tense. I have the same issue. Cannabis will help alleviate it. It does for me - and I used it for years and years. The problem with it though is being able to get it - because there are times I would be freaking out and I would be unable to get any. Unless you are legally able to do it or growing it sometimes the flow is irregular and it is difficult to find. The other problem is you can get into the habit of doing it all day every day - and that has the potential to make your symptoms WORSE.
If you don't like the idea of getting high now I probably wouldn't do it. Cause I mean, the only way to avoid that is marinol maybe but I'm Canadian so I'm not sure how it works. I have taken THC capsules before that didn't make me 'high' and eating the cannabis in small small doses isn't as strong as it is smoking it. I do definitely like it better than Ativan though.
I think the reason why cannabis works for me is because it decreases my blood pressure. I've checked it when I am smoking a lot and when I am not. My BP and heart rate are much slower when I am smoking. So I think it's possible that beta blockers will do the same thing for me. So that might be something you could try because then it's legal and always available to you. They're not addictive like ativan either, but you aren't supposed to stop them abruptly because it can cause tachycardia. You still should wean off of them so you don't mess with your heart rate unintentionally.
I get what you're talking about with the shoulders thing and being tense. I have the same issue. Cannabis will help alleviate it. It does for me - and I used it for years and years. The problem with it though is being able to get it - because there are times I would be freaking out and I would be unable to get any. Unless you are legally able to do it or growing it sometimes the flow is irregular and it is difficult to find. The other problem is you can get into the habit of doing it all day every day - and that has the potential to make your symptoms WORSE.
If you don't like the idea of getting high now I probably wouldn't do it. Cause I mean, the only way to avoid that is marinol maybe but I'm Canadian so I'm not sure how it works. I have taken THC capsules before that didn't make me 'high' and eating the cannabis in small small doses isn't as strong as it is smoking it. I do definitely like it better than Ativan though.
I think the reason why cannabis works for me is because it decreases my blood pressure. I've checked it when I am smoking a lot and when I am not. My BP and heart rate are much slower when I am smoking. So I think it's possible that beta blockers will do the same thing for me. So that might be something you could try because then it's legal and always available to you. They're not addictive like ativan either, but you aren't supposed to stop them abruptly because it can cause tachycardia. You still should wean off of them so you don't mess with your heart rate unintentionally.
- Status
Similar posts
Donation drives
Trending content
-
-
What Are You Feeling Today? Not Thinking, Rather Feeling! Can You Identify Yours?
- goingonhope
Comments: 34K -
-
-
-
