Weed with Antidepressants?

[Silver Bullet]

I know you guys aren't WebMD, but I was wondering if any of you are on antidepressants as well as smoking weed, or if anyone knows about the effects the two things might have on a person.

I've read that the combination can cause a seritonin overload and cause lots of complications including sickness.

I know you guys are going to warn me about the danger of antidepressants, but i'm really more concerned about the combination with weed. Thanks.

 

[DailyTHC]

I have taken several different antidepressants as a heavy (1/4oz per week) smoker. Some, like lexapro, really did seem to have work very well. Wellbutrin on the other hand made me feel realy crazy if I took it and had smoked recently. Zoloft was okay, but didn't seem to do anything.

Bottom line: it depends on you, and what pharmacuetical is used. Tell your prescribing doctor you smoke weed, it will help them treat you, in my opinion.

 

[Guest]

i cant speak for all anti-depressants, i have been on a handfull... but the only one i know about mixing with cannabis is lexapro..

the shit made me fiend for weed like it was crack.. seriously..

but its some fucked up shit... i had a psychotic episode, im sure due to the levels of bud i was daily tokin.. but more so the fact i just stopped my high dosage of lexapro coldturkey.... terrible decision

perhaps the thc build up had somthing to do with it... who knows

but the combination catapulted me into an alternate reality... 1 week of tripping my face off... 3 more ina psyche ward... and then it took me a year of taking anti psychotics to get back to normal...

brain chemistry is some crazy shit... diferent people react diferently...

just go slowly.... when you start... and if/when you stop

peace to you..

bILL

 

[Silver Bullet]

HOLY CRAP! I'm on lexapro.

So when you were "tripping" what type of things were you doing? You really had to go to a psyche ward? Were you put into the psyche ward because you went off of Lexapro cold turkey or was it because of the weed combination? How many miligrams of Lexapro were you taking?

Are you bipolar or anything?

edit: I'm sitting here saying to myself, "That's insane" as I take a hit from the bowl.

 

[Guest]

damn man. whats wrong with america. drop the fuckin antidepressant idea its only going to prolonge your issues. lay back on the weed and solve whatever you gotta solve. make it right with your head then enjoy life. antidepressants are a burden.

 

[Patsheba]

Yeah, from what I've read, smoking can trigger psychosis in patients. The majority of patients already had had psychotic episodes. The percentage of admitted marijuana smokers among psychotic patients has risen from 7% to 15%.

Apparently mj use is attributed as the number one reason phycho's going off their meds and having a relapse. This is the ONE proven (dangerous) side effect fueling the drug war on mj.

Here's one most-recent article I have on it:

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/mmjnews/message/373

 

[Guest]

Ok heres uncle bILLy's story, and an answer to your questions

at one point i was up to 40mg..

but by the time i quit cold turkey... only 20 or 30mg i think..

i was seeing a physchiatrist who was handing me free samples, and didnt give a rats ass what was wrong with me. Someone should lock this cunt up... her second job is working at a Pysche Ward, and i remmeber her telling me she knows people locked up in psyche wards from using weed... i wouldn't be suprised if she was intentionally trying to get me in one of them places..

Before i go on... i will say this...

I started smoking weed 11 years ago or so.. after the first 20 or so times... i smoked this one time and bugged out. For like a whole night... halucinating, panic attack, etc..

Ever since then, its been hit and miss... i rarely smoked more than several times a month, and would continue to have
bad experiences" from time to time.. although, continued learning/growing for the love of the plant..

Up untill the spring before last, i was always a heavy drinker... using alcohol to calm my thoughts and help me be more social..

When i met the psyche doctor.. who perscribed the lexapro.. things changed

I had been using cocaine regularly, but stopped pretty much immeaditley with no problem.. The lexapro allowed me to be outgoing and social, not down or a "glass half empty" kinda guy that i ussually am..

I stopped drinking so much, and felt better in alot of respects... except for one thing

Smoking weed was like smoking crack. I remember the first time smoking on lexapro.. i bugged with the inital high for several minutes, but convinced myself out of the bad experience... and had a great time..

The next time i smoked, it was wonderful. I got "truely high" like i used to when i first started smoking. No depression. No anxiety. No paranoia, no inward thinking or "crawling in my skin", etc etc..

I enjoyed the feeling so much, i smoked and smoked every second i got.. I began to steal and rob, and do alot of dumb shit that i can't even believe... including taking down a 20 foot pole at a tennis court for the 2 1000 watt lights, in a rainstorm..

i cannot believe i am still alive. I had no fear of anything, and the weed was better than coke... better than anything i've done.. I would say i was a junkie over the bud..

So anyhow, after several months of going ape shit, acting like a dope fiend, ruining my friendships and family connex, fucking up my local reputation, robbing and pilageing... basically... not being the good 'ol bILLY boy that i am..

Shit hit the fan..

I began to get very paranoid... and decided to quit the weed... and the lexapro..

I flushed my remaining supplies down the toilet..

Within several weeks i was having small fits of paranoia, thinking the cops were after me for all the shit i did/said...

IT continued to get worse... with more frequency... and finially i left the state to go to a hideout my family owns..

Basically, when i got there, thinking my worries were over... is when it began.

Paranoia and anxiety so bad... i couldn't sleep..

i was putting together my memories to work against me, making up possible scenarios about who was after me.. and why

After a few days i went back home.

I couldn't sleep. First i turned vegetarian for a few days.. then i altogether stopped eating. I began to hear and see things. God was all around me... talking to me with a gust of wind through a tree limb swaying across the yard.. flocks of birds became secret signals.. i began following colors, counting numbers,

basically.. completely out of my mind

It got worse... i felt buggs crawling inside my skull, implanting devices in my brain... i thought it was some sort of secret weapon the fbi used, then it was god and the devil who were after me..

and so on..

SO bad my girl/parents... had to have me commited.

This was the most spiritual/frightening experience in my life... I'm not gonna get into it, as that might really stir some shit up... but i will say this..

There is a god.

And if he had his wish...

he would keep you all off antidepressants...

The story ends like this. After 3 weeks in the hospital, and many many medications, i began to sleep/eat again... and went home...

I had been diagnosed as being bi-polar, told i went through a manic-episode, and then told to never do drugs again.

I was sent to see the county mental health people, and they told me i would have to be on anti-pychotics, anti depressants and mood stabilizors for the rest of my life.

They seemed right... without a dose of seroquel.. i couldn't sleep. I was completely incapacitated, unable to work.. and a burden... to everyone around me...

After taking over a dozen dif meds for close to a year, i slowly weened myself off of them. The seroquel was the last.. and the most dificult. I had to cut pills in 1/4, then 1/8's even... just to be able to sleep.

Its been 4 or 5 months now, and things seem better.

I now regularly drink again, although not with the same self destructive attitude... i have a new respect for life, and feel i am on a spiritual path

I still smoke weed occaisonaly, although most of it makes me panicy/anxious, if i over-indulge... my mind can even go back into a similar manic state for a short while.. so i am very cautious to say the least..

i still have hopes there may be a more positive outcome in the future.. and my love of the plant will never die

everyday i grow stronger, and more like the old me..

But i will never forget the power of medication, which i basically had no respect for..

Everyone is diferent, and i dont mean to scare anyone, just share my story in hopes that it may help someone..

so.. Just do yourself one favor... if you continue along that route..

dont ever stop cold turkey..

bad bad shit can happen..

peace and goodluck to you

bILL

 

[Silver Bullet]

Dang man, thats crazy. I've been fortunate enough never to have had a problem with psychotic episodes, so perhaps I should be okay since I'm only on 10 mg and I'll only be smoking moderately. The lexapro seemed to have realy cut my need to smoke weed down. I will also say that when i smoked again for the first time on lexapro (after not smoking for 2 weeks) it felt like it was my first time again.

I enjoyed the feeling so much, i smoked and smoked every second i got.. I began to steal and rob, and do alot of dumb shit that i can't even believe... including taking down a 20 foot pole at a tennis court for the 2 1000 watt lights, in a rainstorm..

We all know you were going to make better use of those lights than the parking lot was.

 

[ngakpa]

... the first time in my life I experienced what they call "suicidal ideation" was after I stopped using anti-depressants, as a direct result of the withdrawl effect ... withdrawl is pretty unpleasant, and only highlights the fact that they did nothing at all to help - quite the opposite

I am not remotely a suicidal character - never was before, never have been since ... and I don't think that the high rates of suicide in places like Taiwan are unconnected with the wilingness of doctors there to prescribe antidepressants - a huge percentage of the population there are on the pills, and they have one of the highest suicide rates in the world

as I see it, they fuck with peoples' "coping mechanisms" - hinder evolution of the individual's mind etc.

I hear what you said above, but - having respectfully acknowledged and pondered your doctor's advice - in your position I would stay away in all but the most extreme situations

speaking from personal experience and that of friends of mine who are bipolar, I strongly recommend that you work on building your own internal mechanisms for coping with the inevitable psychological and emotional difficulty we experience going through life

my advice (and this is as a non-Buddhist myself) - learn a mental discipline such as meditation

one of the most powerful practises is vipassana - insight meditation ... I have seen seemingly irredeemable junkies become changed people using these techniques ... in absolute honesty, the power of these practices to cut through emotional and psycholgical problems/blocks/complexes never ceases to amaze me

there is no need to buy into any spirtual blah di blah to benefit from vipassana - just do the practice and "see the results" lol

Goenka is a name I would recommend - the courses are 100% free - I advise taking a holiday to go on one, preferably in Asia - India or Thailand for instance

I know (of) Muslims, Catholics, atheists who practice ... so no worries there

 

[Mr. Nevermind]

Why are you guys on or have tried soo many pills? I have never had an anit depressant nor would ever take one regardless of what a doctor says. I dont understand why we as a nation take soo many pills. Rather than deal with the problem people turn to pills. Like children, rather than teach them right from wrong and discipline them we give them pills to calm down. Makes no sense. I got a kick in the ass to calm down rather than a pill. People need to learn to deal with problems better and pills arent that way.







Nevermind

 

[The Bling]

Please don't I have a close friend who was fine before this His doctor put him on antidepressants and now he is for better lack of words Fried he was a close friend who always did well just on the pills or just smoking but when he mixed the 2 it changed him he will never be the same. If they're helping you then don't stop and please DO NOT also smoke. If not then tell your doctor but don't mix that shit with weed. Its how I lost a life long friend.

 

[DailyTHC]

Why are you guys on or have tried soo many pills?

As a child/teen in the '80's-90's my parents started sending me to a shrink who gave me countless combinations of different medicines for my 'behavior.'

That said, I do disdain pharms, and think it is best to be off of them. However, after cycling through so many for so many different years (for many, many years w/o a choice) you get lost in it and it becomes normal. I do still take one anti-depressent though. It helps me in alot of ways and is a low dose. I feel it is safe as I have taken it on/off for an extended period of time and nothing bad has happened.

Consider yourslf lucky for never feeling like you needed a 'magic pill' Mr Nevermind.

 

[Mr. Nevermind]

As a child/teen in the '80's-90's my parents started sending me to a shrink who gave me countless combinations of different medicines for my 'behavior.'

That said, I do disdain pharms, and think it is best to be off of them. However, after cycling through so many for so many different years (for many, many years w/o a choice) you get lost in it and it becomes normal. I do still take one anti-depressent though. It helps me in alot of ways and is a low dose. I feel it is safe as I have taken it on/off for an extended period of time and nothing bad has happened.

Consider yourslf lucky for never feeling like you needed a 'magic pill' Mr Nevermind.

I went to a shrink for 3 years for anger managment and never took a pill. It was the school that sent me their but i refused to take any pills. I would rather find out why i am angry and deal with it then give myself anther probelm by being an addict to pills.

I dontt hink luck has anything to do with it. There is an easy way to try to deal with things, a pill. and a hard way to deal with things, learning from mistakes and growing up. You dont need to take a pill each day to make your head feel better. You are told that because itmakes people money but has nothing to do with your health. If you are depressed figure out why and change. Dont take a pill and keep doing the same shit.





nevermind

 

[James Morrison]

I have done alot of research and also speak from experience having a loved one VERY close struggle with depression and medications.

I can tell you that these medications are not safe. They have not been tested on human beings over long periods of time. They change your brain chemistry perminantly.
In some countries they have added suicide warnings for those 12 to 30 taking them. I have seen first hand, people who were pretty normal, started taking pills then within 2 weeks were in the middle of the floor with a shotgun to their mouth! No joke people....do some research where the FDA doesnt.

The problem you have isnt physical like a broken arm or a flu or infection that needs medication to combat the illness. Your propblem can not be fixed by drugs. Its immpossable. Even more immpossable is trying to ever live without the medication once you start taking them for a while. God forbid you run out or something!!!!
These medications are sick and from the devil himself. Todays "practice" of medicine concist of filling out a 5 question sheet and then prescribing whatever is on the cover of phizer monthly. no counciling. No working out root of problem or practicing future dealing. nope. Just take these and see ya later Mr Johnson!!! But Mr Johnson ended up admitting himself to the mental hospital later that month as a result of the phsycotopic drugs changing his brain chemisty.

Come on people. There are no quick fixes to mental struggles. maybe someday there will be but now Life is life. DEAL WITH IT!!!!

do a "Google news" search for antidepressants and suicide. You will see.

On the other hand, my wife smokes MJ for her anxiety and depression bipolar condition and she finds that its the only thing that keeps her head straight. I found that out too! lol

Best of luck to you.

 

[jaykush]

how about pills can fuck you over without the weed. trust me ive seen it happen too many times with depression pills. just stay away from them.

 

[Silver Bullet]

Its already helped me with my anxiety. I'm also taking Lexapro for the beneficial side effect of weight gain. Hopefully it will slow down my metabolism enough to help me put on some muscle.

 

[James Morrison]

Or the fact that some peope are just stupid and listen to comercials that show a woman gliding through a green flowered meadow in springtime and think "why dont I feel like that?" then keep watching for the symptoms...restlesssness, trouble sleeping, irriibality, worried all the time...you know, normal HUMAN emotions???
So they go to a "doctor", and say something like "I feel irritated alot" or "I am feeling symptom 5 on that chart over there". The "doctor" goes to a goodie closet and hands the patient free samples of unsafe, unproven, thought changing, chemical regualting mind altering drugs. Call me in a month. Tell me how ya feel.

Seriously. Thats the way it goes friends. No counciling, No series of interviews. Just "are you sure?"

For every person "cured" (funny word in this situation) there are hundreds made worse by these drugs. The mind is amazing, state of mind and perceived reality are very powerful. I have never heard of a person goin on these meds getting better over a period without councling (not a shrink, but group support) then going off of them and everything amazing now. It just doesnt work that way. Trying to get off of these alot of times is what causes the most serious side effects.

I have takin Zanax once or twice and they make me crazy. Like I'll leave things cooking on the stove or hit deer with my car and not remember doing it till a week later when I notice my drivers side door caved in and deer fur stuck in my lights. no more for me.

Imaigne a drug that will make you go insane.

Just the other day I watched a wife in front of congess giving her testimony bawling about here husband. He had a great job, happy home, 3 children, a loving wife...within 2 weeks of taking zoloft he was on the kitchen floor rocking back and forth saying he was going crazy. She found him hanging in the garage a week later.

listen, I have takin acid over 100 times. Eatin allmost every phycedellic known to man. These new man made mind drugs are not good!!!!

You wanna cure depression? Take 2 hits of acid and sit in a closet for a day. You will figure out what ales ya!

Please people, do research before putting anything into your body.

 

[_angst_]

There's a lot of bad information in this thread.

 

[Silver Bullet]

such as?

 

[_angst_]

I don't even know where to start. I'm not trying to be snotty.

Marijuana doesn't cause selective seratonin reuptake. It potentiates 5-HT, but it seems to be only secondarily.

I highly doubt you'll get a seratonin syndrome from mixing weed with the SS(N)RIs.

I smoked weed while on Paxil CR, Zoloft, and Prozac. I had no ill effects other than what I was treating to begin with (panic attacks). I've learned a lot about myself since then and how to prevent them.

I've also learned not to smoke as much anymore either. My panic attacks from weed are dose dependant.

What you have to worry about isn't the weed, it's the SSRI drugs. They can cause violent withdrawal if you stop them cold turkey (the FDA recommends against it). I got withdrawals from Paxil and Zoloft. Prozac I had no withdrawal from, but that's mainly because it's half-life is huge.

If you notice problems with smoking and your antidepressants, maybe you should cut it out. But I can't see the combination killing you.