A friend of mine has had recently a very traumatic experience. He witnessed a car accident...and literally saw all the 'bits' He is ok now, but he has told me that he is suffering of nightmares everynight and he can't sleep now as he is really scared of them. His mum is so worried that she wants him to take these sleeping pills which would knock him out, but he doesn't fancy that idea,

I thought that something more 'natural' would help like some KOing indica for him,

Would you guys agree, and any recommendations about which strain?

Peace

Riz

There is some pillow spray from Molton Brown, its lavender, comes in a purple opaque bottle, its really good for a great nights sleep, stoned or not.

Radox used to do this pillow spray years ago and its was knockout stuff, me and the missus loved it, always went to sleep easily, slept heavy and pleasant and woke up feeling great.

We tried Avon's version but that actually kept us awake so the best we could find was the Molton Brown one, its not quite as good as the Radox one was but its pretty good. Would recommend a good lavender pillow spray to anyone, its amazing the difference it can make to you quality of sleep.

EDIT - I just checked the price for the Molton Brown stuff, I didn't realise it was so expensive, Ill be looking for an alternative me thinks. Will post when I find one.

I can remember reading somewhere that the lack of motivation stoners may or may not experiance isdue to them not dreaming as much as those who dont smoke

cannabis has been reported to help 'lose' bad memory's in situations like your friends experience.

its used lots by soldiers coming back from battle, Vietnam/Iraq soldiers with PTSD/? say it really helps, its pretty much the only thing that does

Ganja is powerful medicine when you use it to strip your life bare - probably best that you get used to its effects when you're happy so you don't get in too deep too quickly.
I spent years in self-analysis using ganja and other things ..and I'm still not sure I couldn't have done it quicker by another means ... but that other means is probably a whole new life that most of us simply can't have.

I don't think Cannabis is a particularly great medicine for that kind of problem to be honest - even though it chills you out, it is still a hallucinogenic drug, and it's probably better if you are in a good frame of mind when you use it.

I personally would smoke loads of dope, and it would probably help - I find good strong hash seems to be best for this, maybe with a beer or two? But if my friend was in this situation, and couldn't sleep without nightmares and was in fear I'd probably advise them to take sleeping tablets or sedatives(Spanish sleeping tablets are strong as hell) rather than something that might freak them out even more, unless they are used to smoking weed.


If it became a long term thing I'd advise therapy, perhaps combined with ganja...

Your friend really needs some good advice from a serius psychologist/psycritist.
This is because panic/shock or every shock related trauma can easaly lead to depression and other serious problems.

I would also reccomend to stay AWAY FROM ALL PSYCHOACTIVE drugs especially alchool, caffeine and allucinatory drugs.
And stay away, absolutely, from sleeping pills (they can really do a great deal of harm) until he has had a a professional opinion. And by professional I mean someone with expertise on the matter and no generic doctor.

What he needs is a good shrink (maybe only a few sessions are needed) and to overcome the trauma wich, if gives him nightmares, it is really more significant than he has thought and maybe has something more deep envolve to it.

As for cannabis, after an expert opinion, he could try it. But no trippy strains, only mildly relaxing and of good source (no shite heat racy stuff).

Sorry for the bad english:)

Good luck

Wow man, there is some long and serious consideration behind those words....

depends how recently the trauma was tbh to what would benefit really.... me personnally, i dont get on with canna if i'm in a downer mood, or have really big troubles as it seems to compound my thoughts to fixate on the dark side, so i only enjoy canna to remember, not to forget.... each to there own though, i hope your mate can come to terms with his experience sooner rather than later, your certainly going along the right track with prefering natural remedies rather than sleeping pills, but if its short term sleep he needs, there are plenty of things available to aid this.... Dealing with his emotional trauma may take a little longer. good luck in any case, happy living and happy growing fella

I am not too sure about using cannabis as a blocker so i wouldnt advise it but i smoke every evening and 99% of the time i sleep straight through with no recalled dreams.

I've found when you smoke weed to forget about your troubles everythings good till you stop smoking,I smoke each day and have done for a few years and i've found that while smoking i can accept things and get through stuff a lot easier but once i have a couple of days off everything comes flooding back and i can't handle it,hense i smoke more weed.So it might not be the best option for your buddy IMO.

But on the other hand,i would advise to stay away from the prescriptions as in my experience with sleeping drugs they just knock me out at night and the next morning i don't feel refreshed or energized,i just want to stay in bed longer.

Whatever method you use i hope it works well

Peace

Personally I wouldnt smoke any bud to help with PTS nightmares. I know everyone is different but when I smoke I have vivid memroable dreams, in comparision to not remembering any dreams when I don't smoke!

I find being high/stoned when going to bed is cool, but if I was suffering from a bout of PTS induced nightmares I might not bother as it could be tempting fate.

I think this question is a tricky one though, as its each to there own when it comes to dreams and subconsious thoughts.

LS

Let him have a good old cry, that will help, then get the white rhino out (a strong as fuck heavy indica)

I think that would be best, but talk to him, every time he gets upset then comes around it will help over all, and that white rhino will help with the nightmares, he'll probably have a bit of a stone over though the next morning.

All the best and Good Luck

S

I agree with ocimonogre if it's real bad seek pro advice

good luck dude

I hate nightmares as well, they can affect your life pretty bad. Sleep paralysis is another pain in the ass, it feels like a demon is entering your body and you cannot move or do nothing And that sucks too.

Personally I find weed helps me with bad dreams and sp. I think the weed acts as a 'memory loss' kind of thing, so you dont recall the dreams so vividly, and never once while toking did I get sp, always have them when I am clean for a few weeks.

Me / last few months x no weed = sleep paralysis. I've been tazered and stabbed in a dream as well... Along with being dragged out to sea.

Hope your friend gets over it, keep in mind though everyone is different, so the weed might work, or it might make things worse.

Try Valerian root first Plus lavender on pillow works too (its good for snoring too)

Sounds like your mate is the perfect case for EMDR

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_movement_...nd_reprocessing

I believe it can help after only a few sessions and has amazed some psychiatrists/therapists but only for specific cases

If your friend is havin vivid nightmares (also known as night terrors), I would not reccomend cannabis atall, although I dont agree with the government to the extent of their disturbin propaganda, I do believe (and have witnessed) that cannabis does make some people literally go crazy. I say this because what if he smokes it and it makes it worse?? I think its 50/50 (based on personal experiences), have u looked into cannabis pills atall?? There called satiex or something not as strong or intense as a smoke and extracted from cannabis (so it will knock him out im assuming) Has he smoked before?? Is there a history of mental illness in his family?? Theres so many variables... Dont get me wrong im not saying no full stop, just look at all factors before introducing canna to him.

Hope all goes well and give my best wishes to your friend matey

Has your buddy tried herbal sleep remedies? I decided to lay off weed for a while a few years ago and had really disturbed sleep and vivid dreams, not that I'm comparing that to your mates situation, but I found Nitol or similar, I think the big blue & white striped stupidmarket does their own brand, really helped. I really must echo the advice of others that canna probably isn't the solution, it's something your mate needs to come to terms with rather than mask with weed. A good nights sleep makes the world of difference as does talking about it.

could try meditation before sleep
(and i smoke canna before bed)
i struggle to sleep most nights i take medication before bed which helps


but i usually drift off by putting myself in a nice situation
like imaging walking through a field of long grass and coming to the edge and seeing the beach below you, seeing the soft sand with clear blue skies and the sun rippling on the sea ,walk down across the sand feeling it between your toes

it can take a while to get used to trying it ...and it can take a while to allow the images to come through,think of favourite places

Thanks people for the advise and comments

My friend has decided to try some smooth herb before going to bed and im trying to convince him to go to a psychologist...

I hope the 'experiment' works,

Peace!

Riz

Another Herbal Remedy option could be a 'Hop Pillow' - Dried Hops are a great sleep inducer with none of the heavy wack of sleeping pills / drugs..
imo he should stay off the canna and try a herbal remedy (as mentioned in other posts) and/or seek professional help. Sleeping pills are probably 'a sledgehammer to crack a nut' in this case..

All the best - let us know how he gets on...

everyones different and different medication works for different people.

but cannabis is effective in treating PTSD, Professor Raphael Mechoulam been talking about it since '64


At the Third Clinical Conference on Cannabis Therapeutics, held in May of 2004, Professor Raphael Mechoulam from Israel examines the potential of Cannabis as treatment for PTSD. Dr. Mechoulam, who first isolated and named THC in 1964, postulates that Cannabinoids aid the natural brain function of discarding unneeded information.




The endocannabinoid system will normally help us forget unpleasant memories.




cannabis helps my PTSD




Medical Cannabis Treats PTSD, but Veterans Can't Have It

California cannabis specialists report that 3-5% of their patients have PTSD diagnoses. The late Tod Mikuriya, MD, being a psychiatrist who made his own diagnoses, saw a slightly higher percentage. This is from Mikuriya's classic 2005 paper on the subject:

"Approximately eight percent of the 9,000 Californians whose cannabis use I have monitored presented with PTSD ( 309.81 ) as a primary diagnosis. Many of them are Vietnam veterans whose chronic depression, insomnia, and accompanying irritability cannot be relieved by conventional psychotherapeutics and is worsened by alcohol. For many of these veterans, chronic pain from old physical injury compounds problems with narcotic dependence and side effects of opioids.

"Cannabis relieves pain, enables sleep, normalizes gastrointestinal function and restores peristalsis. Fortified by improved digestion and adequate rest, the patient can resist being overwhelmed by triggering simuli. There is no other psychotherapeutic drug with these synergistic and complementary effects.

"In treating PTSD, psychotherapy should focus on improving how the patient deals with resurgent symptoms rather than revisitation of the events. Decreasing vulnerability to symptoms and restoring control to the individual take priority over insight as treatment goals. Revisiting the traumatic events without closure and support is not useful but prolongs and exacerbates pain and fear of loss of control."
sauce>http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08/n532/a02.html


Marijuana Vs. Anti-Depressants for PTSD Marijuana Wins Hands Down

I was asked by a healthcare professional at the Portland VA Hospital if I would help PTSD Veteran Victims to get permits to use legalized medical marijuana. I already had some Veteran patients from WWII, Korea and Vietnam.

The doctors and other healthcare professionals had heard from a sprinkling of Nam Vets that marijuana provided good relief PTSD and probably other battle related problems including pain from gunshots, mine blasts and almost anything else.

I told her yes and within two weeks I had more than 50 Nam Vets requesting my help. As part of their medical history I asked what previous medicines they had been given or prescribed.

I was astonished to review the lists. There were two main types: strong pain killers like Oxycontin and Morphine and every related pain killer.

Apparently many of these were given just to knock out the patients. These drugs are called narcotics because they CAUSE sleep.

Most PTSD victims have insomnia or difficulty going to or staying asleep. The second type of drugs were anti-depressants. Severe pain causes depression and some do enable sleep.

I was flabbergasted to read the anti-depressant list of many patients; Paxil, Zoloft, Prozac, Lexapro, etc it goes on through the whole list of about 12.

The Vets were adamant about the miserable adverse side effects of both these kinds of drugs. I was familiar with the drugs like Morphine but the new class of anti-depressants had me baffled. I was also familiar with amphetamine type drugs which were stimulants which I originally assumed must be related in action to the anti-depressants.

Elavil was one of the first anti-depressants and it was a mild stimulant like a junior grade amphetamine but the newer ones were definitely in another ball park. The Vets complained that they were zombified by them and many stopped them and resorted to alcohol because of the illegality and scarceness of marijuana.

I checked my computer for anti-depressant dangers. I don't shock easy but this was a shock. The FDA (Food & Drug Administration) reported that they caused a whole bunch of very bad adverse side effect including anxiety, depression, addiction, severe withdrawal, homicidal rage and suicide.

These PTSD Veterans didn't need these adverse effects on top of PTSD.

Subsequent to my success with these Vets with marijuana I heard from Veterans all over the U.S. and the world that marijuana was better than both Morphine drugs and anti-depressants.

sauce>http://www.salem-news.com/articles/february132009/mj_vs_drugs_2-13-09.php

If i blaze i dont dream.

I only ever dream when im on holiday abroad as i dont smoke weed (in the places i cant get it).

If i was him i would crack out some heavy indica, Sensi star should do it.

it should deff work mate. most times i just smoke dealer tweed and it deff stops me remembering my dreams the next day not even as soon as i wake up. make sure he doesnt eat cheese though before bed because it doesnt matter how much you smoke it still makes me have dreams and remember them in the morning. you still have thge dreams its just you cant remember them in the morning that all weed does.

I don't know about anyone else but when i smoke quite consistantly i rarely remember my dreams at all - after a few days without a joint though they return so i can "conciously" view them but yeah i dunno what could be causing nightmares

Twigs, tnx for the videos.

No idea if this will actually work and it takes a time to learn, but how about 'lucid dreaming'? Basically you learn to realise you're actually asleep and control what happens in the dreams. He may still have the dreams but he'll learn to kick the shit out of whatever horrors are bothering him.

be sure to let us know if the herb helped things, we need as much pro ammunition we can get these days.

and timmy1etc, how do you know the herb actually caused your friend to go 'literally crazy', how do you know he wouldn't have gone crazy anyway? Just because B follows A it doesn't mean that A caused B. . .

I agree with other comments here that regular use of cannabis does stop you remembering your dreams.

I would also agree with what THC4METOO says that lucid dreaming techniques could be helpful in controlling the content of your dreams, but it can take quite alot of time to master.

Good luck to your mate!

edit to add, I had a bout of PTSD after witnessing my son being savaged by a dog, it was quite short lived though, only lasting for a couple of weeks. Just as I was about to start seeking help for it, it seemed to stop, so smoking or eating cannabis in the short term may well be helpful.

I wouldn't suggest smoking weed to someone who doesnt smoke it already. It wont have the same effect as on a regular smoker, he will want to talk about the buzz etc at best and may freak out at worst. Plus theres the hangover and the whole legal thing. Maybe try some herbal options or mild over the counter sleeping pills like nightol.

Hi All,

I cant understand why everyone is being so negative about not using it for this situation.

If im honest, Im using it for nearly the EXACT same reason your friend is seeking help for. About 8 months ago I witnessed a car hit a person at about 60mph and drove off. I was first on scene and called police/ambulance, but realistically there was no point, his head was in a few peices. no pulse by the time I got to him and although I am trained in advanced first aid and CPR, there really wasnt anything that could be done and I didnt even attempt CPR. The paramedics who arrived at the scene said to me I did the right thing, and CPR would not of helped this situation.

After this the police even had the decency to come round to my house an hour later and ask for the clothes and trainers I was wearing at the time to they can take them as evidence. Great. I was skint enough as it is without them taking my only pair of trainers ... just trying to lighten the mood a bit in this post.

Now, this was really playing havoc with my work, I was having nightmares 2-3 times a night, waking up in a pool of my own sweat, turning up at work tired, drained and completely fucked. My uni work has also been alot worse during the first semester of this year than the whole of last year.

It was at this point my manager took me in and had a 1-2-1 with me, I told him the score about what I have seen and luckily for me he was on the my side. He advised me to go to the doctors which I should of done a few weeks ago. After going to the doctors, he supplied me with some sleeping pills.

Did they work? to an extent, I was sleeping....perhaps too well...I was also struggling to wake up, which again, more problems with work. Turning up late, sometimes 10 mins late, somtimes 2 hours late. But this obviously stirred up some more trouble, once again, boss had a word which I could understand, went back to my doctors, and he then told me I dont have any sleeping problems..... errr ok.

this cycle then got repeated. with the doctor telling me a couple of time i do not have any sleeping problems, I am not having nightmares...yes doc, im just coming into here to lie to you.

So one day I was with a friend who smokes it and asked him to get me some. And that night, I bought some baccy and tried rolling a couple of spliffs.... note i said tried!!! ive never smoked before..so rolling was and still is comical.

But anyway, I can now sleep fine and dont have any problems waking up, I just have 2-3 spliffs in the evening before I go bed and wake up in the morning with no problems. My work is unrelated and my boss has even mentioned he has noticed a better performance and say I look alot more healthy now than before this started happening.

From my experiance I would reccomend your friend trys it. If it doesnt work after 2-3 days then perhaps tell him to stop, as what people are saying it could worsen the situation. But for me, it worked from day 1, The 2nd spliff i had almost knocked me out ...

Ok..

I been giving my friend a 'night' joint of this nice stuff i managed to get... expensive though >.<

For the last two nights he has said he can't remember SHIT XD He still feels weird but he says nightmares have stopped completely. I was quite surprised by the quickness.... but i got a question, if he stops smoking will the nightmares come back?

PS: It was happy seeing him mong out until he fell asleep ASAP xD

Peace

Riz

i got a free sample of this in a plane travel bag and i have to agree it is awesome

I don't think I would be getting hammered on weed if I had had a particularily traumatic experience. I think it would make it too intense for me, but I guess everyone's different.

Hi, I have noticed if I dont take it within a week I would of had another nightmare again, although its not as bad and I will get back to sleep after. Its just easier for me to carry on tokin and getting a good nights sleep, it helps me out alot at work too.

Almost certainly. The thing is, with herb (or anything else taken to enable a full nights undisturbed sleep) it's only dealing with the symptoms - the nightmares. The cause of those nightmares is the psychological damage caused by the trauma. I'm sure it's the case with herb and PTSD too, it deals with many of the symptoms while you're taking it, but unless you are able to somehow deal with the underlying psychological damage then the symptoms will come back as soon as you stop taking it. How that damage is dealt with, that's another question entirely and one that I certainly don't pretend to know the answer to, there's always a chance that over time it will deal with itself, the mind is a strange thing. But I'd say herb on its own isn't a 'cure', it just deals with the symptoms while you're using it, perhaps giving one the mental reserves needed to deal with the underlying problem.

its an old wives tale that cheese gives you nightmares. It actually means that cheese is hard for our bodies to digest and takes quite a while, so you shouldnt eat it before bed(like a big meal) or you would find it hard to sleep as your body is still digesting the food(cheese). It doesnt mean literally, nightmares, it means youll have a "nightmare" getting to sleep!!! Ive heard loads of people say that cheese gives them nightmares and i really enjoy correcting them, i like to know the origins of phrases its really interesting. The saying that its bad luck to walk under a ladder is only because of the chance that something COULD be dropped on your head!!! common sense really!!

yeah i agree. when you first start smoking weed your brain loves it and wont stop thinking. After 15 years of abusing myself, my minds pretty numb and a joint helps me to get over just about anything. But in the beginning you dont want any bad vibes as they can play on ya mind n do ya nut in.

i thought that you had two types of dreams eg lucid dreaming and theres another one(cant remember what its called) but anyway i watched a video and basicaly it said that you start of in a lucid dreaming state for the first couple of hours into your sleep then go into the other deeper dream state then return a back to lucid dreaming towards the end of your sleep. sure that what it said but im 90% sure the video was called "the power of nightmares" look for it it was quite
intresting.


edit to add MARLEY even if it is a old wives tale i an promise you it makes me remeber my dreams. not nightmare but more crazy dreams, i have noticed this as for a couple of weeks i had a cheese "fetish" late night like now hmmmmmmm. neway i started to notice that i was having dream or should i say remembering them atleast. i mean it was every night i ate cheese i even tried not eating cheese for a couple of nights and the dreams wernt there. maybe it was something else but i heavily smoke all day long am stoned most of the day so cant think what it could be.

what are you saying.? don't take cannabis as a medicine that will/could help.? if you don't smoke already.?

hows he going to medicate then..

so what do soldiers do when they come back from battle with months/years of seeing their friends get vaporised by shell fire that don't smoke.?

soldiers are telling us it works and your saying don't use it man, he'll get high and want to talk about the buzz.!

thats the medicine working.!

sleeping pills for PTSD!, fuck that, thats a recipe for disaster mate,

Suffering veterans are caught between science and lack of political courage
by Martin H. Chilcutt, Thomas M. Walsh and Jeffery Chilcutt
Friday June 19, 2009, 8:00 AM

The citizens of Kalamazoo voted 3 to 1 for the legalization of medical cannabis last November. Most disabled veterans supported this vote because medical cannabis has a very personal effect on our lives, our well being and our health.

Thousands of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are now diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, and medical doctors report the medical use of cannabis is very therapeutic for veterans suffering the painful symptoms of PTSD. (Google Phillip Leveque, combat veteran, physician, pharmacologist, and forensic toxicologist, authority on PTSD and cannabis treatment.) The suicide rate of returning veterans has skyrocketed into shocking numbers from the adverse effects military service has had on their lives.

Veterans deserve nothing less than being allowed the liberty and freedom to do what helps them survive their newfound physical and psychological conditions. They also deserve the support of everyone, including effective advocacy by their local politicians.

As veterans we do not need more fear in our lives, we do not need our suffering compounded by the ignorance, irrational fears, lack of support and inaction of many politicians. Their "silence" speaks for itself. They all know who they are, and where they choose to stand, which is far behind the caring citizens in this so-called war on drugs, which, by the way, now includes a war on disabled veteran patients all over our country.

About four years ago we began meeting with, and writing to, U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, asking him for his support on this issue. At the same time we began meeting with Kalamazoo's mayor and city commissioners asking for their support. At first, they all said "no." Not one of them had the courage to speak out on the medical and economic waste of the failed war on drugs, or the total ignorance of prohibition and its negative effects. (Google Law Enforcement Against Prohibition.)

However, this past January, we finally received a letter from Upton saying he would support our view. He had the courage to change his mind. He agreed to vote "yes" this year on the Hinchey-Rohrabacher amendment in Congress, which would prohibit the Drug Enforcement Administration from using federal funds to raid medical cannabis providers in states where it is legal.

We veterans are still waiting to hear from our local mayor and city commissioners, waiting for their support to follow the courage of Rep. Upton.

We say enough of the "shock and awe" tactics used by police and sheriffs on disabled veterans and other patients. Get your priorities right, focus on protecting us from the real criminals in our city. When will our city stop wasting our scarce tax dollars in this economy to swat veterans?

When will these folks, elected to represent the Kalamazoo citizens, awaken to the scientific realities like the fact the Kalamazoo Apjohn Group is working on a marijuana/cannabis inhaler delivery system, and the value of this natural medicine? When will they stand up and be counted along with courageous Rep. Upton?

I get phone calls and e-mails every day from veterans all over the United States and they all thank us for speaking out for them. They all say, in essence, "We fought for your liberties and your freedoms in this country, while our elected representatives turn against us veterans over our medicine and our health care."

What is it our elected folks do not understand about the science? Face your ignorance (as in the American Heritage Dictionary definition of a lack of knowledge) and irrational fears. Get over it now.

Mind the cost of freedom we veterans have paid. We only want peace -- peace of mind and body. When do we get justice, when do we get our human rights?

Martin H. Chilcutt is the executive director for Veterans for Medical Marijuana Access, Thomas M. Walsh, was a psychiatric nurse in the Vietnam War, and Jeffery Chilcutt is a U.S. Army veteran.

sauce>http://www.mlive.com/opinion/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2009/06/suffering_veterans_are_caught.html

Fucking hell fire m8 i know excatly how he feels .wen i was 12/13 me an my m8 ran away from home an i came up with the idea of sleeping in a lorry trailer so we krept inside an got our heads down .But we woke up just as the wagon was moving any way to cut a long story short I saw the best m8 iv ever had get killed .i was put on some real strong sleeping tablets that i became really addicted to but the doc stopped them my mum tried a shrink that dint help weed dose help for a while but time is the better healer m8