Marriage breakdown, mental health, medication and cannabis

[Poisonata]

Worked in the medical field (not a clinician) for some 30 years now, to date I've yet to come across any research / evidence demonstrating (negative) interactions between commonly prescribed anti depressant medication and cannabis use.

 

Periodically risk of psychosis is mentioned in a small group of susceptible individuals (good percentage of which take anti depressants) but that's about it. No suggestion the anti depressants potentiate this.

 

My wife has been on various anti depressants for vast majority of her life (she uses cannabis), only noticeable mood changes when either forgotten to take her medication and / or run out of weed.  

 

Coping strategy personally use (in times of strife) is forcing myself to remain busy with literally anything. Why cannabis is not well suited for me, find unable to function normally / think rationally. Plus it makes me eat unnecessarily 

 

As previous posters has suggested maybe a break from weed / focus on work, exercise, whatever might be a better long term solution. Else end up thoroughly entrenched in depressive rut with no motivation to make positive changes due 'excessive' cannabis use. 

 

Extremely sorry to hear about your marital split. More's the pity we all need to remain anonymous else I'd buy you a pint / bore you for an evening  

 

 

[mrrichiet]

I'm pleased to hear so many people advising to knock the weed on the head for a bit - they're right IMO. 

 

Do you think your weed consumption contributed to your separation?

[Whatwentwrong]

The was one thing I forgot to mention. 
 

the bastards were making me have a drug test over weed.

 

when I worked out a lot I was smoking an 8th a day and passed test as a low.

 

when I was on mirtazapine because it makes you put weight on I gave a high result even though I smoked less.

 

anyone worried about drugs tests for anything work out. It’s the only thing that drags it out your system.

[OneMorePuff]

8 hours ago, Entropy said:

Some thing you may or may not have considered is Magic Mushrooms, there's lots of good evidence coming from the US about their positive effects with depression, PTSD and if you believe Paul Stamets the ability to cure a stutter in one sitting :). It's important to remember in my humble opinion that any treatment especially anti depressants are temporary but they can work and there is a lot of options out there for you. Stay strong brother, wish I could help more.

 

I'd echo this - if you find yourself at the point of wanting to try the anti depressants, then I would personally try mushrooms first.  Whenever I take them it feels like afterwards someone's rifled through my brain and found the 'factory reset' button.  The clarity and understanding in the few days following a good trip (or even a bad one) are really remarkable, all those niggly things that were building up in your subconscious that you didn't even know were there all just seem to be blasted into the open and put into full perspective, and you realise they just don't matter in the grand scheme of things.  It wears if in a week or two of course, but sometimes that's all you need, just a break from your own brain in order to get your mental 'shit' together.  Obviously don't do anything you're unsure of or uncomfortable about though.

[Hugh Jass]

Feeling depressed? I'm not surprised at what you are going through.

 

Do you need head meds? Only you know the answer to that.

But you are bound to be depressed with everything that is going on in your life.

 

If you were here in the room with me I would suggest we go for a walk, a nice long one with a couple of hills.

On the walk I would let you talk.

I would reccomend that you abstain from alcohol, it doesn't make you any happier.

Maybe cut down on the weed as well? What about a two week tolerance break? Or just a doobie before bedtime?

 

I would also drop some acid or shrooms in your hand and say, Friday night just sit at home and trip. Put on some funky visuals on the TV, play some trippy music and get a note pad and pen, try and write down your thoughts. Read them the next day, think about what you have wrote.

 

Apart from that try and eat healthy, take exercise outside especially where it is green.

 

 

You feel like your world has ended, you need a little bit of you time. Take some time for yourself, look into yourself and you will find a great person.

[Dodgee]

Ok slow down folks, you all know I'm a big fan of mushrooms and strongly believe in the potentially positive affect of psychedelically assisted psychotherapy.

 

But first off we have no idea of this guy's level of experience or education using these substances and second advising a person whose head isn't currently in the right place to experiment in that area isn't good advice, like at all.

 

I don't disagree with any of you on the potential benefits but they are just that, potential.  They aren't a one size fits all silver bullet.  Not yet anyway.

 

 

I would certainly encourage the op to do some research into the subject and make his own mind up regards whether he thinks it would be beneficial in his case, but also to tread carefully and not rush into any decisions without first being aware of all the intricacies of what is involved.

 

I'm not rubbishing the idea in anyway, merely trying to encourage caution is all.

 

Bests D

[KC]

My doc put me on Amyltriptiline (sp?) once, I was adamant I didn't want any shit like that but I ended up going back for an increased dose in the end. It did me wonders, although I wasn't taking them for too long. I was still smoking shed loads of weed at the time too but it might be a good idea to listen to these guys and have a break. Some people really can over the top with weed, I've seen mates turn into hermits, not even bothering to go to work so I know everyone is different.

 

Avoiding alcohol is top advice, I just thank fuck when I was depressed I couldn't afford to drink, that would not have ended well

[Hugh Jass]

18 minutes ago, Dodgee said:

Ok slow down folks, you all know I'm a big fan of mushrooms and strongly believe in the potentially positive affect of psychedelically assisted psychotherapy.

 

But first off we have no idea of this guy's level of experience or education using these substances and second advising a person whose head isn't currently in the right place to experiment in that area isn't good advice, like at all.

 

I don't disagree with any of you on the potential benefits but they are just that, potential.  They aren't a one size fits all silver bullet.  Not yet anyway.

 

 

Um Dodgee is right on this.

It was probably wrong of me to have suggested this. It is what I would do, it is what I would reccomend a lot of people to do. BUT!!!!! But you have to be sure you don't take too much, have any underlying problems that may interact with it.

And more importantly have done it before.

If you have never done anything like this before, now probably isn't the time to twist your melon with this stuff. It can be quite a shock to the brain if you have never done anything like this before, it IS quite a shock to the brain any way!!!

 

I should have thought more before I have typed on this one.

 

 

 

[Diddy]

Avoid alcohol - TRY to get out, Just outside walking will do some good. DO have as many of the sessions with mental health team as you need if possible. If you are doing weed and alcohol then id give up the drink for 2 weeks or more before giving yourself a tolerance break from the weed - again during these times DO get out the house, Nature is great when it's all peaceful etc. IF your mental health people advise you that you really NEED some meds then take them for a bit...see what happens, You can read up on any of the drugs and their potential side effects and armed with that knowledge you can at least set yourself up with a "plan". But most importantly IF you need to keep on the tabs due to a diagnosed condition I think you should do so until you can find an alternative.

It's a while since I was properly "down" but I can recall it being fucking difficult to do ANY of the above, But at the end of the day we got to start somewhere small steps and all that. Oh quiet time and meditation music while just chilling...you can almost hear yourself breath...let it all out. 

Oh and if you need to have a fucking cry....It will do you good.

[mikeydoughnut]

Sorry to hear about this bud. It’s a shitter and I’ve been through something similar myself.

 

First things first. If we weren’t capable of being an individual and leading a life of something resembling normality we’d be born in pairs.

 

Secondly. Stop smoking weed. Don’t replace it with drink or other shite. An altered mind isn’t conducive to rational thinking in my opinion especially given your heads not in the right place to begin with.

 

Thirdly there’s not a fucking soul in this universe worth living in misery for. I’ve been offered all the anti depressants in the world. I only wanted a sick note to have some time off and take stock. Medicine for feeling sad is a bad idea. When do you ever deal with the heartbreak when you’ve got chemicals holding it together.

 

Its like grieving for a loved one. It’s normal. That relationship doesn’t define who you are though. So it dissolving doesn’t take away from who or what you are. You just don’t live with that person anymore. It’s as simple as that.

 

Nows the time to make a clean start. Think of things you’d like to do or fancy. It doesn’t have to be owt grand, mine started as getting dressed and going for breakfast every Saturday. Read the sports news, do me coupon and people watch, I love watching humans  

But at least it gives you a target and allows you to look forward instead backwards. Don’t get stuck in the past.

Edited August 19, 2021 by mikeydoughnut

[MindSoup]

Suffered with depression for about 15 years now on and off, as many of us do, your not alone in your struggles mate, very natural to feel the way you do after a big break up. I personally have never taken any prescribed meds, although they do definitely work well for some people, I know some of them really don't mix well with MJ (from friends experiences) so be careful.

 

For me counseling is very effective, if you find the right person which usually isn't cheap. That and more spiritual stuff, like shamanic journeying, group therapy and meditation. The key is to just keep trying different things/groups/therapists until something feels right, don't get discouraged if something doesn't work, we're all different.

 

I would also really recommend psilocybin (magic mushrooms). Start off gentle, micro dose or threshold doses, with people you love and trust around you and then expand on that if it feels right, some trips just level you out, like a reset button, others (higher doses) can sometimes be a challenge at the time but offer great learning experiences especially when you reflect on them later. A small dose of MDMA with a few mates somewhere cosy, can also be really useful but again tread carefully, and be responsible with it.

 

A time will come when you look back on this mindset as a distant memory, it's a massive cliché but time really is the best medicine for things like this. It's easy to see a relationship ending as a failure, our social conditioning sets a fairy tale standard thats for the most part unrealistic, love is impossible to quantify or control, it comes and goes like the wind, but loving someone, even for a brief moment, is one of the greatest thing's a human can achieve. So congratulations to both of you for making it this far, be proud of what you accomplished together. 

 

All the best chap, one day at a time. 

Edited August 19, 2021 by MindSoup

[Lamster67]

Hi there mate...1st of all, as already stated, you're not alone....I'm currently taking antidepressants due to i guess a relationship breakdown, my step daughter, i love as my own blood but shes suddenly decided to cut my wife & I out of her life because we didn't approve of her latest girlfriend....it had a terrible effect on my mental health & subsequently I'm taking 200mg of Sertraline daily....i also smoke daily but only in the evenings....I've not noticed any negative effects from doing so....i guess the way to go is with idicas rather than sativas....

Hope it all works out ok for you mate

Cheers Lamster 

[Larry Badgeley]

I really find the "recommendations" of people on here to be nothing short of irresponsible.

 

Magic Mushrooms under the right conditions maybe fun for some but not very good if your head is another place. Even worse for LSD. How do you know what is a safe dose? Sure, say drop half a tab. That half a tab could be incredibly strong and I personally know people who never recovered from a tab or too many mushrooms. If, and when, clinical trials start on Psychedelics, in a safe and controlled manor then fine but until then I would never suggest them. MDMA again under strict medical conditions - fine. Pray tell where can you buy MDMA? From a dealer? Feel free if you want to drop something that carries no ingredients on the tin. 

 

@mikeydoughnut is correct. An altered mind is never conducive to rational thinking. Take professional advice if you wish but stay way clear of any drugs legal or otherwise.

 

Once you have overcome your issues life will become a much better place to which I truly hope you find.

 

 

[Diddy]

Just now, Larry Badgeley said:

I really find the "recommendations" of people on here to be nothing short of irresponsible.

Do you include such things like "Don't take any meds legal or otherwise". I know people who would be very quickly "within days" be patients at the local hospital mental health ward IF they stopped taking their meds for various mental health problems.

Dodgee covered it well above I think and huge has also admitted that maybe he was being hasty. 

Mental health covers a plethora of conditions and issues and one size does not fit all. Please don't stigmatize all drugs that are used to treat people pretty successfully in the whole. 

What op needs is more help from his mental health team if possible and THEY will suggest to him what the best way forward is. Most drugs can be absolutely fine as long as you are getting the appropriate aftercare with regular check-ups and not just left on repeat prescription for 20 years....it's THAT sort of thing that causes problems.

[Guest Regs]

Sorry to hear you’re going through a tough time mate. I can only give you my experience on whether antidepressants & canna mixed together have any negative effects. 

 

Around five years ago I started taking Paroxetine and then Escitalopram and now back to Paroxetine. In my case as much as I didn’t want to be on them, they have changed my life for the better in a considerable way. This is due to the positive effects in relation to my ASD and social anxiety / depression though. 

 

In answer to your question I have had absolutely zero negative effects using cannabis with SSRI’s. 

 

Onwards & upwards whatever you decide my friend. 

Edited August 19, 2021 by Regs
Weird formatting