sadclownbadsummer
09-08-2014, 09:56 PM
Hi, all. For a while, I was taking 50 mg of Zoloft to treat both anxiety and depression for about three - four months. While I was taking it I got very suicidal and it was making my depression worse, so I stopped (my doctor weened me off) and we decided that I was going to start with another med (can't remember the name at the moment, another SSRI). However, right after I got the script, I lost my healthcare and also had another financial emergency and wasn't going to be able to afford the prescription.
A friend of mine suggested that I get a medical marijuana card, and after researching I found out it was going to be a lot cheaper than keeping up with the other med. I was skeptical because I've heard that marijuana can exacerbate anxiety, but the doctor who prescribed me the card told me that other patients of his have used it for anxiety, and that I should use the edibles on an as-needed basis (only if I was starting to feel panic symptoms, which I've heard some people do with other meds).
So I used it that way for about 3 months. I don't know how many grams were in the cookies that I'd buy, but I tasted a little bit each day for the first few days, and figured out what amount would work best pretty quickly. I felt like it was starting to work, to a certain extent, and it certainly helped a lot more than the Zoloft did. I was able to get back on the bus for the first time in over a year, and I took the train for the first time by myself, ever (and I can still do these things even now). On the downside, I'd start to feel like I was craving the effects when I wasn't using it. (But does this happen to others who use their medication on an as-needed basis? I don't know, since I never felt any withdrawal symptoms with the Zoloft. I was taking it at the same time everyday.)
I had to ween myself a couple of weeks ago because I need a new job and will most likely have to be drug tested. But I'm wondering if I should ever try it again, or if it's actually bad for me and I have no idea what I'm talking about. (And if it's even worth it to go the pharmaceutical route again...the Zoloft was pretty bad, and I don't want to go through an experience like it again.)
But anyway, does anybody else have any success stories, or failure stories, using medical marijuana for anxiety treatment, or with self medicating in general?
A friend of mine suggested that I get a medical marijuana card, and after researching I found out it was going to be a lot cheaper than keeping up with the other med. I was skeptical because I've heard that marijuana can exacerbate anxiety, but the doctor who prescribed me the card told me that other patients of his have used it for anxiety, and that I should use the edibles on an as-needed basis (only if I was starting to feel panic symptoms, which I've heard some people do with other meds).
So I used it that way for about 3 months. I don't know how many grams were in the cookies that I'd buy, but I tasted a little bit each day for the first few days, and figured out what amount would work best pretty quickly. I felt like it was starting to work, to a certain extent, and it certainly helped a lot more than the Zoloft did. I was able to get back on the bus for the first time in over a year, and I took the train for the first time by myself, ever (and I can still do these things even now). On the downside, I'd start to feel like I was craving the effects when I wasn't using it. (But does this happen to others who use their medication on an as-needed basis? I don't know, since I never felt any withdrawal symptoms with the Zoloft. I was taking it at the same time everyday.)
I had to ween myself a couple of weeks ago because I need a new job and will most likely have to be drug tested. But I'm wondering if I should ever try it again, or if it's actually bad for me and I have no idea what I'm talking about. (And if it's even worth it to go the pharmaceutical route again...the Zoloft was pretty bad, and I don't want to go through an experience like it again.)
But anyway, does anybody else have any success stories, or failure stories, using medical marijuana for anxiety treatment, or with self medicating in general?