SSRI's, MAOI's, and Weed

[Wes407]

Hello all. I'm 24 and from Orlando. First of all I would like to say thank you for your time and effort but please refrain from judging me or trying to change me as I promise you it will be a complete waste of your time and mine, there is nothing you can say that I haven't already heard. I am a regular user of marijuana and have been for sometime. I go back and forth with it but the reality is that it is a part of my life and I enjoy it. Unfortunately I also have an anxiety disorder and I have tried a few SSRI's (Effexor/Lexapro) and don't like them for a number of reasons, sexual side effects I'm sure you're all familiar with, and also it completely diminishes the marijuana high (especially if you're a regular smoker). I simply can't have that.

I happened to read somewhere that MAOI's can potentiate a mushroom experience and figured that if they do that then maybe at the very least they wouldn't diminish a marijuana high.

What I'm basically getting at is there a MAOI or anything that might help with my anxiety that would allow me to still get high without a diminished effect?

Also, are there any other alternatives to perscription meds for anxiety besides SAMe (which kills my stomach), 5htp (which doesn't seem to do much) and St. John's Wort (which fries you in the sun)?

It is so incredibly irritating (not that you care) and arbitrary that something that can help (SSRI) you does something like that. It doesn't do anything to the alcohol buzz but make you crazy when you drink (or in my case just crazIER) which I can't do as I'm a true alcoholic anyhow. It has gotten me aressted like 4 times. I'm a psycho when I drink (drank every day for years, started at 16, been sober for a couple years now). At least with weed, there is never a loss of control.

Thanks for any and all info.

[Robbed]

Okay. Now I DO realize that you say that it will be a waste of time to try to 'change' you, but there is something you should know right off the bat. Specifically, marijuana use certainly causes its fair share of anxiety problems - especially if you are a fairly heavy, daily user. In fact, it could have led to your current problem. Also, you very well might have to make a decision that you probably don't want to make: marijuana use or an anxiety-free life. I should also add that other substances (including psilocybin mushrooms) can cause anxiety problems. So think about this. If you were to just drop ALL substance use, there is a decent chance that your problems might resolve themselves after some time.

Then again, what else have you tried to deal with your anxiety problem? Are meds ALL you have tried? Have you tried any non-pharmacological treatments? The reason why I ask is that non-pharmacological treatments generally produce the best results in the long term and have NO side effects. So maybe you might want to look into this before trying any other meds. But regardless, I know you don't like to hear this. But ANYTHING you try could very well be a complete waste of time as long as you continue to smoke weed and/or use other substances. And trying to find a band-aid solution that would allow you to be (at least relatively) anxiety-free while allowing you to smoke is just asking for trouble.

Now I DO know that you're going to do what you're going to do REGARDLESS of what I (or anyone else) say. But consider carefully what I just said here.

[Wes407]

I suffered from bad anxiety for years before I ever even considered trying marijuana. I go to a therapist, it helps a little. I love it too much to quit, the postive outweighs the negative on the weed, definately not the alcohol though.

Thanks anyhow.

[Wes407]

By the way the SSRI's did help me but killed the high like I said and I'm not bad enough to want to keep on them. The lexapro did work even though I smoked every day even though 2 doctors told me it wouldn't. Shows how much they know. And anyway, you didn't answer my question, you may as well, because I'm going to get prescribed something else anyway (by someone who may not have your intimate knowledge if you know what I mean), and despite what you may think, maybe they won't work as good, but they do still work if you're smoking. Theoretical knowledge is nothing. Everybody is different. I"m sorry if I come off a little angry, I know you're only trying to help, but honestly, I'm just sick of hearing it. I quit drinking, I could have killed someone and I drank everyday, if weed was a serious problem I'd quit it too but its not.

[Mister]

Hi Wes.

I've been a heavy smoker of weed in the past, in fact up to around 4 months ago.. while I was taking SSRI's. Tbh I didn't really notice any difference that the effect had on me... But like you say, these things affect different people in different ways.

I used the smoke, and still sometimes the alcohol, to alter my mid state because I felt that it helped me escape from the thoughts I had going thru my mind all the time.

I'm 31 now, but have smoked it constantly (with a few breaks of a number of months in this time) since I was around 17.

I'm getting therapy at the moment, and was totally honest with my therapist about my smoking habits, and she actually just accepted that I smoked it... She did say that it can 'cloud' the thought processes, and stop me from being able to deal with things rationally... But if I believed it helped me, then that wasn't such a bad thing.

I guess that would depend on whether I just wanted to mask my problems to get thru the day... or if I wanted to stop smoking and deal with all my issues to resolution.

So a number of months ago, after about a year of taking the SSRI's and 4 months of therapy, I stopped, and I'm so glad I did.

But, just because it was right for me, that doesn't mean that it'd be right for you, I just wanted to share my experience of the matter you've asked about.

Good luck in getting yourself sorted :)

[BobaFett49]

I'll admit that I have a history of dependence on certain substances myself to ease the pain and/or transport me away, even if its just for a few hours. My escape was painkillers; it was soooo good to escape even just for a few hours. Every conversation was more interesting, every song was more meaningful, and I was just happy and calm for seemingly no reason, while around me life was still going on. I could go up to ANYONE and start a conversation, something I'd never do sober; it essentially made it like anxiety did not even exist.

Of course that was last year, I basically became addicted and realized I had a problem and just stopped cold turkey. You talk about anxiety....wow....those 3 weeks of withdrawal were Hell.

I have smoked weed, here and there, and for the most part it puts me in a dreamy state where I really could care less about much of anything. Fighter jets could fly over and bomb the apartment and I wouldn't care. I did one time have a massive but seemingly toned-down anxiety attack once when coming off a weed high. But I had already been chewing over a few things before we smoked out.

[isis2383]

I smoked weed for 5 years straight and just to let you know marijuana can increase the possibility for anxiety (not with everyone but it is possible). Yeah sounds crazy I know. I never had anxiety when I got high until one day I had a major panic attack and every time I tried smoking after that I got anxiety attacks. Guess it was my time to put the drugs and alcohol to rest.

You're going to do what your going to do. I see that you are defensive about smoking weed and are defending the fact that using it is not a problem. Denial is the key word. Sure you can quit anytime (I personally dont find weed to be a physical addiction but a mental one) but obviously you dont want to because you like the effects of it... Hence as a result you have a dependency on it.

Anyways since you dont want lectures or suggestions to make any changes I wish you the best of luck.

[Alexcambridge]

About your MAOI theory, I'm not sure if it will have any major effect on the weed high because MAOIs specifically effect the highs of drugs that are associated with the serotonin system: ecstasy (this interaction is v. dangerous) and 'classic' hallucinogens (makes them much stronger, though not physically dangerous) for example.

I know of people with anxiety who found that weed really helps (I on the other hand do not think it helps). It depends from person to person. You just need to be open to the possibility that it may be causing problems. If it genuinely isn't then it may not be an issue.