Re: Treating Bipolar Disorder with medical marijuana

Please be very careful of the combination. Marijuana can induce a psychotic break. My husband had the exact same 'positive' effect. Or so we thought. It almost ended tragically. There is a whole lot more to the dangers of smoking it and therefore the so-called Conspiracy theories of why it is so hard to have it legalized etc is trollip.
In Bipolar people +90% of cases turn to a substance of choice because it makes them 'feel' better. It is in actual fact doing a tremendous amount of harm. And masks what is actually going on in their temporal lobe of their brains. Whether it is for a short or long period of time that marijuana is used. It can also trigger 'voices' (hallucinations) and seizures. This is the side very few talk about when discussing bipolar. Most always assume it is only extreme mood swings. Bipolar, as I said is 'located' in the temporal lobe of the brain, in fact in the same place epilepsy can be 'located'. Hence epileptic medications are most often given to bipolar patients as the anti-seizure benefits are very successful. And please, do not forget the hallucinations. Bipolar's have very spiritual religious experiences and will do anything for the belief system they personally believe in. ie. Christian, Buddhist, Muslim etc. They have grandiose beliefs of who they are, some Jesus, the Buddha or Allah for example. Some 'hear' God talking to them and telling them things. Marijuana combined with bipolar sets a platform for the onset of these underlying conditions to come to the surface at a much earlier stage or in a much more serious manner. Individuals who have never experienced seizures in the life, will start developing them and leaving irreparable scarring on the brain and it some cases having to take anti-seizure meds for the rest of their life to avoid an increase in quantity of seizures. Just by the way, these seizure do not feel terrible to a person with bipolar, they are euphoric feelings and in most cases they think it is God or the Holy Spirit etc etc working through them etc etc.
Right now it may feel good to be smoking it up because it is 'stabilizing' your mood, but one day, without warning you will be on a road you can NEVER go back on. It's like playing russian roulette with yourself. On day, there will be the right bullet in that gun that combines beautifully with your chemistry in your body and your temporal lobe on that day... the voices do not go away on their own, the seizure do not disappear and the mood swings are even more erratic... so now you're on anti-psychotics for the voices, anti-seizure for the epileptic type seizures and something like lithium for a mood stabiliser, oh and don't forget the anti-depressants to add to that cocktail.... so was that so called journey of 'herbal natural' drugs worth your while of 'feeling better'....
When doing your Google search, search as if you are anti marijuana even existing on this planet and you will be surprised and the information you will find. Look for survivors of these psychotic breaks. Speak to them. Read their stories. Search hallucinations in bipolar, voices, seizure etc and all of a sudden you will feel as if you are on a new internet. Your eyes will open.
Here's one where to start with that a friend sent to me in hospital when my husband had a marijuana psychotic induced break after years of using to make him 'feel better'. http://www.mtholyoke.edu/~ebarnes/reefer.pdf

When I couldn't anymore and I feared for my life (as well as his) I had to get the police to fetch him from our home and take him to hospital for treatment...at one stage 7 strong individuals could not hold him down...I witnessed this all, survived it all. As has he. But he's belief system about marijuana is nothing of what it used to be. Nothing. In fact, after a lifetime of believing in it, he will now tell you, that is a wolf in sheep clothing and THE most dangerous of all drugs because the stigma to it is so 'irie maan'...
Look after yourself. There are so many other safer choices that can truly help you. I wish you the best.

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