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Surviving Anxiety

theatlantic.com

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Re: Surviving Anxiety

#11

Post by DanBC »

someone903209 wrote: post #6

Weed (because it has no real downsides to me personally) and once-a-year DXM (for depersonalisation) were mildly effective, but the clincher has been learning about buddhism / the tao. I'm not talking about any kind of spiritual practice, but moreso a change in perspective that simply isn't expressed by anyone around me. Doing the unambiguously right thing in the best way in any circumstance with no effort or conscio…

> Weed (because it has no real downsides)

Cannabis can for some users have severe downsides. We don't necessarily know in advance which those users are. People who have a diagnosed severe mental illness are probably in that group. Thus, is someone with strong anxiety a person who should avoid cannabis because it would exacerbate their anxiety; or trigger an underlying psychosis? Or are they a person who would benefit from canabis?

I am strongly in favour of legalising cannabis but I find it frustrating when people claim it has no downsides.

Re: Surviving Anxiety

#12

Post by cbd1984 »

jawngee wrote: post #2

I can relate to this. I took klonopin for 10+ years, just recently weaned myself off of it (six months and counting). My first panic attack happened about two weeks after 9/11 on the F train. Top 3 most terrifying moments of my life. I did CBT, talk therapy, all kinds of anti-depressant medications (the worst being Effexor XR, that shit should be illegal) until finding klonopin to be the most effective. Marijuana was…

It would be great if there were better ways to get the active ingredients in marijuana into people without hoping the plant has them in the right ratios, doesn't have the chemicals that cause bad side-effects, and doesn't need to be smoked (which hurts the lungs) or eaten in a fatty solution (which causes weight gain, which hurts everything else).

Re: Surviving Anxiety

#13

Post by someone903209 »

DanBC wrote: post #11
someone903209 wrote: post #6

Weed (because it has no real downsides to me personally) and once-a-year DXM (for depersonalisation) were mildly effective, but the clincher has been learning about buddhism / the tao. I'm not talking about any kind of spiritual practice, but moreso a change in perspective that simply isn't expressed by anyone around me. Doing the unambiguously right thing in the best way in any circumstance with no effort or conscio…

> Weed (because it has no real downsides) Cannabis can for some users have severe downsides. We don't necessarily know in advance which those users are. People who have a diagnosed severe mental illness are probably in that group. Thus, is someone with strong anxiety a person who should avoid cannabis because it would exacerbate their anxiety; or trigger an underlying psychosis? Or are they a person who would benefit…

I'm speaking from personal anecdotes only. The only downside to me is that it suppresses REM sleep, leading to dreamless sleep. This is kind of boring. It's also more difficult to learn something for the first time while high. Don't go to a poker game high and try to learn the game, for example. Psychosis? Not a factor for me, so I'm not attempting to say one thing about it. Extrinsically, there's all of the legal/job related annoyances in additional to dealing with losers who won't do anything without it.

Re: Surviving Anxiety

#14

Post by proksoup »

DanBC wrote: post #11
someone903209 wrote: post #6

Weed (because it has no real downsides to me personally) and once-a-year DXM (for depersonalisation) were mildly effective, but the clincher has been learning about buddhism / the tao. I'm not talking about any kind of spiritual practice, but moreso a change in perspective that simply isn't expressed by anyone around me. Doing the unambiguously right thing in the best way in any circumstance with no effort or conscio…

> Weed (because it has no real downsides) Cannabis can for some users have severe downsides. We don't necessarily know in advance which those users are. People who have a diagnosed severe mental illness are probably in that group. Thus, is someone with strong anxiety a person who should avoid cannabis because it would exacerbate their anxiety; or trigger an underlying psychosis? Or are they a person who would benefit…

It doesn't cause schizophrenia, it causes willingness to be vocal about schizophrenia.

It's actually a useful tool for that, assuming the person isn't an insanely negative environment where they lock them up after they become vocal.

Re: Surviving Anxiety

#16

Post by refurb »

jawngee wrote: post #2

I can relate to this. I took klonopin for 10+ years, just recently weaned myself off of it (six months and counting). My first panic attack happened about two weeks after 9/11 on the F train. Top 3 most terrifying moments of my life. I did CBT, talk therapy, all kinds of anti-depressant medications (the worst being Effexor XR, that shit should be illegal) until finding klonopin to be the most effective. Marijuana was…

Honestly benzodiazepines should almost never be taken long-term for anxiety. They are fantastic drugs for short-term use, but in the long-term they tend to only make things worse.

You don't have to take them for very long to have withdrawal symptoms after stopping. The effects of stopping can include crippling anxiety. Not exactly the best thing for someone having bad anxiety in the first place.

Re: Surviving Anxiety

#17

Post by TheSisb2 »

cbd1984 wrote: post #12
jawngee wrote: post #2

I can relate to this. I took klonopin for 10+ years, just recently weaned myself off of it (six months and counting). My first panic attack happened about two weeks after 9/11 on the F train. Top 3 most terrifying moments of my life. I did CBT, talk therapy, all kinds of anti-depressant medications (the worst being Effexor XR, that shit should be illegal) until finding klonopin to be the most effective. Marijuana was…

It would be great if there were better ways to get the active ingredients in marijuana into people without hoping the plant has them in the right ratios, doesn't have the chemicals that cause bad side-effects, and doesn't need to be smoked (which hurts the lungs) or eaten in a fatty solution (which causes weight gain, which hurts everything else).

From what I've heard "vaporizing" allows you better control consumption without any (minimal) smoke. Probably the safest and healthiest method to consume a desired amount.

Re: Surviving Anxiety

#18

Post by mmastrac »

A_COMPUTER wrote: post #9

I guess this is a good place to mention this in case anyone experiences the same thing. I naturally have terrible anxiety, but for a while I was having even more horrible anxiety attacks. I eventually figured out that taking probiotics made it happen. If you're using probiotics it might be worth a try stopping for a month and seeing what happens.

That's bizarre, but given the amount of research lately tying gut flora and inflammation to mood and depression, unsurprising.

Re: Surviving Anxiety

#19

Post by manmal »

0xdeadbeefbabe wrote: post #7

> Stoic philosophy, and audiotapes I ordered off a late-night TV infomercial. Would a stoic be happy or sad that stoic philosophy didn't work for him?

He would be happy because he's thankful he isn't dead yet.

Re: Surviving Anxiety

#20

Post by chillingeffect »

cbd1984 wrote: post #12
jawngee wrote: post #2

I can relate to this. I took klonopin for 10+ years, just recently weaned myself off of it (six months and counting). My first panic attack happened about two weeks after 9/11 on the F train. Top 3 most terrifying moments of my life. I did CBT, talk therapy, all kinds of anti-depressant medications (the worst being Effexor XR, that shit should be illegal) until finding klonopin to be the most effective. Marijuana was…

It would be great if there were better ways to get the active ingredients in marijuana into people without hoping the plant has them in the right ratios, doesn't have the chemicals that cause bad side-effects, and doesn't need to be smoked (which hurts the lungs) or eaten in a fatty solution (which causes weight gain, which hurts everything else).

With a name like "cbd" () I'm not sure if you're playing naive or if it's a coincidence :) but your concerns are exactly what the medical marijuana establishment has been able to address over the last decade now that it's legal in some states.

Simply extracting the active ingredients of medical grade by heating the cannabis in 1/4 teaspoon of olive oil will only give the patient about 9 calories.

() Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of at least 85 active cannabinoids identified in cannabis. It is a major phytocannabinoid, accounting for up to 40% of the plant's extract. (wikipedia)

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