Can Marijuana Help Bipolar Disorder?

Author: Lenny
Category: Dailys
Comments: 18 Comments
Date Posted: November 10th, 2009

There has long been reason to think that marijuana may be helpful to some patients with bipolar disorder, as certain cannabinoids have been shown in lab and animal studies to have effects that ought to be beneficial. Now, a new study from the University of Oslo finds that marijuana use is associated with better neurocognitive functioning in bipolar patients. In various tests of memory, learning, etc., bipolar patients who used marijuana did better than those who didn’t use it – the exact opposite of what the researchers found in patients with schizophrenia, a condition marijuana can sometimes worsen. “The findings,” the scientists write, “suggest that cannabis use may be related to improved neurocognition in bipolar disorder.”

I know for me, I smoke because I suffer from depression and it helps me tremendously. It is way better than any prescription drugs that I have ever tried. Does anyone else suffer from bipolar, depression or anything like that and find that marijuana helps?

KylerDurden

I have bi-polar disorder, and I've been on medication for it since I was 15. When I discovered marijuana at age 18, I realized that it helped me deal with my highs and my lows better than any meds have. I know I'm not the only one when I say this; Cannabis Saved My Life.
- joey
  
  same here man. I'm bipolar 2 and weed has been the only thing that has helped me deal with my mood swings.
ckg

ive got depression. possibly bi-olarwas on prozac for years. been on cymbalta for while. but weed help more than anything
JOHN HOLMES

i have depression too and MJ has been better than any pharmaceutical drug out there. Zoloft and prozac both dropped me hard when I would start taking them, a common side effect. But who on earth wants to become even more depressed when you are already. MJ never has made me depressed, except when I run out.
Court

I haven’t ever been officially checked, but I like to say that “weeds keeps away the crazy”, and this is just more proof. YAY SCIENCE
jph

I was told I was bi-polar in 2004. I knew long before that. Smoking weed was my savior. I was on 2400mg of neroratin a day and 75mg of paxil. The paxil was the worst drug i have ever taken. It made me not want to do anything. I was like a robot. The only time i had some energy was when i was smoking. I had get up and go. I got off the paxil after 3 years. But I gained 60 lbs and ended up losing my wife to a 18 yr old neighborhood boy. When i got off the paxil it was like waking up. I didnt need as much weed to get my energy. My depression was gone and i lost all the weight i had gained. But my problem is I got in trouble over my wife leaving with the neighbor boy. I got 2yrs probation. Of course i can't smoke. Since i can't smoke, I have ended up doing worse things to get over my depression. This has been the worst 2yrs of my life. I only have 10mths to go. I have been suffering with the depression for a year now. I know when i get off probation, i'm moving to a state, that isn't so hard on marijuana users. I just don't understand it, would they rather have me drinking or doing all the medication i was on. I could just smoke maybe 2 joints a day and be ok. What is so wrong about that???
Michele

Bipolar, anxiety, ocd, ptsd….. weed helps all these things for me. My appetite is one of the first things to go and weed helps with that. Helps with sleep. Helps with everything really.
Curt

I'm bi-polar and I have found that smoking weed definitely helps, especially when it comes to sleeping and regulating mood in general. I take lithium and depakote. I feel those medications do a good job of keeping my mood in check, but they zap my energy and kind of make me indifferent most of the time. Smoking helps that out and returns that joy to my everyday life. The only problem I'm having right now is the ability to find it in my area. It sucks.
- jph
  
  Curt, I was taking lithium for my bi-polar, but I found out it is not a good mixture. That is the only drug i found that has a negative effect to weed. I found this out prescription handbook. You might want to check it out. But your right, it does keep my moods in check. I don't seem to go too manic or too depressed when i'm smoking. To me it is a wonder drug. When I found it was hard to find, I started growing. Found everything I needed on e-bay. lol
  - Curt
    
    jph…if you could let me know where you obtained this prescription handbook or if you happen to know of anywhere online. Any info is helpful. Thanks in advance.
- Johnathon Miller
  
  If you want to find weed talk to the people getting on the greyhound bus stations and buses to the college. Usually in the back of the bus. Not biased really like most potheads. But yeah thats a REALLY good place to look. I've got bi polar as well. Haven't tryed it since last 5 yrs. I gust that that that. I was just blosoming my bipolar at 17-18 to early 19ish. ,20,21, and 22 have problems. Oh and look repeating words. the the and and. Lol
http://thinkingpot.com sadie

I use Cannabis for Depression and for insomnia as well not to mention the chronic back pain due to a ski accident….I did have a friend who was bi polar she was on all kinds of meds and I had read a few years ago about Cannabis helping with that disorder so I smoked her out now she smokes everyday and feels much better and her life is much fuller she isn't a pharmaceutical zombie anymore ….In my quest to find the many benefits of Cannabis I have happened upon so many articles that Cannabis can help with autism OCD there are talks of Cannabis helping to cure cancer and prevent Cancer as well and ….hold on to you panties…help fight H1N1 …seems to be that cannabis is a true miracle weed…spark it up if you got it here is to our health =)
savannah

Personalty I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder
I was on meds for 14 years nothing improved until I started weed. I focus better ect but what I find most helpful is that when I would usually have a mood swing with pot my moods are much more balanced
sch

I was diagnosed with bi polar in 2003 i've been taking depakote lithium valium lamital seroquel an another one I can't think of. I'm wondering if MJ would be more beneficial and how to convince my DOCTOR!!!! that it works any info would be helpful.
- http://hailmaryjane.com/ Lenny
  
  Research some studies and bring the findings back there. Some doctors may not be down for it either way. May have to switch.
mike

i have bipolor. i have been on every pill you can think of for 17 years. nothing worked. all i have got from the pills were side effects and also made my conditions wose. some of the side effex stuck with me such as studering cant pernounce words correctly migrains trouble remembering people and what i read 2 min.ago and i developed level 2 insomnia and high anxiatey which i wouldnt leave the house for days. when i smoked marijuana i wasnt deprest i can go out into public and i can sleep 8-10 hrs. marijuana is the best medacine.
britt

I was diagnosed when I was 13. I started smoking when I was 15. Here I am almost 27 and still doing my thing. I completely agree, smoking just once a day helps me not to flip out over every little thing. I have rapid cycling bipolar. Which means I have about 20 mood swings any given day. The medications work, but only so much. At times I feel like they keep me in a manic state. But I light up and come down a little and I feel emotion again.
- Green
  
  Great to hear.