Anti depressants + mmj? drug interaction? Help please

Hey guys,

got started on anti-depressants for anxiety/panic disorder i was recently diagnosed with....curious if anybody else in here is on anti-depressants and still uses marijuana frequently? Ive stopped smoking since i started experiencing my anxiety/panic attacks....really cant find any information online that says its okay to use mmj while on an SSRI....anybody else in the same boat as me?

ive been really paranoid to smoke while taking this stuff, just lookin to see if anybody is in the same boat and uses their bud without any negative side affects? help would be much appreciated(going to attempt to call around pharmacy's and see what they say about the possible drug interactions)

Weed is my antidepressant ... I was put on anti-depressants then got right back off of em... those things do more harm than good.. they dont like to report the 1000's of cases of suicide of people on those pills.... But they may work well for you. I strongly suggest looking at who is asking you to take these things... Most psychs get incentives from drug reps if they prescribe certain drugs... how long did it take for him to decide you NEED these pills or you will be a sad panda?

By the way for month i was on those POS's I smoked like a chimney
Just dont drink on em.

I had xanax and mmj .. It removes the paranoia!

Get off that chemical crap.

http://www.medicalmarijuanastrains.com/?s=depression&x=0&y=0

http://www.medicalmarijuanastrains.com/tag/good-for-anxiety/

http://www.medicalmarijuanastrains.com/tag/relaxing/

http://www.medicalmarijuanastrains.com/tag/good-for-social-anxiety/

I have taken Walbutrin with MMJ with no ill effects. I would suggest trying several strains to locate one that doesn't cause any anxiety. They're out there.

I was put on anti-depressants, they made everythingn worse, i ditched the lot and started smoking weed, everything became easier and more manageable It's my opinion that anti depressants are a fucking joke. Just look at the side of the box, a list of side effects that bad and the producers obviously don't really give a damn about your health and wellbeing, sure, we migt help your depression, and to replace that we'll fuck with your appetite, sleep, give you nausea, stomach cramps, but don't worry, we've some drugs for those as well should they occur

I took Dr. prescribed Effexor XR 75mg for about 5 years while smoking daily..

miscbrah3284 said:

...snip......(going to attempt to call around pharmacy's and see what they say about the possible drug interactions)

Click to expand...

I would not do that. Although a physician has the right to recommend marijuana to a patient Marijuana is not a legal drug nor listed in the pharmacopeia that pharmacists use. To most in the medical field, except the few Cannabis specialists out there, it is a Schedule 1 drug with no legitimate medical uses and that is most likely what you will be told. Further many business phones capture phone numbers and you really do not need that anxiety of having the cops come check you out.

Call the physician who gave you your recommendation. This is where dealing with a Cannabis specialist really does help. They should be able to answer this question. In brief marijuana affects the Cytochrome P450 enzymes which are responsible for biomediation of many drugs. Cannabis affects that enzyme so it depends on the SSRI you are taking and its interaction with Cytochrome P450.

Most importantly anxiety/panic disorder do not respond well to medications. Please find yourself a good behavioural therapist. Panic attacks are most effectively treated with some special behavioral techniques, not anti-depressants, with a good behavioural therapist.

If you would like to read a little about the neuropsychopharmacology of SSRI's with Cytochrome P450 here is an excerpt I recommend:
http://www.acnp.org/g4/gn401000086/ch085.html

thanks for the replies guys, again, the Lexapro was not prescribed for depression, it is a very common and effective treatment for anxiety disorder, which i was diagnosed with.....i stopped smoking out of fear of weird drug interactions....Blue dream is definitely NOT a good one for me, which is currently all i have. Im going to be harvesting some indica dominant strains soon so i would like to experiment, but im paranoid....The anxiety disorder came on quick, and it came hard....completely out of no where too which scared me.

any good recommendations? Im sure indicas mostly, but im not too hip on being couch locked, just a nice relaxing high that isnt super racy...blue dream messes me up bad, and started experiencing my first panic attacks while using that.

i dont mind taking the xanex, i take such a small dose only when needed that it doesnt bother me....i know a lot of you have said ditch the anti-depressants but i was trying to self medicate with weed for a little while, experiencing small anxiety attacks here and there and never really thinking anything of it, but now they happen every day at random, mostly in the mornings...and i havent smoked since i had my first major attack exactly 3 weeks ago....got diagnosed by my doctor who ive been seeing for probably 5-8 years so i trust her judgement....she believes that my fathers recent death is finally taking a toll on me psychologically.

Seriously please consider a behavioural therapist for panic attacks. Panic attacks are terrible things. I've experienced a few and I hope you find effective help.

i started seeing a psychologist, although it was only one time...i had probably the worst anxiety/panic attack thus far when i stepped into his office....my nerves got the best of me i guess. What exactly can they do though?

miscbrah3284 said:

i started seeing a psychologist, although it was only one time...i had probably the worst anxiety/panic attack thus far when i stepped into his office....my nerves got the best of me i guess. What exactly can they do though?

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Not much except label your "symptoms" and send you to the nearest pharmacy conveniently having the script filled on your drive over. To find the real help is like finding the one keeper... You gotta find the one who cares about there job in order for one to be helped. Good people are few and far between. If thats the route you are willing to take... smoke a lot of dank because you will see a lot of shit "doctors" before you will find help. Remember to also choose your danks wisely. Research strains that are less prone to effects that may cause an attack. Not much advise, just my stoned .02.

My wife has been telling me for years to smoke the buddha because she knows (knew) i was a depressed person. Well i kept denying it and never smoked till i was 30, and when i did smoke mj i realized i WAS a depressed person. It completely lifts my spirits better than ANY pill would ever do. Im a firm believer in this stuff as we all are.

miscbrah3284 said:

any good recommendations?

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Yes ....


http://www.medicalmarijuanastrains.c...ession&x=0&y=0

http://www.medicalmarijuanastrains.c...d-for-anxiety/

http://www.medicalmarijuanastrains.com/tag/relaxing/

http://www.medicalmarijuanastrains.c...ocial-anxiety/

miscbrah3284 said:

any good recommendations? Im sure indicas mostly, but im not too hip on being couch locked, just a nice relaxing high that isnt super racy...blue dream messes me up bad, and started experiencing my first panic attacks while using that.

i dont mind taking the xanex, i take such a small dose only when needed that it doesnt bother me....i know a lot of you have said ditch the anti-depressants but i was trying to self medicate with weed for a little while, experiencing small anxiety attacks here and there and never really thinking anything of it, but now they happen every day at random, mostly in the mornings...and i havent smoked since i had my first major attack exactly 3 weeks ago....got diagnosed by my doctor who ive been seeing for probably 5-8 years so i trust her judgement....she believes that my fathers recent death is finally taking a toll on me psychologically.

Click to expand...

Green Crack & Super Lemon Haze to name a couple really good Sativas that are good for depression I suffer from clinical depression and those are two of the best "uplifting day time smoke" in my opinion.

Brick Top said:

Yes ....


http://www.medicalmarijuanastrains.c...ession&x=0&y=0

http://www.medicalmarijuanastrains.c...d-for-anxiety/

http://www.medicalmarijuanastrains.com/tag/relaxing/

http://www.medicalmarijuanastrains.c...ocial-anxiety/

Click to expand...

cool thank you, i got 2 sour OG's and a purple kush going right now im excited to try.....again, anything that calms you and relaxes you, that way i wont get an anxiety attack as that is what im fighting

BeaverHuntr said:

Green Crack & Super Lemon Haze to name a couple really good Sativas that are good for depression I suffer from clinical depression and those are two of the best "uplifting day time smoke" in my opinion.

Click to expand...

scared of the sativas, my blue dream brings on anxiety attacks big time since it is such a powerful uppity stone...again this is for anxiety disorder, im not really depressed....its the anxiety and panic disorder that im trying to treat. I have a super lemon haze seedling though im ready to grow out glad it germed, i havent had any luck with GHS until now.

Sometimes the weed can make your condition worsen though, don't forget that. I find that indicas help whereas sativas can highten the effect of panic attacks. Each to there own I guess.

it is asfe to use marijuana with anti depressants i have done a lot of research and have tons of personal experience. SSRI's are Selective Seretonin Reuptake Inhibitors. They work by blocking the brain from taking seretonin from "the playground" back to "the classroom" for lack of another analogy. Marijuana is said to effect seretonin, I can't remember exact specifics but I would guess it would just increase the output a little.

Seretonin is a neurotransmitter that is involved with many of the bodys regulatory functions including mood, appetite, energy level (being tired/not being tired), temperature, and a host of other bodily functions.Most drugs that affect seretonin are relatively safe with MAOI's usually being the most dangerous IMO (they have a ton of drug interactions up to 2 weeks from your last dose, some that can be very dangerous)

Some people say that the effects of Marijuana are increased when used while on anti-depressants. I don't know how I feel on this subject however I did notice some benefits pertaining to marijuana use while being on anti depressants. I was in high school during this period and I was dealing with a lot. I was put on anti depressants to help with mild depression but mostly anxiety. marijuana would trigger my anxiety because i wasn't using it frequently enough to be fully comfortable with the effects. for example when i would go through periods of daily smoking no anxiety would come about however if i were to smoke every couple weeks or every week or so then it would often result in some anxiety. This nuisance was greatly reduced when i was on a regimen of anti depressants. (my max dose was 40 mg of citalopram [celexa] daily)

Everybody responds differently to medications however the general antidepressants (SSRI's) are very safe with marijuana use.

I forgot to mention that the SSRI's also differ greatly. some can have a noticeable stimulant effect to them especially in the first few weeks of treatment. It's important to know how the SSRI's are making you feel. in terms of interactions they are not going to be dangerous but I know how panic disorder can be and very small things can set somebody off so it's always good to start small. When I was dealing with all these issues I would sometimes take many medicines together. Citalopram (Celexa), Dexedrine (Dextroamphetamine), Methadone, Klonopin, Benadryl...all in conjunction with limited side effects. not recommending this behavior as it can be dangerous, just trying to show that SSRI anti-depressants are relatively safe.