Need advice on WEED. **FEEDBACK WELCOMED**. :)

[[G-...]]

Hi, I am 2.5 months off Klonopin after a slow taper.  I've had two multi-week waves that were awful. The last one was the weekend that the pandemic started and I drank 3 beers at the wave started a couple of days later.  I didn't know that beer would have that effect on me.  Normally I can drink lots with no issues.

 

My question is about weed...  I am so distressed over the pandemic + my own general health since withdrawing.  Does anybody know is smoking a little weed will put me into a terrible debilitating wave-like beer did?  I'd really appreciate any feedback you may have! 

[Guest [be...]]

Alcohol is the last thing you want to consume at 2.5 months off, not sure about weed though.

[[re...]]

I would avoid any external substances while healing, it is just more recalibration that your brain needs to adapt to.  I feel this is true for alcohol, weed, Kratom, Cava, etc.  They all alter brain chemistry, and meanwhile your brain is trying to normalize what it is supposed to be doing post benzos.

 

If you start adding external substances to the mix then your brain needs to figure out whether this was one time (can it ignore this one use and keep doing the work it was doing), or whether it will be ongoing (is this guy/girl going to make this a regular habit and do I need to adjust for that?).

 

Alcohol and benzos are so close in how they act on GABA that benzos have been called 'alcohol in a pill', so I don't touch alcohol at all now.

 

Cava and Kratom are 'natural', but they also impact GABA which will cause your body to try and counteract.  So the fact that it is natural doesn't really mean it is good for you.

 

Weed is also natural, and I don't know how it works on the brain, but I do know from my extremely limited experience that it causes me to be incredibly paranoid.  I tried a little a few months back because I was desperate to chill, and I DP/DR'd so badly that I truly thought I had permanently lost my mind.  The founder of  a very prominent anxiety support website said that using weed is what triggered his journey through debilitating anxiety.  I won't risk it again myself, but that is just me, and I'm sure you'll find others with the exact opposite opinion.

 

At the end of the day it is your decision.  My buddy loves LSD, but I would never in my right mind try it because I know I'm too much of a control freak and it would not go well for me.  You know yourself best, so you are the right person to make the decision 

 

Cheers,

        RR

[[Gr...]]

Many people have used marijuana to ease the symptoms for benzo withdrawal, though, it does not work for everyone, and could even make you feel worse.  Unfortunately you really can't tell beforehand.  Here is a support group to discuss this on benzobuddies:  http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=165140.0

[[La...]]

I've smoked and drank dailey for over 40 years once i stopped k i noticed it was making things lot worse(before i found bb) so i stopped figured it only be couple months lol two years later still not drinkin or smokin weed i feel you can try those things but if it makes it worse pretty much no brainer

[[de...]]

I agree that once we're in withdrawal, addition of anything must be a decision to be weighed carefully. That being said, I have heard some people say they were helped by cannabis during withdrawal, some people say it didn't do much good but also didn't hurt, and some people say it really had bad consequences.

 

One thing to consider: Do you happen to live in a state with legalized medical marijuana? The reason I ask is that the medical mj dispensaries have professionals who really study this stuff and can recommend certain strains for certain things. Earlier on in my withdrawal, I went to the dispensary and asked the pharmacist on staff (a regular pharmacist who has additional training in medical aspects of cannabis) if she could recommend certain strains to help with my withdrawal. She claimed it was a common problem/question she hears a lot. I bought 2 strains she recommended. Unfortunately, I didn't feel too great after 3 tries, and I gave up on the process. (Fortunately at least in my case, the negative effects did not linger; I just felt more anxious for a few hours).

 

When I was tapering antidepressants last year, I found the marijuana to help me with the insomnia; I've also used medical-grade cannabis for post-cancer treatment pain syndrome. Unfortunately, now that I'm in benzo withdrawal, my brain is altered in a way that cannabis doesn't seem to help me these days.

 

Anyway, long story short, if you decide to try going this route, I recommend consulting someone who really knows the ins-and-outs of the different strains, as not all cannabis is the same.

[[Ra...]]

29 months off took 5 tiny doses of CBD oil in a two month wave and insane

[[Mi...]]

Our brains need a break to heal. Adding anything can make it more difficult, alcohol, weed, caffiene, sugar, salt, MSG, supplements. I know it SUCKS and is painful mentally & emotionally. The more squeaky clean your system the better.

[[Ca...]]

Well, everyone reacts differently to weed. I personally am a pretty big lightweight; although, I honestly think my tolerance may be going up since I got off of clonazapam possibly. I am also not sure what you mean by "wave", but I am thinking of it as a bad trip. This is also my second weed post on here and I probably look like a huge stoner, which I presently feel like I am at the moment.

 

However, from what I have found-- and this personal finding reflects current research-- is that weed actually helps with my withdrawal symptoms. It helps with my nausea and, especially, with my cognitive issues. I feel like I can make sense of my thoughts again when I am high and I can do my schoolwork and I can write. It is very good. Knock on wood that it remains very good. I am at almost four months. Three and a half I think. It feels like much longer, but this pandemic has most certainly proven the relativity of time as well...

[[or...]]

Indica marijuana helped me a great deal on my taper. I had unrelentingly awful nausea. Couldn't eat, lost 40 pounds. I figured that if mj helped cancer patients undergoing chemo regain their appetites, it might help me. It did. As well, it helped with insomnia. So, a win-win. I still use it . . . except now I take a 1:1 CBD:THC (Indica). I don't smoke it -- I make tinctures of both CBD and Indica as well as Gummi Bears, which lets me dose pretty accurately.

 

Hope this info helps someone.

 

 

Katz

[[4M...]]

Im over 5 years off and Im a medical cannabis patient. I smoke cannabis indica every day and it helps me tremendously. But every one reacts different to cannabis. If you do try it, maybe try a super low dose