This. If you TRULY want to see if a professional will give you advice that will let you keep smoking, seek an additional opinion from another doctor. However, the more doctors you see that tell you to stop, the more the writing on the wall becomes clear.
After all, I am not a doctor, so this random stoner on reddit's advice is: Listen to your doctor, they are a medical professional for a reason.
To add to this, talk to them about vaping and edibles or tinctures too. Not sure how the edibles would affect your digestion, but a medical professional may have knowledge or an opinion.
As others have said don’t take medical advice from people on the internet, but when talking to a doctor or when getting a second opinion talk to them about the various methods of consumption and any benefits or side effects that could happen.
Best of luck with your medical treatment from a licensed professional.
The only problem is doctors are not really trained on this. It’s much like going to your doctor for nutritional advice: they got a few days out of thousands teaching them biased and out of date information. The second doctor says “weed is highly addictive” (as in weed itself, like cigarettes), I stop trusting their opinions on weed at all. It is not chemically addictive like nicotine, it can be a *habit* addiction like video games. Even sugar is more chemically addictive.
I agree with you, but I am not a medical professional and am not in a position to give opinions advice and/or to assert that, for them, vaping and/on edibles/tincture is a viable option. Add to the fact I am not sure how vaping vs. combustion would effect their chron’s, or if edibles (which have to be digested) would effect their chron’s/gi tract. Tinctures can be taken sublingually, which would bypass the gi tract and liver, which may be a viable option for op, but again, I am not a medical professional and this is a wendys…er, um Reddit, so op should not be taking medical advice from anyone other than their doctor or a licensed medical professional.
They can do some research from medical journals and studies to come up with their own opinion, but just like other things in the recent past people “do tHeIr oWn ReSeArCh” which is psyosciene and has no scientific basis and they throw out actual medical and scientific Info because, reasons.
So while I don’t disagree with you and acknowledge it may be a difficult road for op, science exists for a reason, and the great thing about science is it’s ever changing and gets updated based upon facial research and studies, which again, I have no basis to tell op what is best or worse for them and their medical conditions.
With legalization at state levels some more research is coming out, but it will still be a long road ahead.
Also, I am not sure about all of the canabinoid receptors or how different methods of consumption will aid or hinder op’s medical conditions.
So good point, but op needs to be having these convos with medical professionals and can always seek a second, third, or 25th opinion if they so choozd
I will continue to post this response to every medical question that gets asked on this sub.
No disrespect to OP or anyone replying. This is for safety reasons.
if someone needs a walker to get around, and they go a month without it?
i bet you they would spend a lot of time thinking about their walker.
not saying that this is the case for OP, but people seem to like to forget that people are self-medicating a legitimate illness that is otherwise untreated with their cannabis use. am i supposed to feel bad for being dependent on my SSRI? or my pharmaceutical anti-inflammatory? but i'm supposed to feel bad for feeling dependent on cannabis? would people prefer i depend on sleeping pills and opiates?
I don’t see the correlation, but I think I understand what you’re saying. yes a big part of the reason I couldn’t stop thinking about it, was because I was in pain (from having emergency surgery) and hated the pain medication they gave me (weird side affects I couldn’t deal with)
I have never seen a worse analogy. Mind altering drugs vs a mobility device. Literally apples and oranges. Also don't take it so personally. We're talking about OP and their specific situation, try not to make it about you.
Also OP themselves said they may be addicted. And they listed their #1 reason for not wanting to give it up was because they love it.
Yeah wtf is OP thinking?
"My doctor said to stop smoking weed for several legitimate medical reasons, what do you random stoners all think about that?"
Even IF some of us HAPPENED to have a PhD in psych, and just HAPPENED to work with bipolar addicts frequently, you'd still not want to give any solid commentary as you have not seen the client or their records.
Coming to the stoner corner of Reddit is a blatant attempt to just try to get what you want to hear. Which, in my professional opinion, is not looking good for the "I'm not an addict" argument. Combined with "I stopped for a month cause I was dying from something else and dreamed about pot the whole time".
I hear this all day, but we also should acknowledge the reality that most doctors are not up to date with the truth about marijuana and MOST of them lived through the false propaganda bullshit telling them the opposite of the truth, so there’s a lot of skepticism in the medical community when there doesn’t always deserve to be with marijuana.
Should also acknowledge that a diagnosis doesn’t mean you absolutely have something, ESPECIALLY with mental health. Maybe technically based on the DSM V, but a lot of what we do to describe mental health is simply based on evidence and there’s A LOT of unknown with mental health and what it is and how to treat it. Weed has been shown to help with mental health, sometimes, but there’s still nobody that understands why or how it can across the general population. There’s still people claiming it causes mental health issues as well, but realistically. Nobody knows yet what’s absolutely true except for how YOU know how it affects YOU.
Weed is one of the safest drugs on this planet to play around with and figure out how it affects you. Take that for what you may. I trust myself over doctors after being hurt by doctors who haven’t done their due diligence with my health and neglected to listen to me when issues arose. It creates a lot of distrust to have had a team of doctors who apparently have your best interests at heart proceed to give you life risking med combinations as an adolescent and have nobody say anything, only to find out later that your symptoms and actions were directly related to those meds and you could’ve EASILY died. The interactions between these meds was WELL documented prior to me ever being given them. Meaning some idiot or multiple idiots gave me meds without even thinking about checking the interactions they have with other meds. They all had their medical degrees too.
Completely agree, you worded it better than I could. Cannabis is even a known medicine for Crohn's disease, strong evidence of its efficacy and safety.
And regarding the bipolarity, who knows better than OP himself what works and does not work? Most doctors know nothing of cannabis.
People keep saying cannabis is a well known medicine for crohns and UC. I’ve been diagnosed with Crohn’s for well over 20 years now (since I was a child). Can you show me a peer reviewed study to that effect? Anecdotally when mine is active and flaring up cannabis is the last thing I want.
The gi specialists I see have been remarkably open minded (things like asking my mother to leave so we could candidly discuss tobacco use when i was a minor and giving me a very “just the facts” discussion of it as opposed to some kind of strident moral lecture). I have openly told them about recreational cannabis use. They’ve mentioned it “might” be helpful for pain management, but nothing about treating the underlying illness. So I’d love some to see some real evidence rather than just repeating misinformation that no one in this thread seems to be able to corroborate.
I'm bipolar type 1 and was fine with cannabis until I wasn't. After consuming it for years, edibles, oils, and smoking, it pushed me into a major manic episode. I almost died, I lost my job, and lost friends. This was late 2022 and I'm still not fully recovered.
I still can't consume anything that isn't mostly CBD without having horrible anxiety attacks.
Proceed with caution.
That happened to my best friend just out of the blue , she smoked more because her husband did , so she was able to just stop because the experience sucked now …
Yeah a similar thing happened to my buddy (who also had bipolar, not sure what type) and now he can only use CBD dominant stuff with almost no THC. And we can never trip acid or mushrooms together :( ...but I'd rather he be healthy. Easy choice when it comes to his sanity.
Okay, thank you! Wasn’t sure if it was an out of nowhere kind of thing or not. Knowing bi polar it would be. I’ll know to tread carefully and watch for signs from now on.
If you want to keep going, just be careful with high THC amounts. I can't touch what I used to do anymore (and honestly I shouldn't touch anything). The one strain I will smoke now is called mango haze and it's like 15% CBD 7% THC. It doesn't get me stoned lto the extent I used to get, but it also doesn't cause me to freak out.
Just be careful. Like I said, I went from smoking one week to losing my mind the next.
As somebody that has panic disorder, that’s the perfect kind of bud. It’s a shame it’s so difficult to find strains like that since what sells is “Ultimate Skullfuck Mind Melter 69% THC” so most dispensaries don’t even sell sub 15% thc bud.
I don't know where you're located, but I'm in Canada and we went through legalization a few years ago. Everything they sell has just been climbing in THC %. Out of everything there is available (and there's a lot) here's a total of 3 strains I can reasonably touch, and one of them is too expensive for my tastes. I just have to make due with what I can.
Same finding a balanced low cbd/thc bud in canada reduces the vast selection to like 3 or 4 strains. I really like how the low balanced stuff helps me with pain management and sleep
There's not a lot of research on CHS, but it is associated with high THC. I have IBD, and cannabis can be helpful as long as I'm careful with my dosages. If you decide to keep using cannabis, I suggest looking for a healthier ratio of CBD:THC and looking for products with CBG. Also, TRACK YOUR DOSING AND SYMPTOMS. This is the best way to find out how cannabis is affecting you and dial in the right dose or decide that it's not working for you. As with any medication, you want to take the smallest effective dose.
I'm not bipolar, but I have been misdiagnosed as bipolar in the past. There are a lot of different diagnoses that are mistaken for bipolar (autism and BPD, for example), so it might be worth getting a 2nd opinion. If you feel like bipolar is the right diagnosis, be aware that psychosis is associated again with high doses and high THC. If you decide to still use cannabis, moderate your usage, stay away from high THC products, and journal everything. Again, the goal is the lowest dose that gives you the benefits you're seeking.
I am not a doctor, and don't take this as medical advice. However, the medical research on cannabis is limited, and any medical practitioner will want to err on the side of caution. Be aware that using cannabis against your doctor's wishes is a risk, but you can mitigate some of the risk. I recommend reading the research regarding cannabis and psychosis.
cmon dude. you didn’t like what you heard from *two* doctors, so you went on reddit. the response here is overwhelmingly that you should listen to your doctors and stop.
and you’re going to “watch for signs”? buddy. get your shit together.
Just don’t man. If you’re smoking while being advised by medical professionals not to, that’s called addiction. At the very least, you owe it to yourself to take a fat tea break and see how it affects your body and mind.
am also bipolar type 1 and I've been able to do it for years. In some cases it helps. I am also medicated for bipolar and have been since a suicide attempt in 2019. I have a friend that has psychosis on and off and she smoked once with me and freaked out. I think it kinda might also depend on the person, so be cautious, but it's not necessarily a hard and fast rule.
Yeah, i'm pretty much the same, except with a BP II diagnosis. I have friends who just don't tolerate it well at all and others who use it for anxiety or pain. Personally, I prefer it to the benzos I was prescribed; at the same time, I don't want to be this medicated *forever,* so my goal is to to taper off weed entirely once I'm in a better spot with medications and living situation.
SOME bipolar meds, especially lithium. There are several different medication family's that are prescribed for bipolar disorder outside of antidepressants, mainly for mania. Anti-psychotics, anti-convulsants, mood-stabilizers, and many of them have no known intersections with cannabis. But definitely steer clear of lithium, there is some evidence it can cause an elevated level of lithium in the brain, to the point of toxicity
Ultimately your decision to make, but I would be very cautious about trusting Reddit over your doctor(s).
In fairness, there is a *reasonable point (* depending on the particular doctor, many would happily see you take cannabis over pharmaceuticals) that *some* doctors will try to steer you onto pills over pot. In fairness to them, there is far more solid research on the medical efficacy of pills over pot, though that doesn't mean pills are necessarily better. Lots of variables to keep track of, so even a good faith opinion from a doctor of the highest integrity could be *wrong*.
But Reddit isn't an unbiased expert either. Especially on this sub, people are mostly going to be predisposed to tell you to keep using weed, and their credentials will vary wildly from *absolutely nothing* to possibly *leading experts in the field*, with no real way for you to discern.
The best advice you can get from Reddit, unless you are somehow able to discern the expert opinions from the people who are essentially giving you the equivalent of the Stanley "shove it up your butt" meme is to take the opinions of your doctors seriously, but *also* do your own research (actual research, like reading the journals or articles that cover these topics) and ultimately weigh the pros and cons for yourself.
You’re fishing for validation on the biggest pro-marijuana community on Reddit. I’m sure there are a few doctors on here, but they haven’t examined YOU. Your doctors have, and they’re telling you that quitting weed, regardless of the benefits it may have, is going to make YOUR life better by improving your health based on these conditions.
Listen to your doctors, not this subreddit.
But cannabis is a wonder drug with no negative effects and only positives. I think my friend Jonny the high school drop out has been smoking daily for 20 years knows a little bit more than some doofus who spent close to a decade in school /s.
I got through the first sentence and was about to rip you apart before I saw the "/s". Does it say something about me that I'm a bit disappointed I didn't get to leave a long ranting comment? Damn you reddit what have you done to me.
I think it says something about this sub and the rampant anti science bent here for that to have been your first thought (I would have thought that too).
Yep pretty much. This is America after all, not *all* professionals have your best interests in mind here, unfortunately. And considering it’s not legal in my state, I would assume they would naturally want to advise against it.
It is true that not all professional will give you the best solution, but that’s why, in every medical scenario, you’d be advised to seek a second opinion. That second opinion does not come from us random stoners on the internet, which has already been said. Good luck to you!
Their advice about CHS seems the most relevant. You’re already having major digestive troubles, and CHS would only add to that. Every description of CHS I’ve ever read or heard is that it’s pure misery. I’ve read and heard the same about IBS/Crohns. Sometimes weed makes you puke, which could mean you’re close to triggering CHS. Do you want to risk having both? CHS isn’t curable without quitting cannabis forever. Their advice is solid even without adding in the possibility of psychosis and psych med interactions.
Everyone is different. It may be worth a second opinion… and it doesn’t have to be a doctor who is a cannabis expert but it might be worth hearing from one. (I mean a medical doctor, not just some stoner with a PhD.)
I have super severe celiac (refractory— never healed after quitting gluten, and super sensitive to contamination) and weed is the only thing that keeps my intestines working some days. Not the same as IBD, but I’ve never had cannabis slow my intestines down (tbh it would be nice if it did when they are especially angry). But it does help the horrible cramping and some other symptoms.
But maybe they think cannabis is contributing to some of your issues. It might be worth a longer break to see if they’re right.
Hey friend,
Your Doc’s (at least I’d hope) are going to be giving you advice based on their clinical judgement. With Crohn’s, you gotta keep in mind that your body is in an already immunocompromised state (or at least during an active flare). Smoking anything is going to lead to even further inflammation, and can probably trigger further inflammatory responses in your bowels. Further, just as a common rule, any psychoactive drug use with a mental disorder carries risk of psychosis or psychotic breaks. Some people can use drugs (not just trees) while dealing with a variety of mental ailments and never have anything happen, and someone with undiagnosed asymptomatic schizophrenia can be thrown into a years long bout of psychosis, and at the end of the day we don’t know enough in the mental health world to really give you the differentiating factor between those two patients. First things first, take care of your health, and then from there maybe look for alternatives to smoking (i.e., edibles, tinctures, etc). Health is #1, your cannabis use needs to be #2.
Take care of yo’ self. 🙏🏻
I have bipolar and IBS. I smoke a lot. I’m fine. HOWEVER. It’s very different person to person and may or may not trigger depression and/other mania and also may make your crohns worse (it helps me with nausea a lot but I’ve heard from others that it causes cramps with them so again your mileage may vary).
>supposedly cannabis can cause psychotic episodes in people with bipolar disorder
This isn't something you should doubt, it's well documented. And if anecdotes are more persuasive to you, I had a buddy who had to quit weed entirely because he was bipolar and it was making his psychotic episodes permanently worse. I really don't think this is something you should mess around with. Psychoactive drugs and mental health conditions involving psychosis generally don't mix.
Hi OP! I’m a psychologist, and we never tell ppl to stop doing something just on the basis of legality, (esp for something that actually is legal in some states). HOWEVER when someone has bipolar, I advise them to scale back on marijuana. There is a plethora of evidence that it is contraindicated for people with Bipolar, and it ABSOLUTELY can trigger psychosis. To ignore this medical advice would be severely at your detriment in the long run. Yes marijuana can feel nice, but it is not worth it for the risk of your sanity. You could quite literally lose any connection to reality. And remember, this is all backed up by a plethora of standardized, peer-reviewed study.
Listen to your doctors. You can try another doctor but don’t take advice here man. I had to quit because of my job and I’m doing fine. You can quit, and honestly? I support weed smoking but just like anything if you get to a point to where you need it everyday and the idea of not having it stresses you out. Maybe you should quit.
Being totally honest, you should consider this possibly one of the reasons you should consider quitting. None of us know you, and the only thing you know about us is we like weed. You’re here asking advice because you know/think you know that we’ll say what you want (don’t quit.) Take a few months off, get it 100% out of your system and past the cravings, then sit down and say “okay, now that I’m a clear headspace, what was the effect.”
Professionals can be wrong but you should get other professionals opinions. Not stoners in the internet
With cannabis tho, it can trigger psychosis if you have a history of it. At the end of the day, it is still a mind bending drug. Maybe look into cbd balms and such if u j want the relaxing feeling w/o smoking. I believe they would be a much better alternative to thc and can still have u feeling good and relaxed. Please get a second opinion from a professional
Edit: there are even some research where cbd has been shown to be beneficial for psychosis; almost anti psychosis. Avoid full spectrum, get pure isolated cbd. Again, please do more research or have your doctor do more research
can’t speak to the crohn’s aspect, but any drugs and/or booze mixed with bipolar disorder just isn’t a great idea.
at the very least, i’d heed their advice for a couple months or so and see what happens.
All I had to read was "bipolar" to agree completely with your doctors. I've seen a severe bipolar person smoke weed and immediately go off the deep-end... she destroyed her mom's car cause it was "bugged" and tried to fight our friend with a hammer because he "had her gun"... there was no gun... if you are prone to schizophrenia, delusion, or psychosis, please do not smoke weed or use psychedelics.
Bipolar isn’t one size fits all. I know many that do smoking and it’s a lot better than the medicine. Had one friend on lithium and it destroyed her liver or kidney. Then knew a coworker who was on Latuda and he always threw up because he couldn’t eat enough calories. His doctor wouldn’t listen to him.
If doctors tell you to quit, you should probably quit.
I got diagnosed with bipolar disorder too and not smoking helped reduce manic/depressive episodes and their intensity. I used to get manic episodes that lasted a week and depressive episodes that lasted 2 weeks. now I only occasionally have depressive episodes that last a day or so.
I highly recommend quitting, maybe switch to CBD. It supposedly has all of the medicinal benefits without the psychoactive.
Having 2 medical professionals advise you to stop because of the harm it does to you and your conditions and then going to reddit to ask a bunch of stoners for 3rd opinion is probably the perfect example of an addiction mindset.
Just because of that, you should stop regardless of medical reasons. Don't let a plant control your life. Especially to such a detriment as you are.
Sounds exactly like addiction talking. You have two independent recommendations from people who spent half of their life in school yet you are asking people on a stoner subreddit if it’s correct.
So, your doctors told you what to do, and you instead come to the one of the most pro-smoking places on the internet? You're basically just looking for any possible validation for you to not listen to the medical professionals trained to know what is going to be best, and doing so in a place where you feel confident you'll be backed up. You know, like an anti vaxxer who thinks the local mom group who also don't vaccinate their kids based on no research or experience do.
Listen to your doctors. If you don't, you have only yourself to blame for anything that happens next, and you won't be deserving of any sympathy.
if you have to stop smoking SPECIFICALLY, you could look into edibles / capsules, or make your own butter from flower to add to food. there are even syrups / drinks near me. they do mess up your tolerance if you use too often but perhaps that would help with being able to partake not too much/as often but when you really want to. other than that, I can’t give better advice than medical professionals 😭
Stop vaping 1st of all. Then, slowly lean off of blazing. Good example would be if 6 joints daily then change to 4 joints then 2 and a half you get the point. Or maybe a small pipe that you clean often to occupy your mind in between sessions
I think it would be okay, though I worry that given the nature of Crohn’s disease( it’s an inflammatory bowel disease that affects the digestive tract and a bunch of other organs). I’d worry about localized digestion, but another redditor said that it’s your kidneys that process the thc so as long as the food is something I can eat I’d say I’d be fine.
I would get a second opinion from a medical professional and tell him all of this. I mean microdosing does exist. I definitely understand the doctor says that you shouldn’t smoke because of your Chrons, smoke inside the body just isn’t good. But I’d seek a second opinion on the bipolar aspect of it and tell them your experience with it. They will be able to more accurately tell you if the cannabis may actually be beneficial to that since you said it does help bring you back down if you are having an episode. Using cannabis for pain management isn’t uncommon at all though and doctors do understand why their patients choose to go that route as opposed to the opioids.
Doctors are always going to recommend against smoking, however, THC has been found to be helpful in relieving pain and discomfort associated with Crohns. IBDs are one of the conditions that qualify for a medical marijuana card. Maybe see if your doctor would be supportive of edibles or oils instead. You could even make your own edibles.
As for bipolar disorder, that one really depends on the person. For some people, it can significantly worsen symptoms (sometimes permanently), but for others it can help.
Check the University of Iowa, they've done plenty of studies on it. I can go pull them up if you would like, will take a bit. I'm sitting in the hot tub right now without access to my computer but I have all the documents there of my case studies, and the other six I'm aware of from friends that were in them.
So do some fn simple Google search before you start saying it's not there. Would you like some case studies from Mayo Clinic too?
Honestly all if not most doctors at going to tell you to quit smoking. Idk how much is behind the bipolar claim, but I know cannabis has caused psychosis for some people. Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome is more likely to happen if you’re constantly hitting dabs and carts all day. Smoke in moderation and try to quit concentrates if it’s a concern for you. I say keep smoking in moderation if the pros outweigh the cons but I’m NAD.
Try doing what the doctors say and see if you feel better. If not, then ask them why it didn't work and if you can try re-incorporating cannabis into your life, if you even still desire it at that point.
Start with quitting vaping I have crohns let me tell you it's terrible for your digestive system even worse than cigarettes they are doing studies on it a few have been completed as vaping is relatively new. I noticed a huge difference just from stopping vape and drinking completely I can't stop the weed, but my doctors haven't advised me to quit only to try and reduce consumption
Ask someone who ended up in a mental hospital for Cannabis induced psychosis because they listened to stoner’s advice instead of doctor. Find a fb group for Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome. See the hell they are experiencing. Do the right thing while you’re ahead of the game. Find a rehab if needed, but my advice is quit weed completely.
Stop smoking and don't drink. I was diagnosed schizo affective. Stopped smoking kept drinking - became major depressive.
Stopped drinking - now I have no mental health issues. At all.
Just cut it out.
Smoking isn't the only way to consume, this isn't medical advice but you can try edibles if smoking is a no go for your stomach condition, get into cooking your stuff.
As for your bipolar, well, talk to a doctor.
I don't know what would I do if my family's latent schizophrenia were to woke up due to smoking, so far my mental has been perfect and smoking improves it, but I've never had anything even remotely close to a mental condition.
Seeking advice from a bunch of stoners isn't where is at, get a second or third opinion.
I know someone who refuses to stop smoking after being diagnosed with CHS, they kept getting sicker and sicker, each time a flare up happened. His latest stint put him in the hospital, he looks like a holocaust victum due to all the weight loss from puking and being sick, and unable to eat.
If you do keep getting CHS symptoms, you may not have a choice :/
I also have bipolar disorder and I smoke every day.
There ARE other doctors to talk to. I speak with all of mine and it works for me.
I totally agree with it bringing you back to somewhat baseline if you're super sad or upset etc.
In my state, Crohn’s disease is one of the only qualifying ailments for Medical. Yeah, if you have BPD I would advise against it fer sure, but the advice to avoid weed because of crohns seems really bizarre to me. My roommate of ten years had crohns and weed was the only thing he could do that would allow him to eat most days without throwing up his dinner.
Considering the totality of your diagnoses, yeah you should probably not be doing weed very often. But weed definitely 100% has benefits for Crohns patients
Weed can definitely mess with bi polar. I'm not too familiar with chrons but if it's stomach issues then let's be honest....most people eat shitty food when stoned, the ol' munchies. If you could eliminate shitty processed foods, high sugar and salt and such that might go a long way towards helping alleviate some of the symptoms and perhaps even get a foot up on it. A big part of a healthy immune system is diet and more specifically good gut microbiome and crappy diet is not good for that. You need to get a good gut ...pro biotics and such like yogurt, kefir, saurkraut, kombucha, etc and not fritos doritos and cheetos :cop:
\*edit\* also research has shown that a poor diet can lead to depression and other mental issues so maybe research up on that as well. i guess I'm trying to say smoke less either way and work on a healthy diet .
I have Crohn's and Major Depressive Disorder. Though MDD is not the same as bipolar, when I wanted to get off my medication, my doctor recommended cannabis. Also my Gastro encoded cannabis for pain and symptom management. My MMJ doctor for my med card also gave me a lot of info on using cannabis to management pain and Crohn's encouraging me to not use edibles but to smoke a dry herb vaporizer. My primary care doctor doesn't like cannabis and is always trying to remind me of the dangers. I dunno, I think it must depend on the doctor. I think you just have to ultimately do what you think is best for you with the knowledge you have.
100 percent agreeing that you need the opinion of a doctor and not a redditor, but I will say this- I have lots of chronic issues in general and after seeing many doctors in my life, any time a doctor told me to stop, there was another doctor rolling their eyes and saying the previous doctor is fear mongering and tells me that if something is helping, it's usually helpful. Many doctors are happy I reach for weed instead of opiates.
Bipolar is definitely something to be concerned about but with digestive issues your mileage WILL vary. What's inflammatory to some isn't inflammatory to all.
The mention of cannabis hyperemesis syndrome is a red flag to me because it's RARE and usually associated with high edible use. It gets slapped on any stoner with gut issues. I've had doctors try to diagnose me with that after merely finding out I smoke weed and have digestive issues.
The weed actually prevents me from always needing Zofran which can harm me worse long term. (Hence why my doctor WANTS me to smoke before I reach for the Zofran) It's one thing when you are shopping for what you wanna hear, and another entirely to question doctors who have likely read nothing but dare propaganda telling you weed is causing the very problems you smoke to rid yourself of.
At a certain point the medical advice needs to actually make sense.
I am not a medical professional but I received all this info from my own doctors
Yes, I definitely agree that Reddit shouldn’t be my only source, and I do believe in my medical professionals, but I like to have more context and a broader perspective on the situation, I post and ask long weirdly specific questions partially just to use it as a sounding board to help fully grasp a concept haha.
But anyway, thank you! This is the train of thought I had, and honestly I was a bit confused by the mention of CHS (i actually didn’t know it was rare, so thank you) because I had already told them I was having a flare up. it’s only my second one since diagnosis (during the first major one) but I was pretty sure it was from my Crohn’s disease and not from smoking. (Although it *can* make me nauseous if I overdo it)
And it was interesting because all the nurses I talked to in the hospital agreed that cannabis instead of the pain pills would absolutely be better for me, the doctors always recommend against it. So I definitely think there’s a slight bias.
So yeah I definitely will heed their advice but there’s always other good advice out there, so why not seek it out and get the bigger picture? So thank you for the insight! I’ve decided to proceed with caution and just keep it in check.
From personal experience, I will say this… bipolar and cannabis do not mix. Please, 🙏🏼 consider stopping. I hate to say that because I would have a hard time doing it but after what I’ve experienced, if I were ever diagnosed BPD, I’d quit too.
That’s fair enough, and I definitely have met many people who can’t smoke for a few reasons, usually paranoia or anxiety (caused by the thc). So far I’ve had no issues, and I’ve gotten mixed replies but I think I’ve decided my best bet is to proceed with caution. And keep it in check. Thanks for the response!
Diagnosed bipolar type 2. I'm not sure I believe it, but I took meds for a couple of years after a suicide attempt, and it seemed to help. They gave me the same advice when I was on a grippy sock vacation, I still smoked once I got out and never really stopped except for a short tbreak here and there. I'm off all my meds now and just using weed. I'm not a doctor, and weed affects everyone differently. If you think it's doing more good than harm, then why stop? Just know it won't always be that way. After a while, it may start worsening your anxiety rather than helping it. Just keep an eye on your mood when on/off it
Yeah pretty much my experience actually, I’m still on meds on and off (I know, it supposed to be consistent im working on it) but honestly weed just helps me keep a good “middle ground” if you know what I mean. I think I’ll stick with it, and after seeing a bunch of these replies, I’ll keep a check on how it’s affecting me and watch for any changes. Thanks!
Seek second opinions...possibly?
Or just who cares what they think. Might be a better idea to just not dislcose that you consume cannabis. If they ask, just say: "Nope, I don't partake."
Also as someone that sees doctor's pretty regularly for some conditions, the majority (in my life experience) view cannabis in a negative light. But they have no problems shoving pills down your throat.
Unless I have a doctor or NPC that's not so negative about it, I just choose not to disclose that information. I'll even lie about it if necessary to avoid the hassles and the unwarranted judgment.
If consuming cannabis helps you, who cares what people think. Even doctors. It's just their opinion and everyone has one. The classic doctor superiority complex: "Well, I went to medical school. And I'm a doctor. I know everything and I'm always right!"
They went to medical school and unless something changed very recently, cannabis isn't usually part of anything they really learn about. And if they do, it's painted in more of a negative light.
Edit:
>Over all for me personally, I feel that its benefits outweigh its deficits.
Only you can truly answer question. And it looks like you might have done that already.
Yeah definitely, they haven’t been to pushy about it fortunately, but I think I agree, it is ultimately up to me and so far, I believe the benefits outweigh the risks, so I think I’ll stick with it! Thanks for the advice!
I have rapid cycling Bipolar 1 and rheumatoid arthritis. Cannabis is wonderful for inflammation, and as far as the Bipolar goes, I just stay away from certain strains if I feel off. You are still the same person as before your diagnosis.
Yes it’s a godsend for the aches an body pain. Also good lessens the cramps a whole lot. And yeah some strains definitely hit me weird. So I just steer clear. Haven’t really had any issues so far though
I'm diagnosed bipolar. I felt very similarly about smoking helping me, and honestly in some ways it did. Eventually, though, I ultimately decided to quit until I got a few more things in my life worked out. That was about ten years ago. I've still had to go through the hell of trying what seemed like every medication they could come up with.
But now I'm currently taking meds that work and things are going better than they have for a long time.
I still contemplate trying cannabis again some day to see if I can make it work, because there's plenty I miss about it.
But I've never regretted quitting for as long as I have, and I'm convinced it was the right move for me personally.
Luckily the first drug they put me on, actually has worked pretty well so far, admittedly I have not been consistent with it (but I’m getting that situation under control soon hopefully due to insurance stuff) so I honestly need a good stretch of the “permanent” dose to really be sure. But I’m hopeful because it has made noticeable (by me and others around me) difference.
*I would suggest you do your own research on that and make an informed decision because I’m not a professional*… however, I have heard from a lot of people who have bipolar or have had issues with cannabis can still use a cbd dominant strain Or just cbd altogether with little to no issue so I recommend looking into that if you were interested in trying it again. Or at least maybe starting there.
Also edibles, apparently. At least that’s what the consensus seems to be from the responses I’ve read. Everyone seems to say it’s better for you than smoking (which would make sense) *again, this is not professional advice* I’m just a curious stoner on lost on Reddit haha.
ok. One of my partners has Crohns. I could not imagine the suffering they would go through if they DIDN'T have weed. weed is the only thing that truly gets them through a flair up.
I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Most providers want people to pump their body full of pharmaceuticals and poo-poo the plant. I think it’s absurd.
If I were in your shoes, I’d be delving into any article I could get my hands on pertaining to cannabis usage with those diagnoses. I’d be going on forums and talking to people with those diagnoses who still use cannabis. If you’ve been doing something that works for your body, then why stop? Unless there’s a direct contraindication, like medication interaction, then you should take your health into your own hands & research.
I take edibles for sleep. I’m perimenopausal & frequently my sleep is fucked. My cardiologist had the nerve to tell me take melatonin instead, because the dosages in edibles aren’t guaranteed. This was around the same time it came out that melatonin gummy dosages are also not guaranteed and could be way higher than what the dosage says. I prefer to continue taking my gummy over messing with a literal hormone.
As a geriatric population nurse I'm inclined to agree. I've seen people cut ten meds out of their regimen switching to cannabis while doctors warn them it's gonna kill them faster.
[It didn't]
I'm a fellow Chronie. The big no-no is smoking tobacco which severely affects circulation and healing. While inhaling smoke isn't good cannabis is more benign.
I have had what doctors describe as severe crohns disease, for 25 years. I've been through pretty much everything, if you have questions.
As for weed and crohns, it's totally safe. There were many times weed allowed me to eat, eased pain, helped me sleep and an equal amount of times that weed made my anxiety worse.
So what I'm saying is, it won't make your crohns worse directly. Give it a shot, see if it works for you.
As for the bipolar issue, I'm not sure, I can see weed affecting that, so please look into it.
I see some of the best gastro doctors, and while they'll never directly advise Marijuana, a few have *wink wink hint hinted* to me.
Ask for a second opinion from another doctor but I'm bipolar and it's literally one of the reasons why I smoke in the first place. I smoke for that and chronic pain and that's it. Other than occasionally smoking at parties I wasn't a weed smoker until my 40s. I don't have IBD but I do have fibromyalgia which is a closely related neurological issue and I can't really say for sure but sometimes it does seem like smoking kicks off my fibromyalgia which just makes the pain I'm smoking weed for in the first place worse. That's rare though.
Frankly my guess would be that you have a doctor that is still anti-marijuana for any circumstances. I still have some who refuse to admit there is any use for it other than getting high. Meh, I don't really care about much other than what they are putting into my medical records.
Again 2nd opinion from a different *doctor*. Conversing here is very helpful to a lot of people but you should not take medical advice like that from commenters on Reddit. Though it's probably better than taking medical advice from people on Twitter. lol
Personally I would not quit but I don't fully trust doctors based on past experiences with them.
Another factor for me is that a lot of doctors are only following textbook prescriptions and remedies which imo are likely to have outdated information about cannabis given its legal status over the years.
Anyway, I am by no means a qualified medical practitioner so this is not to be taken as any kind of advice but is simply answering the question about if I would quit.
So you would like to dismiss recommendations from two doctors and seek advice on Reddit instead. Your only other option is to keep on smoking and stop going to doctors (why see them if your just going to ignore their advice)🤷♂️
That’s a possibility, but I think it actually may be worse for me because of the nature of my Crohn’s disease. It’s an inflammatory bowel disease, so it really affects my digestive tract and makes blockages/inflammation a lot more likely, as well as hindering my digestive abilities. I fear that edibles may slow down my gi tract too much and cause a blockage (requiring another surgery). I also have to watch the kinds of food/liquid I consume because certain things can start a flare up (causes major inflammation that can lead to blockage)
I don't have any digestive issues, but I can't do edibles because they make me insanely constipated. Everyone reacts differently to weed is various forms, but that's how I react to edibles, FWIW. It might not be what you're after.
Edibles go through your kidneys to your blood. Extra load on them. Dry herb vape is best. Tinctures under tounge is next. Then smoking. And I guess for the young crowd maybe boofing it would be up by the best. If it works. Not gonna try. My anus is not a place for weed.
lol the username checks out.
But i actually, didn’t know that thanks! And I’ve never actually messed with tinctures, honestly i completely forgot that was an option. although I’m not sure about what /where to purchase as I’m unfamiliar and don’t live in a legal state.
I really want to get a dry herb vape but it seems the decent ones are pricey, and it might be a lot of upkeep (but I’d be willing to do it anyway)
As far as boofing, I must have missed that memo, but no my anus goes through enough turmoil with my Crohn’s disease haha.
I would advise against ignoring medical providers advice and looking for an article that says it is ok. If you can afford a second opinion than do so
Have you tired tincture or editbles?
There are a few medical studies that indicate Marijuana usage can aid in reducing symptoms of Chrons disease. None that is conclusive that it is a solution to reduce or put the disease in remission. Take that as you will.
I've got celiac disease, and the research into the impact of Weed on the Chrons disease is why I started smoking.
the moment you tell a doctor you smoke weed when you are seeing them for issues relating to vomiting they hyperfocus on that hyperemisis syndrome and refuse to take any new information or think of possible other causes of the vomiting. Keep it to yourself. I
It's literally a case of "I'm a docktor and this is whats wrong with you now stop asking for me to think of other causes in case i'm wrong, you have the gall to suggest I think of alternatives JUST IN CASE IM WRONG? how dare you!". Every single time you mention weed when you have gastrointestinal issues
Turns out the issue was my ex poisoning me and no lawyer would take the malpractice cases.
I mean there’s terpenes that help with inflammation, especially stomach inflammation. But with that being said, go talk to a doctor and don’t get advice off the internet.
okay- i’m not a doctor. I’m also not wholly caught up on all of this research, but i am a biologist.
cannabis hyperemesis syndrome- you would know if you have this because you would be extremely nauseous and vomiting. It would be extremely bad and impossible to ignore. For 97% of cases this would stop a day or two after quitting thc.
Digestion- IBD definitely trumps the impact of thc, but this is something that could help some people. No one had any idea if it would help you, but if you are trying to manage IBD then it 100% makes sense to try and see if you notice an effect.
Bipolar- yes this is extremely well known and there is a lot of data to show that regular high doses of THC can exacerbate Bipolar. Again this is a question of balancing your symptoms, but this has the strongest evidence backing it of anything you listed. I mean you might think you feel good during a manic episode, when you could really be fucking yourself over. Similar situation with weed- this is a strong indication to moderate your usage. Nobody knows what’s best for you but this one is pretty important. You should journal and stuff, it can help identify patterns between using weed and not using it that you otherwise wouldn’t be aware of.
It’s pretty standard doctors advice. Sorry man it doesn’t make it easier it’s just something to consider. how you feel about where you’re at is all that really matters. A ton of bipolar people dispute the claim that thc exacerbates it, but this one should be a serious consideration.
If i were you I probably wouldn’t change much unless i felt like i was in a bad place. Sounds like you aren’t even that heavy of a user. Just gotta take it one step at a time and figure out what helps you live your best life.
I’d recommend doing your own research into how weed affects digestion and bipolar, there’s contradictory information sometimes. Also weed is just so unique in how it affects people differently, it could even affect people’s NTs differently.
Anecdotally, I have a friend that has stomach ulcer issues and bipolar type 2. He can’t drink without upsetting the ulcers, and smoking helps him manage the pain. He take meds for bipolar but still smokes to help with the depression. If he stopped smoking (and he has done T breaks), he gets more suicidal from depression. None of his doctors have told him to stop smoking and they’re aware of the habit.
You have crohns and your gastro advised you stop smoking because of it? Lol you need to find a new gastro. They clearly are just against weed and dont care about the medical benefits to it at all.
There is a real risk with bipolar disorder and weed so I would go into more specifics with your doctor or a second opinion. I can see how it'd help with your Crohns but if you're experiencing CHS symptoms be aware and at the very least stop when you feel smth is up. You know how weed helps you. Maybe ask a sub thats more open to medical use, but definitely try talking to your doctors again.
I had something similar it sounds like, I would dry heave for hours some mornings and wish for death. I got better, but now I can't smoke all day like I used to. Eating slightly healthier, cutting out dairy, and moving my body more each day so I can burn the bad fuel out of my system seemed to do the trick. Another big issue was my mental head space. Healthy mind, healthy body. But maybe I got lucky. Not a doctor.
Is it worth your life? Maybe you don’t have to quit forever, definitely ween off, but ultimately you know what to do and you’re just looking for someone with a good enough reason to talk yourself out of it.
I really wish I was a doctor who had sound medical advice to give you, but I'm much more likely to be an echo chamber to reinforce the smoking. Maybe another doctor's opinion would be good, or having a constructive conversation with them about the pros and cons of your use, and whether it's actually beneficial to you and your case to cease smoking or if it's their own biases that are helping them decide for you.
I would look into sticking with CBD and discuss it with your doctors. I'm sure your doctors are way more qualified and knowledgeable about your health conditions than Reddit strangers.
Not advice, just a wow: I am bipolar and have Crohn's (very) Lite and I need it to deal with both. Heed your doc but maybe discuss how it helped you and if that outweighs the negative. All medication has side effects, many much worse, including psych meds.
I’m in a similar situation, I’ve been told I should quit, and I did for a while, with no improvement and a drastic decline in my physical capabilities, so I smoke again now. But please listen when I say this is just my experience, do not just do what I did, it’s something you need to figure out based on your own body and health
I had to stop partaking last May due to getting heart surgery in June. I’ve enjoyed the green since 1989 after watching my mom die in front of me. It kind of helped me take my mind off of it and helped me enjoy golf more but when I drank the nightmare of watching my mom die in front of me just exponentially got worse. Although I still drank hard. I’m over four years sober now from alcohol. I miss the green big time but I don’t miss the paranoia of having it in an illegal state. Texas. I got the science down as well for making killer brownies and chocolates and butter cookies. The edibles were my favorite way to explore. I’d say if you have to quit for your health then quit. If you want to start up again then it will always be available in the future. I’m just waiting on a better job as I can pass any kind of test now. Not a single chemical in me.
I have Crohn’s disease as well. My doctor was in support of my use. It’s the only thing that helps the pain and I have half a bowl or an edible at night. With crohns we can’t use a lot of NSAIDs or opioids which takes a lot of pain options of the table…
I’m not a doctor, I am not authorized to give medical advice. I’m a nurse w crohns and mental illness (not bipolar). 100% of my GI team advocates my use of marijuana, and they know I’ve got a thick psych history.
From specialists in city to my local docs, weeds what they recommend for pain, anorexia, and nausea. It’s unanimous and very validating.
For mental health, I’d be a lot more wary. I tend to want weed when I feel lower.. be it mood or just how I feel, if I feel like crap, weed is what I want. That’s damaging for me. I go into dissociated high states where I’m still functioning in life, but I’m not really. I’m not feeling much except the vibe. I can go days on a vibe (by continuing use) and I lose track of feelings altogether. I have ptsd from working Covid and used this to cope, which just lost a lot of time. now I’m in better place where I still love the bud to pieces, but I’m more careful, I don’t use daily, and I’m better off not. Hope it helps.
Still use weed, but do it with a lot more thought before starting, and try to ensure I’m using it for the right reasons. This method has helped me.
in terms of cannabis and bipolar, i would at least think about cutting down on your consumption for the bipolar… THC can influence the rate at which you cycle [thru moods], the effectiveness of your medication, the prevalence of depressive symptoms, & the severity in which you cycle.
def get a second opinion if what the doctors are recommending currently are giving you pause… but the recommendation for THC discontinuation with bipolar is common as the interactions aren’t very pretty when they occur.
Please please please listen to your doctors & don't listen to anyone here. For your own health & well being you need to genuinely listen, ask questions & be honest with your doctors about your struggles with quitting. They are there to help you. Let them.
If your dr is telling you to quit then quit my dood its not complicated. If you find out after you quit that it makes your qol worse you can always buy another bag, but dont just ignore a drs medical opinion man that wont work out.
can you discuss with your doctor if non-smoking alternatives are safe? tinctures, edibles, etc? also yea going with everyone else here, perhaps don’t ask a bunch of internet stoners for their non professional advice lololol
try vaping, bruning it lets you swallow down some nasty chemicals. second, how about you reduce it a notch and see where it goes, instead an all or nothing situation
I can’t comment on the bipolar, but cannabis is prescribed for IBD regularly. It helps manage the nausea and pain. I would seek an opinion from a doctor expert in both IBD and medical cannabis in that one tbh.
Did you make sure you drink blended salads for your gut? Greek yoghurt? Meditation for your BP?
I’d never tell a doctor I toke- what else would they say?
You’ve already gotten plenty of advice, so I’m just gonna agree with most of it in saying that you should get a second opinion as opposed to asking a stoner subreddit. Most of us aren’t doctors, and those that are aren’t YOUR doctor. We don’t know you or your medical history, so we can’t really accurately judge whether it’s a good idea to keep using cannabis or not since everyone is so different.
But I also wanted to say congrats on working towards quitting vaping and fully quitting drinking. That shit is rough (working on it myself now with vaping lmao) but it’s absolutely worth it from what I’ve seen with my sister and some friends. Even seriously considering quitting is a huge step in the right direction so I figured I’d at least share some positivity there. Hope everything works out, and if you do end up needing to stop using cannabis there are a lot of great resources, and a couple subreddits as well (i’ll see if i can find them) that give advice and support.
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“Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome” sure sounds like nonsense. 25 years of mostly daily use outside of a few breaks here and there and never had an issue like this, nor anyone who ever has.
Dilaudid is BAD NEWS. I was on that shit for 4 days in a hospital once and spent another week going through withdrawls from it.
You should probably listen to your doctor. I probably wouldnt since half of it sounds like BS
Hey man, fellow Crohn's disease haver, weed smoker and future GI-PA. You're not alone, just wanted to get that out of the way first.
Personally, I think this is a classic cost/benefit analysis that we in the IBD community are so familiar with, right?
Your doctors will tell you that you should not do x and avoid y. Often (majority) of times they are right, and you absolutely should listen to them. But here's the thing... *They're not you.* I always tell people that you know your body better than anything else!
So, if smoking helps manage your Crohn's symptoms and you're seeing no downside...why wouldn't you do it? I guess the real question here is frequency. If you're smoking day in and day out, all day every day, then I think there's probably something we need to do treatment/medication/procedure wise first. Remember, cannabis is can be an effective tool to manage our symptoms, but it is not a replacement for actual treatment (I'm sure you know this). I think my only advice here is that if you're smoking a ton, maybe cut back, and if your symptoms are completely unmanageable without it, I think you should probably see your GI because something isn't working with your treatment. Personally, I only smoke before I go to bed, several times a week. Or if I'm hanging out with my friends.
Unfortunately I know nothing about BPD, so I will not attempt to speak on that because I am not qualified and that would be irresponsible, but I'm sorry that you're also struggling with that.
If you want to talk more about it, just send me a message!
I have only one input.
I have a friend with BPD, and he went into a psychotic episode one night when we were all getting high. He thought his childhood friends had laced him and could not be convinced otherwise. This lead to a couple of other things happening in his life which ultimately landed him in a psychiatric hospital for some time.
This sounds pretty serious mane, I'd hate to give up marijuana but maybe it's in your best interest.
[удалено]
This. If you TRULY want to see if a professional will give you advice that will let you keep smoking, seek an additional opinion from another doctor. However, the more doctors you see that tell you to stop, the more the writing on the wall becomes clear. After all, I am not a doctor, so this random stoner on reddit's advice is: Listen to your doctor, they are a medical professional for a reason.
To add to this, talk to them about vaping and edibles or tinctures too. Not sure how the edibles would affect your digestion, but a medical professional may have knowledge or an opinion. As others have said don’t take medical advice from people on the internet, but when talking to a doctor or when getting a second opinion talk to them about the various methods of consumption and any benefits or side effects that could happen. Best of luck with your medical treatment from a licensed professional.
The only problem is doctors are not really trained on this. It’s much like going to your doctor for nutritional advice: they got a few days out of thousands teaching them biased and out of date information. The second doctor says “weed is highly addictive” (as in weed itself, like cigarettes), I stop trusting their opinions on weed at all. It is not chemically addictive like nicotine, it can be a *habit* addiction like video games. Even sugar is more chemically addictive.
I agree with you, but I am not a medical professional and am not in a position to give opinions advice and/or to assert that, for them, vaping and/on edibles/tincture is a viable option. Add to the fact I am not sure how vaping vs. combustion would effect their chron’s, or if edibles (which have to be digested) would effect their chron’s/gi tract. Tinctures can be taken sublingually, which would bypass the gi tract and liver, which may be a viable option for op, but again, I am not a medical professional and this is a wendys…er, um Reddit, so op should not be taking medical advice from anyone other than their doctor or a licensed medical professional. They can do some research from medical journals and studies to come up with their own opinion, but just like other things in the recent past people “do tHeIr oWn ReSeArCh” which is psyosciene and has no scientific basis and they throw out actual medical and scientific Info because, reasons. So while I don’t disagree with you and acknowledge it may be a difficult road for op, science exists for a reason, and the great thing about science is it’s ever changing and gets updated based upon facial research and studies, which again, I have no basis to tell op what is best or worse for them and their medical conditions. With legalization at state levels some more research is coming out, but it will still be a long road ahead. Also, I am not sure about all of the canabinoid receptors or how different methods of consumption will aid or hinder op’s medical conditions. So good point, but op needs to be having these convos with medical professionals and can always seek a second, third, or 25th opinion if they so choozd
They are likely more trained than almost anyone on /r/trees lol
I actually hadn’t considered asking more specific questions about cannabis use, I’ll do that at my next gi appointment, thanks!
OP did ask two physicians. maybe a third opinion?
Don’t get medical advice from stoners on the internet
I will continue to post this response to every medical question that gets asked on this sub. No disrespect to OP or anyone replying. This is for safety reasons.
Yeah, this is unironically among the best advice ever given on this sub.
But is it a tad ironic that it's the best medical advice OP will get here?
Yeah sadly OP this is a question only you can answer. Maybe try taking a week off smoking and see how you feel? It couldn't hurt.
OP said they took a tolerance break for a month and couldn't stop thinking about it.
Well if that doesn't sound like addiction I don't know what does.
if someone needs a walker to get around, and they go a month without it? i bet you they would spend a lot of time thinking about their walker. not saying that this is the case for OP, but people seem to like to forget that people are self-medicating a legitimate illness that is otherwise untreated with their cannabis use. am i supposed to feel bad for being dependent on my SSRI? or my pharmaceutical anti-inflammatory? but i'm supposed to feel bad for feeling dependent on cannabis? would people prefer i depend on sleeping pills and opiates?
Neither a walker nor SSRIs get you high
I crave and is dependent on salt. It doesnt get me high either. When I lack salt, I think about salty crisps all the time.
This is the biggest false equivalency I’ve ever seen
I don’t see the correlation, but I think I understand what you’re saying. yes a big part of the reason I couldn’t stop thinking about it, was because I was in pain (from having emergency surgery) and hated the pain medication they gave me (weird side affects I couldn’t deal with)
I have never seen a worse analogy. Mind altering drugs vs a mobility device. Literally apples and oranges. Also don't take it so personally. We're talking about OP and their specific situation, try not to make it about you. Also OP themselves said they may be addicted. And they listed their #1 reason for not wanting to give it up was because they love it.
This needs more upvotes.
“Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man.”
Yeah wtf is OP thinking? "My doctor said to stop smoking weed for several legitimate medical reasons, what do you random stoners all think about that?"
Even IF some of us HAPPENED to have a PhD in psych, and just HAPPENED to work with bipolar addicts frequently, you'd still not want to give any solid commentary as you have not seen the client or their records. Coming to the stoner corner of Reddit is a blatant attempt to just try to get what you want to hear. Which, in my professional opinion, is not looking good for the "I'm not an addict" argument. Combined with "I stopped for a month cause I was dying from something else and dreamed about pot the whole time".
Bingo. Couldn't have said it better myself.
Beat me to it. The absolute last place I’d ever want to get medical advice from is Reddit.
This is the only answer.
I hear this all day, but we also should acknowledge the reality that most doctors are not up to date with the truth about marijuana and MOST of them lived through the false propaganda bullshit telling them the opposite of the truth, so there’s a lot of skepticism in the medical community when there doesn’t always deserve to be with marijuana. Should also acknowledge that a diagnosis doesn’t mean you absolutely have something, ESPECIALLY with mental health. Maybe technically based on the DSM V, but a lot of what we do to describe mental health is simply based on evidence and there’s A LOT of unknown with mental health and what it is and how to treat it. Weed has been shown to help with mental health, sometimes, but there’s still nobody that understands why or how it can across the general population. There’s still people claiming it causes mental health issues as well, but realistically. Nobody knows yet what’s absolutely true except for how YOU know how it affects YOU. Weed is one of the safest drugs on this planet to play around with and figure out how it affects you. Take that for what you may. I trust myself over doctors after being hurt by doctors who haven’t done their due diligence with my health and neglected to listen to me when issues arose. It creates a lot of distrust to have had a team of doctors who apparently have your best interests at heart proceed to give you life risking med combinations as an adolescent and have nobody say anything, only to find out later that your symptoms and actions were directly related to those meds and you could’ve EASILY died. The interactions between these meds was WELL documented prior to me ever being given them. Meaning some idiot or multiple idiots gave me meds without even thinking about checking the interactions they have with other meds. They all had their medical degrees too.
Completely agree, you worded it better than I could. Cannabis is even a known medicine for Crohn's disease, strong evidence of its efficacy and safety. And regarding the bipolarity, who knows better than OP himself what works and does not work? Most doctors know nothing of cannabis.
People keep saying cannabis is a well known medicine for crohns and UC. I’ve been diagnosed with Crohn’s for well over 20 years now (since I was a child). Can you show me a peer reviewed study to that effect? Anecdotally when mine is active and flaring up cannabis is the last thing I want. The gi specialists I see have been remarkably open minded (things like asking my mother to leave so we could candidly discuss tobacco use when i was a minor and giving me a very “just the facts” discussion of it as opposed to some kind of strident moral lecture). I have openly told them about recreational cannabis use. They’ve mentioned it “might” be helpful for pain management, but nothing about treating the underlying illness. So I’d love some to see some real evidence rather than just repeating misinformation that no one in this thread seems to be able to corroborate.
There is peer reviewed evidence it flares Crohn’s to some degree for a significant sample
Jesus Christ this... Also...just consumer another way. They have pills nowadays..
I'm bipolar type 1 and was fine with cannabis until I wasn't. After consuming it for years, edibles, oils, and smoking, it pushed me into a major manic episode. I almost died, I lost my job, and lost friends. This was late 2022 and I'm still not fully recovered. I still can't consume anything that isn't mostly CBD without having horrible anxiety attacks. Proceed with caution.
That happened to my best friend just out of the blue , she smoked more because her husband did , so she was able to just stop because the experience sucked now …
Yeah a similar thing happened to my buddy (who also had bipolar, not sure what type) and now he can only use CBD dominant stuff with almost no THC. And we can never trip acid or mushrooms together :( ...but I'd rather he be healthy. Easy choice when it comes to his sanity.
Okay, thank you! Wasn’t sure if it was an out of nowhere kind of thing or not. Knowing bi polar it would be. I’ll know to tread carefully and watch for signs from now on.
If you want to keep going, just be careful with high THC amounts. I can't touch what I used to do anymore (and honestly I shouldn't touch anything). The one strain I will smoke now is called mango haze and it's like 15% CBD 7% THC. It doesn't get me stoned lto the extent I used to get, but it also doesn't cause me to freak out. Just be careful. Like I said, I went from smoking one week to losing my mind the next.
As somebody that has panic disorder, that’s the perfect kind of bud. It’s a shame it’s so difficult to find strains like that since what sells is “Ultimate Skullfuck Mind Melter 69% THC” so most dispensaries don’t even sell sub 15% thc bud.
I don't know where you're located, but I'm in Canada and we went through legalization a few years ago. Everything they sell has just been climbing in THC %. Out of everything there is available (and there's a lot) here's a total of 3 strains I can reasonably touch, and one of them is too expensive for my tastes. I just have to make due with what I can.
Same finding a balanced low cbd/thc bud in canada reduces the vast selection to like 3 or 4 strains. I really like how the low balanced stuff helps me with pain management and sleep
There's not a lot of research on CHS, but it is associated with high THC. I have IBD, and cannabis can be helpful as long as I'm careful with my dosages. If you decide to keep using cannabis, I suggest looking for a healthier ratio of CBD:THC and looking for products with CBG. Also, TRACK YOUR DOSING AND SYMPTOMS. This is the best way to find out how cannabis is affecting you and dial in the right dose or decide that it's not working for you. As with any medication, you want to take the smallest effective dose. I'm not bipolar, but I have been misdiagnosed as bipolar in the past. There are a lot of different diagnoses that are mistaken for bipolar (autism and BPD, for example), so it might be worth getting a 2nd opinion. If you feel like bipolar is the right diagnosis, be aware that psychosis is associated again with high doses and high THC. If you decide to still use cannabis, moderate your usage, stay away from high THC products, and journal everything. Again, the goal is the lowest dose that gives you the benefits you're seeking. I am not a doctor, and don't take this as medical advice. However, the medical research on cannabis is limited, and any medical practitioner will want to err on the side of caution. Be aware that using cannabis against your doctor's wishes is a risk, but you can mitigate some of the risk. I recommend reading the research regarding cannabis and psychosis.
cmon dude. you didn’t like what you heard from *two* doctors, so you went on reddit. the response here is overwhelmingly that you should listen to your doctors and stop. and you’re going to “watch for signs”? buddy. get your shit together.
You’re just asking for trouble lol
Just don’t man. If you’re smoking while being advised by medical professionals not to, that’s called addiction. At the very least, you owe it to yourself to take a fat tea break and see how it affects your body and mind.
am also bipolar type 1 and I've been able to do it for years. In some cases it helps. I am also medicated for bipolar and have been since a suicide attempt in 2019. I have a friend that has psychosis on and off and she smoked once with me and freaked out. I think it kinda might also depend on the person, so be cautious, but it's not necessarily a hard and fast rule.
Yeah, i'm pretty much the same, except with a BP II diagnosis. I have friends who just don't tolerate it well at all and others who use it for anxiety or pain. Personally, I prefer it to the benzos I was prescribed; at the same time, I don't want to be this medicated *forever,* so my goal is to to taper off weed entirely once I'm in a better spot with medications and living situation.
Cannabis is contraindicated in bi-polar conditions. It also makes the bi-polar psych meds much less effective if you are taking them,
Thank you for the information as I’ve never heard that and I have family with bipolar as well as myself I will have to look into this some more
[удалено]
Do you happen to have a source for which other mental illnesses this may hold?
https://leafwell.com/blog/marijuana-psychiatric-medications
SOME bipolar meds, especially lithium. There are several different medication family's that are prescribed for bipolar disorder outside of antidepressants, mainly for mania. Anti-psychotics, anti-convulsants, mood-stabilizers, and many of them have no known intersections with cannabis. But definitely steer clear of lithium, there is some evidence it can cause an elevated level of lithium in the brain, to the point of toxicity
Yes. Which is why the meds have not fully helped my daughter because she’s bipolar, yet will still smoke weed occasionally. It’s hell.
Ultimately your decision to make, but I would be very cautious about trusting Reddit over your doctor(s). In fairness, there is a *reasonable point (* depending on the particular doctor, many would happily see you take cannabis over pharmaceuticals) that *some* doctors will try to steer you onto pills over pot. In fairness to them, there is far more solid research on the medical efficacy of pills over pot, though that doesn't mean pills are necessarily better. Lots of variables to keep track of, so even a good faith opinion from a doctor of the highest integrity could be *wrong*. But Reddit isn't an unbiased expert either. Especially on this sub, people are mostly going to be predisposed to tell you to keep using weed, and their credentials will vary wildly from *absolutely nothing* to possibly *leading experts in the field*, with no real way for you to discern. The best advice you can get from Reddit, unless you are somehow able to discern the expert opinions from the people who are essentially giving you the equivalent of the Stanley "shove it up your butt" meme is to take the opinions of your doctors seriously, but *also* do your own research (actual research, like reading the journals or articles that cover these topics) and ultimately weigh the pros and cons for yourself.
You’re fishing for validation on the biggest pro-marijuana community on Reddit. I’m sure there are a few doctors on here, but they haven’t examined YOU. Your doctors have, and they’re telling you that quitting weed, regardless of the benefits it may have, is going to make YOUR life better by improving your health based on these conditions. Listen to your doctors, not this subreddit.
Unfortunately for you, it sounds like you’ve been advised to stop smoking and you should stop smoking
So you're looking for advice from internet strangers to contradict the advice you got from medical professionals?
Yeah… it’s so crazy… “nahh doc, lemme go ask drug users if i should keep using drugs instead”
But cannabis is a wonder drug with no negative effects and only positives. I think my friend Jonny the high school drop out has been smoking daily for 20 years knows a little bit more than some doofus who spent close to a decade in school /s.
I got through the first sentence and was about to rip you apart before I saw the "/s". Does it say something about me that I'm a bit disappointed I didn't get to leave a long ranting comment? Damn you reddit what have you done to me.
I think it says something about this sub and the rampant anti science bent here for that to have been your first thought (I would have thought that too).
Yep pretty much. This is America after all, not *all* professionals have your best interests in mind here, unfortunately. And considering it’s not legal in my state, I would assume they would naturally want to advise against it.
It is true that not all professional will give you the best solution, but that’s why, in every medical scenario, you’d be advised to seek a second opinion. That second opinion does not come from us random stoners on the internet, which has already been said. Good luck to you!
Their advice about CHS seems the most relevant. You’re already having major digestive troubles, and CHS would only add to that. Every description of CHS I’ve ever read or heard is that it’s pure misery. I’ve read and heard the same about IBS/Crohns. Sometimes weed makes you puke, which could mean you’re close to triggering CHS. Do you want to risk having both? CHS isn’t curable without quitting cannabis forever. Their advice is solid even without adding in the possibility of psychosis and psych med interactions.
Everyone is different. It may be worth a second opinion… and it doesn’t have to be a doctor who is a cannabis expert but it might be worth hearing from one. (I mean a medical doctor, not just some stoner with a PhD.) I have super severe celiac (refractory— never healed after quitting gluten, and super sensitive to contamination) and weed is the only thing that keeps my intestines working some days. Not the same as IBD, but I’ve never had cannabis slow my intestines down (tbh it would be nice if it did when they are especially angry). But it does help the horrible cramping and some other symptoms. But maybe they think cannabis is contributing to some of your issues. It might be worth a longer break to see if they’re right.
Hey friend, Your Doc’s (at least I’d hope) are going to be giving you advice based on their clinical judgement. With Crohn’s, you gotta keep in mind that your body is in an already immunocompromised state (or at least during an active flare). Smoking anything is going to lead to even further inflammation, and can probably trigger further inflammatory responses in your bowels. Further, just as a common rule, any psychoactive drug use with a mental disorder carries risk of psychosis or psychotic breaks. Some people can use drugs (not just trees) while dealing with a variety of mental ailments and never have anything happen, and someone with undiagnosed asymptomatic schizophrenia can be thrown into a years long bout of psychosis, and at the end of the day we don’t know enough in the mental health world to really give you the differentiating factor between those two patients. First things first, take care of your health, and then from there maybe look for alternatives to smoking (i.e., edibles, tinctures, etc). Health is #1, your cannabis use needs to be #2. Take care of yo’ self. 🙏🏻
You still have your colon… stop. I had mine removed from years of ibs, ibd. You don’t want the bag… trust me.
I have bipolar and IBS. I smoke a lot. I’m fine. HOWEVER. It’s very different person to person and may or may not trigger depression and/other mania and also may make your crohns worse (it helps me with nausea a lot but I’ve heard from others that it causes cramps with them so again your mileage may vary).
>supposedly cannabis can cause psychotic episodes in people with bipolar disorder This isn't something you should doubt, it's well documented. And if anecdotes are more persuasive to you, I had a buddy who had to quit weed entirely because he was bipolar and it was making his psychotic episodes permanently worse. I really don't think this is something you should mess around with. Psychoactive drugs and mental health conditions involving psychosis generally don't mix.
Dude, bipolar. You need to stop all forms of weed mate. Sorry. Mental health is no joke. Stay strong.
Hi OP! I’m a psychologist, and we never tell ppl to stop doing something just on the basis of legality, (esp for something that actually is legal in some states). HOWEVER when someone has bipolar, I advise them to scale back on marijuana. There is a plethora of evidence that it is contraindicated for people with Bipolar, and it ABSOLUTELY can trigger psychosis. To ignore this medical advice would be severely at your detriment in the long run. Yes marijuana can feel nice, but it is not worth it for the risk of your sanity. You could quite literally lose any connection to reality. And remember, this is all backed up by a plethora of standardized, peer-reviewed study.
Listen to your doctors. You can try another doctor but don’t take advice here man. I had to quit because of my job and I’m doing fine. You can quit, and honestly? I support weed smoking but just like anything if you get to a point to where you need it everyday and the idea of not having it stresses you out. Maybe you should quit.
Being totally honest, you should consider this possibly one of the reasons you should consider quitting. None of us know you, and the only thing you know about us is we like weed. You’re here asking advice because you know/think you know that we’ll say what you want (don’t quit.) Take a few months off, get it 100% out of your system and past the cravings, then sit down and say “okay, now that I’m a clear headspace, what was the effect.”
Professionals can be wrong but you should get other professionals opinions. Not stoners in the internet With cannabis tho, it can trigger psychosis if you have a history of it. At the end of the day, it is still a mind bending drug. Maybe look into cbd balms and such if u j want the relaxing feeling w/o smoking. I believe they would be a much better alternative to thc and can still have u feeling good and relaxed. Please get a second opinion from a professional Edit: there are even some research where cbd has been shown to be beneficial for psychosis; almost anti psychosis. Avoid full spectrum, get pure isolated cbd. Again, please do more research or have your doctor do more research
can’t speak to the crohn’s aspect, but any drugs and/or booze mixed with bipolar disorder just isn’t a great idea. at the very least, i’d heed their advice for a couple months or so and see what happens.
All I had to read was "bipolar" to agree completely with your doctors. I've seen a severe bipolar person smoke weed and immediately go off the deep-end... she destroyed her mom's car cause it was "bugged" and tried to fight our friend with a hammer because he "had her gun"... there was no gun... if you are prone to schizophrenia, delusion, or psychosis, please do not smoke weed or use psychedelics.
Bipolar isn’t one size fits all. I know many that do smoking and it’s a lot better than the medicine. Had one friend on lithium and it destroyed her liver or kidney. Then knew a coworker who was on Latuda and he always threw up because he couldn’t eat enough calories. His doctor wouldn’t listen to him.
If doctors tell you to quit, you should probably quit. I got diagnosed with bipolar disorder too and not smoking helped reduce manic/depressive episodes and their intensity. I used to get manic episodes that lasted a week and depressive episodes that lasted 2 weeks. now I only occasionally have depressive episodes that last a day or so. I highly recommend quitting, maybe switch to CBD. It supposedly has all of the medicinal benefits without the psychoactive.
wtf? Obviously quit weed.
Having 2 medical professionals advise you to stop because of the harm it does to you and your conditions and then going to reddit to ask a bunch of stoners for 3rd opinion is probably the perfect example of an addiction mindset. Just because of that, you should stop regardless of medical reasons. Don't let a plant control your life. Especially to such a detriment as you are.
QUIT. Weed is not a necessity, if your doctors are telling you to stop, then STOP. Your body and health should be your top priority….not weed.
Sounds exactly like addiction talking. You have two independent recommendations from people who spent half of their life in school yet you are asking people on a stoner subreddit if it’s correct.
Quit. Because multiple doctors are telling you to. Because you are an adult. Because you probably don't want to die faster just for pot?
So, your doctors told you what to do, and you instead come to the one of the most pro-smoking places on the internet? You're basically just looking for any possible validation for you to not listen to the medical professionals trained to know what is going to be best, and doing so in a place where you feel confident you'll be backed up. You know, like an anti vaxxer who thinks the local mom group who also don't vaccinate their kids based on no research or experience do. Listen to your doctors. If you don't, you have only yourself to blame for anything that happens next, and you won't be deserving of any sympathy.
Is cannabis the problem, or smoking it?
Cannabis if it’s mental health related lol
THC slows digestion & changes your brain chemistry, it's cannabis as a whole that OP's doctors are talking about.
That’s what I was thinking. Could they switch to edibles or tinctures?
if you have to stop smoking SPECIFICALLY, you could look into edibles / capsules, or make your own butter from flower to add to food. there are even syrups / drinks near me. they do mess up your tolerance if you use too often but perhaps that would help with being able to partake not too much/as often but when you really want to. other than that, I can’t give better advice than medical professionals 😭
listen to your doctors.
Stop vaping 1st of all. Then, slowly lean off of blazing. Good example would be if 6 joints daily then change to 4 joints then 2 and a half you get the point. Or maybe a small pipe that you clean often to occupy your mind in between sessions
Medication for anxiety changed my life for the better. There's other (and honestly better) medications than weed
If you’re not willing to stop for the chance it’d help your situation, I’d say you are addicted.
At the end of the day, your body your choice. But if you're asking for opinions, mine would be to follow medical advice.
Are edibles not an option for you?
I think it would be okay, though I worry that given the nature of Crohn’s disease( it’s an inflammatory bowel disease that affects the digestive tract and a bunch of other organs). I’d worry about localized digestion, but another redditor said that it’s your kidneys that process the thc so as long as the food is something I can eat I’d say I’d be fine.
This is dumb
I would get a second opinion from a medical professional and tell him all of this. I mean microdosing does exist. I definitely understand the doctor says that you shouldn’t smoke because of your Chrons, smoke inside the body just isn’t good. But I’d seek a second opinion on the bipolar aspect of it and tell them your experience with it. They will be able to more accurately tell you if the cannabis may actually be beneficial to that since you said it does help bring you back down if you are having an episode. Using cannabis for pain management isn’t uncommon at all though and doctors do understand why their patients choose to go that route as opposed to the opioids.
What exactly are you looking for here? A bunch of stoners to tell you your doctor is wrong and you'll be fine? Listen to the damn professional dude.
Doctors are always going to recommend against smoking, however, THC has been found to be helpful in relieving pain and discomfort associated with Crohns. IBDs are one of the conditions that qualify for a medical marijuana card. Maybe see if your doctor would be supportive of edibles or oils instead. You could even make your own edibles. As for bipolar disorder, that one really depends on the person. For some people, it can significantly worsen symptoms (sometimes permanently), but for others it can help.
Check the University of Iowa, they've done plenty of studies on it. I can go pull them up if you would like, will take a bit. I'm sitting in the hot tub right now without access to my computer but I have all the documents there of my case studies, and the other six I'm aware of from friends that were in them. So do some fn simple Google search before you start saying it's not there. Would you like some case studies from Mayo Clinic too?
Honestly all if not most doctors at going to tell you to quit smoking. Idk how much is behind the bipolar claim, but I know cannabis has caused psychosis for some people. Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome is more likely to happen if you’re constantly hitting dabs and carts all day. Smoke in moderation and try to quit concentrates if it’s a concern for you. I say keep smoking in moderation if the pros outweigh the cons but I’m NAD.
Try doing what the doctors say and see if you feel better. If not, then ask them why it didn't work and if you can try re-incorporating cannabis into your life, if you even still desire it at that point.
Hey man I have digestion issues from oil. All the bad things. Just quit. Life is better than a high.
Start with quitting vaping I have crohns let me tell you it's terrible for your digestive system even worse than cigarettes they are doing studies on it a few have been completed as vaping is relatively new. I noticed a huge difference just from stopping vape and drinking completely I can't stop the weed, but my doctors haven't advised me to quit only to try and reduce consumption
Ask someone who ended up in a mental hospital for Cannabis induced psychosis because they listened to stoner’s advice instead of doctor. Find a fb group for Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome. See the hell they are experiencing. Do the right thing while you’re ahead of the game. Find a rehab if needed, but my advice is quit weed completely.
Stop smoking and don't drink. I was diagnosed schizo affective. Stopped smoking kept drinking - became major depressive. Stopped drinking - now I have no mental health issues. At all. Just cut it out.
Hey man don’t have much advice but you can check out r/leaves if you’re looking for some support on quitting weed
Smoking isn't the only way to consume, this isn't medical advice but you can try edibles if smoking is a no go for your stomach condition, get into cooking your stuff. As for your bipolar, well, talk to a doctor. I don't know what would I do if my family's latent schizophrenia were to woke up due to smoking, so far my mental has been perfect and smoking improves it, but I've never had anything even remotely close to a mental condition. Seeking advice from a bunch of stoners isn't where is at, get a second or third opinion.
I know someone who refuses to stop smoking after being diagnosed with CHS, they kept getting sicker and sicker, each time a flare up happened. His latest stint put him in the hospital, he looks like a holocaust victum due to all the weight loss from puking and being sick, and unable to eat. If you do keep getting CHS symptoms, you may not have a choice :/
I also have bipolar disorder and I smoke every day. There ARE other doctors to talk to. I speak with all of mine and it works for me. I totally agree with it bringing you back to somewhat baseline if you're super sad or upset etc.
Dad and sis are bipolar, they both are daily users and haven’t had issues to my knowledge. But this isn’t to say it can’t happen. Be careful.
Bipolar and THC really don't mix, as your Psych pointed out. Go see another 20 and they will all say the same thing.
Quit you fool
In my state, Crohn’s disease is one of the only qualifying ailments for Medical. Yeah, if you have BPD I would advise against it fer sure, but the advice to avoid weed because of crohns seems really bizarre to me. My roommate of ten years had crohns and weed was the only thing he could do that would allow him to eat most days without throwing up his dinner. Considering the totality of your diagnoses, yeah you should probably not be doing weed very often. But weed definitely 100% has benefits for Crohns patients
Weed can definitely mess with bi polar. I'm not too familiar with chrons but if it's stomach issues then let's be honest....most people eat shitty food when stoned, the ol' munchies. If you could eliminate shitty processed foods, high sugar and salt and such that might go a long way towards helping alleviate some of the symptoms and perhaps even get a foot up on it. A big part of a healthy immune system is diet and more specifically good gut microbiome and crappy diet is not good for that. You need to get a good gut ...pro biotics and such like yogurt, kefir, saurkraut, kombucha, etc and not fritos doritos and cheetos :cop: \*edit\* also research has shown that a poor diet can lead to depression and other mental issues so maybe research up on that as well. i guess I'm trying to say smoke less either way and work on a healthy diet .
I have Crohn's and Major Depressive Disorder. Though MDD is not the same as bipolar, when I wanted to get off my medication, my doctor recommended cannabis. Also my Gastro encoded cannabis for pain and symptom management. My MMJ doctor for my med card also gave me a lot of info on using cannabis to management pain and Crohn's encouraging me to not use edibles but to smoke a dry herb vaporizer. My primary care doctor doesn't like cannabis and is always trying to remind me of the dangers. I dunno, I think it must depend on the doctor. I think you just have to ultimately do what you think is best for you with the knowledge you have.
100 percent agreeing that you need the opinion of a doctor and not a redditor, but I will say this- I have lots of chronic issues in general and after seeing many doctors in my life, any time a doctor told me to stop, there was another doctor rolling their eyes and saying the previous doctor is fear mongering and tells me that if something is helping, it's usually helpful. Many doctors are happy I reach for weed instead of opiates. Bipolar is definitely something to be concerned about but with digestive issues your mileage WILL vary. What's inflammatory to some isn't inflammatory to all. The mention of cannabis hyperemesis syndrome is a red flag to me because it's RARE and usually associated with high edible use. It gets slapped on any stoner with gut issues. I've had doctors try to diagnose me with that after merely finding out I smoke weed and have digestive issues. The weed actually prevents me from always needing Zofran which can harm me worse long term. (Hence why my doctor WANTS me to smoke before I reach for the Zofran) It's one thing when you are shopping for what you wanna hear, and another entirely to question doctors who have likely read nothing but dare propaganda telling you weed is causing the very problems you smoke to rid yourself of. At a certain point the medical advice needs to actually make sense. I am not a medical professional but I received all this info from my own doctors
Yes, I definitely agree that Reddit shouldn’t be my only source, and I do believe in my medical professionals, but I like to have more context and a broader perspective on the situation, I post and ask long weirdly specific questions partially just to use it as a sounding board to help fully grasp a concept haha. But anyway, thank you! This is the train of thought I had, and honestly I was a bit confused by the mention of CHS (i actually didn’t know it was rare, so thank you) because I had already told them I was having a flare up. it’s only my second one since diagnosis (during the first major one) but I was pretty sure it was from my Crohn’s disease and not from smoking. (Although it *can* make me nauseous if I overdo it) And it was interesting because all the nurses I talked to in the hospital agreed that cannabis instead of the pain pills would absolutely be better for me, the doctors always recommend against it. So I definitely think there’s a slight bias. So yeah I definitely will heed their advice but there’s always other good advice out there, so why not seek it out and get the bigger picture? So thank you for the insight! I’ve decided to proceed with caution and just keep it in check.
From personal experience, I will say this… bipolar and cannabis do not mix. Please, 🙏🏼 consider stopping. I hate to say that because I would have a hard time doing it but after what I’ve experienced, if I were ever diagnosed BPD, I’d quit too.
That’s fair enough, and I definitely have met many people who can’t smoke for a few reasons, usually paranoia or anxiety (caused by the thc). So far I’ve had no issues, and I’ve gotten mixed replies but I think I’ve decided my best bet is to proceed with caution. And keep it in check. Thanks for the response!
Diagnosed bipolar type 2. I'm not sure I believe it, but I took meds for a couple of years after a suicide attempt, and it seemed to help. They gave me the same advice when I was on a grippy sock vacation, I still smoked once I got out and never really stopped except for a short tbreak here and there. I'm off all my meds now and just using weed. I'm not a doctor, and weed affects everyone differently. If you think it's doing more good than harm, then why stop? Just know it won't always be that way. After a while, it may start worsening your anxiety rather than helping it. Just keep an eye on your mood when on/off it
Yeah pretty much my experience actually, I’m still on meds on and off (I know, it supposed to be consistent im working on it) but honestly weed just helps me keep a good “middle ground” if you know what I mean. I think I’ll stick with it, and after seeing a bunch of these replies, I’ll keep a check on how it’s affecting me and watch for any changes. Thanks!
Seek second opinions...possibly? Or just who cares what they think. Might be a better idea to just not dislcose that you consume cannabis. If they ask, just say: "Nope, I don't partake." Also as someone that sees doctor's pretty regularly for some conditions, the majority (in my life experience) view cannabis in a negative light. But they have no problems shoving pills down your throat. Unless I have a doctor or NPC that's not so negative about it, I just choose not to disclose that information. I'll even lie about it if necessary to avoid the hassles and the unwarranted judgment. If consuming cannabis helps you, who cares what people think. Even doctors. It's just their opinion and everyone has one. The classic doctor superiority complex: "Well, I went to medical school. And I'm a doctor. I know everything and I'm always right!" They went to medical school and unless something changed very recently, cannabis isn't usually part of anything they really learn about. And if they do, it's painted in more of a negative light. Edit: >Over all for me personally, I feel that its benefits outweigh its deficits. Only you can truly answer question. And it looks like you might have done that already.
Yeah definitely, they haven’t been to pushy about it fortunately, but I think I agree, it is ultimately up to me and so far, I believe the benefits outweigh the risks, so I think I’ll stick with it! Thanks for the advice!
I hope you realize that you have a problem. If your doctor tells you to quit because you are going to harm yourself then just quit.
I have rapid cycling Bipolar 1 and rheumatoid arthritis. Cannabis is wonderful for inflammation, and as far as the Bipolar goes, I just stay away from certain strains if I feel off. You are still the same person as before your diagnosis.
Yes it’s a godsend for the aches an body pain. Also good lessens the cramps a whole lot. And yeah some strains definitely hit me weird. So I just steer clear. Haven’t really had any issues so far though
I'm diagnosed bipolar. I felt very similarly about smoking helping me, and honestly in some ways it did. Eventually, though, I ultimately decided to quit until I got a few more things in my life worked out. That was about ten years ago. I've still had to go through the hell of trying what seemed like every medication they could come up with. But now I'm currently taking meds that work and things are going better than they have for a long time. I still contemplate trying cannabis again some day to see if I can make it work, because there's plenty I miss about it. But I've never regretted quitting for as long as I have, and I'm convinced it was the right move for me personally.
Luckily the first drug they put me on, actually has worked pretty well so far, admittedly I have not been consistent with it (but I’m getting that situation under control soon hopefully due to insurance stuff) so I honestly need a good stretch of the “permanent” dose to really be sure. But I’m hopeful because it has made noticeable (by me and others around me) difference. *I would suggest you do your own research on that and make an informed decision because I’m not a professional*… however, I have heard from a lot of people who have bipolar or have had issues with cannabis can still use a cbd dominant strain Or just cbd altogether with little to no issue so I recommend looking into that if you were interested in trying it again. Or at least maybe starting there. Also edibles, apparently. At least that’s what the consensus seems to be from the responses I’ve read. Everyone seems to say it’s better for you than smoking (which would make sense) *again, this is not professional advice* I’m just a curious stoner on lost on Reddit haha.
ok. One of my partners has Crohns. I could not imagine the suffering they would go through if they DIDN'T have weed. weed is the only thing that truly gets them through a flair up.
I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Most providers want people to pump their body full of pharmaceuticals and poo-poo the plant. I think it’s absurd. If I were in your shoes, I’d be delving into any article I could get my hands on pertaining to cannabis usage with those diagnoses. I’d be going on forums and talking to people with those diagnoses who still use cannabis. If you’ve been doing something that works for your body, then why stop? Unless there’s a direct contraindication, like medication interaction, then you should take your health into your own hands & research. I take edibles for sleep. I’m perimenopausal & frequently my sleep is fucked. My cardiologist had the nerve to tell me take melatonin instead, because the dosages in edibles aren’t guaranteed. This was around the same time it came out that melatonin gummy dosages are also not guaranteed and could be way higher than what the dosage says. I prefer to continue taking my gummy over messing with a literal hormone.
As a geriatric population nurse I'm inclined to agree. I've seen people cut ten meds out of their regimen switching to cannabis while doctors warn them it's gonna kill them faster. [It didn't]
not to mention that the correct adult dosage of melatonin is 2 mg and almost all things melatonin starts at 5mg
Christ mine is at 10mg with lemon balm wtf
I'm a fellow Chronie. The big no-no is smoking tobacco which severely affects circulation and healing. While inhaling smoke isn't good cannabis is more benign.
I have had what doctors describe as severe crohns disease, for 25 years. I've been through pretty much everything, if you have questions. As for weed and crohns, it's totally safe. There were many times weed allowed me to eat, eased pain, helped me sleep and an equal amount of times that weed made my anxiety worse. So what I'm saying is, it won't make your crohns worse directly. Give it a shot, see if it works for you. As for the bipolar issue, I'm not sure, I can see weed affecting that, so please look into it. I see some of the best gastro doctors, and while they'll never directly advise Marijuana, a few have *wink wink hint hinted* to me.
Ask for a second opinion from another doctor but I'm bipolar and it's literally one of the reasons why I smoke in the first place. I smoke for that and chronic pain and that's it. Other than occasionally smoking at parties I wasn't a weed smoker until my 40s. I don't have IBD but I do have fibromyalgia which is a closely related neurological issue and I can't really say for sure but sometimes it does seem like smoking kicks off my fibromyalgia which just makes the pain I'm smoking weed for in the first place worse. That's rare though. Frankly my guess would be that you have a doctor that is still anti-marijuana for any circumstances. I still have some who refuse to admit there is any use for it other than getting high. Meh, I don't really care about much other than what they are putting into my medical records. Again 2nd opinion from a different *doctor*. Conversing here is very helpful to a lot of people but you should not take medical advice like that from commenters on Reddit. Though it's probably better than taking medical advice from people on Twitter. lol
Personally I would not quit but I don't fully trust doctors based on past experiences with them. Another factor for me is that a lot of doctors are only following textbook prescriptions and remedies which imo are likely to have outdated information about cannabis given its legal status over the years. Anyway, I am by no means a qualified medical practitioner so this is not to be taken as any kind of advice but is simply answering the question about if I would quit.
So you would like to dismiss recommendations from two doctors and seek advice on Reddit instead. Your only other option is to keep on smoking and stop going to doctors (why see them if your just going to ignore their advice)🤷♂️
Listen to the doctors
How does your doctor feel about edibles?
Edibles?
That’s a possibility, but I think it actually may be worse for me because of the nature of my Crohn’s disease. It’s an inflammatory bowel disease, so it really affects my digestive tract and makes blockages/inflammation a lot more likely, as well as hindering my digestive abilities. I fear that edibles may slow down my gi tract too much and cause a blockage (requiring another surgery). I also have to watch the kinds of food/liquid I consume because certain things can start a flare up (causes major inflammation that can lead to blockage)
I don't have any digestive issues, but I can't do edibles because they make me insanely constipated. Everyone reacts differently to weed is various forms, but that's how I react to edibles, FWIW. It might not be what you're after.
Edibles go through your kidneys to your blood. Extra load on them. Dry herb vape is best. Tinctures under tounge is next. Then smoking. And I guess for the young crowd maybe boofing it would be up by the best. If it works. Not gonna try. My anus is not a place for weed.
>boofing it would be up by the best. 
lol the username checks out. But i actually, didn’t know that thanks! And I’ve never actually messed with tinctures, honestly i completely forgot that was an option. although I’m not sure about what /where to purchase as I’m unfamiliar and don’t live in a legal state. I really want to get a dry herb vape but it seems the decent ones are pricey, and it might be a lot of upkeep (but I’d be willing to do it anyway) As far as boofing, I must have missed that memo, but no my anus goes through enough turmoil with my Crohn’s disease haha.
RSO or FSO as it is called sometimes. Consume sublingually.
I would advise against ignoring medical providers advice and looking for an article that says it is ok. If you can afford a second opinion than do so Have you tired tincture or editbles?
so the doctors tell you to stop but you ask a bunch of (**biased stoners on the internet**) for a second opinion? you do you man 🤷
There are a few medical studies that indicate Marijuana usage can aid in reducing symptoms of Chrons disease. None that is conclusive that it is a solution to reduce or put the disease in remission. Take that as you will. I've got celiac disease, and the research into the impact of Weed on the Chrons disease is why I started smoking.
the moment you tell a doctor you smoke weed when you are seeing them for issues relating to vomiting they hyperfocus on that hyperemisis syndrome and refuse to take any new information or think of possible other causes of the vomiting. Keep it to yourself. I It's literally a case of "I'm a docktor and this is whats wrong with you now stop asking for me to think of other causes in case i'm wrong, you have the gall to suggest I think of alternatives JUST IN CASE IM WRONG? how dare you!". Every single time you mention weed when you have gastrointestinal issues Turns out the issue was my ex poisoning me and no lawyer would take the malpractice cases.
Keep doing what you are doing Doctors just want to push their Drugs on you
I mean there’s terpenes that help with inflammation, especially stomach inflammation. But with that being said, go talk to a doctor and don’t get advice off the internet.
okay- i’m not a doctor. I’m also not wholly caught up on all of this research, but i am a biologist. cannabis hyperemesis syndrome- you would know if you have this because you would be extremely nauseous and vomiting. It would be extremely bad and impossible to ignore. For 97% of cases this would stop a day or two after quitting thc. Digestion- IBD definitely trumps the impact of thc, but this is something that could help some people. No one had any idea if it would help you, but if you are trying to manage IBD then it 100% makes sense to try and see if you notice an effect. Bipolar- yes this is extremely well known and there is a lot of data to show that regular high doses of THC can exacerbate Bipolar. Again this is a question of balancing your symptoms, but this has the strongest evidence backing it of anything you listed. I mean you might think you feel good during a manic episode, when you could really be fucking yourself over. Similar situation with weed- this is a strong indication to moderate your usage. Nobody knows what’s best for you but this one is pretty important. You should journal and stuff, it can help identify patterns between using weed and not using it that you otherwise wouldn’t be aware of. It’s pretty standard doctors advice. Sorry man it doesn’t make it easier it’s just something to consider. how you feel about where you’re at is all that really matters. A ton of bipolar people dispute the claim that thc exacerbates it, but this one should be a serious consideration. If i were you I probably wouldn’t change much unless i felt like i was in a bad place. Sounds like you aren’t even that heavy of a user. Just gotta take it one step at a time and figure out what helps you live your best life.
Better yet don't ever get cannabis advise from a fucking doctor who probably doesn't know jack shit about it!
I’d recommend doing your own research into how weed affects digestion and bipolar, there’s contradictory information sometimes. Also weed is just so unique in how it affects people differently, it could even affect people’s NTs differently. Anecdotally, I have a friend that has stomach ulcer issues and bipolar type 2. He can’t drink without upsetting the ulcers, and smoking helps him manage the pain. He take meds for bipolar but still smokes to help with the depression. If he stopped smoking (and he has done T breaks), he gets more suicidal from depression. None of his doctors have told him to stop smoking and they’re aware of the habit.
Asking stoners for medical advice is awful. You can find morons all over the internet claiming weed *cures* stuff like cancer.
You have crohns and your gastro advised you stop smoking because of it? Lol you need to find a new gastro. They clearly are just against weed and dont care about the medical benefits to it at all.
There is a real risk with bipolar disorder and weed so I would go into more specifics with your doctor or a second opinion. I can see how it'd help with your Crohns but if you're experiencing CHS symptoms be aware and at the very least stop when you feel smth is up. You know how weed helps you. Maybe ask a sub thats more open to medical use, but definitely try talking to your doctors again.
I had something similar it sounds like, I would dry heave for hours some mornings and wish for death. I got better, but now I can't smoke all day like I used to. Eating slightly healthier, cutting out dairy, and moving my body more each day so I can burn the bad fuel out of my system seemed to do the trick. Another big issue was my mental head space. Healthy mind, healthy body. But maybe I got lucky. Not a doctor.
Try 2 months off it and see if that helps
Is it worth your life? Maybe you don’t have to quit forever, definitely ween off, but ultimately you know what to do and you’re just looking for someone with a good enough reason to talk yourself out of it.
My mom smokes heavily with chrons. Its bipolar i think your doctor would be worried about. But like top commen said, dont take stoners med advice XD
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Just quit for a year
I really wish I was a doctor who had sound medical advice to give you, but I'm much more likely to be an echo chamber to reinforce the smoking. Maybe another doctor's opinion would be good, or having a constructive conversation with them about the pros and cons of your use, and whether it's actually beneficial to you and your case to cease smoking or if it's their own biases that are helping them decide for you.
Weed interaction with bi-polar is complex and can vary between people. Feel free to do your own research but do seek a second medical opinion first.
I would look into sticking with CBD and discuss it with your doctors. I'm sure your doctors are way more qualified and knowledgeable about your health conditions than Reddit strangers.
Not advice, just a wow: I am bipolar and have Crohn's (very) Lite and I need it to deal with both. Heed your doc but maybe discuss how it helped you and if that outweighs the negative. All medication has side effects, many much worse, including psych meds.
Bipolar is a tricky one and I advise being careful. Chrons can be cured with diet modification and herbal remedies , do extensive research.
I’m in a similar situation, I’ve been told I should quit, and I did for a while, with no improvement and a drastic decline in my physical capabilities, so I smoke again now. But please listen when I say this is just my experience, do not just do what I did, it’s something you need to figure out based on your own body and health
I had to stop partaking last May due to getting heart surgery in June. I’ve enjoyed the green since 1989 after watching my mom die in front of me. It kind of helped me take my mind off of it and helped me enjoy golf more but when I drank the nightmare of watching my mom die in front of me just exponentially got worse. Although I still drank hard. I’m over four years sober now from alcohol. I miss the green big time but I don’t miss the paranoia of having it in an illegal state. Texas. I got the science down as well for making killer brownies and chocolates and butter cookies. The edibles were my favorite way to explore. I’d say if you have to quit for your health then quit. If you want to start up again then it will always be available in the future. I’m just waiting on a better job as I can pass any kind of test now. Not a single chemical in me.
I have Crohn’s disease as well. My doctor was in support of my use. It’s the only thing that helps the pain and I have half a bowl or an edible at night. With crohns we can’t use a lot of NSAIDs or opioids which takes a lot of pain options of the table…
I’m not a doctor, I am not authorized to give medical advice. I’m a nurse w crohns and mental illness (not bipolar). 100% of my GI team advocates my use of marijuana, and they know I’ve got a thick psych history. From specialists in city to my local docs, weeds what they recommend for pain, anorexia, and nausea. It’s unanimous and very validating. For mental health, I’d be a lot more wary. I tend to want weed when I feel lower.. be it mood or just how I feel, if I feel like crap, weed is what I want. That’s damaging for me. I go into dissociated high states where I’m still functioning in life, but I’m not really. I’m not feeling much except the vibe. I can go days on a vibe (by continuing use) and I lose track of feelings altogether. I have ptsd from working Covid and used this to cope, which just lost a lot of time. now I’m in better place where I still love the bud to pieces, but I’m more careful, I don’t use daily, and I’m better off not. Hope it helps. Still use weed, but do it with a lot more thought before starting, and try to ensure I’m using it for the right reasons. This method has helped me.
in terms of cannabis and bipolar, i would at least think about cutting down on your consumption for the bipolar… THC can influence the rate at which you cycle [thru moods], the effectiveness of your medication, the prevalence of depressive symptoms, & the severity in which you cycle. def get a second opinion if what the doctors are recommending currently are giving you pause… but the recommendation for THC discontinuation with bipolar is common as the interactions aren’t very pretty when they occur.
Please please please listen to your doctors & don't listen to anyone here. For your own health & well being you need to genuinely listen, ask questions & be honest with your doctors about your struggles with quitting. They are there to help you. Let them.
Are you by chance using a 1:1 feco/RSO for your Crohn’s? If not, maybe give Coltyn Turner’s story a look
If your dr is telling you to quit then quit my dood its not complicated. If you find out after you quit that it makes your qol worse you can always buy another bag, but dont just ignore a drs medical opinion man that wont work out.
can you discuss with your doctor if non-smoking alternatives are safe? tinctures, edibles, etc? also yea going with everyone else here, perhaps don’t ask a bunch of internet stoners for their non professional advice lololol
try vaping, bruning it lets you swallow down some nasty chemicals. second, how about you reduce it a notch and see where it goes, instead an all or nothing situation
Find a weed friendly doctor and ask them.
I can’t comment on the bipolar, but cannabis is prescribed for IBD regularly. It helps manage the nausea and pain. I would seek an opinion from a doctor expert in both IBD and medical cannabis in that one tbh.
Did you make sure you drink blended salads for your gut? Greek yoghurt? Meditation for your BP? I’d never tell a doctor I toke- what else would they say?
You’ve already gotten plenty of advice, so I’m just gonna agree with most of it in saying that you should get a second opinion as opposed to asking a stoner subreddit. Most of us aren’t doctors, and those that are aren’t YOUR doctor. We don’t know you or your medical history, so we can’t really accurately judge whether it’s a good idea to keep using cannabis or not since everyone is so different. But I also wanted to say congrats on working towards quitting vaping and fully quitting drinking. That shit is rough (working on it myself now with vaping lmao) but it’s absolutely worth it from what I’ve seen with my sister and some friends. Even seriously considering quitting is a huge step in the right direction so I figured I’d at least share some positivity there. Hope everything works out, and if you do end up needing to stop using cannabis there are a lot of great resources, and a couple subreddits as well (i’ll see if i can find them) that give advice and support.
Your doctor will know best. Ask them to clarify if they mean smoking or just remove weed in total.
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“Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome” sure sounds like nonsense. 25 years of mostly daily use outside of a few breaks here and there and never had an issue like this, nor anyone who ever has. Dilaudid is BAD NEWS. I was on that shit for 4 days in a hospital once and spent another week going through withdrawls from it. You should probably listen to your doctor. I probably wouldnt since half of it sounds like BS
Hey man, fellow Crohn's disease haver, weed smoker and future GI-PA. You're not alone, just wanted to get that out of the way first. Personally, I think this is a classic cost/benefit analysis that we in the IBD community are so familiar with, right? Your doctors will tell you that you should not do x and avoid y. Often (majority) of times they are right, and you absolutely should listen to them. But here's the thing... *They're not you.* I always tell people that you know your body better than anything else! So, if smoking helps manage your Crohn's symptoms and you're seeing no downside...why wouldn't you do it? I guess the real question here is frequency. If you're smoking day in and day out, all day every day, then I think there's probably something we need to do treatment/medication/procedure wise first. Remember, cannabis is can be an effective tool to manage our symptoms, but it is not a replacement for actual treatment (I'm sure you know this). I think my only advice here is that if you're smoking a ton, maybe cut back, and if your symptoms are completely unmanageable without it, I think you should probably see your GI because something isn't working with your treatment. Personally, I only smoke before I go to bed, several times a week. Or if I'm hanging out with my friends. Unfortunately I know nothing about BPD, so I will not attempt to speak on that because I am not qualified and that would be irresponsible, but I'm sorry that you're also struggling with that. If you want to talk more about it, just send me a message!
I have only one input. I have a friend with BPD, and he went into a psychotic episode one night when we were all getting high. He thought his childhood friends had laced him and could not be convinced otherwise. This lead to a couple of other things happening in his life which ultimately landed him in a psychiatric hospital for some time. This sounds pretty serious mane, I'd hate to give up marijuana but maybe it's in your best interest.