Hello! My sister has bipolar, and when she informed me she was trying pot to relieve her depression I did a quick review of the research published in academic journals. There are only a few papers specifically on marijuana use in bipolar. In Canada there is actually a randomized controlled trial being performed to see if marijuana (or rather THC the active ingredient) is an effective treatment. Prior research seemed to indicate a temporal relationship between marijuana use and the onset of mania, and a significant correlation with greater self reported disability, suicidal attempts/mixed episodes, poorer treatment adherence, and abuse of other substances. In qualitative reports patients say it helps, but quantitative evaluations of patient outcomes have mixed or negative results. My sister's psychiatrist was not supportive of the idea, which I believe is a common feeling within the medical community. Just thought I would share my findings, and if anyone would like specific references/copies of the pdf articles I would be more than happy to pass them along.
this is one of the things I like most about you, John - your diplomacy. 
I think that when used medicinally (for whatever condition), marijuana works for some people and not for others. I have yet to come across any medication that works the same for everyone, so it's probably the same for marijuana.
I used to smoke marijuana when I was in my teens. It only exacerbated my bipolar depressions and made me extremely paranoid thus I do not smoke it. I get no benefit from it. I am all for the legalization of the drug. I do believe it has some benefits for some such as cancer patients, but it is hazardous for me.
Hey John
Isn't this a fascinating topic? In just the past week or so...so much research is coming out about marijuana. I think this is a good thing. There may be benefits to medicinal marijuana that we have overlooked. In the future it may be used as yet another tool to combat the symptoms of a wide variety of medical and mental conditions.
Is the use of marijuana addictive or harmful to some? Perhaps. Yet one can say this about some of the pharma products people use on a daily basis. In some cases there may be benefits of medicinal marijuana for certain patients and this is where more research is necessary. When is it helpful and when is it harmful? These questions need to be addressed through science.
I think these are exciting times. :>)
MM
when I was young< i used to love to smoke pot. It would ease my mood imbalance and give my brain a rest from constantly turning. Now that I am older, I am afraid to smoke pot because it makes me feel like I am going out of my mind at an accellerated speed. It sucks because I love marijuana, the look, the smell, everything about it. I dont know what happened but it definately does not work for me, unfortunately. I dont judge those who benefit from this. Whatever works because feeling like this sucks.
For me personally, I experienced a very very clear correlation between smoking cannabis & launching into mania and/or psychotic episodes. No fun, but I'm not opposed to pot. My take is that any brain-chemistry-altering substance, taken in quantity, can mess with an already trixie bi-polar brain.
I certainly believe that there are positive aspect to cannabis, and I support legalization & medical use, along with further research & especially education. The idea that pot is completely benign for everyone is simply false, but unfortunately I hear proponents say it all the time. One of the commenters said no one ever died from getting high. Maybe, but I came mighty close while doing dangerous things while smoking up while manic. Mania was the underlying problem, but THC speeded it up, intensified it, & further deteriorated my judgement.
Having the plant legalized would provide more opportunities to have open discussions about its impacts--both beneficial & harmful. It would also allow for warnings about possible side effects.
Personally I use marijuana for the treatment of fibromyalgia and some bipolar symptoms, mostly anxiety. Its still illegal in my state so I have to weigh the benifits vs the risk. Of course as with many, many legal drugs there's always going to be people who abuse their medicines.
I had tried pot in high school and honestly wasn't crazy about it because it just made me tired. However, later in life, as my bipolar was raging out of control (and still undiagnosed) I was exposed to marijuana again, tried it and for the first time in months I slept like a baby! Of course my friends said what a waste but when you can't sleep, it is such a gift. I did get diagnosed at 28 with bipolar and shortly after that a whole list of mental and personality disorders. Unlike many, I was dedicated to my medicine regimine from day one, even though it took over 8 years of pure hell to find the right meds for me, I hung in there. Surprisingly, I do not have an addictive personality so pot is not something I feel like I have to have. I go long periods of time not using at all.
To me, the secret is finding your "medicinal dosage", I cook with it, usually brownies, and I have figured out that 1-2 browinies, depending on my pain or anxiety level, not only relieves the pain, it relaxs my mood and I can go out and work in the garden or go hiking for hours where without I can only go for about 30 minutes. At that dose I do not get a high from pot, I have no "buzz", only the positive benifits.
Oh, and the weight gain, yes I gained a lot of weight, but I was also on a lot of meds that caused weight gain. It was so easy to blame the meds, but then I got serious about my physical health and how it affects my mental health, and I have lost 90 lbs! Yes, I'm still on the same meds that I blamed for the weight gain, and the pot, too. I just changed my attitude and took responsability for my weight.
Just wanted to share my story, hope it helps someone out there. :)
Featuring Content From:
By using this service, you accept our Terms of Use. Please read them. The consumer health information on is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions. You should promptly seek professional medical care if you have any concern about your health, and you should always consult your physician before starting a fitness regimen. Copyright © 2012 Remedy Health Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Each person has medications that work, don't work, or have severe side effects. Why wouldn't it be the same with grass? I believe it can bring significant relief to some. In my opinion, the biggest problem is that it makes a Pdoc's job more difficult - trying to separate disorder from drug from med effects and accurately treat and prescribe.
i'll take this a bit further
you are on psych meds for a while... you develop new psych symptoms
is it the progression or degradation of the psych disorder itself
or
is it the altering of the chemical or neurological makeup of the brain from all the psych meds taken for a while?
one could argue that st john's wort, kava, sam-e, and other herbal supplements that many with psych symptoms also take and/or swear by are also harmful, etc.. and yet so many live and swear by those as being helpful to their overall well being
ketogenic diets... sleep circadian rhythm exercises... really, one could argue those as well
i'm not for pot over psych meds nor psych meds over pot
there is abuse of anything good or harmful...
yet for many, if something helps them (that they feel cause in it's basic format it's all in how you feel and think) whether that be pot, seroquel, klonopin, eating certain foods, or sam-e... then why seriously knock it?