Posted by haquey on February 21, 2001, at 22:28:10
In reply to marijuana use/neuro chemical info, posted by MSM on February 19, 2001, at 18:42:02
> Is there any good research information available on long term marijuana use?
> I was a 30+ year, every day, user of marijuana, I stopped smoking 14 weeks ago.
> I am depressed and I'm experiencing anxiety. I am looking for information
> on what marijuana does neurochemically, short term and long term. Is there a
> dopamine production or receptor rebound effect when one quits using?
> What other neuro chemicals, if any does pot use effect? Is there a neurological
> explanation for the amotivational effects of marijuana? How long does it take for
> the body (brain) to readjust after discontinuing use? etc........
>
> I am currently going to therapy and taking remeron for depression and for help sleeping.
> Before taking remeron I was unable to sleep for more than 45 minutes at a time, usually
> getting 2 to 3 hours sleep per night. Are there any other therapys that are known to
> help in quitting pot. Thirty years of using would obviously indicate a propensity for abuse
> so I want to stay away from the diazepams.
>
> There are millions of long term marijuana users in our country. Many of us/them are, in
> effect, self-medicaiting and as near as I can tell very little scientific research is being
> done or published. There does not however seem to be any lack of effort spent on the
> legal side (prison) of this issue. Sorry for the RANT - and the pun - but it just seems that
> we, as a society, have had our "heads" in the sand since about 1968.MSM,
I agree that there hasn't been much good research done on marijuana to date, however I believe that a change in the laws for obtaining gov't pot for research is now allowing more researchers to study cannabis. I just recently came across this article at http://www.ucihealth.com/News/Releases/chemical%20marijuana.htm
I hope it is of interest to you. Daniele Piomelli has published several articles on his research in Nature and Science magazines. It is possible that you could access them at the library. If you are looking for support while you are trying to quit using pot, there is an excellent booard on AOL for people who feel
they have a problem with marijuana. Also Marijuana Anonymous has a website that you may find helpful. I do feel that many pot users are self medicating, and that pot may actually be causing more problems than it solves. While it may be a good drug for some, I have known several people who have had problems with it.
Many users have reported problems with anxiety and depression associated with pot smoking. One article I read did mention CRF, but I can't give you a link to it. The article said that THC suppresses CRF and that there is a rebound affect when long term users quit smoking. The symptoms include lack of appetite and
depression. Daniele Piomelli is researching a new drug (AM404) that may be helpful for some mental disorders without the drawbacks of THC. We can always hope for something better to come along. Good luck to you, hope I helped in some small way.
poster:haquey
thread:54420
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010221/msgs/54631.html