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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 19 of 19. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by chimo on July 19, 2001, at 10:50:47
I have smoked pot every day for the better part of two years. I have been taking the effexor xr for one week now. The side effects were intense initially, but since have disappeared. I find I am liking the effects of the effexor xr with my depression - still early to tell, but things seem to be looking up. I am wondering if anyone has any information about smoking pot while on this particular drug.
Any information will be appreciated.
Posted by SalArmy4me on July 19, 2001, at 14:06:46
In reply to Effexor XR Marijuana Use, posted by chimo on July 19, 2001, at 10:50:47
There is a higher risk of priapism.
Samuel, Roger Z. M.D.. PRIAPISM ASSOCIATED WITH VENLAFAXINE USE. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. 39(1):16, January 2000:
"This letter is to alert clinicians to one possible side effect of venlafaxine (and possibly of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors too) that has not been reported yet, to my knowledge. (A literature search did not reveal any reports). Venlafaxine was prescribed for a 16-year 8-month-old white male for a recurrence of depressive symptoms associated with alcohol abuse and intermittent cannabis abuse...However, even after ejaculating, he maintained an erection for at least 3 hours and on one occasion for about 8 hours (full erection for about 3 hours and partial erection for about 5 hours). He denied any pain associated with the erection. He reported loss of the erection upon micturition. He was advised to reduce the venlafaxine to 112.5 mg/day, to obtain a urine drug screen, and to follow up to monitor the priapism."
Posted by Edward on July 20, 2001, at 15:11:47
In reply to Effexor XR Marijuana Use, posted by chimo on July 19, 2001, at 10:50:47
I don't think there's much point in taking antidepressants if you smoke pot every day. It makes you more depressed. I put myself in hospital by smoking weed every day. Every minute of the day was agony, and I had a nurse with me all the time so I couldn't kill myself. Plus whenever I walked down the road I had to watch the cars because I thought they were going come up behind me and run me over. I gave up for a few months and now I'm nearly back to normal.
Posted by geekUK on July 21, 2001, at 6:00:47
In reply to Re: Effexor XR Marijuana Use, posted by Edward on July 20, 2001, at 15:11:47
I must add a personal point, just to voice my thoughts. pot 4 me was not a depressant, It made me a little sleepy to start, but by the end I was not anything but happy and amused.(I used to have a fairly bad habit 4 about 10 months). In fact pot may have precipitated a '?hypomanic?' phase. Possibly if pot was legal in the UK (as it will be in a few years) then I would be self medicating as its the only 'antidepressant' that has made any difference.
Posted by JohnL on July 21, 2001, at 9:25:42
In reply to Marijuana Use, posted by geekUK on July 21, 2001, at 6:00:47
> I must add a personal point, just to voice my thoughts. pot 4 me was not a depressant, It made me a little sleepy to start, but by the end I was not anything but happy and amused.(I used to have a fairly bad habit 4 about 10 months). In fact pot may have precipitated a '?hypomanic?' phase. Possibly if pot was legal in the UK (as it will be in a few years) then I would be self medicating as its the only 'antidepressant' that has made any difference.
One of the main things marijuana does is increase dopamine activity. So if you respond well to marijuana, then that could be a hint that dopamine drugs such as Zyprexa, Risperdal, or Amisulpride might work well.
Marijuana is tricky because if you smoke too regularly you can build tolerance to it. And then when you back off you will experience a severe, though short, depressive fall. When that dopamine level drops, look out below.
John
Posted by geekUK on July 21, 2001, at 10:30:05
In reply to Re: Marijuana Use, posted by JohnL on July 21, 2001, at 9:25:42
> > I must add a personal point, just to voice my thoughts. pot 4 me was not a depressant, It made me a little sleepy to start, but by the end I was not anything but happy and amused.(I used to have a fairly bad habit 4 about 10 months). In fact pot may have precipitated a '?hypomanic?' phase. Possibly if pot was legal in the UK (as it will be in a few years) then I would be self medicating as its the only 'antidepressant' that has made any difference.
>
> One of the main things marijuana does is increase dopamine activity. So if you respond well to marijuana, then that could be a hint that dopamine drugs such as Zyprexa, Risperdal, or Amisulpride might work well.
>
> Marijuana is tricky because if you smoke too regularly you can build tolerance to it. And then when you back off you will experience a severe, though short, depressive fall. When that dopamine level drops, look out below.
> John
Posted by MB on July 21, 2001, at 19:15:23
In reply to Re: Marijuana Use, posted by JohnL on July 21, 2001, at 9:25:42
> > I must add a personal point, just to voice my thoughts. pot 4 me was not a depressant, It made me a little sleepy to start, but by the end I was not anything but happy and amused.(I used to have a fairly bad habit 4 about 10 months). In fact pot may have precipitated a '?hypomanic?' phase. Possibly if pot was legal in the UK (as it will be in a few years) then I would be self medicating as its the only 'antidepressant' that has made any difference.
>
> One of the main things marijuana does is increase dopamine activity. So if you respond well to marijuana, then that could be a hint that dopamine drugs such as Zyprexa, Risperdal, or Amisulpride might work well.
But doesn't marijuana increase dopaminergic activity, while Zyprexa decreases it?
> Marijuana is tricky because if you smoke too regularly you can build tolerance to it. And then when you back off you will experience a severe, though short, depressive fall. When that dopamine level drops, look out below.
> John
Or, as I've had happen before, when the tolorance builds, the depressive fall can hit even *while* you're smoking...you're smoking the marijuana, but it's not doing anything, and you fall into a depression. During the last stages of my pot smoking career, the first session of the day wold work wonders...then it would wear off, depression would return, and no matter how much more I smoked that day, it wouldn't help. I'd have to wait until the next day for that first hit of the day. It was really frustrating!!
Posted by SalArmy4me on July 21, 2001, at 22:17:33
In reply to Marijuana Use, posted by geekUK on July 21, 2001, at 6:00:47
I guarantee you haven't tried enough antidepressants in order to make a claim that pot is the only thing that will help you, though. You can say that only after you've tried:
Lithium
Depakote
Carbamazepine
Gabapentin
Lamotrigine
Topiramate
VerapamilParoxetine
Sertraline
Venlafaxine
Mirtazapine
Buspirone
Desipramine
Clomipramine
Tranylcypromine
Selegiline
Nefazodone
Buproprion
MaprotilineOlanzapine
Risperidone
Quietiapine
ZiprasidonePemoline
Methylphenidate
DextroamphetamineTramadol
NaltrexoneRopinirole
PramipexolePindolol
Thyroid Supplementation
>Possibly if pot was legal in the UK (as it will be in a few years) then I would be self medicating as its the only 'antidepressant' that has made any difference.
Posted by Cam W. on July 22, 2001, at 10:36:04
In reply to Effexor XR Marijuana Use, posted by chimo on July 19, 2001, at 10:50:47
Chimo - A couple of things to mention on Effexor and marijuana use. First, I have been told by several people that they don't get as intoxicated on marijuana as they use to before they started the Effexor and they tend to use more MJ to achieve the desired effect. I don't know if this is true as no one has offered me a joint, and I am too cheap to go and try to buy some (probably end up with oregano anyway).
Also, in some people, especially those predisposed to bipolar disorder, marijuana can act as a trigger to mania or psychosis. I didn't believe that there really was a cannabis psychosis, until I actually saw someone with it. I had always dismissed these cases as people who just couldn't handle being high, but there is definitely more to it than that.
I hope that this is of some help. - Cam.
Posted by geekUK on July 22, 2001, at 12:16:40
In reply to Re: Marijuana Use » geekUK, posted by SalArmy4me on July 21, 2001, at 22:17:33
> I guarantee you haven't tried enough antidepressants in order to make a claim that pot is the only thing that will help you, though. You can say that only after you've tried:
> Lithium
> Depakote
> Carbamazepine
> Gabapentin
> Lamotrigine
> Topiramate
> Verapamil
>
> Paroxetine
> Sertraline
> Venlafaxine
> Mirtazapine
> Buspirone
> Desipramine
> Clomipramine
> Tranylcypromine
> Selegiline
> Nefazodone
> Buproprion
> Maprotiline
>
> Olanzapine
> Risperidone
> Quietiapine
> Ziprasidone
>
> Pemoline
> Methylphenidate
> Dextroamphetamine
>
> Tramadol
> Naltrexone
>
> Ropinirole
> Pramipexole
>
> Pindolol
> Thyroid Supplementation
>
>
> >Possibly if pot was legal in the UK (as it will be in a few years) then I would be self medicating as its the only 'antidepressant' that has made any difference.
ok, that should read '. >Possibly if pot was legal in the UK (as it will be in a few years) then I would be self medicating as its the only 'antidepressant' that has made any difference, in my experiance.
Posted by Elizabeth on July 22, 2001, at 13:11:20
In reply to Re: Effexor XR Marijuana Use, posted by Edward on July 20, 2001, at 15:11:47
> I don't think there's much point in taking antidepressants if you smoke pot every day. It makes you more depressed.
I think that, like most psychoactive drugs, marijuana has different effects on different people. I can understand why you'd have a very negative attitude about mj if you feel it made you more depressed, but please realise that not everybody has the same neurochemical makeup as you. Some people get more depressed and/or anxious on SSRIs, tricyclics, benzos, and many other drugs; that doesn't mean that these drugs are "bad" (even if it would be possible to ascribe moral attributes to an inanimate substance).
-elizabeth
Posted by kid_A on July 22, 2001, at 22:28:05
In reply to Re: Effexor XR Marijuana Use » Edward, posted by Elizabeth on July 22, 2001, at 13:11:20
> > I don't think there's much point in taking antidepressants if you smoke pot every day. It makes you more depressed.
>
> I think that, like most psychoactive drugs, marijuana has different effects on different people. I can understand why you'd have a very negative attitude about mj if you feel it made you more depressed, but please realise that not everybody has the same neurochemical makeup as you. Some people get more depressed and/or anxious on SSRIs, tricyclics, benzos, and many other drugs; that doesn't mean that these drugs are "bad" (even if it would be possible to ascribe moral attributes to an inanimate substance).
>
> -elizabethWhen I used to smoke pot, not regularly, not enough that I ever even really purchased it in any quantity... I would -always- get depressed or have really bad racing thoughts about why this or that was wrong and what am I going to do, sort of like my real life, but just on pot, which made it no fun at all...
After being on Geodon for six weeks (plus fxr, though I doubt at 75mg that is doing anything for me yet)... The occasional smoke does not make me freak out the way that it used to... Geodon really helped calm out the spikes in my thoughts, and has a real calming effect for me when it comes to general paranoia and erratic mental states... I could never get into pot on a long term basis though, it just sucks your will to do anything... for me at least.
Posted by JohnL on July 23, 2001, at 3:38:19
In reply to Re: Marijuana Use » JohnL, posted by MB on July 21, 2001, at 19:15:23
> > > I must add a personal point, just to voice my thoughts. pot 4 me was not a depressant, It made me a little sleepy to start, but by the end I was not anything but happy and amused.(I used to have a fairly bad habit 4 about 10 months). In fact pot may have precipitated a '?hypomanic?' phase. Possibly if pot was legal in the UK (as it will be in a few years) then I would be self medicating as its the only 'antidepressant' that has made any difference.
> >
> > One of the main things marijuana does is increase dopamine activity. So if you respond well to marijuana, then that could be a hint that dopamine drugs such as Zyprexa, Risperdal, or Amisulpride might work well.
>
>
> But doesn't marijuana increase dopaminergic activity, while Zyprexa decreases it?
>
>
> > Marijuana is tricky because if you smoke too regularly you can build tolerance to it. And then when you back off you will experience a severe, though short, depressive fall. When that dopamine level drops, look out below.
> > John
>
>
> Or, as I've had happen before, when the tolorance builds, the depressive fall can hit even *while* you're smoking...you're smoking the marijuana, but it's not doing anything, and you fall into a depression. During the last stages of my pot smoking career, the first session of the day wold work wonders...then it would wear off, depression would return, and no matter how much more I smoked that day, it wouldn't help. I'd have to wait until the next day for that first hit of the day. It was really frustrating!!Wow, I thought I was the only one who experienced this! Man, you described it perfectly. I still think pot is good for recreation, better than alcohol, but for regular use it is full of troubles and risks. I remember I used to have some stuff that was totally sugar coated, one-hit-wonder kind of stuff. Even just a few crumbs of it would blow me away. But over a few weeks tolerance built up and it didn't seem to be powerful anymore. Then, exactly like you said, I started getting depressed. Smoking more did not help at all, and only seemed to worsen the problem. The only way to undo it was to stop completely for a week, go through about three days of pure hell, crying fits, despair, deep depression, etc. Then once I was cleaned out, I discovered that again all it took was a few crumbs to last a whole evening. I rarely smoke anymore, but when I do I always do so with utmost respect of the risks, and never ever do it more than one day in a row.
Back to Zyprexa, I have come to believe that low doses of Zyprexa, Risperdal, or Amisulpride actually increase dopamine activity, while higher doses decrease it. I have no facts on this, but all the anecdotal evidence seems to point in that direction.
John
Posted by jojo on July 24, 2001, at 10:36:12
In reply to Re: Effexor XR Marijuana Use » Edward, posted by Elizabeth on July 22, 2001, at 13:11:20
> > I don't think there's much point in taking antidepressants if you smoke pot every day. It makes you more depressed.
>
> I think that, like most psychoactive drugs, marijuana has different effects on different people. I can understand why you'd have a very negative attitude about mj if you feel it made you more depressed, but please realise that not everybody has the same neurochemical makeup as you. Some people get more depressed and/or anxious on SSRIs, tricyclics, benzos, and many other drugs; that doesn't mean that these drugs are "bad" (even if it would be possible to ascribe moral attributes to an inanimate substance).
>
> -elizabethInteresting scientific point was recently announced. Even though humans have 99.9% of the same genes, each gene has, on average, 14 different alleles. In other words, we may all have a gene that regulates P450 enzymes, for drug breakdown in the liver, but there may be 14 different variations of this gene, which might mean 14 different responses to a given drug.
Posted by Mb on July 24, 2001, at 11:39:28
In reply to Re: Marijuana Use MB, posted by JohnL on July 23, 2001, at 3:38:19
> Back to Zyprexa, I have come to believe that low doses of Zyprexa, Risperdal, or Amisulpride actually increase dopamine activity, while higher doses decrease it. I have no facts on this, but all the anecdotal evidence seems to point in that direction.
> JohnThis is an interesting theory! I think the atypical neuroleptics like Zyprexa actually block certain serotonin receptors...a subclass of receptors that has a dopamine inhibitory effect. So...blocking the receptors increases dopamine levels in certain parts of the brain. So, if you were to take one of these drugs in an amount that blocked these serotonin receptors (5HT-2C are they?) but *didn't* block dopamine receptors, you could possibly get a dopamine *enhancing* effect. This, I think would only work if the drug had a higher affinity for the serotonin receptor than the dopamine receptor. Does anybody have quantitative data to corroborate of refute this idea? It's an interesting possibility, but I'm only guessing at this point (a dangerous thing when I get started < g >).
Posted by MissAkane on November 14, 2008, at 12:46:19
In reply to Effexor XR Marijuana Use, posted by chimo on July 19, 2001, at 10:50:47
I'm a huge pothead. I smoke at least a quarter pound over three days. I still get really nice buzzes off it, though. Never grows old.
But I'm about to start taking Effexor and I'm wondering if I should stop smoking all together? I read that the drug can increase suicidal tendencies and I'm a bit scared that it might do that in me.
So I'm just wondering if the pot is going to screw around with the medication and make me more depressed or just send me into a crazy psychosis?
Posted by 10derHeart on November 14, 2008, at 15:28:09
In reply to Re: Effexor XR Marijuana Use, posted by MissAkane on November 14, 2008, at 12:46:19
I don't have anything helpful to add to your actual question, but just an FYI in case you didn't notice....
...you are responding to a post from seven years ago, that's why the software put your post at the top of the board. Just from my experience here, many people say they never scroll to the top of the board, so you might want to start a new thread. It will appear at the bottom.
Of course, you mat get some responses. But to increase your chances...
Good luck to you and I hope you find the help/support you are seeking.
-- 10derHeart
Posted by dapper on November 15, 2008, at 16:33:22
In reply to Re: Effexor XR Marijuana Use » MissAkane, posted by 10derHeart on November 14, 2008, at 15:28:09
Only way to know is by trial and error....When I was on effexor, marijuana was a nice little add on for me...It made me a little more lazy, but it put me into a 'feeling no pain' state of mind at night when I was relaxing, and I actually felt a little better in the morning when I woke up as opposed to not smoking...Interestingly, when I got off effexor, I don't have nearly the same interest in smoking, and can feel a bit 'hungover' from it the next day.
Posted by manic666 on November 18, 2008, at 12:18:31
In reply to Re: Marijuana Use MB, posted by JohnL on July 23, 2001, at 3:38:19
pot makes you hungry an a burger freak, killing depression brings back your appetite .so elvis will be back in the building. MANIC666
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