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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
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.
Posted by stever on February 20, 2001, at 12:16:20
In reply to marijuana use/neuro chemical info, posted by MSM on February 19, 2001, at 18:42:02
The drug reduces the amount of corticotrophin-releasing factor in the amygdala. Excess secretion of CRF is associated with abnormalities in the HPLA axis and depression. The rebound surge of CRF on ceasing cannabis-use is associated with increased vulnerability to stress and a withdrawal-reaction.
The drug builds up in the body and the brain, from what I hear it can actually take 6 months to 1 year for this build up to go away after quiting if you were a heavy long term user. If you have smoked for the last 30 years then it might take a year before your brain is really drug free. The depression/anxiety/sleep problems you are having seem normal for someone who has quit after useing for such a long time, I dont know of any therapys that would help, I think these problems will go away but it will just take time.
I think it has always been a huge mistake for marijuana to be illegal, in my opinion the drug does have medical value for a wide variety of medical problems and is very safe to use. It is a shame that people like yourself are forced to be criminals just because they self medicate with this drug. I really dont see anything wrong with someone useing marijuana their entire life. Why did you decide to quit smoking after 30 years anyway, I am curious?
Posted by MSM on February 20, 2001, at 16:55:58
In reply to Re: marijuana use/neuro chemical info, posted by stever on February 20, 2001, at 12:16:20
> The drug reduces the amount of corticotrophin-releasing factor in the amygdala. Excess secretion of CRF is associated with abnormalities in the HPLA axis and depression. The rebound surge of CRF on ceasing cannabis-use is associated with increased vulnerability to stress and a withdrawal-reaction.
>
> The drug builds up in the body and the brain, from what I hear it can actually take 6 months to 1 year for this build up to go away after quiting if you were a heavy long term user. If you have smoked for the last 30 years then it might take a year before your brain is really drug free. The depression/anxiety/sleep problems you are having seem normal for someone who has quit after useing for such a long time, I dont know of any therapys that would help, I think these problems will go away but it will just take time.
>
> I think it has always been a huge mistake for marijuana to be illegal, in my opinion the drug does have medical value for a wide variety of medical problems and is very safe to use. It is a shame that people like yourself are forced to be criminals just because they self medicate with this drug. I really dont see anything wrong with someone useing marijuana their entire life. Why did you decide to quit smoking after 30 years anyway, I am curious?
Thanks for the information. Can you tell me where I can access this type of info?
As for why I am quitting, I have Hep C and need to give my liver a fighting chance. In
addition I have had periods of depression in the last few years (I know that depression and Hep C go hand in hand) but I wanted to see if the marijuana use might be a contributing factor. I had also found myself isolating a lot more during the last few years, you know "turn on - tune in - and DROP OUT". All in all there seems to be more "cons" than "pros" for my continuing to use. Besides I can always go back.
Posted by stever on February 20, 2001, at 18:44:51
In reply to Re: marijuana use/neuro chemical info, posted by MSM on February 20, 2001, at 16:55:58
I think the word Anandamide may answer some of your questions. Try doing a search in search engines with the word Anandamide and see what you get. Anandamide bonds to the same receptor sites in the brain as thc, it is the naturally occuring marijuana in your body.
I am not completely positive on this but I dont think marijuana affects the liver. I know alcohol affects the liver but I doubt marijuana does. Sorry I cant offer any good website for you to look at. I have collected what I know about marijuana from bits and peices around the internet, I cant think of any really good websites, I guess you will just have to search for yourself, sorry.
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.
Posted by jojo on February 24, 2001, at 16:56:27
In reply to Re: marijuana use/neuro chemical info, posted by haquey on February 21, 2001, at 22:28:10
This is a good source to check out:
http://books.nap.edu/html/marimed/ch1.html
Could be that stopping Cannabis might have CAUSED
your depression, but it also could be that it
was there all the time, and that Cannabis was
at least a somewhat efficacious treatment.
This is the end of the thread.
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