Taking Cannabis for Anxiety Probably Isn't Helping | Hacker News Reader

Taking Cannabis for Anxiety Probably Isn't Helping

wsj.com

14 pointsrrauenza12 comments

I firmly believe the benefits and negatives of Cannabis are highly individualistic. Perhaps more so than some medications.

Anecdotes are of little value in these discussions, but I have seen Cannabis help and harm plenty of people. I have a few friends that quit excessive, long-term Cannabis habits due to it increasing their anxiety. I've seen some people leave psychiatric medications because Cannabis worked better. Hell, I know plenty that use both.

However, I must admit that from an outside point of view, however flawed said view may be, those that went the psychiatric route are not doing really all that better than the Cannabis users either. Again, sheerly anecdotal, and I would never attempt to persuade someone in one direction or the other.

Based on my personal experiences as someone who has dabbled in both realms a bit, I would say that Cannabis is better all around. I do believe SSRIs and the like work to some degree, but I find the sacrifices in other areas of one's life to be far worse.

Honestly, while I do allegedly have General Anxiety Disorder, I have come to the conclusion that I do not think I truly have a "disorder." It's quite the opposite. My body is trying to tell me something is wrong, and the best treatment I have found is to listen to it when I can.

As bad as it may sound and as bad as anxiety may feel at times, it's honestly saved my ass more times than I can count.

How did anyone get the idea that weed would help their anxiety? It's a drug best known for making people paranoid and hungry. So, you'll be fat and anxious, and that will help anxiety, somehow?

Cannabis use is associated with reduced rates of obesity.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6340377/

Weed helped my anxiety a lot and I work out more now and lost weight.

It is usually very good at combating stress. plus it's known to change people's mindset, which can get you out of a negative loop of thought.

Whether cannabis is a stimulant or sedative is highly idiosyncratic, and I suspect is a function of much more than THC concentration. "Probably Isn't" is probably the firmest justifiable statement to be made given the variability. And it can easily be pushed into "probably is" for particular people, flowers and preparations. Lots of n=1 experiments are indicated.

Always view the negging of non-orthodox approaches to anything by the WSJ as anything but surprising. Furthermore, cui bono with respect to potential outcomes? I think it's the pharma industry.

It's hard for me to believe anything I read about Cannabis online. The bias is too great. Any study showing something negative and there are countless people responding saying that somehow the study was wrong.

However, when we have studies on climate change or Covid, there are almost none of these comments and we are to believe them even when there are many more holes punched in the study.

There are numerous conflicting studies, and studies are by nature limited in their scope. Current research methods into THC are like cave men performing research on the use of modern tools.

People will use them for the wrong things and get hurt. Others use them for the intended purpose and are better for it. Some get stuck in it because modern capitalist society is designed to put people into indentured servitude.

There's not many holes in climate change or COVID research. Both of those are well studied, with the treatments effective. Neither are a tool like THC is.

delta-9-THC is terrible for anxiety, and isn't that good a cannabinoid in general. HHC is much better imo. No anxiety either.

Paywalled... but thanks doc! who could have guessed that a drug with anxiety as a commonly known side effect is not good for treating anxiety.

That's a rather myopic view.

Who would have thought that giving stimulants, drug best known for making people bounce off the walls, to already hyperactive people would calm them down? But hey, it works for a majority of individuals with ADHD.

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