I suffer from clinical depression...?

I'm in counseling - the Dr. suggested anti-depressants - being a 3 year sober recovering alcoholic I am extremely wary of any narcotic type medicines and have a distrust of pharmaceutical companies in general, considering they place profits over the lives and welfare of people...

Meanwhile, marijuana helps me immensely - how can I tell this to my Dr. without risk of her being beholden to laws/Dr.'s codes etc. and risking problems with law enforcement? It seems a much safer alternative than venturing into the land of the Oxycontins and Vioxxes

and therapy has helped me realize my depression has been around alot longer than my mj use so don't bother going down that road

Are you people really that stupid? - was my question that difficult to comprehend? Jesus Christ - maybe I should just depart - too many f__ing morons on this globe.

I'm saying "since the pharmacom gives us medicines LIKE Vioxx, Oxycontin... then it is reasonable to question the importance they place on profits over human lives and wellbeing"

considering there is a prescription drug created for EVERYTHING now - and half of them end up being recalled or getting people hooked...
why NOT use a natural plant to give myself some clarity? are you people so brainwashed by the pharmacom's that you are all part and parcel to their agenda?

and no- my 'sources' don't profit much at all from me - close knit friends watch each others' backs, and knowing some home growers.. - I compare the $35 I spend every two weeks on mj to the $260 I spend every month on Nexium and take note of the results.

No brainer

May Jesus Christ roll you a joint the size of your pinky. Amen.

1) Anti-depressants are not narcotics. Oxycontin is a pain medication, it's not an anti-depressant.
2) Marijuana is a depressant. It may not have caused your depression but it's certainly not helping it. You are self-medicating, much like someone who drinks to deal with depression.
3) There's no reason to take any drug that you don't feel will help you (such as anti-depressants), but your doctor is legally bound not to condone use of illegal drugs. If you want to smoke mj, that's your prerogative. It's illegal and if you get caught you need to deal with the consequences.

What do you hope to gain by talking to your dr about your drug use?

you're not sober...you're getting stoned all the time. ok, so you don't drink anymore. good. now dump the dope, and get truly sober.

you distrust Doctors and the Pharm. Co.'s but you'll smoke stuff you probably bought off the street from someone with much more of a profit-at-any-cost attitude than ANY Pharm. Co.

you're in serious denial. go to a pysciastrist and be 100% honest. that is the only way he/she will be able to help you. keeping the pot habit a secret won't help a bit.

if you are unwilling to give up getting high, not sure i can help you. BUT if you are, there is a lot of good help out there.

I suggest that you keep smoking if it helps. I know that those other meds they will try to put you own will not help. Also counseling doesn't help either. Try to motivate yourself by listening to positive thinking tapes and surround yourself with positive thinking books. When you smoke this is the best time to take all this stuff in. I know that it works because I was really depressed at a period of ti me when my mother died. And I did smoke until I was sick of it.
You will be okay praying is really good. God will help you. You don't have to be religious to be with god.

I was on Effexor, and it helped alot and I was on 150mg.


I hope you get to feeling better really soon.
Don't listen to the dubazz' of the world!

Hiya. I must agree that prescriptions are easily given and half the time all one is looking for is an understanding of what's gone awry. I think doctors are bound by patient doctor confidentiality and are not supposed to give out confidential information unless you are under investigation for a crime. Some countries do allow doctors to prescribe marijuana if it can alleviate a medical condition (they do not advertise for obvious reasons). Ask your doctor about alternative medication/ therapy and see where it leads then judge for yourself whether your secret would be safe in her hands. I do not take medication as a rule unless it is absolutely necessary. Prescription medicine has been known to be mentally and physically addictive and researchers condemn drugs that were once thought perfect. It is naive not to be weary of prescription drugs and whether we want to hear it or not it is an industry with flaws just like any other.

I've tried all the anti-depressants and if weed makes you better then that's the anti, for you man, legal or not. I and no one else can tell you different and because you can't trust anyone don't bother telling the doctor. They gonna give you the med their getting the biggest kick back from the drug comapny anyway. DUDE hope it all goes as planed. Don't sweat the little things and kick the big ones to the side.

I suffer from depression also. I have been since 1997. Therapy and medication together work much better than only one. I have been on meds. for most of the 10 yrs., but still remain severely depressed. I have just started therapy and do feel a little better already just having someone to talk to that seems to care. Not all seem to care though, you have to find one that you really like. Your therapist can not tell the authorities due to Dr. patient confidentiality, plus you are only a user and not hurting anyone else. You are the only one who can determine what works best for you. Don't pay any attention to anyone who criticizes your choices. Please don't talk of departing. I can tell you from experience, they will try to lock you up in a crisis center, for one and most importantly you will be hurting all those people that you care for and care about you. We all have a very special purpose here, although we might not know what it is, we are here because we are needed for something or for someone. If you trust your therapist, please consider trying a medication with your therapy. Usually you should know in only a couple of weeks whether it is helping or not. It can't hurt to try. You might feel a whole lot better but you will never know if you don't try. Talk to your Dr. He / She will know what is best for your situation. I really hope you feel better soon, I don't smoke pot but otherwise of that I know where you are coming from. Remember, we are all loved by someone, don't listen to any putdowns. People don't all understand what it feels like to be depressed and not be able to feel better, it's a living hell. I hope you find something to help you through this. Take care.

First, congratulations on your three years of sobriety! For those who insist that you are NOT sober, AA puts out this nifty little pamphlet called "Misconceptions." There's a list of things AA does not do - let's see, #3 on the list says, "follow up or try to control its members," #4 says, "make medical or psychological diagnoses or psychiatric treatment," #11 says, "engage in any controversy about alcohol or other matters." I'm sure the Big Book says something about leaving medical advice up to the professionals, so you can tell all those self-righteous hypocrites who judge your choices that they can kiss your grits - your sobriety is between you & your higher power anyways, right? Whatever happened to talking about your own ES&H and not judging others' paths to recovery? I swear I've met some of the most judgmental, opinionated, bigoted, self-righteous, pompous know-it-alls in AA, and that's one of the reasons I don't go anymore.

Now, you didn't say where you're located, but I would strongly advise that you check your local & state laws. You might even want to contact NORML to get a list of medical cannabis physicians & other resources if you live in one of several states in the U.S. that have legalized medical cannabis on the local level.

I agree with you about the war on drugs really benefiting the pharmaceutical, timber, pulp & oil industries - it dates all the way back to the Prohibition Era, which interestingly spawned such creatures as Alcoholics Anonymous (an offshoot of the Oxford Group) & "Reefer Madness."

It's all about profits to the Big Pharms in particular. Studies have shown that medical cannabis users report a decreased dependence on other pharmaceutical medicine - which would surely mean a huge hit to the pharms' bank accounts if cannabis were federally legalized, right?

I also recommend checking out Jack Herer's book, "The Emperor Has No Clothes" (it's available to read for free online).

If you need more information, feel free to contact me.

Peace!