Introduction

Medical marijuana is gaining more and more popularity and many Marijuana doctors wonder whether the drug can be used as an alternative way to treat anxiety. It is quite difficult to treat anxiety disorders effectively and medical marijuana has helped some patients. The relationship between cannabis and anxiety can be quite complex and there is a need for the right dosage and product so as to achieve the much-needed symptom relief. The problem with self-medication is that nobody knows the efficacy of cannabis and its long-term consequences even though cannabis is getting more and more acceptable for treating anxiety.

Short-Term Benefits

Many Marijuana doctors have recently examined the effect of cannabis on anxiety and it is believed to have a short term benefit. From the result of research, it shows smoking cannabis can help to reduce the self-reported levels of anxiety, depression and stress in the short term. They continued that repeated use may not lead to long-term reduction of the symptoms and some individuals have increased depression over time.

Risks of Marijuana

According to research, Marijuana affects your body in various ways other than getting high. You get the high feeling after smoking because of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and this is the chemical compounds which give marijuana the psychoactive effects. Long term use of cannabis has resulted in the following

Psychological Dependence

The main problem is that taking cannabis will lead to the creation of psychological dependence on the substance. Due to the fact that the effects of the drug are fast acting, long-term behavior-based coping strategies will be less helpful and not developed at the end.

Long-Term Memory Loss

There are varieties of research that show that marijuana can cause memory loss due to the fact that the THC changes some of the areas of the brain which is responsible for memory formation.

Exacerbation of Symptoms

Cannabis can increase your heart rate and this will make you more anxious if you are having anxiety, too many drugs can also make you more paranoid or scared. Cannabis may also cause feelings of nausea, blurred vision, dizziness, confusion, and so on. Another consequence of frequent marijuana is that it causes a rare Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome (CHS) which usually involves vomiting and cyclical nausea.

Higher Levels of Psychiatric Disorders

It is quite possible for someone that uses marijuana for a long period of time to have higher levels and symptoms of depression. There is always an improvement in the short-term use and the long term use of marijuana can help predict depression and anxiety on the person’s life. There are also some certain people that are also at risk of developing psychosis after the use of cannabis.

Increased Need

Smoking cannabis for a long time can lead to the development of tolerance of marijuana. This means you will need to take more of the drug so as to get the same high that you normally experience.

If you or someone you know has anxiety or depression and is interested in medical marijuana treatment, please contact us today or get started now.