Legal cannabis linked to drop in anxiety medication prescriptions
Legal cannabis linked to drop in anxiety medication prescriptions
Could legal marijuana be changing how we treat anxiety? A new study in JAMA Network Open reveals that in states with legal cannabis, fewer patients are filling prescriptions for anti-anxiety medications like benzodiazepines.
One of the reasons I smoke is because it helps with my anxiety. I was prescribed something a while back for anxiety, but it was literally something you take only when experiencing a panic attack. If I am high on weed, I won't experience a panic attack in the first place, so why even bother with the prescription pills?
I wonder if we are seeing a rise in psychosis as almost all the products I see carry that warning.
From my understanding, which could be completely wrong, is that it tends to trigger people that would eventually have problems that would manifest? I don't know how you would determine that. Please educate me, chat.
More likely for people that have a predisposition to certain mental health disorders (eg a family history notable for schizophrenia). Key phrase being more likely, it can occur in people without such a thing. Literature shows that it generally wears off with the intoxication but heavy use increases the likelihood of long term mental health issues. Important note is that literature is limited
Additionally there is literature to suggest that frequently using marijuana for anxiety has similar drawbacks to frequently using medications like benzodiazepines, only not as severe. This is because (simplified) your brain chemistry is modified while using the drug which lowers your anxiety temporarily, but then it wears off. You’re left in a state where the brains neurochemistry is disrupted at this point; it’s expecting an increase in neurotransmitters that was just occurring and abruptly stopped. As a result there is now a deficiency which can heighten anxiety, or “rebound anxiety”.
With mild use this effect is minimal, typically. This is why benzodiazepines are still often prescribed in very small amounts for specific phobias like planes. They will dispense 4-5 tablets and the rebound anxiety is minimal relative to the relief provided from the intense panic some people experience on aircraft. Marijuanas rebound is more mild as most benzodiazepines are fairly powerful sedatives but the method of action is fairly similar though the systems acted on are different (GABA vs endocannabinoid) and benzodiazepine addiction is a serious serious danger with a withdrawal that can be fatal if not detoxed appropriately (seriously if you have a benzo addiction and want to quit please detox with medical assistance)
However, with chronic use neuroadaptation occurs. Your brain gets used to this process and as a result the ability to regulate mood and anxiety nature diminishes. Now when you no longer have access to marijuana you may find that you are much more anxious, irritable, etc than you were when you started. The good news is that this is typically reversible (although with long term heavy use there is evidence of structural changes in the brain for both benzodiazepines and marijuana, but this is poorly understood). The bad news is depending on length of time this can take quite a while.
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