3/15/2014 1405
I don't want to suffer
anymore.
I need serious professional help. I am
sick and I am suffering. I need medicine. I am not a medicine doctor,
however I am absolutely certain about what helps me. I know what I
need. Nobody knows me better than me. I know what makes me feel
better. I am an intelligent and conscientious human being. I have
tried many things to alleviate my mental pain. I have done my
research and I have found that I am not alone. I have read hundreds
of testimonials from other people who are struggling with the same
problem as me.
I have what I call a hyperactive
brain. Some people call it ADD or ADHD. Whatever you want to call it,
it doesn't really matter. What is important is that I am suffering in
my own head. I think a million thoughts a minute without rest. I just
want relief. I want to calm down and relax. I want to enjoy life like
normal people. I have great difficulties just sitting still. This
mental condition torments me day and night, and has been my whole
life.
I don't want to live my life like this
anymore. I need help.
If only there was a medication that
could help? ADD stimulate medication helps a lot (without my
Concerta I wouldn't have been able to focus enough to write this
paper), but it doesn't relieve the constant mind racing that I
experience everyday. So far in my life I have only found one thing
that really alleviates the mental anguish, if only for a short time,
but it truly does wonders. That one thing is smoking a small amount
of quality marijuana.
What I am about to say is profound!
Please take it seriously!
Just smoking a tiny bit of marijuana
makes me want to live! This statement is so profound because without
it, I honestly would rather not live then continue to suffer. I am
absolutely serious about this. This is not a joke. This is my life we
are talking about here. This is a matter of quality of life. If
something like smoking a little bit of marijuana helps me, and makes
me want to live, then why shouldn't I be allowed to have it???
Just a small amount of marijuana (once
a day or less) makes me happy, it helps me sleep, it helps me think
better, it helps with the side effects of the stimulate medication by
increasing my apatite, it makes me creative and more active, it
greatly enhances the quality of my life. It is as if my racing brain
finally slows down to a normal pace for a moment. It makes me want to
live.
I would rather not smoke at all if
possible, I would much rather take medicine under the supervision of
an experienced psychiatrist who understands ADD. I don't want to have
to go to the hood and buy my life saving medicine from some shady
drug dealer! I don't deserve to be criminalized. I don't want to
get my medicine from some unregulated, unknown source. That is
dangerous and totally irresponsible to make me have to resort to the
underground black market. I want real medicine, from a doctor that I
trust. I want guidance about how to properly use it. I don't deserve
to feel guilty about wanting to feel better. All I am trying to do is
feel better. That's all. I am not hurting anyone.
If there was some other medication
that improved the quality of my life like marijuana does, I would be
all for it. My psychiatrist has tried all kinds of other medicine on
me. I have tried a number of antidepressants, anxiety medication,
and I even tried bi-polar meds, nothing has worked. These medications
always make me feel 'dumb down' in a weird uncomfortable way.
Probably because depression and anxiety are not my problem. I have a
hyperactive brain, that is what needs treatment. So far nothing
clears my mind and makes me feel as good as marijuana does. There
must be a medical form of marijuana, either edible or in pill form or
something. If not then smoking is the only way to go.
The cruel reality is that if I want
something to slow my brain down to relax, the only legal available
alternative that I have access to is alcohol. Alcohol is far more
dangerous for me than marijuana. In the absence of having the proper
medication (Ritalin and marijuana), I have turned to alcohol in the
past in an attempt to self-medicate. All I wanted was relief from my
hyperactive brain. Drinking nearly destroyed my life. I am lucky to
be alive today. If I had had access to just a small amount of
marijuana back then, I never would have turned to drinking and I
would have stayed out of a lot of trouble. It is widely accepted that
marijuana is safer than alcohol.
I didn't ask to have this
misunderstood neurological disorder. I am not normal. I have a
serious mental condition. Thankfully, with the proper help, it is
treatable and manageable. I am just trying to make the best of my
situation and live my life. I want and deserve to be happy.
I am not stupid. I have carefully
considered all of the pros and cons. The temporary relieve that
marijuana brings totally outweigh any of the negative consequences.
This is my life, this is my choice. I don't want to continue to
needlessly suffer when a safe medical solution is right in front of
me. The quality of my life is simply not what it could be. I am not
happy. And if this one simple thing fixes that for me, then I deserve
it.
Please allow me to briefly explain how
I feel with and without marijuana (not that I should have to justify
or try to convince anyone, because frankly it is not anyone's
business but my own. This is an issue between myself and my doctor,
nobody else has the right to infringe on my right to liberty and my
right to peruse happiness).
Without it, I honestly feel so
overwhelmed by my own brain and the constant stream of never ending
thoughts, that I don't feel like doing much. I feel so burdened that
I sometimes just want to not live anymore just to escape the constant
mental suffering. I constantly contemplate suicide as a sweet escape
from the suffering in my own head. But when I take just one small
puff, something truly magical happens. My life seems to come into
perspective. My troubles seem manageable, I gain a tremendous new
found appreciation for life. I want to live. I start doing stuff that
I enjoy. I clean my room and organize my belongings. I view life from
a whole new perspective. I think more clearly about my life and my
current situation. I think of solutions to my problems rather then
just be tormented by them. I feel happy. And everything single time
I'm feeling down and I smoke a little, I vow to myself that I want to
live, and that I want to continue life. I think it's crazy that just
moments ago I was seriously thinking about killing myself. Thank god
I didn't, because this life I have is precious. I have so much left
to do with my life. I have dreams and aspirations and goals that I
want to accomplish. Just that one small puff makes this feeling of
hope and the desire to live lasts for days.
I am talking am an incredibly small
amount of high-grade marijuana. I am not a pothead, I am not a
stoner, I don't want to just “get high” and do nothing. I take
great offense to these stereotypes and anyone that judges me for my
desire to make myself feel better. You don't know what it is like in
my head. You don't know how incredibly profound these feelings I have
are. I don't judge you, and you absolutely have no right to tell me
what to do with my life. This is my life we are talking about here.
And it is a matter of quality of life. For me, this is a matter of
wanting to live vs not wanting to live.
I am a veteran, a college graduate and
a honest to god good person. I have so much to offer this world. And
right now, if I don't get the help I need, this world is in risk of
losing me forever. All I am asking for is the right to do what makes
me happy. This is a matter of life and death for me. I would rather
die than continue to suffer living my life without the proper
medication. All I want is relief from my constant mental suffering.
And if I just get the help I need (the proper medicine to treat my
ADD), I know without a shadow of a doubt that I can live a happy and
successful life.
Help stop the hypocrisy and the
tyranny. Stop the needless destructive prosecution of innocent people
who use marijuana for whatever reason they want. Allow people the
freedom to make their own choices. Stop filling the jails and
burdening the courts with this pointless prohibition. Everyone knows
that prohibition doesn't work. What we as a society need is sensible
regulation and laws based in science, compassion and human rights
instead of failed, outdated, horrificly unfair, racist laws of the
past. It is time to move forward as a society. No more innocent
people need to have their lives shattered, or worse lose their lives
because of this bogus needless oppression.
I am not a drug addict. I am not a
loser junkie that just wants to get high. I am an honest citizen that
needs medicine. I wish I didn't need medicine at all. I wish I was
normal like everyone else. If I can get marijuana on the street and
that makes me feel better, I am sure that modern medicine has
something that can help me. I'm sure that I can get something better
and safer from a doctor. I mean what kind of world do we live in that
I can get live changing medicine on the street instead of the
pharmacy? There must be some kind of medicine out there that can help
me. I want to follow the law and do what is right. I have tried
everything I can. I know in my heart what is right for me. I don't
want to live in a world that criminally persecutes people who are
just trying to make themselves feel better. Enough damage has already
been done. Help me get this vitally important medication now, before
I become the next causality of the war on drugs.
Thank you for taking the time to read
this. For more information and resources, please visit a website I
have made to support my argument to end the war on drugs.
Stop
treating Medical Marijuana Patients like second rate citizens and
common criminals by forcing them to the dangerous black market for
their medicine.
Risking
incarceration to obtain the medicine you need is no way to be forced
to live.
Support
Medical Marijuana Now!
"[A]
federal policy that prohibits physicians from alleviating suffering
by prescribing marijuana for seriously ill patients is misguided,
heavy-handed, and inhumane." — Dr. Jerome Kassirer,
"Federal Foolishness and Marijuana," editorial, New England
Journal of Medicine, January 30, 1997
"[The
AAFP accepts the use of medical marijuana] under medical supervision
and control for specific medical indications." — American
Academy of Family Physicians, 1989, reaffirmed in 2001
"[We]
recommend … allow[ing] [marijuana] prescription where medically
appropriate." — National Association for Public Health Policy,
November 15, 1998
"Therefore
be it resolved that the American Nurses Association will: — Support
the right of patients to have safe access to therapeutic
marijuana/cannabis under appropriate prescriber supervision." —
American Nurses Association, resolution, 2003
"The
National Nurses Society on Addictions urges the federal government to
remove marijuana from the Schedule I category immediately, and make
it available for physicians to prescribe. NNSA urges the American
Nurses' Association and other health care professional organizations
to support patient access to this medicine." — National Nurses
Society on Addictions, May 1, 1995
"[M]arijuana
has an extremely wide acute margin of safety for use under medical
supervision and cannot cause lethal reactions … [G]reater harm is
caused by the legal consequences of its prohibition than possible
risks of medicinal use." — American Public Health Association,
Resolution #9513, "Access to Therapeutic Marijuana/Cannabis,"
1995
"When
appropriately prescribed and monitored, marijuana/cannabis can
provide immeasurable benefits for the health and well-being of our
patients … We support state and federal legislation not
only to remove criminal penalties associated with medical marijuana,
but further to exclude marijuana/cannabis from classification as a
Schedule I drug." — American Academy of HIV Medicine, letter
to New York Assemblyman Richard Gottfried, November 11, 2003
"[The
LFA] urges Congress and the President to enact legislation to
reschedule marijuana to allow doctors to prescribe smokable marijuana
to patients in need … [and] urges the US Public Health Service to
allow limited access to medicinal marijuana by promptly reopening the
Investigational New Drug compassionate access program to new
applicants." — Lymphoma Foundation of America, January 20,
1997
Testimonials from other
people with ADD who have found relief
After
having entirely too many people tell me that I may have A.D.D. I
finally started looking into it. Wow what an eye opening experience
it has been. One man I had to respond back to you because you
describe what I've been living with to the letter. I also began
smoking pot around 18. At about the age of 23 I began doing it on a
regular basis. Soon I found myself more "attentive" to
certain things. By the age of 25 I began smoking on a daily basis. I
also found myself back in school. This time unlike any of my public
school experience I found myself at the top of the class. I will 100%
attribute it to my smoking of weed without a doubt. The ability is in
me to do very well for myself, it always has been, I could just never
focus before.
This
is where I say I feel a strong connection with what you talked about.
My normal (not high) is a cloud of everything in my life at once.
One thought leads to another thought to another thought to another
thought and many times on has very little to do with the next
thought. One moment I'm thinking of my professional career and the
next I'm thinking of when I was in 3rd grade staring out the window
with the teacher talking straight at me and I'm not listening. I'm to
the point where I make it known that if talk to me I tell them "Get
to the point quick or I will quit listening to you and to not take it
personal". I'm known for being involved in a full blown one on
one conversation and next thing you know I'm lost in my own head. I'm
good for telling people "I'm sorry I quit listening to you there
for a minute, lets go back over that.". It all stems from the
countless things going on in my head.
You
elude to things going on in your head so fast that they seem to all
meld together and that it's like your thinking of them simultaneously
all at the same time, I suffer from this exact same thing and I do
repeat myself a lot.
I
have adhd and i feel that weed helps me to stop thinking about
everything all the time. right now while im typing this sentence
im thinking about the wind outside, my family watching tv, if i
type loudly, my glass of milk, my sisters radio playing some country
song and it hasnt even been playing for a while. i
feel like my mind is a merry go round spinning incredibly fast and
thoughts keeping getting on but not getting off. so i continuously
think of them one by one, but so fast that they meld together
and it feels like im thinking of them simultaneously. when im
smoking im able to forget things that dont matter, and allow myself
to relax to a state that i haven’t been able to find anywhere else
in my life, including with prescription drugs that ive
taken help my thinking. the
higher i get the more i can relax my mind but as a side
effect i get more and more forgetful which causes
other problems like forgetting the subject that im talking about
at the time which can be really bad. if im with people i dont
know i appear to be a pushover and if im too high i am and cant
help it. ill just forget about what made me pissed. i also
start repeating myself because im not used to thinking that
slowly. i feel that these are small sacrifices for the chance to
let my mind ease without out all of the mental interferences, but i
dont go past the point of short term memory loss if i have to do
things or im with people that dont know i have adhd. being high
does also enhance all of my emotions which can suck if im
feeling sad or paranoid but it also helps me to think of good
things and escape my tireless revolving mind. if you listen
to hiphop or even if you dont try listening to kid cudi when your
feeling an emotion you dont want to. it always makes me feel
happy and content.
im so happy that i was able to find an open discussion on this topic ive never been able to talk to anyone who is going through the same thing. i wouldnt say that weed is good for everyone with adhd, because everyone is different. i do know that it is incredibly helpful to me and can be to others.
im so happy that i was able to find an open discussion on this topic ive never been able to talk to anyone who is going through the same thing. i wouldnt say that weed is good for everyone with adhd, because everyone is different. i do know that it is incredibly helpful to me and can be to others.
i
am a 25 yr old mother of two. My husband and i both smoke a small
amount of medicinal marijuana every night at exactly 7:30 and have
for years. I am a homemaker, my husband has a well paying job, we own
a nice house, attend church every sunday, pay our bills and live a
life of honesty and simplicity. i have been diagnosed over the years
with a myriad of mental health issues ranging from OCD, ADHD, to
bipolar, depression, borderline personality disorder, i have seen
many mental health care workers and been put on MANY different
medication. They would work for about two weeks and sloose all
effectiveness resulting in constant dosage increases. Eventually i
literally became a drooling vegetable with no emotions or cares. my
mother took me of meds seeing that this was not going to work. i
moved out shortly after that at age 18 and for five year "went
crazy" i tried cocaine, was homeless and put myself in dangerous
situations constantly.
After
five years i knew this wasnt working. i went back to mental health
worker and was finaly diagnosed with ADHD and all other symptoms were
a result of this underlying conditions. they started me on similar
meds again and i encountered the same results. constant dosage
increase, severe weight gain and no emotions! i felt like a
psychopath, seriously.
so
i decided i need something completely different.
I
decided to start smoking a controlled amount of marijuana at night to
calm me down and allow me to sleep and stop my mental
rollercoaster. My thoughts never stopped, i acted
impulsively, NEVER slept, was emotional, crying and laughing, anger
and extacy all rolled into to one. Marijuana worked! the side effects
( munchies and lack of motivation) were worth the calming effect they
had. I only smoke at night when all my work is done and my children
are sound asleep so motivation isnt necessary and i control my
munchies with having lots of healthy snacks such as veggies and
fruit. i know long term effects may be bigger but I find any side
effect of marijuana a lot more healthy than any of the high dosage
drugs i was given before. i think marijuana used in
SMALL daily amounts (by itself, no alcohol or medication combined
with it) can be quite beneficial for people with ADHD and other
mental health issues. Do NOT smoke before ge 18 as it can
permanently damage brain growth. Do NOT smoke large amounts becuz
getting high is not the goal, only the relaxing effects. smoking too
much usually has opposite result of turning you into a "fried"
stoner. it as if it were medication, with controlled dose. do NOT
increase if effectiveness wears off, stop for a week and resume. and
it its not working, have the self respect to stop using and find
other means of controlling your ADHD, i think everyone responds
differently to marijuana.
This
is my advice for any ADULT struggling with ADHD and having NO OTHER
solution. I am not a doctor or trained to give this advice this is my
personal opinion, please take that into consideration.
thanx
Marie
I
was diagnosed with ADHD when I was a child. Now I am 30. There are
times when I have trouble concentrating on getting things done unless
it is something I am really interested in. When I was 14 I was
introduced to marijuana. I would smoke occasionally, of course I
would act like a silly teenager. Over the years and growing up and
continuing to smoke on and off I have come to a realization.
I realize when I am super stressed I smoke marijuana. It allows me to
relax and calm down. It also helps me focus on getting certain things
accomplished like the housework, the yard work, mending my clothes,
even writing.
There are times I do not smoke and just don't care if the house
gets a deep clean. Marijuana works for me the way speed would
for others pertaining to true concentration. Because you know when
you are stoned you concentrate on sometimes nothing but watching t.v.
Even watching t.v. can be annoying when you can not sit still. I
think the use of marijuana can be effective with adult adhd when you
feel there is way too much going on. The things I can focus on when I
am not stoned are the things I am truly passionate about, which is
college. Half the time when I am in public or hanging out with family
I feel as though I am on the outside looking in. It feels as
though a part of me is oblivious to everyone and everything around
me. When I go to Walmart I am there concentrating on
buying what I have to have, and I feel a little thrown off when I
run into someone I know. I say smoke away!
I've
been wondering the same thing. I think I may have adult ADD and have
smoked pot every so often for about 15 years. I am lucky in that I
get the same organic pot from the same person every time so it is
always the same. To me, the difference is in the amount smoked.
I only smoke a tiny bit, just enough to get my brain to calm down. I
get just enough to be calm and quiet/able to listen, but
not too much as to end up slow and sleepy. However, sometimes I feel
like I have trouble retaining information obtained when I'm high,
even if I was really focused on it when I was hearing or seeing it.
This
works for me; I realize it's self medication, so I try to pay
attention to the effects and I don't smoke every day.
I've
been wondering that recently too. Personally I've found that
weed alleviated some of the symptoms of adhd, most notably boredom,
but made others like depression and impaired cognitive abilities
worse. When I took marijuana as a medicine, the stronger
doses severely inhibited my ability to function effectively in
normal situations. The effects of regular medical marijuana also
began to resemble those of speed, often times severely
increasing my adhd symptoms. In
my opinion marijuana is an effective treatment for adhd but
should be avoided by those who have, or had, substance abuse issues.
Back
when I was smoking pot I didn't know that I had adult ADHD. I
wondered why I'd get high and be able to focus. It made no sense to
me. Everyone else would be laughing and eating.
I'd
be doing homework or cleaning house, concentrating. I thought it was
only me but reading this, I had to comment .
Blessed
Be!
~Timid
Raven
Oh
my, My story is a lot like yours. i used to take adderal and I
did not like the sleepless nights and it would make my skin so dry. I
recently tried smoking pot again and at first I hated it but
then i realized if i just smoke a little that it does THE SAME EXACT
THING FOR ME. My thoughts stop racing and Im able to get so much more
done I dont need to talk as much and find it easier to relax enough
to listen. I feel like it is easier to concentrate on getting things
done. Although it has not stopped me from walking fast I'll take
that. I feel that in a small dose it has really helped me feel more
together. i'm so happy to hear that im not crazy and someone else is
experiencing what I have experienced.
I
have a very similar story. I had been on adderal for many years and
really dislike the side effects of sleepless nights and dry skin. I
had smoked pot and at first it was too much for me and made me
anxious then when
I would smoke just a tiny bit and i realized that i really worked for
me. I usual scatter all over the place mind was at peace and
daily task became easier to organize and execute with out so much
stress. I became more focused and my usually very active mind was
normal feeling and quiet. i feel I have foudn a solution to my server
adhd issue. Im happy i am not the only one that feels this way
Hi
everyone, it seems there are not alot of people here that, for one
have adhd or two know extensively about it.
I
was diagnosed with add, that was quickly re evaluated to adhd at the
age of 6. All through my school years I struggled with things such
as; attention span, memory, and anxiety. Luckily I crossed paths with
quite a few people that were eager to help. Ive had everything from
sitting on my hands to stress balls and ipods to ridilan and
adderol.
Adhd
is not something easily controllable, its compared to; people without
it, their brains work as filling cabinets effectively storing
information neatly. Someone with adhd does not file neatly, we throw
all incoming information into a pile to be sorted through when you
call upon information. Hense bad memory and easy distraction. Along
with all this, your mind is constantly racing, explaining bad
attention span. People diagnosed with adhd usually form habits for
things such as caffeine and amphetamines. Things that speed other
peoples minds up actually evens mine out. For example; people dont
drink soda or eat candy before bed because the caffeine and sugar
keep them up. For me it is different, without caffeine my mind is
lost in its thoughts more than half the day, but as soon as I have
caffeine, I can actually focus on one thing at a time ( maybe not for
long periods of time, but narrows my field of attention ).
So
with that rough depiction I will say I use marijuana as well. With
moderate or medium levels of thc in your system you can notice that
thoughts are more clear, prompt, and effective. Too high
of levels ( varying obviously with exposure ), and your mind is
scrambled so much that you must actually try to sustain a train of
thought.
Marijuana
has helped me immensely, I am able to accomplish more as well as
retain information not only quicker but with better understanding.
And as everyone says, marijuana has not proved to be physically
addicting but can still form a habit that, especially people with
adhd, will let consume parts of their day and or thought process. But
come on, people usually try and do things to make them happy all the
time.
I
too recently discovered vyvanse, wich im taking 30 mg once a day for
now. Ive noticed that, while not solving all my problems, it gives me
the 'tools' persay, too actively work on getting better at all
symptoms. So basically takes me from 5th gear to 4th. I do plan on
raising dosage but after ridilan, i am cautious too move too fast as
it could have a reverse reaction if introduced to quickly. Ive mixed
both marijuana and vyvanse now every time, as I smoke everyday too
help keep my mind steady. While I kept thc levels medium, I was able
to think and act quickly upon things such as problem solving,
reactions, thought process, and the retention of information. Im not
only calm ( weed ) but well sorted out (vyvanse), making an almost
perfect mix. While I have again not up ed my dosage, I do believe it
too be beneficial for me all across the board.
Please
keep in mind I am NOT a doctor and am NOT educating on the use of,
but meerly speaking my mind as too the experience I have had. Thank
you for reading.
Testimonials
shared on 3/15/2014 from
http://www.healthcentral.com/adhd/c/question/953844/48093
