Medical Marijuana for Bipolar Disorder
From multiple sclerosis to depression, medical marijuana has been helping people deal with various health conditions and their treatments. In today’s society, bipolar patients can turn to medical marijuana for addressing their bipolar disorder as well.
What is Bipolar Disorder?
Bipolar disorder is a mental health disorder characterized by extreme mood swings alternating between lows, depression, and high mania or hypomania. With depression, patients can feel hopeless or sad and begin to lose pleasure in life in daily activities. When patients have bipolar disorder, their mood can shift into hypomania or mania. Patients can feel full of energy, euphoric, or unusually irritable. These variations in mood swings can affect patients activity, behavior, sleep, judgment, and ability to think clearly.
Mood swings can come numerous times a year or rarely. In some circumstances, some individuals may experience emotional symptoms, while others might not experience any. Although bipolar disorder usually afflicts patients life, a medical marijuana treatment plan can help manage its symptoms and mood swings. Typically, doctors treat the condition with psychotherapy, or psychological counseling, and medical marijuana medication.
Medical Marijuana and Bipolar Disorder
Research has shown some mood disorders, such as Bipolar Disorder, can be hereditary, with the possibility to skip a generation of diagnosed cases. Beyond the known causes of chemical imbalances in the brain and the chemical transmitters not working correctly between the cells of the brain. It isn’t certain why some people are predisposed to bipolar disorder, and others are not. Bipolar refers to the poles of mood, similar to a battery. One is for the positive effects of mood, and the other is negative.
Usually, the individual with bipolar disorder has rapid swings in mood. This can cycle from high energy and inflated sense of self and even happiness to severe depression and exhaustion, leaving them unwilling to crawl out of bed daily. The more severe the cycle, the more dangerous the situations for the patient with bipolar disorder as both extreme can result in death from suicides, accidents, or carelessness.
These mood cycles have been controlled with powerful drugs and even treated with electroshock therapy in the past. These unethical treatments have left patients overmedicated and over-treated and have led to finding safer treatments to manage bipolar disorder.
Research Has Shown THC and CBD might distribute specific effects such as
- Anxiolytic
- Hypnotic
- Antidepressant
- Sedative
- Anticonvulsant
- Antipsychotic
What Side Effects and Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder Can Be Treated with Medical Marijuana?
Bipolar Disorder can bring on various symptoms which can be managed with medical cannabis such as:
- Depression
- Sleeping problems
- Changes in energy levels
- Anxiety
Bipolar Disorder and Medical Marijuana Treatments
The two main strains of medical marijuana, indica and sativa, can be used together or separately to treat the symptoms as the patient starts to cycle.
Indica is often used to calm, alleviate anxiety, and relieve insomnia. Indica can be used when the patient is experiencing a high cycle and can’t be bothered to come down to sleep, eat, and focus. Sativa manages mood swings and acts as a stimulant. It’s most effective for the lows in the patient with bipolar disorder. A lot of relief can be gained and without harm to the body’s organs or long term damage to the brain and liver through the use of medical marijuana.
Marijuana Care Clinic commits to spreading the word about the benefits of medical marijuana for patients who have bipolar disorder. We can be the first step in you finding a qualified doctor to receive your prescription for medical cannabis more naturally and healthily. Contact us today to start your journey on receiving healthy medical marijuana treatments for your bipolar disorder.