Baclofen and Marijauna

[spiritwolf333]

Now that prohibition on marijuana is about to lifted (entire USA), I am just wandering did I miss the boat? I tried smoking some when I much younger (15 yr/old) and it just made me gag. After finally inhaling some, I just was not getting the effect that I saw others getting. My one thought then was -"why smoke this when I get so much fun out my beer".

Maybe I should have kept trying to smoke the "weed". And, if I had stayed with the marijuana, would I have been less likely to abuse alcohol? In retrospect, all of this just shows that I was trying to change the way I felt and thought -to go higher to feel better and then just to go low to feel calmer.

With this said, I am just glad I have baclofen working with me. I am wondering about marijuana and baclofen though.

First, from a non-taker of marijuana, what are the effects -do you get an initial high and then a calming effect or just a calming effect?
If baclofen helps make you feel calmer to begin with, will the effects of marijuana go unnoticed or nullified?
If one is dependent on marijuana, would baclofen help that person stop smoking it if they so chose?

(just curios and maybe a little naive but would really like to know -thanks)

[neophyte]

Baclofen and Marijauna

When i was around 17 i was very much a marijuana smoker and barely ever drank, that was much the pattern until around 19 when my anxiety and social anxiety went in full force. Smoking just made me extremly paranoid and so i had to quit. I still ended up drinking as that calmed my nerves which progressed into drinking everyday at age 25. Ever since i quit marijuana i would try it everynow and then to see if the anxiety aspect had abated.

I actually tried smoking when o nbaclofen once and it just brouight back anxiety and viewing everything in my life as one big failure. so the "high" felt exactly the same.

That said, in Australia we dont have the strains available in the US. if you look for strains with high cbd and low THC you might be able to get the melow relaxing high youre after. look for a youtube video on pure thc vs a mixture of cbd and thc and the difference is quite eye opening. Most strains these days are for high thc and have very little cbd.

[Fred_The_Cat]

Baclofen and Marijauna

neophyte;1610054 wrote: When i was around 17 i was very much a marijuana smoker and barely ever drank, that was much the pattern until around 19 when my anxiety and social anxiety went in full force. Smoking just made me extremly paranoid and so i had to quit. I still ended up drinking as that calmed my nerves which progressed into drinking everyday at age 25. Ever since i quit marijuana i would try it everynow and then to see if the anxiety aspect had abated.

I actually tried smoking when o nbaclofen once and it just brouight back anxiety and viewing everything in my life as one big failure. so the "high" felt exactly the same.

That said, in Australia we dont have the strains available in the US. if you look for strains with high cbd and low THC you might be able to get the melow relaxing high youre after. look for a youtube video on pure thc vs a mixture of cbd and thc and the difference is quite eye opening. Most strains these days are for high thc and have very little cbd.

Damn Neo, that mirrors my experience right down to the year! Started at 17, quit at 20 because it made me an anxious wreck, started drinking daily at 25. I'm all for legalizing it, but there are just some who cannot handle it and I am one of them. One of my friends quit a year after I did and tried it again a couple of years ago. He said that single hit sent him to such a hateful and paranoid place that he never wants to go back. I'm not tempted in the least.

[Greg]

Baclofen and Marijauna

I was never much of a pot smoker until 4 years ago, when I tried it out of desperation as a substitute for my nightly heavy drinking. I had become desperate after trying all the normal treatments for alcoholism over 20 years, numerous detoxes and AA meetings included, without any lasting success.

Since that time, I have to credit marijuana for allowing me to remain alcohol-free for most of the past 4 years. Probably 90-95 percent of days over that time have been free of alcohol, whereas before I drank every single night for years on end. I have also been taking Antabuse and a bit of low-dose baclofen though, so those also deserve credit. My current pattern is 3-4 months dry, then 5-7 days drinking, then back off alcohol and onto pot again.

Unfortunately a few problems have also arisen with marijuana. One of these is the simple fact that it can suddenly become unavailable for days/weeks on end, and I live in a pretty small town where you don't have many sources to ask if people don't have any. Another problem has been anxiety and peculiar obsessive thought patterns, which are worse the day after rather than at night while actually smoking. I can only guess that my weird thoughts are linked somehow to the paranoia that most people describe as a pot side effect.

As for the question of pot with baclofen, I have only used low baclofen doses so can't really say much about pot plus high-dose bac. Baclofen seems to attenuate the effects of marijuana for some unknown reason in my case, but otherwise there have been no bad interactions between the two. The bac doses I have used don't reduce my desire to smoke, but higher doses could possibly do this. I also read of one trial in which 1200 mg per day of gabapentin reduced usage in pot smokers.

As a few other forum members suggested to me when I first substituted pot for alcohol, I really switched one addiction for another, since I feel desperate and ultra-stressed when there is no pot around, and I get mild withdrawals from it (esp lack of sleep). However I may easily have been dead from alcoholism by now had I not tried marijuana, so I see it as harm reduction, the lesser of two evils basically.

[Yourfriend6116]

Baclofen and Marijauna

Hi spirit!!!
I'm a daily pot smoker and take Bac (as you know).
A-I still get high but I'm starting to feel like I need more or it doesn't last as long
B- "A" kind of answers this question
C- I heard from Lo0p and another mwo person that eventually my desire for pot will also decrease. This hasn't happened yet, but I'm only on 60 Mgs.
Hope this helps!

[Mandiekinz]

Baclofen and Marijauna

Excellent and controversial post, Wolf!!! So brave you are...

I also wondered the same thing: Had I liked and smoked more marijuana, would my lust for booze have been lessened. But the impulse and lack of balance and addiction are a part of our brain chemistry, so it could have went either way.

I used to smoke a lot back in my younger teens, just being a rebel...yet never really liked it due to not having a control over the quantity I'd take in. Much like you, alcohol was way more fun, IMO.

I then tried many times to switch from alcohol to marijuana, which never worked out. I didn't really care for the feeling. Paranoia, too many thoughts. I'd get drunk to numb my thoughts THEN smoke to cut my urge to drink more...then get balanced enough to drink and smoke some more. WTC!?

I never had the desire to go out of my way to find marijuana and smoke aside from my times of attempting to transition over. However, my S/O smokes several times a week to relax. I do find it pleasurable to occasionally take a small hit or two. I don't get paranoid anymore. It does take my S/O to twist my arm a bit to get me to indulge as I just don't have the urge to get alter my mind anymore. But with just the right amount and relaxation(more than I already possess) is on it's way. I could just as easily pop an alprazolam, but I believe marijuana is a much more natural way to go.

I do believe that HDB can help with any strong and unbalanced addiction. Shopping, gambling, over-eating, drinking, drugging...except smoking cigarettes(which I don't believe works on our reward system as strongly). Weird. As baclofen balances out our impulse and reward system...we don't find the urge to over-indulge in our dangerous habits.

Note: I do believe people can have some form of an addiction to marijuana.

I always have and always will fully support the legalization of marijuana. I smoked the synthetic marijuana on occasion for a little while with very life threatening repercussions. On my way to the hospital, the paramedic even told me to stick with the real stuff...he never had anyone in the back of the ambulance from just marijuana but synthetic drugs and alcohol are the number one reasons he's called out. I've known this, but it was quite the eye opener coming from someone that lives it daily.

Not only is it a great medicinal product for a number of diseases, it's also great for oil, fuel, paper, clothing, and many other things..

[neophyte]

Baclofen and Marijauna

right before i became a daily drinking i was smoking marijuana, the nasty high thc low cbd stuff sold illegally in australia, its known as 'hydro' we dont have the strains in the USA. I think high CBD low THC has some promise for anxiety sufferes. When the THC is low enough ive read that the high is almost non existent and instead you obtain the medicinal benefits - relaxation, pain relief etc.

here is the video i was talking about that shows high thc vs cbd/thc combination. most strains you buy have virtually no cbd in them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpJ1sspnk2c[/video]]THC & CBD Experiment - YouTube

[Samandkatharine]

Baclofen and Marijauna

When my son lived at home and turned 18 he got a medical marijuana card. He smoked it right before bed (outside far away from the house) to sleep. He has Aspergers and insomnia. It does not affect him negatively. The high CBD strains work well for that. I cannot tolerate any strain.😳 I get horrible cotton mouth and paranoia up the wazoo. Too bad because it's legal in CA and I do like the smell of the dispensaries when you walk in.

Sam

[spiritwolf333]

Baclofen and Marijauna

Thank you to all who have replied. It sure sounds like a lot of anxiety and extreme paranoia is part of the marijuana equation? Of all things I need, neither of these two are even near the top of my list. In fact, sounds a lot like my post drinking thinking patterns.

[Samandkatharine]

Baclofen and Marijauna

Spirit, the last thing we need is more anxiety😱😱😱.

Acupuncture is supposed to help anxiety, and it's non habit forming!

Sam

[chelsea98]

Baclofen and Marijauna

im currently on bac titrating down from 240 and am at 180 a day at the moment. my drinking always went hand in hand with my smoking. I am currently on my last stash of smoke and will quit after that and I'm hoping that bac will once again, get me through to the other side. i did try and quite a month or so ago but the nightmares were extreme and at that time unexpected (i have a 20-25 yaer habit, daily for the last 15-18 yrs at least). i'm now prepared for a two week assault on my dreams and actually look forward to that finishing so that I can actually have real dreams!! (which I havent had for as long as ive been a daily smoker).

i'll maybe make a thread here about it when i quit which should be in the not too distant future, but it's still difficult. im used to the feeling of fear when im running low and the haste to get some more, but I'm hoping bac will take care of that for me once i put the final one in the ashtray. having said that, im kinda worried that i've titrated down too much as i hit my alcohol switch at a higher level. if that is the case then i'll push back up to 240 and ride the rollercoaster again.

[Mandiekinz]

Baclofen and Marijauna

Chelsea, I'd be really intrigued/interested to read your posts on your new journey. I understand it can be terrifying, however, the dreams/nightmares are a way of our minds to process the yuk. After your two week assault you could be flying high in the sky on life and clarity! I'd feel blessed to see how it unfolds for you.

[neophyte]

Baclofen and Marijauna

I stumbled upon CBD only oils and did some reading, apparently you get all the medicinal benefits of marijuana but none of the nasty side effects (anxiety, paranoia) or the high. The CBD only component has benefits on anxiety, this has sparked my interest to try it, the best part is that its all completely legal.


chelsea, perhaps switching to CBD oil might help the transition?

[spiritwolf333]

Baclofen and Marijauna

Samandkatharine;1610995 wrote: Spirit, the last thing we need is more anxiety😱😱😱.

Acupuncture is supposed to help anxiety, and it's non habit forming!

Sam

Sam -I will take puncturing through acupuncture -I need no more voluntary puncturing through chemicals. Anxiety and depression are the real nightmares.

[spiritwolf333]

Baclofen and Marijauna

chelsea98;1611338 wrote: im currently on bac titrating down from 240 and am at 180 a day at the moment. my drinking always went hand in hand with my smoking. I am currently on my last stash of smoke and will quit after that and I'm hoping that bac will once again, get me through to the other side. i did try and quite a month or so ago but the nightmares were extreme and at that time unexpected (i have a 20-25 yaer habit, daily for the last 15-18 yrs at least). i'm now prepared for a two week assault on my dreams and actually look forward to that finishing so that I can actually have real dreams!! (which I havent had for as long as ive been a daily smoker).

i'll maybe make a thread here about it when i quit which should be in the not too distant future, but it's still difficult. im used to the feeling of fear when im running low and the haste to get some more, but I'm hoping bac will take care of that for me once i put the final one in the ashtray. having said that, im kinda worried that i've titrated down too much as i hit my alcohol switch at a higher level. if that is the case then i'll push back up to 240 and ride the rollercoaster again.

Chels -Hey, is it the same level of intense craving as alcohol? I am really curios now. I always thought after a day or two of not smoking, one could take it or leave it?