CBD Use and Are Anti-Depressants, Worth It?

Diet and Nutrition
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Hey guys,

Has anyone had any experience with CBD use as far as pain relief? Maybe it a topical form - some type of lotion or cream?

No doctors in my area have any experience with it, but some family members who are avid users of marijuana in all forms really love it, and after doing some quick Googling it looks like it might help.

I’m asking as far as just general aches and pains, and for plantar fasciitis-like symptoms.

Be interested to know if anyone’s tried and recommends it or not.

Also, I’ve dealt with some anxiety and depression issues for the last several years. I’m 19. I’d say it started around age 15 or so. Nothing extreme - not daily anxiety attacks, not ever any thoughts of hurting myself or anyone else, but enough so that I’ve lost a lot of “motivation” (I don’t always like that word but it’s the best I could think of) and/or will power.

It really seems to affect my schoolwork and my sleep. I’m quite smart, and school comes easily to me, so it’s not that it got really hard and I got frustrated with it and stopped caring. And as far as sleep, I just mean I go through phases where all I want to do is sleep. I can barely get out of bed in the morning and throughout the day, I just want to not have to deal with anything/anyone and want to go to bed.

I have an appointment with a doctor in couple weeks to discuss it, and we’ll see what he says. My aunt took an antidepressant for a while, and she said it felt like a veil was lifted from her eyes. Like she couldn’t tell how depressed she’d been until she realized how much happier she was. I know my uncle has taken stuff for anxiety and had success. My pastor says he recommends it, as often it really can be a hormone imbalance and not just a matter of pushing through it. But I’ve heard from others that it wasn’t very succesful. And personally, taking a medication just doesn’t appeal to me.

Again, I’m not asking for a diagnosis or anything - I am meeting with a doctor and will discuss it then, and if offered a medication, will decide on my own. I’m just wondering what anyone’s experiences are with it and if they felt it helped or not.

If it matters, there is a strong history of quite bad depression (and anxiety) on both sides of my family, as well as very severe addictions issues. This is one of the main reasons why I don’t totally embrace the idea of medicating - while as far as I know no one gets addicted to antidepressants, I do try to stay away from medications since I have seen the dangers of other medicines. Adderall, Xanax, pain killers, etc.

Anyway, if you have experience with either CBD or antidepressants, please let me know your thoughts!

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This is likely what you would be prescribed for anxiety. It’s not hard to get a Xanax prescription, but benzos are absolutely terrible, and what you’ve described more so than general anxiety is long term clinical depression. That type of depression isn’t going to be constant or necessarily involve suicidal thoughts, you will experience it in waves where you may, as you described, not want to do anything, and taking benzos will not help you in that sense - antidepressants will, and you should be open to what the doctor says.

I’ve smoked CBD oil before and it was very relaxing with a minimal narcotic effect, and gave me great relief with back pain I was experiencing. I don’t know if topical use would be more or less effective, and I bet it would help with minor aches and pains, but I’d hold off doing any self-medication until you figure out what’s going on with your mental health. Good luck, and I commend you for being brave enough to reach out for help.

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Yes. It works. have used topicals.

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Lovan worked well for me (Prozac, in other words).

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I use a 10:1 cbd/thc cartridge in a vape pen most nights after dinner. Its more of less the equivalent of a glass of wine or finger of whiskey… Except I prefer it over alcohol prior to bed. I usually take my dog in a quick 5 minute walk around the block right before heading to bed and take a few drags while out there with him. My dog is pretty skittish with people so whenever he is going to be around lots of people i give him a dropper of cbc oil to calm him down. Expensive stuff whether you get it at the weed store or the pet shop.

Honestly I’ve never benefited from pain relief from cbd, but have from thc. I do like cbd for the calming and relaxation effect, but pure cbc oil is expensive compared to the oil.

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Have you considered meeting with a counselor or therapist? Meds might help your depression and anxiety, but they don’t treat the root cause. It’s a temporary solution.

I suggest improving your thinking patterns and making sure you have proper nutrition. It’ll go a LONG way toward making you feel better.

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Yeah, just a drag or two before bed. Its relaxing the same way chamomile or a warm blanket is. It’s not physchactive so nothing major.

For all my surgeries I’ve found thc manages my pain better than opiates, but opiates let me sleep better.

And yeah, CBD is legal in all 50 states and most boutique pet stores will have CBD oil for pets. Cuts down on my dogs anxiety in crowded places and makes him less scarred when meeting people. Again, nothing major though.

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I have a script for medical cannabis. Unfortunately it only worked for a short time. Then my brain adapted and I started getting panic attacks. Big ones that would last 4 or 5 hours or so. With "after shocks* for days. Its been a few weeks now since my last one.

Back story - Anxiety and Depression since early 20’s —in my 40’s now

Dr now has prescribed Ativan for when its really needed. Also anti depressants. I skipped taking both.

I also have central serous retinopathy. Which means I am loosing my site in my eye due to cortisol. I don’t take external cortisol. But it could be from the anxiety and working out(said a dr).So for one year I quit working out to see if I would get more vision loss. Dr then cleared me to workout cause the anxiety was beating me up too much. Also have a stressful job.

I decide going to the gym and making sure I take better care of myself is a better option.

I don’t drink or do drugs(when I was a teen I did)<–quiting this makes the biggest difference.
I eat super clean now and I am cutting fat like no tomorrow.

I changed my workout from strictly weights to include HIIT and brisk walking as forms of cardio

Long story short try to refine your diet and gym activities. Restrict your life style to not include drugs or booze. You might find your mind will feel so much better.

Just my $0.02

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@baumbodies

Yes, I’m going to start meeting with my pastor, who used to be a practicing counselor. (So he’s got the education/certification, etc.) I’m not really the type who’s looking for a pill to make it all better - honestly, I was against the idea of using meds for these issues.

I definitely need to work on my diet though, since it’s quite bad at the moment. Lots of carbs and sugar, not much protein and fruits/veggies. I know how much that plays into my mood and mental health, and need to start taking it more seriously. Really lack self control in that area though :laughing:

@Californiagrown

Good to know that THC manages the pain better, but did you feel like opiates made you much more groggy? I took them for a few days after my last surgery, just because, and honestly could totally see how people get addicted to them. I felt so relaxed and immediately sleepy, but upon waking up felt really groggy and slow. I stopped taking them however because 1). both sides of my family have pretty serious addiction issues, and some especially with opiates and since I already knew I “liked” the feeling, didn’t want to risk anything and 2). I’ve read that taking opiates actually raises your pain receptors or something, so you feel pain more then you normally would’ve after taking them…maybe that’s not true but I read it in a few different places.

Actually, here in SD, CBD is not legal. I’ve heard “it’s legal in all 50!” before, but here, the marijuana laws are pretty severe. My aunt and her baby daddy get CBD oil for their son’s anxiety (seems to help him) but it’s illegal and much more difficult to obtain than just a gram of weed from a dealer. Hoping it becomes legal soon but as of now, no such luck.

@dirtbag

Jeez, those panic attacks don’t sound fun. Sorry about that man.

Why, if you don’t mind me asking, did you skip the medications? Just wanted to do it more “naturally”?

Never drank and never will (bad memories of alcohol use from parents), have experimented with marijuana, though not for a while, and honestly probably will again at various points in my life. I don’t use it to get high, but just to see how it affects various things. The laws are so strict here that I can’t get it many forms easily but I’d like to, for example, find a topical someday once my mental issues are getting better to see how it affects pain levels.

I do a lot of walking (about 3 miles daily for work) and lifting, but probably should start incorporating some more HIIT or conditioning type stuff. I’m out of shape.

Like I mentioned above, will be focusing on my diet and trying to get better about that. I know the basics of it and have read lots of articles on here about it, but coming from your past issues, any thing you’d recommend?

Thanks everybody.

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“Why, if you don’t mind me asking, did you skip the medications? Just wanted to do it more “naturally”?”

I hate medications. They make you feel off some how. I had a really bad reaction to Paxil. It made the symptoms worst. So after that I voted for the natural route. Also SSRI’s from my reading should not be a solution but a crutch to help for short term.

Also for anxiety there is lots of things food wise or drug wise to avoid caffeine and MSG fried foods etc. Cleaning eating and sleep long with no stress. These all go a long way to help. Add the gym(best antidepressant) and you will be able to handle lots. But you have to be disciplined and force yourself to go/eat. Even when you don’t. Do it no matter what.

Get that HIIT in there. :slight_smile: You can do it!

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This is the best answer out there, its hardest but best. Find a goal to concentrate on, learn something new. Get something to latch onto , join the army or help people or something. Before trying those mind altering (potentially dangerous, read the insert!) substances try NAC in a highish dose.
I dont get how a pastor would suggest this instead of treating the “soul” or whatever you want to call it.

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My pastor hasn’t suggested anything. We haven’t discussed anything, or started meeting yet. But I was saying that’s what I will be doing to help improving my thinking patterns, and figuring out how to deal with my emotions better. He’ll be playing more the role of a counselor/therapist, rather than a pastor, in this scenario, although since we share the same beliefs, I’m sure it’ll come up. Bottom line, he’s not endorsing meds.

I decided to not go to college this year. It would be my first year, and I’m actually a pretty good student and fully intend to go next year, but there were a few reasons I didn’t this year. Anyway, I can tell the lack of “work” hasn’t been helping. I’ve been looking for work though (I have one job, looking for another), and getting involved in some volunteer stuff and doing a lot of reading to try to start making myself busy.

So hopefully that stuff helps. Medicating wasn’t my top choice by any means, but depression runs on both sides of the family, and many adults in my family have said they’ve experienced success with it. Most of them had all tried therapy, more involvement in church (if they were already inclined that way), healthier eating, and exercise. Some said that was enough, some said it wasn’t. I’ve done therapy, done exercise, done church, and (a long time ago) done healthier eating. That’s the area that needs the most work. So far, it hasn’t gotten much better, and lately it’s been worse. It’s something I’ve been dealing with for about 4 years (pretty much all through high school), so again, while meds aren’t super appealing, I’m going to give them a shot. See how it goes.

Do appreciate the comments though, and will try to keep my mind busy and do things that will make me feel productive (although actually doing things is what I’m really struggling with). Quick question though - I just googled NAC and a cough medicine popped up. Said it helped with asthma. Is that what you were talking about?

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Just keep busy and youll find self worth through accomplishing goals. Try doign all he things you mentioned at once. NAC is N-acetylcysteine you can find it on iherb its super cheap. I cant post links but search “Nac and depression” you will find plenty of articles. The good thing is it doesnt have any of the scary side effects of the other medications.

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Just so people know: the most damaging thing a person with ACTUAL chronic long-term depression can hear, is “oh, just do (insert natural remedy here) and you’ll be fine.”
“Just exercise.”
“Eat right.”
“Go out and do things.”

Those people haven’t experienced years of sporadic periods where someone wakes up and feels as if they’re unable to move, much less eat a healthy snack while jogging in track shorts to the flower garden for a yoga session.
Meds are a big problem in that they are overprescribed, but to imply that they’re not effective for anyone is ridiculous. Chemical imbalances in the brain aren’t a myth. You’re not going to go up to a paranoid schizophrenic and tell him to quit taking his risperdal and go workout, right? The problem here is that people don’t understand the difference between long and short-term depression. One can even have severe depression with suicidal thoughts and it can be considered short-term and not require meds at all, but 4 years of continually feeling down, depressed, and unmotivated, is long-term and chronic, and antidepressants have been shown to be very useful.

I really hope you realize how terrifying it is that you’d tell someone with depression (whether or not it is treatable with/without meds) to go join the army. The military suicide rate is through the roof as it is. This is a dangerous and reckless suggestion.

Not trying to jump down your throat, but that’s something you should never suggest to someone with depression.

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You’re right the CDB derived from marijuana may not be legal in SD, but CBD derived from hemp usually is. Go to:

and order some. Like @Californiagrown, marijuana is legal where I live. I like the 3:1 CBD:THC the best, but also use just pure CBD flower or oil.

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I did it. I told myself fuck this shit im changing stuff and i forced myself to change everything. You need to break your habits and your safety net that you return to, the thing that stops you from changing. Do anything to disrupt that. After i did that i joined the army and served admirably.

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Never take SSRI’s they will fuck you up big time and they do fuck all.

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I’ll share my experience even though I don’t have any clear observations or conviction in what I think.

I’ve been using a sleep aid that contains 4mg THC, 2mg CBD and 1mg CBN per dose. I believe it helps me sleep but there have been nights it didn’t get the job done. I don’t feel any psychoactive effect from the THC, even when I’ve tried increasing the dose (it’s an oral tincture). When I’ve increased the dose, it actually hurt my sleep because I’d wake up with cotton mouth.

I also use a topical CBD gel called Flow. I use it on my Plantar Fascia every night. I don’t notice any effect on my foot pain but it’s at least a good lubricant for massaging my heel.

I told this to my boss, he is a part owner of a CBD company. He suggested I try a powdered mix that goes in water and drink it. I haven’t tried that yet but when I went to visit my parents a few weeks ago I brought my Dad some CBD gel caps. He’s suffered back pain for 30 years and takes staggering amounts of opioids to deal with that pain. I’m hoping CBD will allow him to reduce the opioids he takes. Anyway, while there, I helped myself to a couple of the caps. I can’t say I noticed any pain relief or relaxing effect from the two I took.

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No offense but this sounds fake. Any more details to give out on that?

@random8889

Any sources backing that up? Just curious. I know several people, actually, lots, who have noticed no negative effects and feel that they’ve been extremely helpful. And I’ve never really heard anything bad about them as far as the general public goes.

@on_edge

Thanks for the info. Have you found anything that does help with your foot pain? My mom’s the one with plantar fascitiis and she’s talked to her doctor, chiropractor, and I’ve gone through all the forums on here addressing it, and so far we haven’t found anything that really helps.

@flappinit

That was really well written. If you don’t mind me asking, what’s your education? Like did you go to college or anything? It doesn’t really matter but you just always seem quite knowledgable and sensible, and well spoken.

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Yes myself, everyone is different but if you react bad it is not good, when I tried them they stopped me from ejaculating being 19 that kinda pisses you off, I use Pregabalin now for anxiety though it can be used as an anti depressant.

My friend used the same thing he was on 4x higher dose than me and he really went on a bad patch after stopping it and kept talking about killing himself

Unfortunately though if you are in the UK you have to try some other medications before they will give you pregabalin.