There has been an overwhelming amount of discussion regarding marijuana and whether or not it helps patients with anxiety. Both medical professionals and anxiety patients seem to feel strongly about their opinion on the matter, regardless of what it is.
Most Big Pharma companies will tell you that marijuana makes anxiety worse, and they would not recommend it as a treatment for the condition. Most marijuana companies will tell you that cannabis is a great tool that can bring about feelings of peace and, in turn, subdue an anxious mind.
Some anxiety patients who have tried marijuana will say it made a world of a difference and soothed their anxious tendencies, while other anxiety patients who have tried marijuana will tell you it made their anxiety temporarily worse.
So which is it? Is marijuana a useful tool for patients with anxiety or their worst nightmare? Can marijuana make anxiety worse, or does it pacify their anxious thoughts and behavior?
The Breakdown
First of all, let’s get one thing straight: there is no definitive answer to this question, which is one of the reasons why it is extremely controversial.
Answers and opinions will vary immensely depending on the person and their personal reaction to the medicine.
It should come as no surprise that people have preconceptions about marijuana including the people who use it. When a person with anxiety uses cannabis for the first time, in hopes that it could help ease their anxious thoughts, their personal feelings could impact the experience they have.
Weed Anxiety
Some people have “weed anxiety”, which means that using marijuana in general makes them anxious. These people will probably not have a positive experience with using cannabis as a medicine for anxiety.
Luckily, weed anxiety is very rare and uncommon, and the only way to find out if you have it is to see what happens when you use marijuana.
As long as you aren’t going into the situation with a negative mindset, or nervous for the effects, it’s very unlikely that you will experience any anxiety.
“Weed anxiety” is most common when people:
Take too much weed
Use weed without knowing it has a high potency
Are inexperienced with weed
Panic attacks and reactions are also possible with cannabis use, but it is a rare and extreme reaction.
Because weed anxiety is most commonly experienced by people who aren’t used to the effects of cannabis, it usually subsides over time.
Cannabis Can Help With Anxiety
Although some people experience anxiety specifically from smoking weed, others find the effects of marijuana relaxing and calming. Many people who use cannabis report a sense of well-being and deep relaxation.
That’s right–marijuana can aid in relieving a patient's anxious thoughts, if they allow it.
In low doses, cannabis can actually really help feelings of anxiety. In high doses, things get dicey, and the large dosage of THC could actually cause a person to feel anxious.
CBD for Anxiety
Surprisingly, CBD is very similar to marijuana in this respect. In low doses, it can help those with anxiety reduce their symptoms. However, in higher doses, it can cause anxiety as well.
The reason this is surprising is because CBD products contain very little or no THC at all. Since THC is the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, you would think it is also what causes feelings of anxiety for some people.
However, according to research, this is not always the case.
Bottom Line
Your feelings of anxiety could be heightened or subsided by marijuana use. The only way to find out if cannabis will worsen or help anxious thoughts and behaviors is to try it.
If you go into an experience with marijuana thinking that it will make your anxious, paranoid, or scared, chances are that it probably will.
Conversely, if you go into an experience with marijuana believing that it will calm your anxious mind and relax you, it probably will.
Whether cannabis will help or worsen a person’s symptoms entirely depends on the person and their conceptions about cannabis.
Try Cannabis for Anxiety Today!
Although anxiety is not a qualifying condition for a medical card by itself, many patients with a qualifying condition also experience anxiety.
If you get a medical marijuana card for Crohn’s, for example, and also have anxiety, you may be able to get additional relief mentally!
Remember, if you go into your cannabis experience with a positive mindset, you will probably have a great experience.
If you don’t have your West Virginia marijuana card already, let us get you started! Our team of compassionate cannabis doctors are ready to help guide you through the process.
We are also now providing PTSD evaluations! If you think your anxiety or depression may be linked to PTSD, we can help you out. After receiving a PTSD diagnosis, you will qualify for medical marijuana.
Our staff will help you navigate every step of the way. West Virginia’s program offers medical marijuana to patients with certain conditions and even offers an online application process! That’s right- you can get your medical marijuana card online from the comfort of your own home with West Virginia Marijuana Card!
To get your medical marijuana card online in West Virginia, simply schedule your medical marijuana evaluation appointment today and get access to legal marijuana products available at dispensaries!
Being a West Virginia medical marijuana patient allows you the freedom to take your medication the right way for you. We’re dedicated to helping patients every step of the way! Feel free to give us a call at 877-303-8424 and we can answer your questions about getting a medical marijuana card in West Virginia.
Doctors Who Care.
Relief You Can Trust.
West Virginia Marijuana Card’s mission is to help everyone achieve
wellness safely and conveniently through increased access to medical marijuana.
Our focus on education, inclusion, and acceptance will reduce the stigma for
our patients by providing equal access to timely information and compassionate care.
If you have any questions, call us at 877-303-8424, or simply book a medical marijuana evaluation to start getting relief you can trust today!
Check out West Virginia Marijuana Card’s Blog to keep up to date on the latest medical marijuana news, tips, and information and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to join the medical marijuana conversation in West Virginia.