For patients who meet the requirements for a medical marijuana certification in West Virginia, navigating the vast sea of different strains and effects can be a cumbersome activity.
Medical marijuana often gets a bad rep for causing anxiety when it is over consumed, but the truth is that many medical marijuana patients use cannabis to help with their anxiety.
You won’t find anxiety on West Virginia’s list of qualifying conditions for medical marijuana, but patients all over the world have used cannabis for anxiety. Though not a qualifying condition itself, many of the illnesses on West Virginia’s list are prone to causing extra anxiety.
Treating anxiety with medical marijuana can be a tricky thing to manage, especially if you experience heightened anxiety from the overconsumption of cannabis but need to consume a lot of THC for your symptoms.
In this article, we’ll cover how to use cannabis when you have anxiety and how to make your experience with cannabis better if you’re experiencing anxiety from cannabis use.
Medical Marijuana & Anxiety
The Type of Cannabis & the Amount of Cannabis Matter With Anxiety
One thing is clear about anxiety and cannabis… if you use too much, you’ll probably get temporary anxiety.
This seems to contradict the opportunity for cannabis to help with anxiety, and in truth, there are some causes that determine whether cannabis is better or worse for anxiety.
Your diet, overall mood, environment, and tolerance will all play very large roles in how you experience cannabis. That experience can vary from person to person.
A little bit goes a long way, and that’s the first major part of using cannabis with anxiety.
If you experience anxiety from cannabis, it’s possible that you’re using too much. One puff of cannabis flower or 5 mg of edibles is often the right dosage for users with no tolerance to cannabis, and you measure up from there until you’ve hit a ceiling that you’re comfortable with.
The first step to approaching anxiety with cannabis is to know your dose and stay within the limits… too much of a good thing can be a bad thing.
Choosing Cannabis Products That Are Agreeable With Anxiety
Whether you are using cannabis to treat anxiety or experiencing anxiety from cannabis use, it’s important to choose your products wisely.
Too much THC can cause heightened temporary anxiety, and it’s best to avoid it if you have a low tolerance. Alternatively, CBD is known to have anti-anxiety properties, and CBD can actually inhibit THC’s potency in your body, making the experience more calm and less edgy.
High THC cannabis flower, sativas, and high THC products, such as concentrates or strong edibles, should be avoided. They can cause very potent effects, which may cause temporary anxiety.
High CBD/Low THC cannabis flower, indicas, CBD products, and low-dosage edibles are great products to try whether you experience anxiety from cannabis or if you are looking to treat anxiety with cannabis as an alternative option.
Using Medical Marijuana to Help with Anxiety
Schedule, Dosage, & Strain
If you have a condition like PTSD and find that the relaxing mental effects of cannabis are agreeable with your symptoms, there are some tricks to using cannabis when you have extra anxiety.
Scheduling is very important in a medical marijuana treatment plan. It keeps you in a regulated pattern that allows your body enough time to be comfortable with consuming cannabis.
By timing your cannabis dosages, you can better determine where your anxiety spikes are and if they’re caused by using too much cannabis or not enough.
Dosage is critical for using medical marijuana with anxiety, because too much can put you in an uncomfortable position and too little can be ineffective for treating symptoms.
The strains you choose will also be extremely important for using medical marijuana with anxiety. Sativas are known to lean more in the anxious or hyperactive range of effects and may not be the best choice for some patients. Indicas, on the other hand, typically offer more physical effects with relaxing or sedating properties and may be easier to lean into for patients with anxiety.
Using Cannabis to Destress Instead of Escalating
One of the best things about cannabis is its ability to enhance the present situation. Cannabis can really bring out your feelings and put them into perspective, and if you’re already anxious, cannabis could heighten your awareness of that.
Some patients use this as a tool with therapy or meditation to allow themselves to experience the anxiety without attaching feelings towards it. Other patients may find the heightened anxiety uncomfortable and prefer to avoid it.
Identifying where your anxiety is coming from is important in understanding its relationship with your cannabis use. Recognizing patterns in anxiety attacks and spotting consistent times that you’re experiencing anxiety can help track down how cannabis is affecting your symptoms.
On the other hand, if you experience chronic heightened anxiety or random anxiety, consistent medical marijuana use may be the key to getting your tolerance to a level that will make cannabis more pleasant for you.
West Virginia gives you the freedom to determine the right cannabis dosage and schedule for yourself, without imposing any restrictions on your medication regimen. Keep track of your medical marijuana use and try to identify when cannabis is helping or hurting your anxiety. You can start to put together a plan to treat your anxiety with medical marijuana.
Get Your Medical Marijuana Certification in West Virginia
Anxiety can be a byproduct of any one of the conditions on West Virginia’s approved illnesses for medical marijuana. While some people may experience heightened anxiety with cannabis, others find that cannabis works wonders for anxiety Much of how cannabis will work with anxiety comes down to dosage, schedule, and strain.
Take the steps to 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!
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