Question by xLaUrEnx: What effect can will weed have on me at 14?
I’m 14 years old; and have recently got into doing weed. The first time was horrible; and i thought i was gonna have a heart attack or a panic attack, but i carried on doing it every 3 days and iv got used to it. over the past few weeks iv done it either every day, or every other day. Iv been a lot more calm, and really enjoy how it feel. If i go more than a day without it; i start to get really moody and depressed.
Iv heard how supposidly bad it is, but i was wondering at this age what effects is it really having on me? Like will it make me do worse at school, stop developing properly, have mental diseases in the next few years, looking differently, or is that everyone just being stupid?
No lectures please
Thanks xxx

Best answer:

Answer by tappingxout
Before you start getting a shit ton of answers based off nothing but propaganda and false assumptions, visit this site: http://www.drugpolicy.org//facts/drug-facts/marijuana

Anyone on Y!A can answer regardless of age, experience, education, etc. Use Google for something like this, or else you’ll pretty much just get BS.

To answer your question, no — there is currently no scientific evidence that supports the idea that even heavy marijuana use results in permanent damage to the body, mind or intellect. It certainly has an effect on things like thought process and motor skill, but this is TEMPORARY and only for the duration of the high (sometimes it stretches on a few hours after, known as being “burnt out”). NO, it will not directly make you do worse in school. (If you happen to be weak-minded and allow yourself to rely on the drug so much that you stop doing your school work, that’s YOUR fault — not the weed’s. In other words, it’s very possible for a teenager to smoke weed daily and still get fantastic grades, and that possibility alone disproves that the drug itself is the cause of it. I should know — I got almost a 4.0 my senior year, and that’s the only year I smoked!) Marijuana also does not CAUSE disorders in anyone — it does exacerbate already-existing disorders in people, such as schizophrenia or personality disorders, but again, only if they already exist.

Also, contrary to other answers who have no reliable source to back up their statements, marijuana is NOT chemically addictive. It can create mental “dependencies” in weak-minded people who rely on highs to escape emotions, but that is absolutely nothing compared to a physical addiction. As in, marijuana “addiction” never results in physical withdrawals, with the exception of mild headaches and mood fluctuations. Also, it isn’t something a person would need rehabilitation for — if one gets “addicted” to cannabis, he or she would simply need to distance themselves from the drug and just stop buying it. The discomfort would be gone within weeks.

Finally, don’t listen to people trying to justify their opinions of the drug with their experiences. The fact is, everyone experiences drugs differently. Just because someone else had a bad experience in no way suggests that you will too. And vice versa — just because someone describes an incredible experience does not mean you’ll react as well to it. You must gauge it for yourself, and remember — let no one judge you.

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Question by Star: Does anyone with medical expertise know if “DOXEPIN”?
is used for Obsessive Compulsive Behaviors, such as skin picking? If not, does anyone know of a medication used to control skin picking?

Best answer:

Answer by Sir K
I have absolutely no expertise… or even knowledge of this… I’ve never even heard of it before until now… but… give me a moment and I’ll google it to death and see if I can find anything helpful! : ) I’ll be back!

—————————————————————
The following are most important quotes from the sites I will list below them and then in the source box.

“Doxepin is in a group of drugs called tricyclic antidepressants. Doxepin affects chemicals in the brain that may become unbalanced.

Doxepin is used to treat symptoms of depression and/or anxiety associated with alcoholism, psychiatric conditions, or manic-depressive conditions.

Doxepin may also be used for other purposes not listed in this medication guide.”

“Do not use this medication if you are allergic to doxepin, or if you have glaucoma or problems with urination.”

“Serious, life-threatening side effects can occur if you take doxepin before the MAO inhibitor has cleared from your body.
You may have thoughts about suicide when you first start taking an antidepressant, especially if you are younger than 24 years old. Your doctor will need to check you at regular visits for at least the first 12 weeks of treatment.”

“Call your doctor at once if you have any new or worsening symptoms such as: mood or behavior changes, anxiety, panic attacks, trouble sleeping, or if you feel impulsive, irritable, agitated, hostile, aggressive, restless, hyperactive (mentally or physically), more depressed, or have thoughts about suicide or hurting yourself. ”

“Before taking doxepin, tell your doctor if you are allergic to any drugs, or if you have:

bipolar disorder (manic-depression); or

diabetes (doxepin may raise or lower blood sugar).

If you have any of these conditions, you may need a dose adjustment or special tests to safely take this medication”

“This medication may be harmful to an unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment.”

http://www.drugs.com/mtm/doxepin.html

“PRESCRIBED FOR: Doxepin is used for treating depression and anxiety. It also is used for treating depression due to alcoholism or brain damage and depression associated with bipolar disorder. ”

“PREGNANCY: There are no adequate studies of doxepin use in pregnant women. ”

“SIDE EFFECTS: The most common side effect of doxepin is drowsiness. Drowsiness improves as therapy continues. Other side effects associated with doxepin include blurred vision, urinary retention (difficulty urinating), dry mouth, constipation, weight gain or loss, and low blood pressure when rising from a sitting position (orthostatic hypotension). Rash, hives, rapid heart rate, seizures, and hepatitis are rare side effects. Doxepin also can cause elevated pressure in the eyes of some patients with glaucoma. If antidepressants, including doxepin, are discontinued abruptly, symptoms such as dizziness, headache, nausea, and changes in mood may occur. Such symptoms of withdrawal may occur even when a few doses of antidepressant are missed. Therefore, it is recommended that the dose of antidepressant be reduced gradually when therapy is discontinued.

Antidepressants increased the risk of suicidal thinking and behavior in short-term studies in children and adolescents with depression and other psychiatric disorders.”

“BRAND NAME: Sinequan, Adapin ”

http://www.medicinenet.com/doxepin/article.htm

Doesn’t sound to me like it’s what you’re looking for… just to be sure though you may want to check out those sites. Sorry for all the copy and pasted quotes. : (

I’ll check out medications used for Obsessive Compolsive Behaviors “Skin picking”. I’ll post my findings below.

http://www.ocfoundation.org/compulsive-skin-picking.html (This just talks about skin picking… and if you don’t know much about it, it may be useful… but it says nothing about medication to help really.)

“Medication: The medications mainly used to treat picking are the same group as those used for OCD, including antidepressants (SSRIs). Drugs that help skin picking may take several weeks before they start working. They also may not work perfectly. Usually, 65 percent improvement from a medication is considered a good result. Medication should never be considered an end in itself, but a tool to help with therapy. ”

HUH! Well… then maybe Doxepin MAY help? But they say a 65% percent improvement from a medication is a good result. That’s not so good. After this quote on this site, there is mention of “Psychotherapy:”… but it’s too long to paste here… you may want to check it out on the site and see what it’s about. Here’s the link:

http://www.brainphysics.com/skin-picking.php

Sorry I can’t be of anymore help… I don’t know if Doxepin is what you’re looking for or not. I also don’t know how affective it will be. I hope this is at least slightly helpful to you. Sorry I can’t help more.

Best of luck!

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Question by yeah: Mental Health/ Adolescent inpatient/ I feel crazy?
So, I asked this question before, and I got emails saying I got answers, but the answers didn’t show up? So, let me try a second time.

Hello…
My name is Martha. I’m 15 years old. I live in in Miami, I have severe social anxiety, and Panic disorder. It has gotten so bad to the point that I’m afraid to leave my house, I easily become anxious over everything, and I’m driving MYSELF insane with my negative thoughts. I’m depressed, not motivated, had to start online school this year because of how much panic attacks I got last year, and my lack of concentration. Everything is just getting worse by the minute.

My medical insurance, SUCKS. I’m crazy and I’m poor as hell? Uh, not good combination. I have medicaid. It’s not accepted by most “phsycosocial rehabilitation centers” here in miami. Which Is where I want to turn myself into, somewhere to stay, somewhere where I can get better. Not only that but most phsycosocial rehabilitation centers only offer help to adults. Isn’t that cool. I have EXHAUSTED myself trying to find Inpatient centers, treatment centers, phsycosocial rehabilitation centers, that help adolescents. I have found a couple. They look like they suck though.

So, here’s my question. When people turn themselves in to a mental hospital, treatment center, wherever, for a mental illness, do they actually feel better afterwards? Do people in the treatment centers help them face their fear? I mean, my mental disorder is SOCIAL ANXIETY. Do they acknowledge that, and help me face it to live independently? Do studies show that Mental health centers really do help the mentally ill?

Thank you for taking your time to read this ridiculously long passage. I’m desperate, I need help, and if you live in miami, and know anywhere where I can go, that would be great too. Please help me.

Best answer:

Answer by Maria
Your not alone. And your not crazy. You said it. You are in a state of nervous EXHAUSTION that comes with a nervous illness and it is very bewildering. That is why you are looking all over for answers.
Dr. Claire Weeks ..is perhaps at your local library, a helpful little book Self-Help for Your Nerves. She became a scientist while having an anxiety disorder.
Good little book to help you to understand. And this is the beginning of practicing how to cope.

http://www.healing-anxiety.com/

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Question by Liza Shevchuk: Natural Remedies For Brain Damage After Drug Abuse?
My older brother has done many drugs from about 16-21. Its been a year since his last use, and he’s been having some serious problems. He has high anxiety and he’s been having frequent episodes of “weird” (as he calls it) feelings. He doesn’t label it as feeling sick. During these episodes he feels jittery, emotional (even cry’s sometimes) out of control, his heart rate goes up. This also causes him to have insomnia. Maybe they’re panic attacks, but the thing is, what triggers it? This occurs randomly on a normal day. We believe its typical withdrawal symptoms, because he abused quite a few drugs. (Marijuana, cigarettes, ecstasy, crystal meth, shrooms, hookah, cocaine, inhalants, “uppers” (as he calls them))
He has gone to see his doctor several times to get treatment, and his doctor said he has migraines.
-____-
He prescribed him anti depressants and that didn’t help my brother AT ALL.
He does this herbal drop treatment (echinacea, other oils, etc) That help him sleep.
Now we’re trying to find him herbal remedies that would help repair his brain damage from all of the abuse he has done to it.
Thank you very much.

Best answer:

Answer by jannsody
I’m not sure that there will be repairing of the brain damage (presuming that he has that as I’m not a medical doctor :), but researchers believe that the brain is very “plastic” and may form new nerve pathways to *help* compensate for the injured areas.

With regard to inhalant use, my friend actually has a severe Brain Injury from huffing at the age of 12, now in her 30s. The chemicals in products used for huffing are actual *poisons* that were never meant to go through the bloodstream.

Please be *very* careful with herbal supplements or “remedies” (e.g., echinacea, ginkgo biloba, chamomile) as they can result in side effects and/or drug (medication) interactions. It’s best to check with a licensed pharmacist before taking any of them. Not everything that is “natural” is safe 😉

Regarding the panic attacks, some people have generalized anxiety (to know specific event) or other types of anxiety. The antidepressants may help to lessen the intensity and/or frequency of the anxiety symptoms. Such medications tend to take about 6-8 weeks before possibly noticing results. A caveat (warning) is that some antidepressants may cause insomnia (trouble getting to and/or staying asleep). However, there are medications that one may take to help counteract the insomnia.

Even though benzo’s (e.g., ativan, valium, xanax, klonopin) may be prescribed to help with sleep, they’re not always recommended as a medication due to their physical addictiveness. (Some withdrawal symptoms from benzo’s may include seizures, psychosis/mental break from reality, or even death.) Some psychiatrists (it’s best to get medication for mental health issues from a board-certified psychiatrist as opposed to “just” a family doctor) prescribe seroquel (or other medications), which is classified as an antipsychotic but in smaller dosages may help with sleep.

You’d mentioned that he’s gone to the doctor several times, and I’m wondering if he’s gone to a neurologist which is medical dr who can help rule out disorders of the nervous system – brain, spinal cord, nerves. I’m just thinking that to help “cover all the bases” (not trying to give false hope though, know what I mean).

I’m not sure that he’d still be going through withdrawal symptoms a year after stopping the drugs, but it’s a good idea to ask a doctor about that as well.

Pertaining to the anxiety, please show him this government site which may have some local counseling agencies: http://findtreatment.samhsa.gov/ and can click the second link. Then one can click “near you” on the left-hand side of the page under “find facilities” and can type one’s city and state of residence into search. Their toll-free 24/7 referral helpline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357). Just an fyi that the first link is for those looking for substance abuse counseling/treatment, and that may be an option if he’s still “using” or having cravings for substances.

A 12-step program, such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), may have some local support groups. The only requirement is having a desire to get sober. One may attend an “open” AA meeting if there is no drinking problem: http://www.aa.org

This site has some common mottos pertaining to those 12-step programs, including “One day at a time”, “First things first” and “People, places and things”: http://www.royy.com/toolsofrecovery.html

Al-Anon is a 12-step program for the *friends and family* of the problem drinker, but one may attend an “open” Al-Anon meeting if the loved one doesn’t have a drinking problem: http://www.al-anon.alateen.org

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Question by blakkchocolate39: how can i kick the habit of painkillers?
iam a 41yr. old hurricane katrina victim i have always sufferd from back pain and and panic attack and depression since i moved to texas i find myself taking more pain medication lortabs,somas,xanaz,flexrial,and relly i think im takeing them when i know i dont really need them as much so i guess i must be addicted what can i do to kick the habbit.

Best answer:

Answer by midwest girl
quit putting them in your mouth…. for the pain try acupuncture or a chiropractor.

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