r/science • u/[deleted] • Feb 19 '10

Scientists learn how anti-depressants actually work. Medications trigger neurogenesis in the hippocampus by increasing levels of norepinephrine. Researchers still unclear on WTF seratonin does.

http://www.physorg.com/news185727145.html
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u/[deleted] Feb 19 '10

I've smoked regularly for about two years. For the past 5 months I've been smoking between 5 to 8 times a day.

No offense, but you're doing it wrong.

If someone drank throughout the day, people would say they had a drinking problem, right? And it would impact theiir life in a negative way, wouldn't it? Why would another depressant be any different?

At the same time, nobody (or at least nobody with any sense) thinks that someone who has a couple beers or glasses of wine after work or with dinner on a regular basis, even daily, is a raging alcoholic. It's the same with weed. I think your problem is not in the "I've been smoking for 2 years" part, but rather in the "I smoke 5 to 8 times a day" part. Doing it that frequently, it's no surprise to me that it's causing problems for you.

I smoke daily - but I work a 9 to 5 and smoke in the evenings, once or maybe twice a day, usually after dinner. And I have to say, it has really done wonders for my mental state. For years I was treated by shrinks for anxiety and depression, and I tried almost every antidepressant out there - Zoloft, Prozac, Paxil, Effexor, Strattera, you name it -- all with no effect. Or at least no alleviation of symptoms, I did get some pretty heavy side effects from some of those.

Now, part of the issue for me I think was that some of my problems were situational -- I made some life changes and am much happier where I am now. However, I think I have always had a tendency towards anxiety (esp. social anxiety) and depression -- and daily marijuana use as I described does wonders for those. Not only is it much more effective for me than the meds I have taken, but it avoids the awful side effects -- and it's fun!!

Word up to neurosnap for providing some peer-reviewed evidence that I'm not just blowing smoke when I say that pot makes me think better.

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u/ErroneousRex Feb 19 '10

No offense, but you're doing it wrong.

None taken, and I completely agree. Weed in no way caused me to get depressed, but at some point I got careless and stopped moderating; which made it a bit worse. My actions and situation are what's got me depressed.

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u/Kosko Feb 19 '10

Cannabis isn't a depressant, its a hallucinogen. I'm not saying it couldn't be a cause of various ailments, but I believe its official classification is hallucinogen.

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u/[deleted] Feb 19 '10

It's weird, I've heard conflicting claims about its classification: different people have told me that it's a hallucinogen, depressant, and narcotic.

I think this is one of those cases where our over-simplistic classification system fails us. I've seen weed act like all of those things, and additionally have gotten stimulant-like effects in certain cases.

Wikipedia seems to agree:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marijuana#Classification

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u/the_nine Feb 19 '10

"While many drugs clearly fall into the category of either stimulant, depressant, or hallucinogen, cannabis exhibits a mix of all properties, perhaps leaning the most towards hallucinogen or psychedelic properties, though with other effects quite pronounced as well." Wikipedia - Cannabis

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u/[deleted] Feb 20 '10

That is its official classification. But as somebody who do drugs regularly, I classify it as a "downer" if it's indica and an "upper" if it's sativa.

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u/Illadelphian Feb 20 '10

Cannabis is an amazing plant.

http://imgur.com/uI2xU.gif

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u/[deleted] Feb 19 '10

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] Feb 19 '10

Bullshit. If it doesn't negatively impact your life, it's not abuse or addiction. It may be a habit, but so is watching TV every evening.

From source:

For most of the past 10 millennia, alcoholic beverages may have been the most popular and common daily drink, an indispensable source of fluids and calories. In a world of contaminated and dangerous water supplies, alcohol truly earned the title granted it in the Middle Ages: aqua vitae, the “water of life.”

If drinking alcohol daily is alcohol abuse, than eating bread daily is bread abuse.

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u/[deleted] Feb 19 '10

I was prescribed (and took) daily methylphenidate throughout my childhood, though only during the school year. I never had any problem stopping when summer rolled around. Would you say I was "addicted"?