Marijuana or most commonly known as weed, pot, grass or ganja is a plant that is highly intoxicating and addictive. Smoking marijuana for long periods of time can take a toll on a person’s physical and mental health. Though there are countries that permit the use of marijuana medically, they are highly monitored and regulated.
Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol is the addictive chemical or compound found in marijuana that gives users the “high” sensation. This is the same chemical that triggers a user’s senses for craving and seeking another “high”.
Just like any other addictions, quitting marijuana for chronic users may cause severe to moderate withdrawals. But there are pills to help you quit smoking weed without the fear of overdosing. These pills usually counter withdrawals from quitting marijuana.
Marinol or Drinabinol is one of these pills. It is a synthetic version of the delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol compound in marijuana. With regulated use of the pill, the patient’s cravings and withdrawal can be alleviated until such time that the patient can fully recover from such symptoms.
Suppressing the craving is not enough in treating marijuana addiction. Though chronic users often think that the craving is the most difficult symptom and side effect to get over; it is not! One of the most common and major problems in quitting weed is anxiety and depression. This can be treated through taking antidepressants. Anti-depressants are not addictive but they should only be prescribed after a patient has been examined. There are a number of anti-depressants depending on the type of anxiety or depression a patient has. Prozac, Paxil, Lexapro, Zoloft, Cymbalta are some of these pills.
Anxiety and depression usually occurs due to lack of sleep and lack of appetite. These are common symptoms of a person who just quit smoking weed. Insomnia or a difficulty in sleeping can be avoided by taking sleeping pills. But there are sleeping pills that are addictive and are not usually prescribed to patients with addiction problems. Iterax which is an antihistamine may be used in helping patients to sleep especially those who are suffering from anxiety. Benadryl which is also an antihistamine has been widely used to help people sleep without the fear of addiction or dependency.
Loss of appetite also occur in patients who recently quit smoking weed. There are patients who literally cannot eat without smoking marijuana. Not eating properly may cause the patient severe to moderate symptoms such as irritability as well as stomach cramps and pain.
Marinol which is given to lessen withdrawals can also help in the patient’s appetite. Talk about hitting two birds with one stone! After both lack of sleep and loss of appetite has been taken care of, irritability, pain and other symptoms would also lessen.
To quit smoking weed without the help of certain medications would be difficult. Though the fear of overdosing or getting addicted to certain medicines might stop you from taking them; keep in mind, that doctors who prescribe medications to patients who currently are undergoing treatment for addiction rarely gives medicines that are addictive.
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