Many people have asked me about whether cannabis is a useful treatment for ADHD, as it seems to calm the mind. Up to this point my response has been the Dr. Hallowell tries hard to move his patients away from marijuana use. But now Roberto Olivadia PhD, an ADHD expert affiliated with Harvard Medical School whom I know and greatly respect, has put together a convincing article using the science of the brain and research to date on cannabis use and ADHD. Bottom line is this - cannabis use for ADHD is not a good idea, and particularly for those under 25. This fits with my own experience with clients who smoke marijuana. What I've observed is that if it doesn't interfere directly with their lives (hurting work performance in many cases) it hurts their relationship by becoming a crutch that takes their attention (and motivation) away from managing their ADHD in ways proven to be effective and long lasting.
Olivardia's article can be found here. You should read it if you or your partner has ADHD and currently uses cannabis.
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Yep.
Submitted by AdeleS6845 on
Agreed.
I should have elaborated on my response. I read the article that Melissa linked to this post. One statement from the linked article stood out to me.
Contrary to popular belief, individuals can be mentally and chemically dependent on and addicted to cannabis. Contemporary marijuana has concentrations of THC higher than historically reported, which exacerbates this.
My fiance is still smoking it. Each time he goes back to it after quitting it becomes more and more difficult for him to quit it for good. For those of you who have read my other posts, you know that he suffered a heart attack almost a year ago. The day he had his heart attack he had such a violent coughing fit that he was coughing up blood. After the heart attack two stents were placed to open up arteries that were about 90% blocked.
He still hasn't given it up, and it's been almost a year since the doctor told him to stop smoking. It doesn't help that the next door neighbor is a younger couple who enjoys smoking marijuana recreationally. It also doesn't help that the neighbor across the street grows his own, and has several family members in the house that smoke it as well as selling it to other people.
Add to that the fact that he's working from home he is around it all the time via his neighbors. That makes it harder to quit I'm sure. I have had to take a step back and say it's his responsibility. I can't make him care about his health and he has to quit because it is important to him.
I have yet to post my story,
Submitted by DaveinNIdaho on
I have yet to post my story, but it partly involves cannabis. It does help A LOT, but if you are alone. Using it in a relation does not work. It allows you to check out and not be present.