Posted by needesp on September 5, 2005, at 21:26:01
Hi, I have been reading this site for nearly 12 mths to look for insight in to how to help my son. I am his only support person.
My son is 21 years old and living at home along with his 2 younger brothers. He has OCD with associated depression and Social Phobia and over the last 18 mths we have been trying to find medication and therapy that will ease his suffering and stop periodic bouts of self medication with alcohol.
Three months ago he went into a clinic as an in-patient (5 week stay) and while there was raised to 300mgs Effexor and 60 mgs Avanza daily.
The first night home he started using Marijuana (he hadn’t touched MJ for 12 mths) and has used daily since (no alcohol at all though).We have talked about why he started the MJ and think that it was because he was afraid he would drink again. He was depressed and suicidal and angry when he drank (only once or twice a week but very intense episodes).
He came out of the clinic with some very real coping skills and for the first 6 weeks at home he was doing ok (social anxiety and depression reduced and OCD more under control) but even though he was doing ok he was increasing his daily MJ use!?
He smokes MJ at night from 5pm till betime and over the last 2 mths has increased from 1 gm a night (first 3 weeks) to 3 to 4 gms a night (last 4 weeks). Three weeks ago his depression/anxiety kicked back in and his OCD took off again, so last week his Effexor was increased to 375mgs.
My question is does the MJ interfere with his antidepressant medications?
I’m wondering if the recent return of the depression and increase in OCD symptoms is
1. the MJ finally saturated his body and is now interfering with his medication or 2. The MJ is causing its own negative side effects (especially once he increased to 3 gms a day) or 3. The medications aren’t working that well and his initial coping was trying to stay positive when he first came out.The MJ does help him cope at night (and stops him drinking) but the concern (not just mine but his as well) is that it is counterproductive to him getting somewhere i.e. causing apathy (let alone the apathy from his mediations) and depression.
poster:needesp
thread:551148
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050901/msgs/551148.html