I live in Michigan, a state which recently passed a Medical Marijuana law. I have seen a lot of discussion online which people with Aspergers Syndrome claim use of cannabis helps them cope with Aspergers Syndrome.I have never smoked weed, and have no plans on doing so, but I feel it would be responsible to discuss what some people claim to be a fact. From what I know from people that smoke Marijuana they claim it slows things down, helps you relax and gives you the munchies.
When getting overwhelmed making things slow down would definitely help me better cope, as well as feeling relaxed. Do you think Marijuana can help those with Aspergers cope?
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{ 62 comments… read them below or add one }
I have AS, during my life it has proven to bevery disasterous and unexplainable until very recent years. I was prescribed so many drugs, and NONE even came close to even helping. The problem was a misdiagnosis with ADD, and those drugs shut me down. Of course that diagnosis truely never sat right with me, some doctors even tried to tell me I was manic depressive(bi-polar now), WRONG! I started smoking as any teenager would, someone introduced me to and, and it made me feel different, so I kept doing it. Little did I know it was actually helping me socially, and allowing me to focus my mind on things I would otherwise overlook, even my temper calms, to name just a few areas this has helped with. Since my difficult childhood free from pot, I am now a daily user. There is no equal to what is offered by marijuana in this instance. There is no drug that even offers this effect with side effects, let alone without them. Marijuana is a miracle. I do not care what MD disagrees with me here, they are less informed. I will not say this is a cure-all, or that it would help another aspie, but for me there is no better. In this case with most I will say it is best to inform yourself, do not believe what a right wing politician has to tell you. They are looking for supporters, not answers. I have been a daily smoker for years, I am not schitzyphrenic, I am not stupid(my IQ is above average and then some), my reaction time is only effected when I choose to sit on my butt and eat cheetos while watching tv which is rare, I am not lazy(daily personal fitness program). I am not sure who the politicians are getting thier information from, but they should seek answers from people with actual experience.
The more time that passes, the more people will find that marijuana is not satan, but it is a very helpful substance even possibly a cancer cure, but for that to happen the Federal Government would have to legalize research on the substance. My highest hope is that one day, this very available medication will not send its beneficiaries to prison merely for seeking medical help doctors can not exactly offer to everyone.
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I had a terrible reaction to Prozac. It made me retreat into the back of my head and I felt even more disconnected from the rest of the planet. Never again.
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Depakote, Zoloft and a few others did that for me.
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Marijuana helps myself and other friends with AS deal with anxiety, sleep issues, and Carpel Tunnel / RSI from communicating with keyboards for most of our lives. Without it the world is much harder to deal with.
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I think a lot more research needs to be done by the Psych community into alternatives to SSRIs and SNRIs. If THC acts as a Dopamine antagonist then maybe the people could alternatively be prescribed something like Levadopa, which is used for Parkinsons. (What I am against is prescribing SSRIs for Various imbalances like Depression and OCD, when there are other things that were restricted by prohibitionist laws that might work just as well, perhaps with less onerous side effects. Weight gain with that pill anyone? Liver damage? Kidney overload?)
That said, I am not against medical marijuana, and think roadblocks into research with it need to come down.
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I am not against anything being used for a legitimate medical purpose. I am however concerned about this being abused.
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Abused how?
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I agree that some on the autism spectrum could find this beneficial. However, in this climate where so many think of autistics as a population to be controlled, I don’t really think it would be a good idea to push for this. If it were like my coffee habit, where I drink some coffee to give myself a boost in the morning or before a social event because it both energizes me and makes me a little more gregarious, but I’m free to not injest it if I don’t want to, it wouldn’t be so bad. Unfortunately, marijuana is not considered to be in the same category as beer, coffee, tea, and cigarettes. Right now, society has two categories for marijuana users: those who take it as a necessary medication, who are accepted by society, and those who smoke it recreationally, who everyone is telling to go to rehab because they’re seen as having an addiction. The way I see it, suggesting the use of medical marijuana for “coping” purposes could be dangerous because it would put all autistics who use marijuana for this purpose into the category of people taking marijuana as a necessary medication and could serve to further medicalization of autism and giving people more reason to compare autism to cancer. Marijuana could be good for autistics, but in this climate, it’s a bit too dangerous to be pushing for it right away.
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No. It also increases paranoia, etc., etc., in many people. I would say pot would in most cases be a horrible thing for people with AS.
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Good point.
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Hey I suffer from AS and I find the medical marijuana motivates me and makes me more socially aware. Since my brain is constantly on high load from overthinking, medical marijuana helps me relax for once and makes me have real emotions. So why don’t you guys stop writing this bullshit about how it doesnt help people with AS especially when you dont suffer from it.
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Actually Mike, most of us here have AS. I certainly do. Please don’t just assume we do not. I understand that this helps you, I also understand others who are on the spectrum have doubts. I would like to see some testing personally, and perhaps a clinical controlled trial?
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id have to disagree severely i have asbergurs syndrome and realy bad axiety it used to be so bad i could never socialize with people cus i had to many things in my head to process at once i couldnt sleep cus my axiety kept me up i was never happy cus i was always very anxious and uncomfortable because of my axiety started smoking mj and all the axiety went away now for some it is diffrent i am merely stsateing my experience with it
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I have to strongly disagree with your statment bucause I am a medical marijuana patient of 10 years diagnosed with asperger’s & the “paranoia” (very few people experience) only comes with the fact that marijuana is known to most as being an illegal substance & people get paranoid because they believe they are breaking the law & are afraid of consiquence, or they are a first time or new user & dont know what affects to expect from marijuana. take these 2 things out of the equasion & this would never be an issue. guaranteed!
Marijuana has saved my life & is nothing short of a miricle in my life & I wouldnt be able to cope or remain in a consistant, steady, calm, level mind without it. I am not upset with your comment, I just want to inform the general public of how medical marijuana makes life livable for those with aspergers, autism, anxiety, stress, gastro intestinal disorder, social anxiety & any other symptom that is experienced with the wide aray of autism spectrum disorders.
((I experience all symptoms listed above without medical marijuana & it is unbearable.))
It continues to stress me out & make life hard not having the support of my own country or even my family.
without marijuana, I would be dead!
I hope this help people without an ASD understand our situation of why medical marijuana is NOT a drug to us but a medication that is not abused or even used recreational in our lives.
thank you for listening.
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I agree 100% with this man’s statement. I was diagnosed with Asperger’s pre-high school, used it illicitly since 15, medical user for the past year. Now there’s zero-paranoia associated. I can even SMALL TALK with a POLICEMAN while medicated. I certainly couldn’t even do that “sober.”
Just a note. As with any drug, moderation is necessary. MMJ also helps to bring out the creative side that’s hidden in my brain, but I’d never want to smoke before writing a term paper (unless of course I’m actually passionate about the subject).
My father is a neuropsychologist and my mother is a lawyer, and naturally both are against it. They come from that “older generation” but are slowly seeing the benefit of this beautiful plant, at least in my case.
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u obviously have no idea of what u speak, i have AS and i smoke everyday, all day and since i started my married life hasn’t been better!!!!! i almost got divorced 4 times my first year, the second year there has only been 1 major fight!!! people with AS also can have the violent out lashings like regular autism so the marijuana also helps control that. my mind moves so fast that i cant keep up with my thoughts most the time, when i’m high i can almost function like a ” normal person” . you should really do research on shit b4 u talk about it. i am 29 and have dealt with this my whole life, did i mention i’m a US NAVY VETERAN? not only drug dealers like marijuana and its affects aren’t all bad, do u have any clue what we could have made taxing it like beer????????????????????????? TRILLIONS YES I SAID TRILLION WITH A “T”!!! so b4 u go thinking something is bad again, actually do your research and i wont have to write another letter like this!!
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first of all, who are you responding to?
second of all, if you are referring to me, than YOU are the one who hase no clue about what you are talking about.
Maybe you should re- read my messages & understand what I am saying instead of dreaming up your dillusional conclutions!
This is obviously one of your uncontrollable lash outs you have & maybe you need to smoke another one & come back & act like a responsible mature adult so we can have a decent conversation. Seems like you posted that simply to start an argument. think about what you say B4 opening your mouth.
Read all the posts for this topic here & you will see where this was headed untill you spewed out a bunch of nonsense!
I’n not against mmj (medical marijuana) but I am against the recreational use of those I am familiar with.
It turns people into… well, pricks like you!
because I am trying to find an alternative other than mmj for my condition(which you have no clue what or how bad it is) you interprit that I think mj a bad thing??? NO its not bad, its the only thing keeping me level headed so I can live my life without pain or other related problems.
Please, explain yourself in detail what your issue is, I’m quite interested in what other nonsense you have to ramble on about.
I dont know what caused you to turn into a
keyboard commando all of a sudden but its not welcomed here.
so unless you can keep your lash outs under control & are able to hold a normal conversation than hold your tounge because no one wants to hear it.
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I have never smoked marijuana myself, however, I have many friends (and family) that have smoked it (recreationally). As with any substance (medication, alcohol, etc), it has different effects for different people. For example, I have a friend that says marijuana makes her extremely paranoid and does not calm her at all. And another friend that used it as a substitute for prescribed Xanax (for anxiety), who said it calmed her.
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I think just like any substance you put in your body, there are possible side effects and it will effect people differently.
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