Antidepressants vs Marijuana...what's your opinion?

smoking pot for 40 years is a long time. thats 40 years. if it works for you then keep using it.

Antidepressants just kill your soul. There's no other way to put it. They have terrible side effects, and for most people they don't even work.

Marijuana, on the other hand, doesn't have any serious side affects and for a lot of people it's very effective. Obviously, if you're just getting stoned out of your mind every day you may have a problem, but I'm talking about moderated use.

Personally, I may be bipolar (the jury is still out). Marijuana doesn't help much with my depression, but it helps a lot with my mania. It really chills me out brings me back to reality. I'm sure I have avoided a lot of bad episodes by smoking a bowl before it got bad.

I have battled depression for years. I have also smoked for years. I too liked the effect of the smoke, however, I discovered that I was self medicating for anxiety. The diagnosis made sense to me. I was always attracted to those certain drugs that had a calming affect. As for the depression, I don't think it would hurt to stop for awhile to see how it affects your mood. As for medication for depression, there are some people medication does not work, for many reasons. The stats show that a large percentage of people benefit from them, either long or short term. My experience is depression can be managed. But a lot depends on what the persons attitude is toward getting better. If the suffering is great engough, one should have an open mind when approaching treatment.

I've smoked marijuana, been prescribed a ton of different mood stabilizers/antidepressants and I've done them both together as well. Marijuana in the long term made me more depressed, and made me more paranoid than usual. Medications made me ridiculously irritable to the point that nobody wanted to even be around me. I, personally am just better off on nothing...especially birth control...I think that makes everything even worse.

My mother's boyfriend is a long term pot smoker though. I don't really get a long with him but he is the happiest person i know. Nothing bothers him. I threw a wet rag right at his face in anger and he just laughed. So I guess he's a good example of a positive reaction.

Ultimately, I think it really depends on the person...I guess I'm just hopeless. :(

They both just mask the depression for me, although I have yet to find an antidepressant that really works after trying different ones off and on for 15 years. My ONLY problem with pot, well besides that it is illegal, is that it makes me lose any and all motivation. As long as I only smoke it at night it is fine but if I did during the day I would never get anything done.

i have to disagree on the marijuana i've only been using antidepressants for the last year and saw the affects fairly fast!! i was in such depression i couldn't get up in the mornings and now i'm up at 9 every morning and out a lot more they have helped my life!! as for marijuana yeah it's good to smoke now and then at a party or whatever but like i know so many people who'd smoke it and then have to move on to bigger drugs!! I think it is the beginning of a pathway to disaster if you use it all the time!! sorry disagreement here!! antidepressants vote from me!!

Antidepressants do have a lot more side effects and the long term effects are unknown but I've know people who have suffered weird auto immune deficiency diseases from smoking M. all of their life. SO Take your pick.

well, i was told by a pro that if u smoke pot and take antidepressants that the pot blocks the transmitters from recieving the meds from the antidepressants. i smoked pot for many yrs and quit, i didnt feel any different taking the antidepressants after quiting pot. so i"ll say yes on the pot!!!!!

I was put on anti-depressants a few years ago -- I took 2 and decided I didn't want that crap in me after reading the side effects (which say it can make you depressed?!) -- so I stick to smokin' pot. It keeps me happy and mellow, also takes away alot of un-needed stress. "A joint a day keeps the dr away"

I totally agree with you......antidepressents have never helped me like Pot.....and I agree even more on Legalize Marijuana!!!!!!

in my opinion marij used to be a great drug used for many hundreds of years in many ways, i smoked it from the time i was 12 to 30 something now i smoke once in a blue moon it used to numb my emotional pain when i was a kid. lost my father at a young age and did not deal with it very well . i think now as a adult i have worked out my self by going to amazing courses like landmark education which is world wide. drugs dont solve depression only you can solve the depression find out how or why you are , i used to love marij in the old days when it did not have all the chemicals in it, whats with humans always playing with it to improve like tobacco in its simplest form i think it would not be to harmful then. and now their is over a hundred chemicals same as weed used to be natural .now heaps of chemicals and people schizo out makes sense find some home grown and landmark ed. would be great if they introduced this course to primary schools then people would not wonder why they do or have done the things they have i have changed my life around dont need tablets or drugs anymore just need me and good love , terry.