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AIBU?

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Original poster

Doctor lecturing me about smoking weed? Feeling judged.

186 replies

sisforscrabble · 22/09/2019 16:58

I had an appointment regarding my anxiety and doctor asked if I’d considered any other form of treatment.

I responded that I had considered CBD oil.

I got an extremely dirty look and told it’s not regulated and she would not be giving me a prescription for it.

Then went on about smoking cannabis.

Firstly I never asked or expected a prescription for it.

Also smoking cannabis is nothing like having a few drops of CBD oil - afaik

I felt really and very wrongly judged.

OP posts:
Original poster
sisforscrabble · 22/09/2019 18:03

I haven't read the full thread, so this may already have been answered.) Does CBD oil negatively affect mental health in the way that smoking cannabis does?

NO. Hmm

I’m not considering a treatment that’s just going to make my anxiety worse am I? Bit pointless

OP posts:
Mummyoflittledragon · 22/09/2019 18:05

Gp sounds really ill informed. YANBU.

Drabarni · 22/09/2019 18:06

Maybe the gp was just cautioning against smoking weed, rather than accusing.
I agree the only similarity is they come from the same plant.
I like to smoke mine, and self regulate.

hopefullhalf

If you are still here I thought "efficacious" was a made up word from "Lily the Pink", when I was young. Grin

ChimesAtMidnight · 22/09/2019 18:08

Blimey people ! The op is talking about CBD oil which is totally legal and freely available over the counter from health food stores and chemists. I have a tub of capsules here, bought in Holland & Barrett.

Mitzicoco · 22/09/2019 18:09

As usual, some very unrighteous and judgmental posts on here. Good for you, OP for bringing it up. Surely if they sell the damn stuff in H&B there's nothing wrong with it?!

WombatChocolate · 22/09/2019 18:09

I agree GP was cautioning against smoking weed not chastising you....but because you are very sensitive you heard it like this. Move on.

Cerealkillers · 22/09/2019 18:10

If you do try CBD start slowly, there are lots of people it has helped but I went from one drop a day to 2 & had the most horrific anxiety for no reason. I didn’t purchase from the high street though, there oils are really low strength so you should be fine.

Cerealkillers · 22/09/2019 18:11

Argghh *their

RezCowgirl · 22/09/2019 18:12

The usual clinical response when asked about something they nothing about is to tell you not to take it because they don't want it getting back to them that they didn't tell you not to take it. This gp didn't know the difference so she did what she has been taught to do - tell you not to take it.

MiniMum97 · 22/09/2019 18:12

I would have said "I didn't ask for a prescription for it, and CBD oil isn't smoked and doesn't contain THC so maybe get your facts straight before giving someone a lecture". She was making assumptions and obviously doesn't understand what CBD oil is and it's not a doctors job to make you feel uncomfortable or judge you. You are definitely not being unreasonable!!

Original poster
sisforscrabble · 22/09/2019 18:13

I agree GP was cautioning against smoking weed not chastising you....but because you are very sensitive you heard it like this. Move on.

Why do I need a caution of smoking weed exactly?

OP posts:
Jaffacakesaremyfave · 22/09/2019 18:16

I think the G.P was wrong to make that leap from CBD oil to cannabis and should have talked over the evidence about CBD rather than being so dismissive.

Also, as an aside, where is the evidence that smoking weed causes anxiety/depression? It's actually prescribed for these reasons in countries where legalised and there is no scientific evidence to definitively link the two (it's still a chicken and egg argument) www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/26773900/

WombatChocolate · 22/09/2019 18:19

But don’t you think sometimes anxious people feel they are being criticised when they aren’t.

Dr might always talk about weed when people ask about alternative therapies - not because people are already taking them, but because some people will also consider weed along with other alternatives.

I think Op perceived a lecture and Dr had no intention of giving one but was mentioning facts and topics often related to what Op was asking about. She already felt uncomfortable about the response to the oil so was in the place for feeling judged.

And absolutely Drs sometimes need to say stuff which makes people uncomfortable. Stuff isn’t always easy to hear about lifestyle choices, but needs to be said.

Dutch1e · 22/09/2019 18:25

@grumiosmum I started with 5mg in the morning and 5mg in the evening for general well-being. If you suffer from insomnia you may need a lot more (x10 or so). "Take it slow" means 1 - 3 months depending on your body, so start with the lower doses for a minimum of 1 month before adjusting upwards. Obviously if you conk out after the first dose you can use less.

This guide is pretty good at explaining how to figure out how many milligrams is in each bottle, and how many drops to use www.marijuanabreak.com/how-much-cbd-oil-should-i-take-explained?amp

Dutch1e · 22/09/2019 18:28

@Jaffacakesaremyfave from memory the studies with side-effects like anxiety, dry mouth etc are the ones when a high level of THC was involved (ratio of 1:1 or more THC:CBD).

I haven't seen much work on the newer strains with little/no THC

easyandy101 · 22/09/2019 18:29

I haven't read the full thread, so this may already have been answered.) Does CBD oil negatively affect mental health in the way that smoking cannabis does?

There's a semi secure unit near where my shop is.

A customer I know is a patient there wanted to buy some vapeable form and I said I didn't know if it interacted with any of the medications he takes and could he go away and get the say so from his doctor and we were advised to crack on

I'm just some one on the internet though, doctors advice is what I'd always want if someone came to me and advised me of any condition before trying to buy it

Ravenesque · 22/09/2019 18:29

Re cannabis and anxiety. That is true of the sort of stuff you get nowadays with the whole skunk thing which is really high in THC. I smoked on and off for years, but I cannot deal with skunk which makes me anxious and feel a little as though I've taken a little bit of speed which is not ideal.

Old school resin or hashish can really help with anxiety, they're far lower in THC and higher in CBD. A lot of medical research is positive about this form of cannabis as helpful for anxiety disorders. Even with that, however, there are people who will always have an adverse reaction to cannabis.

Ravenesque · 22/09/2019 18:30

Also, your doctor is a dick.

Lyingonthesofainthedark · 22/09/2019 18:33

Did you not clarify? I'm sure it was a misunderstanding, as she will know the difference.

Original poster
sisforscrabble · 22/09/2019 18:33

I think Op perceived a lecture and Dr had no intention of giving one but was mentioning facts and topics often related to what Op was asking about. She already felt uncomfortable about the response to the oil so was in the place for feeling judged.

Oohhh I didn’t realise you were in the room!

Please do not treat my anxiety as me not being able to have the mental capacity to decipher between advice and a lecture,

OP posts:
Original poster
sisforscrabble · 22/09/2019 18:33

Did you not clarify? I'm sure it was a misunderstanding, as she will know the difference.

Why would she have said I can’t give you a prescription for it then?

OP posts:
WombatChocolate · 22/09/2019 18:34

Okay - apologies. Did she state that she thought you were already smoking weed? Did you correct her and say you weren’t? If not, why not?

Ferretyone · 22/09/2019 18:36

CBD oil has none of the active hallucinogen of cannabis and it is not the same as "cannabis oil" which may have some shown benefit for children with eg epilepsy.

I would be very wary of the advice from the pharmacist as - as far as I know - there is no approval for CBD from "NICE" etc. I am again generally wary of pharmacies which sell vitamins and supplements which the medical profession feel is unnecessary and some also "homeopathic remedies".

I would be tempted to write a note to the doctor along the lines of "I feel we may have got our wires crossed. I do not smoke cannabis and will never do so. I was proposing to try CBD oil which is easily - and legally - available in high street shops.

@sisforscrabble

Original poster
sisforscrabble · 22/09/2019 18:39

Okay - apologies. Did she state that she thought you were already smoking weed? Did you correct her and say you weren’t? If not, why not?

I don’t need to divulge any more of my medical appointment to you. It’s not relevant to my post. I’ve included what was said.

OP posts:
WombatChocolate · 22/09/2019 18:42

I would assume crosses wires, not a deliberate attempt to belittle or make you feel bad.

Perhaps what Op said wasn’t entirely clear or Dr simply misunderstood. Either way, Op doesn’t sound like she corrected Dr.

I wouldn’t like my Dr to think I was a weed user. I’d have corrected them there and then, but the suggestion to write a note to Dr is a good one - just to clarify the situation and because you’ll probably see them again. Writing a quick note might make you feel better and mean you can move on from it, rather than thinking ‘Dr thinks I’m a weed user’ ever time you see them.

This can be easily sorted.