I have had diabetes from the age of 17 from a car accident. I am 40 now and have smoked pot the entire time. I recently had a low blood sugar and passed out. My other half called 911, mind you its 10:30 pm and we just smoked. Along with the ambulance came the police. They got a wiff and they wrote us both a ticket (I was passed out at the time of the ticket writing) for use/possion of maraijuana. Now we have a bond and have to submit to random weekly drug tests. My A1C levels have always ran around 8-9 or even 10s when they should be around 6-7. I have NO signs of diabetes in my eyes or kidneys. I believe that I havn't had problems due to being a smoker of the gonge!! My other half has been on all kinds of pain meds for the last 15+ years and smokes to help relieve his pain. I am looking for someone that has some information that would be helpful for court. Any kind of article or research results that would aid in my case for smoking. I really should be close to blindness with the sugar levels being so high. I am in the process of getting on the insulin pump, but I am scared! Please help if you can!
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Marite, not sure you ought to consider it brain damage at all, or jump to blaming either the diabetes or the marijuana.
The fact that you let your child use marijuana says to me that he has been brought up differently, and rightly so if his test scores show he is a cut above the rest of the crowd.
But if he's very intelligent and has been raised by parents who probably let him take care of himself a lot, depression might be more a side effect of external factors.
Males tend to lose focus on things we aren't learning from, and I can tell you from firsthand experience that it can be incredibly difficult to get by when you're a really intelligent person. I smoke pot pretty much daily, and I blew SAT's, state standardized tests, military standardized tests all out of the water.
Ask him (and yourself) why, exactly, he's not doing well in classes. If he's still showing signs that he's mentally capable--that is, he still could get those good marks on a test or get an A on a paper if he were to try--then perhaps it's a lack of interest or motivation caused by the state of modern education. I went to a respectable institute of technology last year and in spite of being a bit ahead of most people applying to the school, I came out with F's and a c**p GPA and I'm currently on academic suspension.
But I certainly don't attribute this to brain damage. Marijuana use was a factor at times, and once it reaches levels considered abuse there is no doubt that it can get in the way of being productive and healthy. If your son is threatening suicide, I wouldn't doubt he's overusing marijuana, but it is important that you don't attack him for his drug use. Be glad he hasn't got an affinity for liquor, ask him if he might consider cutting back for the financial and health aspects or if he's considered vaporizing (which is basically a medical-grade way of using cannabis--no smoke, just THC).
If his case is anything like mine, the depression stems from being pigeonholed into a career path and a life that other people want for me, rather than being allowed the time to figure out what I want to do on my own, and from seeing how unreceptive the world is to bright people. Colleges make you sit through menial classes that really teach very little and fail to keep students engaged. The most intelligent students are the ones who suffer the most because while there are some teachers who provide a genuinely riveting class that you'd like to do well in, the experience of suffering through the rest of the college experience can absolutely abolish any drive or motivation you might have had coming into it.
If college isn't working for him, get him the hell out of there. I'd advise seeing shrinks and doctors at least once to see if they have anything really useful to offer, but taking all their advice with a grain of salt as a lot of them are bought out by pharmaceutical industries.
Get your son to reassess his life, and what he likes and what he doesn't, and let him do what make him truly happy, on the grounds that he take the research and his own health seriously. If he is gifted like you say he is, the last thing this world and any of you need is for him to die young like so many do.
Don't get caught up in the blame game. Let your son figure out what, if anything really interests him, and have him try to make a career of it. Demand that prospective employers judge him on his actual contributions to the workplace, and not his failed attempt at grinding through the bastard educational system that in a lot of our schools is really just another privatized cash-in.
Take advantage of everything the government or anyone else can offer you to help you get out of this rut, and support your son if he's willing to make the effort to make himself useful.
I'd wager that finding compelling work and romance would give your son's life some much-needed meaning and direction. If pot helps him cope, let him use it. He's too old now for you to be doing any hardcore parenting, so you won't be able to really stop him anyway, just let him know that you're concerned and that you don't want him to get hurt, so ask that he research his vices before he partakes.
Suicide won't get anyone anywhere, and is an easy way out of a serious problem for him, but it would be a horrible burden for you and I think if he's vocal about it towards you he probably wants you (his parents) to listen to what he has to say and take him seriously. Grant him this and just have some intelligent conversation with the guy, and let me know if it doesn't do a world of wonder for all of you.
I guess the main things I'm trying to say are thus:
Your son's marijuana use is comparable to your husband's painkiller use: a SYMPTOM, not a condition.
My guess is that it's mostly other external factors, and a lack of fun and direction in your lives, that causes depression and this awful spinning of the wheels and hostility among all.
Weed is not the problem, and he probably likes it so much because it's a fun way to socialize and relieve stress with comparably few health effects (ironic, eh?).
Check out , and , and try to talk to your son about letting him find some way to be productive and happy.
It's this industrial/consumerist world that's killing us all, I think. A world where you buy diplomas and jump through a lot of meaningless hoops to get them, and then as thanks you enter crummy jobs that use you to solve a specific and arbitrary problem, and not to reap the benefits of your own unique talents. Fk all that.
If your son is still capable, try to get him working a bit, maybe 15-20hrs a week or something just to get out and be a valued part of a community and to be active and receive a tangible reward for his work. I know my work, though menial and under the table and under me intellectually, keeps me sane and pays for weed and gasoline. All that bums me out is a lack of intellectual stimulation, and I'm looking to meeting intelligent, free-thinking people and taking classes cheaply and through continuing ed to solve that.
...what a rant this has become. I've been smoking some pot while I write so I hope I haven't been repetitive or unclear or tangential or anything. I keep faith that this won't be lost on deaf ears, and that maybe it will help you some in your situation, as mine sounds quite similar and I've already done a lot of the mental grunt work.
May you run into the good luck you're due after these years of malaise and worry. Thou art no thy lane. Reassess with a cocktail of shrewdness and compassion, smoke a bowl with your son to understand pot and to socialize with him, and strive always for what truly will make you happy and satisfied in life, and not what the television or the corporate world says will make you happy. The two are very different animals--very few people will give up a profit in an exchange for a sound moral business.
***edited by moderator*** web addresses not allowed
The fact that you let your child use marijuana says to me that he has been brought up differently, and rightly so if his test scores show he is a cut above the rest of the crowd.
But if he's very intelligent and has been raised by parents who probably let him take care of himself a lot, depression might be more a side effect of external factors.
Males tend to lose focus on things we aren't learning from, and I can tell you from firsthand experience that it can be incredibly difficult to get by when you're a really intelligent person. I smoke pot pretty much daily, and I blew SAT's, state standardized tests, military standardized tests all out of the water.
Ask him (and yourself) why, exactly, he's not doing well in classes. If he's still showing signs that he's mentally capable--that is, he still could get those good marks on a test or get an A on a paper if he were to try--then perhaps it's a lack of interest or motivation caused by the state of modern education. I went to a respectable institute of technology last year and in spite of being a bit ahead of most people applying to the school, I came out with F's and a c**p GPA and I'm currently on academic suspension.
But I certainly don't attribute this to brain damage. Marijuana use was a factor at times, and once it reaches levels considered abuse there is no doubt that it can get in the way of being productive and healthy. If your son is threatening suicide, I wouldn't doubt he's overusing marijuana, but it is important that you don't attack him for his drug use. Be glad he hasn't got an affinity for liquor, ask him if he might consider cutting back for the financial and health aspects or if he's considered vaporizing (which is basically a medical-grade way of using cannabis--no smoke, just THC).
If his case is anything like mine, the depression stems from being pigeonholed into a career path and a life that other people want for me, rather than being allowed the time to figure out what I want to do on my own, and from seeing how unreceptive the world is to bright people. Colleges make you sit through menial classes that really teach very little and fail to keep students engaged. The most intelligent students are the ones who suffer the most because while there are some teachers who provide a genuinely riveting class that you'd like to do well in, the experience of suffering through the rest of the college experience can absolutely abolish any drive or motivation you might have had coming into it.
If college isn't working for him, get him the hell out of there. I'd advise seeing shrinks and doctors at least once to see if they have anything really useful to offer, but taking all their advice with a grain of salt as a lot of them are bought out by pharmaceutical industries.
Get your son to reassess his life, and what he likes and what he doesn't, and let him do what make him truly happy, on the grounds that he take the research and his own health seriously. If he is gifted like you say he is, the last thing this world and any of you need is for him to die young like so many do.
Don't get caught up in the blame game. Let your son figure out what, if anything really interests him, and have him try to make a career of it. Demand that prospective employers judge him on his actual contributions to the workplace, and not his failed attempt at grinding through the bastard educational system that in a lot of our schools is really just another privatized cash-in.
Take advantage of everything the government or anyone else can offer you to help you get out of this rut, and support your son if he's willing to make the effort to make himself useful.
I'd wager that finding compelling work and romance would give your son's life some much-needed meaning and direction. If pot helps him cope, let him use it. He's too old now for you to be doing any hardcore parenting, so you won't be able to really stop him anyway, just let him know that you're concerned and that you don't want him to get hurt, so ask that he research his vices before he partakes.
Suicide won't get anyone anywhere, and is an easy way out of a serious problem for him, but it would be a horrible burden for you and I think if he's vocal about it towards you he probably wants you (his parents) to listen to what he has to say and take him seriously. Grant him this and just have some intelligent conversation with the guy, and let me know if it doesn't do a world of wonder for all of you.
I guess the main things I'm trying to say are thus:
Your son's marijuana use is comparable to your husband's painkiller use: a SYMPTOM, not a condition.
My guess is that it's mostly other external factors, and a lack of fun and direction in your lives, that causes depression and this awful spinning of the wheels and hostility among all.
Weed is not the problem, and he probably likes it so much because it's a fun way to socialize and relieve stress with comparably few health effects (ironic, eh?).
Check out , and , and try to talk to your son about letting him find some way to be productive and happy.
It's this industrial/consumerist world that's killing us all, I think. A world where you buy diplomas and jump through a lot of meaningless hoops to get them, and then as thanks you enter crummy jobs that use you to solve a specific and arbitrary problem, and not to reap the benefits of your own unique talents. Fk all that.
If your son is still capable, try to get him working a bit, maybe 15-20hrs a week or something just to get out and be a valued part of a community and to be active and receive a tangible reward for his work. I know my work, though menial and under the table and under me intellectually, keeps me sane and pays for weed and gasoline. All that bums me out is a lack of intellectual stimulation, and I'm looking to meeting intelligent, free-thinking people and taking classes cheaply and through continuing ed to solve that.
...what a rant this has become. I've been smoking some pot while I write so I hope I haven't been repetitive or unclear or tangential or anything. I keep faith that this won't be lost on deaf ears, and that maybe it will help you some in your situation, as mine sounds quite similar and I've already done a lot of the mental grunt work.
May you run into the good luck you're due after these years of malaise and worry. Thou art no thy lane. Reassess with a cocktail of shrewdness and compassion, smoke a bowl with your son to understand pot and to socialize with him, and strive always for what truly will make you happy and satisfied in life, and not what the television or the corporate world says will make you happy. The two are very different animals--very few people will give up a profit in an exchange for a sound moral business.
***edited by moderator*** web addresses not allowed
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I think that what you've posted is a lot of food for thought. While I don't agree with everything you've posted, I think that you have a lot of pretty good points and I hope that it was taken well. HOw long have you been smoking? it sounds to me like you are very knowledgable and experienced.
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Ive been a diabetic for a little over 1 year now i was fourteen when i was diagnosed with my type one diabetes ..... sometimes i get pains in my feet or legs and feel pressure in my eyes. the only thing that seems to help is tree! i wouldn't smoke weed unless it helped the pain . and by the way the munchies are no big deal. instead of sugary foods eat vegetables or meat and if u dont want to do that u dont have to because how can u possibly forget to take a shot just because your high? does it alter your head that bad ? dont think so
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Do they ask you to check your feet when you have type one diabetes? I have always wondered that. Can you let me know?
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this guy, is full of sh*t. i am type 1 diabetic. i've had it for 4 years, im 17 years old now. i started marijuana 3 months after i was diagnosed, up to that point i was talking insulin, I HAVE NOT, USED ANY INSULIN WHATSOEVER SINCE THEN. thats right. 3.5 years. off insulin.
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That may be true for you but let me tell you--marijuana does not work that way for people. You are not doing well because you are smoking up. You are doing well because your diabetes, for whatever reason, it manageable. Does that make sense?
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nonah
You must work for law enforcement or you are just uninformed. Why don't you lighten up and go smoke a bowl you might be surprised.
You must work for law enforcement or you are just uninformed. Why don't you lighten up and go smoke a bowl you might be surprised.
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This is just a general reply, I won't spend time reading arguments for or against Marijuana. My name is John and I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when I was nine years old. I had already had the disease for over a year in which I was in a constant state of Hyperglycemia. After being diagnosed I was told that I would probably be dead by the time I was twenty years old, if I lived I would be blind and amputated at the knees by thirty years of age. After many years and other health problems I started getting blind spots, I was told that my diabetic retinopathy was to the point that I was going blind. That was 2 years ago. In that time I have had 42 laser surgeries, in both eyes, and one experimental injection in the right. The injection caused MAJOR swelling, which threatened the eye even more. I asked my doctor if marijuana could help and he said that he could not suggest smoking marijuana, but that THC would surely relieve the pressure in that eye. The injection was one year ago. ( do you have ANY idea what it's like watching a needle enter your eye and then have to watch the injections and medicine floats in vision for 6 weeks! lol) I am happy to say that marijuana HAS helped save my eyesight so that I can still go to work, when it's there (ahem, economy), and am able to look my son and daughter in the eye. Now really, doesn't that show SOME benefit?! What benefit does alcohol have over that? (other than the fact that it's legal and marijuana isn't?)
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Hey my name is carlie and i have been type one diabetic since i was 5. I think that saying diabetics cant smoke or drink because of there disease is stupid. i drink and smoke weed! diabetes is a serious condition but it shouldnt keep you from doing the things you want. In my oppinion as long as you take you insulin for the stuff you drink its fine. Its like drinking a coke or a glass of koolaid, its fine to drink it you just gatta make sure you blous for it. Weed is the same way except it dropps you blood sugar. so what i do is eat a meal or a carby snack before i smoke. hope this helps
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Ok everyone check this out, I was diagnosed with type 1 diabeties when I was 1 Year old! The doctors told my mother that I would definetly die before the age of 18, I sarted smokind weed when I was 16 and Im now 20, wow 2 years alive by miracle, weed helps me to get away from the worries of diabeties but not diabeties itself, you know when you work a full week and your brain is tiered and you need to relax you get your weekend to do that. Do we get a weekend from diabeties? No. My brain is constantly working to keep in mind how mutch I've ate, how mutch insulin I injected, what I am doing in the next hour, do I need to change my insulin pen cartrige, do i need to get a fresh pack of test strips etc. and all this c**p is in my mind 24/7 all year long, do you think us diabetics deserve a break once in a while from all of that? I think we definetly do. alcohol is worse because when we get a high blood sugar we get ketones in our blood which is very simular to alcohol in its bad effects to your body. Surprisingly my eye sight is fine, I dont wear glasses even though I have type 1 diabeties for over 19 years. The worse thing you can do to a friend in trouble who's smoking pot is go tell their parents, thats worse then telling the police and geting her arrested, trust me I know, I went through all this c**p. I SMOKE WEED, DIABETIC FOR 19 YEARS WITH NO GLASSES, HOW DO YOU FEEL? SMOKE WEED EVERY DAY, HOPE AND PRAY...HOPE AND PRAY..
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first of all, i myself am a type 1 diabetic, diagnosed five years ago this past march/2010
i am currently seventeen and have been smoking pot since a year after i was diagnosed.
tyhe only thing i have ever found with the use of marijuana and diabetes is that it DOES actually help with controlling blood sugar levels IF you are not just using it for the sake of getting high.
i have always been under a lot of stress and when i'm stressing and find that my blood sugar is through the roof, yes, i smoke a joint or hit a bowl . after that i have a light snack and take some insulin to compensate for the food and the high.
within minutes i feel my stress being relieved and every time i test about half an hour after taking insulin and getting stoned, my blood sugar has been between 4 and 10 as compared to a previous 18-20 something. it is also PROVEN that marijuana decreses stress hormones which raise the blood glucose levels in type 1 diabetics.
as my parents do not know i use it, i do it discretely, and i do not abuse it. i use it strictly when i am feeling stressed out or in pain.
along with diabetes does come thyroid problems, RLS (restless leg syndrome), muscle spasms, frequent headaches/migraines, occasional nause ( when coming from an extreme high to a normal blood glucose level ), and i have found that using marijuana has helped with the pain, stress, and anxiety or each and every one of these symptoms, not to mention the fact that i use to wear glasses because when my blood glucose was over 14, my eyes went blurry.
Not anymore.
like i have said many times already in this post i do not use marijuana for the simple fact of feeling euphoric and as some might say "in my own little universe", i use it because it helps me to deal with having a chronic and possibly terminal illness.
go ahead and puff your doobies, rip your bongs and brew your hemp oil!
you're not going to die of 'lung cancer' or 'lose brain cells'.
if you want more information, watch 'The Union' great movie (not directed at diabetes, but rather the decriminalization of marijuana, both for pain medication and freedom of choice.)
thanks for the interesting post, good luck with everything .
i am currently seventeen and have been smoking pot since a year after i was diagnosed.
tyhe only thing i have ever found with the use of marijuana and diabetes is that it DOES actually help with controlling blood sugar levels IF you are not just using it for the sake of getting high.
i have always been under a lot of stress and when i'm stressing and find that my blood sugar is through the roof, yes, i smoke a joint or hit a bowl . after that i have a light snack and take some insulin to compensate for the food and the high.
within minutes i feel my stress being relieved and every time i test about half an hour after taking insulin and getting stoned, my blood sugar has been between 4 and 10 as compared to a previous 18-20 something. it is also PROVEN that marijuana decreses stress hormones which raise the blood glucose levels in type 1 diabetics.
as my parents do not know i use it, i do it discretely, and i do not abuse it. i use it strictly when i am feeling stressed out or in pain.
along with diabetes does come thyroid problems, RLS (restless leg syndrome), muscle spasms, frequent headaches/migraines, occasional nause ( when coming from an extreme high to a normal blood glucose level ), and i have found that using marijuana has helped with the pain, stress, and anxiety or each and every one of these symptoms, not to mention the fact that i use to wear glasses because when my blood glucose was over 14, my eyes went blurry.
Not anymore.
like i have said many times already in this post i do not use marijuana for the simple fact of feeling euphoric and as some might say "in my own little universe", i use it because it helps me to deal with having a chronic and possibly terminal illness.
go ahead and puff your doobies, rip your bongs and brew your hemp oil!
you're not going to die of 'lung cancer' or 'lose brain cells'.
if you want more information, watch 'The Union' great movie (not directed at diabetes, but rather the decriminalization of marijuana, both for pain medication and freedom of choice.)
thanks for the interesting post, good luck with everything .
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I am a diabetic (type 1) and was diagnosed at the age of 11, I am now 31. when I was 18 I started to smoke marijuana everyday as my friends smoked too and I prefered the feeling of being stoned (and in control) to the feeling of being drunk ( and out of control). My father is an alchoholic and I resented the thought of becoming someone like him. I stopped smoking marijuana at the age of 29 and now only smoke when I am offered or can get "decent weed" it's not an everyday thing and I often go months without it. Giving up was easy and purely psychological. the only difference I noticed having given up was that I was more inclined to venture out, to concerts and events, rather than stay home and get stoned.
More importantly I was able to maintain much better blood sugar levels and felt healthier when using weed than I do now. My blood sugar levels are unpredictable now and often high, blood sugar was definitely better when using weed everyday. not once did i ever feel the need to progress onto harder drugs and I have never been involved with the law other than a speeding offence.
I can honestly say that smoking everyday (approximately 2 ounces per month) has caused no damage to my health or well being.
you should not worry about taking marijuana with diabetes, in fact quite the opposite.
Regards
More importantly I was able to maintain much better blood sugar levels and felt healthier when using weed than I do now. My blood sugar levels are unpredictable now and often high, blood sugar was definitely better when using weed everyday. not once did i ever feel the need to progress onto harder drugs and I have never been involved with the law other than a speeding offence.
I can honestly say that smoking everyday (approximately 2 ounces per month) has caused no damage to my health or well being.
you should not worry about taking marijuana with diabetes, in fact quite the opposite.
Regards
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Anonymous wrote:
nonah wrote:
Hi, diabetes type one is very serious condition. I can understand your friend is under a lot of stress because of her situation. However, marijuana is definitely not the answer. She may think that this substance is helping her, but I believe she is wrong. Marijuana is an illegal substance so therefore there are not any valid studies that show it can help with lowering blood glucose level. You have every right to worry about her condition. I think you should try talking to her about her habit and the effects of marijuana smoking. This is a drug that alters person's state of mind. Under the influence of marijuana your friend can even endanger her health, because she might forget to take her insulin injection on time. If she refuses to listen to you, you shouldn't hesitate to talk to her parents. Believe me, it is for her own good.
your honestly a ***edited by moderator*** ** inappropriate posting** diabetes causes alot of pain with constant injections and nerological damage common pot really helps the pain as well as Getting your b.g. up you fool its called munchies and the fact that most diabetics cannot drink cause alcohol screws the blood sugar up hardcore makes pot a very reasonable option its a plant it grows it should NOT be against the law its a gift from god truly. it helps anxiety depression and pain aids and cancer patients reap the benefits why shouldnt everyone. the fact that you assume that pot is evil means your ignorant to the wonderfull things that it allows you to do not every smoker is a stoner being high opens mental channels that if not high you could never have conceived you have a pure and free flow of free thought
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