Marijuana Withdrawal vs Caffeine Withdrawal

weed jointMarijuana withdrawal vs Caffeine withdrawal

Wha? Weed addiction? Is that even a real thing? Well if marijuana addiction is real so is coffee addiction. We can’t function properly without a fat cup of joe in the morning, or a joint for that matter. In fact we might be dependent on joe since, like smoking pot, we drink coffee eryday. So what would happen if we stopped drinking coffee? Would we face withdrawal symptoms? Well of course. And how would those symptoms compare to the symptoms of marijuana withdrawal? Not that we’re not going to stop smoking weed eryday anytime soon. Oh and just so you know weed withdrawal is a real thing—or at least it is according to the American Psychiatric Association who included marijuana withdrawal among classifications of their mental disorders by the a couple years back.

What is Weed Withdrawal?

According to webMD “withdrawal is the group of symptoms that occur when one is abruptly separated from, or decreases dosages of, the intake of drugs or alcohol after a physical or mental dependence of the substance has been established.” They go on to say that weed withdrawal is the prolonged cessation of marijuana in an individual who has used it for a significant period of time and that unlike other substances such as alcohol, marijuana has not always been considered a drug that can lead to withdrawal symptoms. However they claim that researchers have discovered that marijuana withdrawal symptoms do exist, albeit in ways that are different from most substances (and largely psychological).

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Cannaman CoffeeMarijuana withdrawal symptoms

According to the American Psychiatric Association, weed withdrawal symptoms manifest themselves in the following ways:

  • Irritability, anger, or aggression
  • Nervousness or anxiety
  • Sleep difficulty (insomnia)
  • Decreased appetite or weight loss
  • Restlessness
  • Depressed mood
  • Physical symptoms such as stomach pain, shakiness/tremors, sweating, fever, chills, and headaches

yes indeed cofee and weedCaffeine withdrawal symptoms

Let’s compare American Psychiatric Association’s list of marijuana withdrawal symptoms with their list of caffeine’s withdrawal symptoms In the manual, Caffeine Withdrawal is defined as a syndrome resulting from abrupt cessation or reduction in caffeine, following prolonged daily use.

  • Irritability, anger, or aggression
  • Nervousness or anxiety
  • Fatigue
  • Headache
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Depressed mood

According to Time these caffeine withdrawal symptoms are listed in a recent edition of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) as part of “Caffeine-Related Disorders.” Are these coffee withdrawal symptoms serious enough to warrant a disorder?

“We feel that there is enough data to support a caffeine-withdrawal syndrome,” said DSM work-group member Alan J. Budney. “There are enough people who go into withdrawal — that if they don’t get caffeine, it becomes a real syndrome and can affect work, sleep, or whatever they need to do. So we’re suggesting that it ‘make the big leagues’ and become part of the DSM to make sure everyone is aware of it.”

“Caffeine is a drug, a mild stimulant, which is used by almost everybody on a daily basis,” said Dr. Charles O’Brien, who chairs the Substance-Related Disorder Work Group for DSM. “But it does have a letdown afterwards. If you drink a lot of coffee, at least two or three [236 ml] cups at a time, there will be a rebound or withdrawal effect.”

Using weed to treat withdrawal

Seems like coffee, a drug used by almost everybody on a daily basis, and weed have similar withdrawal symptoms, right? Why all the fuss about marijuana being such a dangerous drug, then? What’s even more absurd is that marijuana is often times used to treat the withdrawal symptoms of some pretty serious drugs including morphine and heroin. Coffee certainly ain’t going to help. A study conducted at the Laboratory for Physiopathology of Diseases of the Central Nervous System recently demonstrated the potential of cannabis therapy to relieve morphine dependence. The experimenters injected morphine-addicted rats with THC, resulting in suppressed behavioral, biochemical and molecular dependence. Plus researchers expect cannabis therapy to have a similar neurological effect on humans and consequently open new doors for heroin recovery.

Marijuana has also been use to treat the withdrawal symptoms associated with opiate use. Dr. Sean Breen at Medical Cannabis of Southern California describes a patient who was able to overcome his opiate addiction by using cannabis therapy to relieve his withdrawal symptoms, “Today was his last day of using subutex and he plans on using cannabis to manage any withdrawal symptoms that he experiences after finally stopping all opiate medications! Amazingly the effects of cannabinoids can reduce or eliminate the majority of symptoms of opiate withdrawal. Cannabis can reduce anxiety and agitation, improve sleep and helps normalize the digestive tract.”

Dealing with weed withdrawal symptoms

From cheeseburgers to too much television quitting anything is never easy. And sometimes withdrawal symptoms increase the difficulty. Plus there aren’t any known prescription medications that can take away the discomforts of weed withdrawal or coffee. You just have to power through it. However keeping busy will help take a little edge off the discomfort. Maybe we should cover how to stop smoking weed in a future post?  Anyhow if you try and quit good luck, dude.

Have any tips on beating the symptoms associated with marijuana withdrawal or comments about weed addiction in general?



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