Julie Gardener
New Member
Tourette's Syndrome, Depression, and General Anxiety Disorder by Victor
Hi. My name is Victor and I have been dealing with Tourette's Syndrome, OCD, and depression that leads to severe panic attacks. The TS and OCD have been ongoing problems since the age of about 9. The depression came a little later in life, about 16, and the panic attacks began in my freshman year of college. Being 20 now, and in my third year of school, I am finding it increasingly harder to cope with the symptoms.
I had never smoked marijuana before, and then in my freshman year I tried it a few times recreationally. I noticed that on nights of particularly high stress (nights in which I was at greatest risk for a panic attack), smoking helped me reduce the symptoms. I find that smoking prior to dealing with triggers that bring about the panic attacks helps my body better cope with the anxiety. My panic attacks began to come less frequently. Here I am today, 20 years old, and I have managed to reduce the vertigo, shaking, and sweating associated with stress and panic attacks. My heart palpitations seem to be gone as well.
Think about this for a minute...I had tried Zoloft, Celexa and more recently Lexapro, and none of these prescription drugs had any positive effect. In fact, some even had adverse effects that exacerbated the anxiety further.
As for the TS, I am currently on 6mg of Orap daily. This helps the vocalizations, but my facial twitching persists. But I do notice that marihuana significantly reduces the frequency at which I execute a facial twitch. I have spoken to my neurologist about any possible interactions with the Orap and he has said that he doesn't advise it, but I have been doing this daily for three years and I have never had any adverse side effects.
Source: Comments and Observations
