Yeah, I mean, I'm a scientist and ordinarily I'd say we should defer to established science and expert opinions. Unfortunately, the science on all of these drugs is very far from established, so I think the fact that the use of Cannabis, for example, is not yet mainstream in the medical community doesn't really say much about its potential efficacy. More science remains to be done.
I absolutely think the slow pace of that science is related to what you said about the pharma industry (and I completely agree with your statement.)
AFAIK, most current treatments for mood disorders are far from 100% effective. The possibility that Cannabis or some other psychedelic drug could be effective for at least a few people who are otherwise resistant to treatment is not to be ignored, I think, and has yet to be ruled out.
I agree with you in that proof of that possibility is still out of reach, for all I know when the science is in we'll discover that psychedelics are not really useful for mental hygiene. I tend to take an optimistic attitude though.
As far as cannabis goes, its a tricky one. I do believe it has medicinal value, absolutely, and its pretty effective for me. I don't think its a holy grail, but is one of of the few drugs you can get away with taking daily, which is kind of a big deal. Low cbd strains and high thc strains, seem problematic to me for mental health patients. cannabis on the black market will most likely not produce reliable results. A strain with a healthy ratio of both THC and significant levels of CBD seem the most beneficial to me. Some folks certainly need to be mindful of the amounts of THC they are using and some simply cant tolerate it at all.
CBD is certainly preferable to traditional anti-psychotics and studies have indicated that it is just as effective. When presented with the option, CBD seems like a no brainer to me, considering the huge risks of most APs. CBD remains inaccessible for a lot of people because of the cost and is not covered by insurance or advertised on TV. Anti-psychotics are arguably the most dangerous class of drugs that exist, but remain on the market even when an infinitely safer alternative is available. Im sure makers of APs will do everything in their power to ensure CBD never makes it mainstream. I know that traditional APs do help some people, but they have the ability to completely destroy lives in a pretty, erm 'special' way.
I agree with you, more science needs to be done and some mainstream conclusions about mental health are pretty absurd. The book is still being written, and its particularly annoying hearing people parrot pharma bullshit like its law, esp when its not helpful and/or fails to manage symptoms. I always get a kick out of the "approved" list of substances that a mental health patient can take, like were all the same. Meanwhile, they pour toxic shit down your throat, tell you its good for you and tell you that you can't smoke weed or take psychedelics. lol...ok guy.
The first time I took MDMA, I was 16 and even told my friend I was rolling with: 'This is gonna change the world'...lol. many years later, I definitely think it holds a lot of potential for PTSD, but im not as keen on it as I once was. I think it has the ability to be depleting but PTSD is a pretty difficult disorder to treat. I think one of its downsides is that you can only tolerate it a couple of times before the magic is lost or does damage. One of the riskier drugs one can experiment with IMO and my god the crash is dreadful. I would think minimizing exposure would be prudent. Also more research needs to be done on finding the most effective isomer ratios.
I am diagnosed with bipolar II and ADD. I think a lot of my issues revolve around cPTSD but i haven't gotten an official diagnosis for that. I stopped going to professionals a while back. I am considered 'treatment resistant' and at one time was put on zyprexa, an AP. Helped for a while, but has compounded my problems exponentially and there isn't much I can take now that puts much of a dent in my symptoms. I've been sick for about 2 years now and still have a lot of issues. I was pretty desperate not too long ago and microdosed, took medium doses of ibogaine. It started working for me the next day. It not only reversed a lot of my symptoms (which is nothing short of a miracle) but I felt more calm, stable, and at peace than I ever have. I actually felt good and more like myself than I ever have, not just anti depressed, it was truly genuine. It would have changed the course of my life had I had access to it prior the shitstorm i am in now. I think it can treat depression better than almost anything we have now, stabilize mood disorders and so much more. It worked better for me than anything i have ever taken and i have taken dozens of psychiatric drugs over the years in almost every class that there is.
Ibogaine holds such an absurdly huge amount of potential I could go on for days lol. I think microdosing can be just as beneficial as a flood, but it depends on what your specific application is. The main focus on ibo has been 'curing' addiction which is one of ibos less intriguing properties IMO. I don't really think you can cure addiction, but I do think that you can heal the underlying causes. I think a flood has the ability to completely heal PTSD in a way that no other substance can. I think it has It seems to have a long lasting effect, that stays with you your whole life, unlike the fleeting nature of other substances. It can be single use thing, a true cure, which is miraculous.
I was having significant neurological symptoms that ibogaine reversed in a few days. I did have a lot of my symptoms come back a few months later, but my situation is pretty complex and not something I want to get into atm. I had severe GI issues (IBS type neurological symptoms) for over a year. Ibogaine completely reversed and healed those issues for me (8 months later). I felt the affected areas get warm and completely went away while under a couple grams of TA. its the ultimate therapeutic psychedelic and very gentle compared to something like DMT, which can be kind of harsh, dark and unpredictable for me. Its truly remarkable and it infuriates me that something that could have changed my life and even cured me, is deliberately being kept out of reach bc it competes with shit maintenance drugs. people are suffering and keeping a cure locked away is criminal.
It also has the ability to reverse anhedonia and other issues that people have had from APs and stimulants (anecdotally at least). Ibo is the ultimate therapeutic psychedelic and you don't even have to trip for it to work. It is serious business though, and I wish they could work out some of the kinks with heart arrhythmia's etc and maybe explore some analogs ala 18 MC. Why more people aren't studying and using this plant is beyond me. I think the possibilities with this one are huge and help in areas that we currently don't have any answers for such as autonomic dysfunction and other neurological problems.
Overall, I don't think balls out tripping is the best idea for some patients but it isn't always necessary. Microdosing can stil have profound effects and i think this is getting more popular among drug nerds and has a promising future. psilocybin in particular, but Im sure other tryptamines have potential as well. I do think tryptamines require repeat exposure so its something you have to be more diligent with. Its effect on the hippocampus is pretty intriguing, which is affected in chronically depressed patients.
Psychedelics might be the closest thing we have to cures for some disorders.i have mixed feelings of optimism and cynicism for their future in the medical and mental health fields. As a stand alone treatment, I don't think they answers in and of themselves, but I do consider them powerful tools. Mental health has many different orgins, and as such, will always require a multi-faceted approach. I do know that we need every tool available to combat these particular types of issues.
Sorry for the novel, kind of a broad topic, and I could keep going, but ill wrap it up.
