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Cannabis and GABA

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iksaxophone

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Jul 6, 2015
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https://mediarelations.uwo.ca/2017/...se-negative-effects-adolescent-marijuana-use/

Check it out. There are in fact negative consequences from long-term cannabis use- but they can be mitigated by playing with the GABA system! I'm pretty excited to find out how they do this, although somewhat skeptical of their intention to do it in pill form when the researchers already suspect the solution may come from rare cannabinoids.
 
Of course there are negative consequences. Every single thing we put in our bodies carries negative consequences. It's just a matter of gauging for yourself whether the benefits outweigh the risks- something nobody bothers doing. I always do- doesn't mean I always make the best decisions though lol (not through common negligence or ignorance though lol). And how to minimize such risks (preferably without pharmacological assistance).

You must consider your post though. By pharmacological "playing with the gaba system", you may be disguising- possibly even mitigating- *SOME* of the negative effects of cannabis consumption, but then you have the negative consequences of gaba drugs in return.....that's what the deal is when you use drugs to cover up effects of another drug. If you were to treat every negative effect of every drug you take,a it'd be an endless cycle which would never fully satisfy. It's simply best advised not to do.

-PA
 
"playing" with the GABA system is almost guaranteed to compound the problems/negative side effects associated with cannabis use, although it may delay or disguise the issue for a period of time. The body attempts to remain at equilibrium which is largely why we develop tolerance. Beyond not disturbing your brain's levels of neurotransmitters there isn't anything you can do to avoid this phenomenon.
 
All fair points, but the impression I got from the research was that treatment was a single event, after which the healthy adult brain would remain in its proper form even with continued THC use. Because cannabis really only effects the GABA system’s form during adolescence...although maybe it’s just a pipe dream...
 
I hadn't read the study when I wrote the reply. I see the point the article is trying to make concerning adolescent use of cannabis, but it still seems a little misleading. A person would still have the changes in the brain associated with cannabis use, they just found ways to manage the problems. The article doesn't really specify by what mechanism they can reverse the low levels of GABA neurotransmitters. It could be something as simple as a dietary supplement which could mitigate the damage but not prevent.

“What this could mean is that if you are going to be using marijuana, in a recreational or medicinal way, you can potentially combine it with compounds that boost GABA to block the negative effects of THC.”

It all sounds really inconclusive still. If cannabis use results in low levels of GABA neurotransmitters then it would seem logical that increasing the levels of these neurotransmitters would help, but it seems very narrow sighted in terms of pharmacology. I'm not sure how it would reverse receptor down regulation caused by over stimulation. Also, gaba is only one of many neurotransmitters that cannabis use impacts. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306452206015302

I don't believe SSRIs/antidepressants are cures for depression, just ways of managing the symptoms, just as antipsychotics are not a cure for mental disorders although they may help manage or lessen the symptoms.
 
Mafioso said:
“What this could mean is that if you are going to be using marijuana, in a recreational or medicinal way, you can potentially combine it with compounds that boost GABA to block the negative effects of THC."
Click to expand...

Yeah that's basically what I got out of it. They're basically just advocating combining cannabis with certain substances that increase GABA levels. The only perceived change I could see in people who would experiment with both substances would be less social anxiety from the marijuana. Additionally, it would be extremely dangerous as far as reducing motor skills.
 
I think taking them at the same time would be phenomenally stupid.
But taking something daily or at least after coming down that slightly increases endogeneous GABA sensitivity in the prefrontal cortex (such as L-theanine) has legitimately seemed to help with the loss of focus and motivation that comes after using pot.
Admittedly this is purely anecdotal, but the study above is peer-reviewed evidence that the mechanism works.
 
I think that might be a stretch, as it doesn't specify the mechanism beyond "drug". Also, it doesn't sound like there have been human trails, the article states:

"By using drugs to activate GABA in a rat model of schizophrenia, the team was able to reverse the neuronal and behavioural effects of the THC and eliminate the schizophrenia-like symptoms"

and follows with:
“What this could mean is that if you are going to be using marijuana, in a recreational or medicinal way, you can potentially combine it with compounds that boost GABA to block the negative effects of THC.”

key words being: rat, could mean, potentially.
 
Of course this is all speculation...that’s the fun of it. What kinds of GABA boosters do you think have the most potential for this?
 
Mafioso said:
“What this could mean is that if you are going to be using marijuana, in a recreational or medicinal way, you can potentially combine it with compounds that boost GABA to block the negative effects of THC.”
Click to expand...

Or take marijuana with high CBD. Same effect
 
iksaxophone said:
Of course this is all speculation...that’s the fun of it. What kinds of GABA boosters do you think have the most potential for this?
Click to expand...

They use the word "drug", so I'm guessing it's not just a supplement like I originally thought. Idk of any off hand and not sure if they are OTC.
 
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