If Cannabis Doesn’t Help Mental Health, What Does?
If you’ve been turning to cannabis for mental health issues, you may feel worse at first when you stop. This isn’t because cannabis is helping with your condition, but because you may experience withdrawal. You may notice mood changes, sleep disturbances, restlessness, headaches, as well as cravings.
If you want to stop using cannabis, consider reaching out to your primary care doctor or mental health provider for guidance. If you have been using cannabis to help you — whether to relax or to manage mental health symptoms — it may be challenging to stop without having other coping skills or medication to rely on.
Many mild to moderate symptoms of mental health conditions can be well-managed with lifestyle changes like diet, exercise, or healthy sleep habits; psychotherapy (talk therapy); or both. For more serious conditions, getting evidence-based medication from a doctor may be needed.
