Many individuals experience benefit from cannabis use; however, some experience negative side effects from using too much cannabis and want to cut down on their use.

I use a motivational interviewing approach with for individuals interested in cutting down on their cannabis use and other substance-use related conditions.

Motivational interviewing is a collaborative, patient-centric therapy approach towards behavior change. I respect my patient’s decisions whether to use or not use substances and understand that many people can have mixed feelings (ambivalence) about their use.

Along these lines, I understand that sustained behavioral change is a process that needs to be build slowly and deliberately with a foundation of trust, respect, compassion, and partnership.

Cannabis use can help some psychiatric symptoms, but it can also worsen others.

Many individuals report benefit of using cannabis for sleep and anxiety. Some of these individuals have tried other psychiatric medications in the past with limited effect.

On the other hand, some individuals report decreased sleep quality and worsened anxiety with chronic cannabis use. Chronic use can also lead to attentional and motivational issues that may resemble and contribute to ongoing symptoms of ADHD and depression.

Additionally for a small group of individuals, cannabis use can cause severe manic and psychotic symptoms that seriously impact their functioning and can endanger their safety and others safety.

Ongoing cannabis use can limit assessment of psychiatric medications.

As described above, chronic cannabis use can sometimes lead to attentional and motivational issues that may resemble or contribute to ADHD and depression. Resultantly, this can sometimes result in incomplete responses to psychiatric medications such as stimulants for ADHD and antidepressants for depression. Furthermore, the efficacy of antipsychotics and mood stabilizers can also be limited if there is ongoing cannabis use.

Cannabis Withdrawal Symptoms

The most important emphasis I like to stress is that cannabis withdrawal symptoms are temporary.

If individuals are committed to quitting, these symptoms will get better. In this temporary phase, individuals likely experience any combination of the following:

• headaches

• sleep problems

• decreased appetite

• increased anxiety

• nausea

Sometimes, I discuss using medications in the short-term to reduce these temporary symptoms.

Disclaimer: This is not formal medical advice. Please consult with your physician if you have questions related to your medical health.