# indica vs sativa



## cat burglar (Sep 2, 2006)

Which is better at treating your anxiety, specifically your SA?

I got a doctor's recommendation to use marijuana in California for social anxiety, so I can go to dispensaries and legally buy weed. These places have dozens of strains of weed for various prices and for the first time in my life (ok, I've only been using weed for 18 months), I actually know exactly what I'm buying, what it's a hybrid of, where's it's grown, how it's grown, if it's organic.

Anyway the place I buy from sells mostly sativa strains, and sometimes gets some nice indica in. The first weed I bought from them was Romulan, a dense sticky white bud they told me was best for insomnia -- it was an indica. I no longer have the Romulan, but tonight I smoked some Hindu Skunk OD ("Mendocino Outdoor BioGrown Soil, 70% Indica (Hindu Kush x Skunk)") and it's the only indica that I've had for a few weeks. I feel that it helps my SA and general anxiety a lot more than the sativa strains I've been buying more often at the dispensary, so I guess I'll mostly buy indica from now on.

What are your experiences?


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## euphoria (Jan 21, 2009)

Indica. The more % indica vs sativa, the better (for anxiety).


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## nothing to fear (Mar 23, 2005)

when i've bought weed i'm rarely told the strain but based on the differences i know about between indica and sativa, and the effects that can drastically differ from the weed i'd buy and its sources, it's definitely indica that is best for my anxiety and calming me down in general (for sleep).

it doesn't really improve my SA (i rarely smoke around other people, i'm never really talkative when i'm soned), but i am certainly more relaxed, calm and at ease (among other effects). for other weed my anxiety can shoot through the roof and my thoughts are just sort of like a downward spiral.

(p.s. this isn't really related but i googled "indica vs sativa anxiety" and the fourth result down was this thread on SAS. it's expected but that always freaks me out. :afr)


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## pita (Jan 17, 2004)

I've freaked out with both.


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## broseph (Jan 18, 2010)

I haven't done any dominant indicas enough to say for sure but in my experience hybrids work pretty well at reducing anxiety in small group situations. If I'm with anymore than 5 or so people neither strain helps in reducing anxiety.


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## mike8803 (Feb 21, 2010)

i'm the king of reef, and its not good if you suffer from SA


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## meyaj (Sep 5, 2009)

I can't really tolerate ANY weed, THC can really exacerbate anxiety, it's practically psychedelic in effect. CBD is more calming, anxiolytic, relaxing, etc. High CBD strains are sometimes referred to as couch-lock for this reason.

Indicas tend to have a much more favorable CBD:THC ratio than sativas, which is key, so there's no doubt in my mind they are better for anxiety. 

I was once offered a THC-derivative medication for neuropathic pain but I had to turn it down because I just can't handle it. There are THC and THC-like medications here, as well as, I believe, a THC/CBD blend, but unfortunately there is really nowhere that you can get pure CBD. Which is a shame, I think it'd make a great painkiller, muscle relaxant, sleep aid, and most importantly, anxiolytic, without the dependence issues that usually accompany these things. I really wish something like this was available.


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## lde22 (Oct 19, 2009)

You got your recommendation for social anxiety? Did you need to show any medical records like a previous prescription for pills? I want to get my mmj card for either depression or social anxiety but I don't have any official records of it yet. I'm going to make an appointment with a psychiatrist pretty soon. How hard was it to get a mmj recommendation?

Anyways, I would think more indica strains would be better for any type of anxiety. 
I found this post on grasscity.com: 
http://forum.grasscity.com/medical-marijuana/147139-disease-specific-mmj-strain-list.html

And it states that Romulan, NL#5, Hindu Kush, OG Kush, and Bubba Kush are good for social anxiety.

Let me know how you got your mmj card. I want to get mine too. I live in California also.


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## mike8803 (Feb 21, 2010)

@ lde22
Consider this a gift to you:

1.Google marijuana doctors in your area
2.Call one of them and ask to make an appt.
3.Go to the appt, sit down with the doctor and tell her why you need medical marijuana.
4.If your in your twenties, you can say i'm in college and i have problems sleeping at night and marijuana helps put me to sleep and wake up the next morning energized and ready to start my day

*key note* they want to see proof from a doctor that you have a prescription sleep aid such as "Ambien, or Lunesta" so just bring the bottle with you, if you can show them you really have insomnia (even if you dont take the meds, they'll write you a prescription for meidcal marijuana.
5.You take that prescritpion and google in your area weed clinics. Go to one and have at it


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## Himi Jendrix (Mar 24, 2010)

Its good to see that people are getting Medical Marijuana scripts for SA. I hope to get one someday if I live in a state with legal weed. Most people think that Reefer makes SA worse for everyone. This is true for some but for others it makes it better. Just look up the NFL star Ricky Williams.

I have tried every SSRI, Effexor, Remeron, Ativan, Xanax, Klonopin, Seroquel, and Wellbutrin. Xanax (and other benzos) is the only thing to actually work amongst these and its pretty addictive ****. I take Xanax and a bit of Prozac and if I could smoke legal weed and have legal protection I would gladly switch to just using cannabis to control my anxiety. 

I have found that Indica dominant strains are the best for anxiolysis. This is likely due to the increased CBD: THC ratio. Based on the studies I have reviewed it seems that CBD largely mediates the positive effects of THC whereas pure THC causes psychotic like reactions. 

The disparity of reactions to Cannabis that some report is likely due to its bi-phasic profile. Its definitely not a drug with a predictable individual therapeutic profile.


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## cat burglar (Sep 2, 2006)

lde22 said:


> You got your recommendation for social anxiety? Did you need to show any medical records like a previous prescription for pills? I want to get my mmj card for either depression or social anxiety but I don't have any official records of it yet. I'm going to make an appointment with a psychiatrist pretty soon. How hard was it to get a mmj recommendation?
> 
> ...
> 
> Let me know how you got your mmj card. I want to get mine too. I live in California also.


Some docs want original medical records (no faxed copies), others are happy with a current prescription for an anxiety med. I went with Medicann which is like the McDonalds of MMJ recommendations, they've got locations everywhere. The evaluation was $150 and took about half an hour (20 of that just filling out forms, 10 talking to the doctor). It's funny, I really think the doctor was stoned. At one point he started telling me about how Popeye the sailor man wasn't eating spinach from the can, that stuff was POT, naming the green stuff spinach was just a clever way to mask the truth. Okay... anyway I just showed him my current prescription for clonazepam and he was more than happy with that. He printed out a letter and signed it, it's got a color copy of my driver license on it. He looked at his watch, looked at me, said, "This letter will get you instant access to any dispensary (Medicann provides an instant verification system for dispensaries and law enforcement). Most of them close at 5, maybe 6. When you leave the clinic you'll be given a list of every dispensary in the state. Shop around a little, try different strains, try crumbling some up and putting it in your tea. Enjoy!"

So yeah, mike8803 has got it right.

OH and don't get your MMJ recommendation for depression, not a good idea. Some MMJ docs I looked up in my area were facing disciplinary action from the state medical board because they had recommended marijuana for depressed patients (one later killed himself). The forms I filled out specifically asked if I was depressed or if smoking weed made me depressed, so I think that's a red flag for them.

Anyway I got my recommendation letter during the evaluation and a card from Medicann about a week later. The card doesn't mean much, the recommendation is the actual legal document that you need in order to access the dispensaries. There's also a state issued card but it's optional and really unnecessary from what I've heard.


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## cat burglar (Sep 2, 2006)

meyaj said:


> There are THC and THC-like medications here, as well as, I believe, a THC/CBD blend, but unfortunately there is really nowhere that you can get pure CBD. Which is a shame, I think it'd make a great painkiller, muscle relaxant, sleep aid, and most importantly, anxiolytic, without the dependence issues that usually accompany these things. I really wish something like this was available.


That's really fascinating... I know nothing about cannabis pharmacology so I've never heard of CBD. I looked it up and found this interesting page: http://www.a1b2c3.com/drugs/mj028.htm



Himi Jendrix said:


> Its good to see that people are getting Medical Marijuana scripts for SA. I hope to get one someday if I live in a state with legal weed.


No worries.. the way things are going, it's only a matter of years before weed is legal everywhere.


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## cat burglar (Sep 2, 2006)

If anyone is curious about dispensaries I'll tell you what mine is like. As you approach the door there's a guy that's basically a bouncer (they're always nice though). They take your driver license and check it out before handing it back to you. They ask if anyone's in your car (you're supposed to bring guests in and let them sit in the lobby) and if you have a cell phone on you (not allowed), then they radio the guard who's standing behind a kiosk inside and he buzzes the front door open for you. Your guest goes into the lobby and sits on a chair while you give your driver license to the guard. He swipes it (my card is already in the system) and buzzes the door to the dispensary area. Once you're in there you're hit with the smell of ganj, there are racks and racks of plants on the left side ready to be taken home (in fact on my first visit & official tour of the place, one of the budtenders casually told me, "...and we have a strict limit of 20 plants per day,"  There are display cases with edibles, oils & tinctures, candies, pot butter. Pre-rolled blunts, dozens of types of hash. Then there's my favorite display case, the one with the bud. The bud is in amounts of probably 3/4 oz jars and you can ask to smell as many as you want. The budtender will let you pick it up and smell it and look at it. You can ask them questions, I've been there for half an hour at times just chatting and learning about things. The first time I went I paid with cash, but they also accept credit cards. You pay the standard CA tax (what is it, 9.25%? I'm still new here) on all your bud plus anything else you purchased and they print you a neat itemized receipt. Then you walk out and you're given a friendly goodbye (except for the time the cops were scoping out the place, I was asked to "get that stuff out of here").


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## tornadobill (Dec 14, 2011)

I vote for indicas. Sativas tends to cause paranoia.If I want to trip I use 4 aco dmt,2cb or high dose baclofen. Those are easier on mind and body,lot less anxiety/paranoia and miminal tachycardia,yet get great visuals.Sativas are nasty-anxiety,paranoia and extreme tachycardia


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## aki58 (Jun 14, 2012)

Sativa


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## T-Bone (Oct 1, 2010)

tornadobill said:


> I vote for indicas. Sativas tends to cause paranoia.If I want to trip I use 4 aco dmt,2cb or high dose baclofen. Those are easier on mind and body,lot less anxiety/paranoia and miminal tachycardia,yet get great visuals.Sativas are nasty-anxiety,paranoia and extreme tachycardia


uh huh, and exactly where are you getting these rare drugs?


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## riptide991 (Feb 1, 2012)

euphoria said:


> Indica. The more % indica vs sativa, the better (for anxiety).


See, that's what I always believed but I found that one strain that I tried completely alleviated my anxiety and it was a pure Sativa and it was called Hawaiian Sativa. And I've had Indica strains that flat out made me paranoid and anxious.

Note this site that rates the different strains based on peoples responses. This one is known to relieve stress and anxiety.

http://www.leafly.com/sativa/hawaiian-sativa


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## Jollygoggles (Mar 3, 2011)

Isn't the real issue the ratio of CBD to THC and not the strain. You want as much CBD to as little THC as possible if the desired effect is to reduce anxiety.


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## beev19 (Dec 9, 2013)

Weed is no solution. Been there done that. I tried everything; weed, booze, pills, drugs, doctors, therapy etc. All that stuff is just a band-aid, a temporary fix. Finally realized what the problem was. The problem was me and my thinking. It was bad. Problem started in 1994. At my worst I couldn't even leave my home. Seems stupid now. I finally did something about it in January of 2006. The anxiety has not been an issue since and I no longer self medicate. Matter of fact, I am more ongoing than I ever thought possible. Now I'm in school at the age of 45 studying more about this so I can make a living helping others with anxiety issues that lead to self medication. Weed will never be a solution!


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## fineline (Oct 21, 2011)

indica has always been considered to be a stony relaxed chill buzz. sativa is known to be a high stimulating buzz.

so u want the indica

but i should probably mention that weed increases my anxiety incredibly high. sheer panic attacks. granted, it didnt used to be like that when i enjoyed weed, but it did change around the same time my mental problems hit a peak. weed is def not something ide recommend for anxiety. and i cant honestly even remotely imagine a doctor recommending it...


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## capanic (Dec 6, 2013)

If you need a doctor let me know. I know a good one in the venice area. Blue dream was a good strain for my anxiety. I am now smoking g13 which is working quite well.


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