I quit it a looooong time ago.

If I lived in Colorado, I would have a biannual Pot Brownie Weekend.

But as fun as the stuff was for occasional use, it is not worth going to jail or losing a job over.

Can you take diphenhydramine? It's over the counter

No, I don't smoke it from time to time. I am pretty steady in my smoking and have been for around 35 years. Generally, I smoke about a bowl a day. I miss lots of days and skip it entirely for periods when the smoking politics get messy, but I likes a toke or three at random intervals through the day.

In my personal weirdities, it generally doesn't help with the insomnia, at all. Just takes the edge off my hyper-drive while I am going about my day. Different systems react differently...

Here it is legal if you have a medical script. I've smoked but I have the opposite reaction and totally can't sleep and it hypes me right up. Ive tried it is so many forms and it just doesn't seem to help but I do think it helps a lot of people and they should just make it legal.

I tried it in my college days. Not for me. I'm on the verge of a panic attack on a regular basis, and weed just sends me over the edge. At least back then. Sometimes I wonder how I'd react now... But I'm fairly steady as she goes (when I'm not being prodded by an ENT, lol!), so I don't want to mess with a semi-okay thing...

How about valerian root tea???

i have card to smoke it it works well it helps with pain but more mental state , it then calming my body pain is less , it helps me not dream i have something i take to stay asleep is it legal there .

its great for panic attacks min

I used to smoke when I was young but it's changed so much and is so much stronger now... I get paranoid on the stuff... I don't like it at all now... It doesn't help me to sleep at all.. Keeps me up

What about Benadryl?

first time i tried i did not like it , but im afraid of meds it is stronger now days yes for sleep indica, for daytime setivia , for i like thew hybreads they work well ,

this dose not cure you it helps one i dont dream im grateful hope that helps if i decide to quit at least the withdrawal is real easy hugs minnie

I'm with Arfie on this one...pretty much smoke it all the time, except when I can't afford to buy it...helps me sleep, stops me from worrying myself sick about everything...but that's just me!! I know it doesn't help everyone, but it sure helps me...Manda xx

I'm in CO but I don't smoke it.

Weed's a whole different animal than back in my day. That's for sure.

That said, I really haven't tried it ... not in years.

VERY tempting, though. Maybe in 2015.

I guess I think a bunch of things:

- if it's illegal where you are ... that could be a big deal. Losing your liberty over smoking weed ... well ... is a pretty horrible thing

- if it's LEGAL (whether recreational or medicinal), then there are shops with purveyors who really can help you figure out what you're trying to accomplish, and the best strains to get you there. There are also lots of edibles, tinctures, vaporizers, and other non-smoke methods. Lots to choose from

- Any meds the doctors give us ... have the possibility of negative side effects and/or wigging us out right out of the box. Pot, too. So ... I think the same ideas apply:

1) Start low and titrate slow. That means ... if you try it ... try a VERY little bit, to see how it affects you.

-- Don't smoke a joint. Take a puff.
-- Don't eat a brownie. Eat a nibble.
-- Don't eat a whole cookie. Take a tiny bite.

That kind of thing.

2) Just like meds or alcohol, you tend to start off with no tolerance, so ... sometimes giving it a little time can get you past adverse side effects, IF ... the side effects are pretty mild.

I'm not advocating it. I just think ... for people who can get it legally ... there's not a lot of reason to rule it out. If it doesn't help you, or you simply don't like it ... you just leave it behind :-)

My eyes were chemically burned. I have neuropathic pain in my corneas. My corneal specialist has recommended ... more than once ... that I give it a whirl.

Doctor's orders ;-)

I wish you peace, health, and strength.

I live in Illinois and don't think it's legal here. I really don't know anything about where it's legal or what terms there are. Even if it were legal with a script, I don't believe I'd qualify. I mean, I have a slew of health issues (fibromyalgia, cardiomyopathy, back/joint pain, etc.) but nothing that I think would warrant a script.

I could probably get my hands on some if I really wanted it, but I'm a teacher and really REALLY don't want that taking away my career... The PTSD is hard enough to deal with along side a career as demanding as teaching.

I have always had difficulty with sleeping, but the insomnia is even worse now. The catastophic thinking along with my beta blockers (for my heart) seem to make the insomnia worse. I have a script for Ambien, and that used to work beautifully. But the last few weeks I've had to add Tylenol PM to my nightly list of drugs. This mind of mine just won't quit.

I start seeing a psychiatrist on Monday. Hopefully he will be able to give me some tools to help with this. Or just quietly slip me a joint. That would be cool with me. ;)

It's dicey and complicated -- that's for sure.

Even in Colorado (where it's legal ... I mean ... legal), you can violate an employment contract if you test positive.

So ... you have a right to be concerned about your career.

Tylenol PM is the Benadryl ingredient (diphenhydramine). If you can stand a little 'drying out' (what antihistamines do), you can try 50mg instead of 25mg. I sleep better on 50mg, but ... very quickly ... my sinuses get messed up, even with a humidifier at the bedside.

[Note: Tylenol PM also has 500mg of acetaminophen. If I were going to up the dosage of diphenhydramine, I'd switch to Benadryl or a generic, to avoid taking in too much unnecessary acetaminophen -- very hard on the liver. Good to talk with the psychiatrist/a pharmacist about all of this stuff]

Lots of people here take melatonin. I've recently added magnesium to the mix. Had a near fatal med reaction last fall/winter, so ... I can't take any Rx stuff :-(

If I could practice what I preached, I'd do more yoga, take more hot baths, do more meditation, turn OFF the TV in the bedroom, and do a whole bunch of other 'sleep hygiene' stuff that I've been lousy about doing :-)

Yeah. Roof-brain chatter. I get it.

I'd wager nobody on this forum hasn't wrestled with insomnia at one time or another. Mine started when my saga started, in 2009. It hasn't really stopped. It's a misery. I can't think of a single thing that lack of sleep makes better :-(

I hope 2015 sees you sawing logs, well rested, and generally much calmer !

I recently started doing it and I am still experimenting with different kinds and ways to smoke it. I like it a lot. It is different now, all different kinds. It's legal here and I can go around the corner to get it as I have but I want to learn about the different kinds for different uses.

This is an awesome website for information on the types and I think what David has said is very good

http://greeneinspiration.hubpages.com/hub/typesofmarijuana

I have recently tried it after over 25 years of not smoking. I am in NY where it is decriminalized. Basically if it is a small amount and not in public view you are fine. No one really cares what you do in your home.

I never smoked as a social thing, it was more to unwind and drift away at the end of the day. I have always tended to get paranoid and hyper vigilant if I smoked in a social situation or smoked then tried to go to work. For me it was a bad idea. Smoking before bed...that worked well for me.

It is stronger than it was 25 years ago. I could do without the extra strength but I have learned to just adjust my intake. It helps me drift away and sleep. I could never do the bendryl...didn't help me sleep but it did make me feel like crap on a cracker the whole next day.

Since weed is not legalized here yet there really isn't a choice of strains. The stuff I have doesn't help much with pain it does work on my insomnia and racing anxious thoughts though.

David, your concern about the added drug in the Tylenol is a legitimate one. That's actually why I finally asked my doctor for a suggestion to help me sleep other than Tylenol. My 2-year-old son was in a hospital bed at the time (March) battling liver cancer, figured I should probably try to not damage my liver.

I've tried Melatonin, and it does make me drowsy and even helped a time or two with drifting off. However, it made me wake up in a start several times. If I wake up at all in the night, it takes hours for me to fall asleep again. I've tried Benedryl, but like the Melatonin, it makes me sleepy. Not nearly strong enough to keep the terrible thoughts at bay, or keep me passed out once I finally drift off.

I recently went to my electrophysiologist (which is pretty much like a cardiologist, but more training) and was chastised for not exercising. I have something called a loop recorder implanted in my chest that monitors my heart. The recordings that he's received show a heart under "an extreme amount of stress." He is a huge advocate on cardio type work outs when it comes to relieving stress and helping a worried mind. I have yet to try it as I'm a single mom who is also a teacher. By the time I get my toddler to bed, I have a few hours worth of school work to do and by the time I'm done, it's 11:30 at night. I suppose I could get up a half hour earlier, but let's just be realistic here... ;)