Last night was the first time in a very long time that I contemplated taking a pill over cannabis. It has been quite a few years since I have had a full blown anxiety attack that lasted longer than 30 minutes. And for a brief moment, I considered taking an Ativan to help ease the attack. Is it weird that I actually felt a little bit devious for wanting the Ativan my partner so easily offered up? Technically I don’t have a prescription for Ativan. So for a moment, I started to weigh out the pros and cons of taking it. 

We were about 30 minutes from home, and I still had to make the drive back after our Valentine’s dinner since we drove separately. Being in a fight-or-flight situation, I was concerned that the Ativan would make me feel too sleepy and hinder my ability to drive. Then there was the concern of it taking too long to take effect for it to actually help my anxiety of driving. There were so many reasons not to take it. And while I did not have any cannabis on me at the time, I still chose not to take it.

When we returned home, I sat in the driveway for several minutes shaking and catching my breath. The anxiety had washed over my body with such force that I could still feel everything closing in on me. Again, my partner offered up an Ativan to help ease my anxiety attack. And again, I declined his offer.

By this point, I knew that I had access to my preferred method of handling my anxiety. We were home safely and I could just as easily smoke some cannabis and calm my mind. Besides, I hadn’t taken an Ativan in a really long time and was concerned it might leave me feeling too groggy and not in control of my faculties. 

Is Cannabis Better?

It only occurred to me today that I was comparing one prescription to another. But, this time, I was choosing the substance that so many non-cannabis users frown upon; and yet in my opinion was the lesser of two evils. If you were to compare the two drugs, which one is better for you?

“It’s difficult to say which is better out of the two for definite; it depends on the individual, the ailment that needs treating, and many other factors. For many minor issues and disorders that regularly make the list of qualifying conditions for MMJ, it is often argued that marijuana is better than prescription drugs. However, this may not be true for everyone” (WayofLeaf, 2021).

When I took a closer look at the choice that I had made once I got home, it turned out that I made the right decision. According to researchers, some of the minor side effects that benzodiazepines can cause include: 

• Dizziness

• Confusion

• Problems with memory and concentration

• Gastrointestinal problems

• Poor balance

• Fatigue (McKinney, nd).

While cannabis side effects include: 

• Heightened senses (colors might seem brighter and sounds might seem louder)

• Distortion of sense of time

• Hurting your motor skills and make driving more dangerous

• Lowering your inhibitions so you may take bigger risks (WebMD, nd).
  
  

The two drugs that can help ease someone’s anxiety are really like night and day. And while one can take effect almost immediately (cannabis), the other takes longer to kick in and can cause side effects that may require additional drugs to counteract the pitfalls of taking it.

Obviously everyone is different and may process prescriptions differently, but for an anxiety attack it would seem that cannabis may help soothe symptoms quicker and more effectively than an Ativan might have. By no means am I telling anyone to make the swap without speaking directly with their physician and mental health professional. But after the experience I encountered, weighing out my options and ultimately deciding on cannabis was the right decision for me. 

The other things to take into consideration when weighing out the pros and cons of other prescription drugs versus cannabis includes the strains, growths, THC levels and CBD levels as well as what the reasons why you may be on prescription medications to begin with. For someone like me who is a cannabis user to combat migraines, anxiety and insomnia, cannabis feels like the better, smarter decision to go with. It truly baffles me how this seemingly harmless prescription drug is still federally illegal and often judged for its misconceptions as being a “gateway” drug when it can truly help so many without all those terrible side effects so many other prescriptions can cause. 

References:

McKinney, Jean. Cannabis: A Better Alternative to Benzodiazepines. HelloMD. Nd. https://hellomd.com/articles/cannabis-a-better-alternative-to-benzodiazepines

WayofLeaf. Prescription Drugs vs. Cannabis: Recent Studies. WayofLeaf. 2021, May 27. https://wayofleaf.com/blog/cannabis-vs-prescription-drugs.

WebMD. How Pot Affects Your Mind and Body. nd. https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/marijuana-use-and-its-effects#1.