I realize that this turned into a wall of text. See TLDR.
I made the decision to seek psychiatric care for what I believe to be ADHD. At my new patient appointment, after being drug tested at the door, we discussed my occasional use of marijuana. They made me agree to completely stop consuming weed and in no certain terms said they would drug test me in a month’s time to make sure I actually quit.
I understand that there is some concern that marijuana can worsen ADHD. I am not in a position to challenge my care provider on the science of the matter. What I don’t understand is why they are taking such overbearing measures to make sure I abstain from marijuana.
For example, when I had a colonoscopy performed a couple of years ago, I was advised by my doctor not to consume any food or liquids within a certain window before the procedure. I simply agreed to fast during that period and that was it. They trusted me to be an adult and follow their instructions. They didn’t check for food in my stomach when I arrived at the hospital.
I should note that this practice primarily practices substance abuse treatment. Could this be a side effect of some zero-tolerance policy? Or do they really believe that smoking marijuana is that detrimental to my well-being?
TLDR; Dr asked me to quit smoking weed in order to get access to treatment. And said they would drug test me.
- Did your Dr also mention marijuana?
- Did they drug test you?
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While it depends on the individual, adhd treatment is one of the reasons a doctor can prescribe medical Marijuana. It’s literally one of the things it is currently approved for it to be medically dispensed to treat, at least in Virginia.
I’ve had doctors tell me not to smoke plenty of times. Usually it comes from a good place but not a super informed one, as a lot of people havent done any research into Marijuana or ever used it. Generally they just give me a talking to and move on to more important things.
I’ve never had myself drug tested by a doctor but I think some do if they are prescribing stimulant adhd meds or pain killers. I heard it was to make sure you were using them and not selling them though.
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I live in CO, which is a legal state, so things might be different. My psychiatrist didn’t drug test me and didn’t care that I use cannabis. Well, we absolutely had a conversation about usage, and how it can increase risk of psychosis for some people (I also have bipolar, so that’s relevant), but he trusted me to make my own choices after providing basic education.
I’m also a therapist, and I know that in substance use treatment, the “old school” way is abstinence from all substances before you can access treatment. The “new school” way is about harm reduction, not abstinence. Sounds like your doctor could be old school? Are you in a legal state?
I live in Missouri. It was made legal recreationally last year. Perhaps not enough time for medical opinions to drift. Missouri is also a predominantly conservative state so that could have something to do with it.
It’s personal, not professional. They’re treating you like a child.
Worth noting that THC turns my ADHD up to 11, so cutting it out is definitely the right answer for me. YMMV.
They never tested me, but the advice was to not “combine drugs”. They also asked questions to make sure I was not addicted to anything. ADHDers have a higher % of substance abuse, so there’s that.
In my opinion it’s always better to test treatments in the “cleanest” state possible, so you know better how the medicine works. ADHD medications also take some testing to understand what’s “best”. I ended up naturally avoiding coffee too (I didn’t need it anymore)
The way the posed the testing though, it seems either a requirement from insurance or the specific clinic or the country you are in.
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A lot of beliefs about cannabis are outdated and stigmatized, even in the medical community
My primary care doctor does drug test for ADHD prescriptions. She’s mentioned it’s something the DEA wants to see if she prescribes controlled substances. I was only getting Vyvanse (which is supposed to be un-abusable?).
ETA: while marijuana was never specifically mentioned (I did not partake), my doctor did use those drug tests to chide me about nicotine use as I was vaping at the time… so it seems it’s not just about testing to ensure you’re taking your stimulants and not selling them…
I have found in my experience that yes weed worsens my ADHD. However I’ve never been drug tested for it by my doctor. The only justifiable reason I could imagine would be if they put you on a medication where there are known drug interactions, or something, but even then it seems a bit odd to me. It sounds like this is an atmosphere that comes from their substance abuse specialization.
Doctors don’t approve of anything they aren’t allowed to prescribe themselves. Sure there can be side effects but that applies to the drugs they get kickbacks to push too.
