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02-04-2008, 08:19 PM
Marijuana Withdrawal as Tough as Cigarettes
For heavy marijuana smokers -- those who smoke 25 days or more per month -- withdrawal symptoms when they try to quit smoking can be similar to those experienced by people who quit smoking cigarettes, according to a Johns Hopkins study. Marijuana smokers who quit report irritability, anger and trouble sleeping, just as tobacco smokers report when they quit.
"These results indicate that some marijuana users experience withdrawal effects when they try to quit, and that these effects should be considered by clinicians treating people with problems related to heavy marijuana use," says lead investigator in the study, Ryan Vandrey, PhD., of the Department of Psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, in a news release (http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-01/jhmi-mwa012408.php).
"Since tobacco withdrawal symptoms are well documented and included in the DSM-IV and the IDC-10, we can infer from the results of this comparison that marijuana withdrawal is also clinically significant and should be included in these reference materials and considered as a target for improving treatment outcomes," said Vandrey.
Clinically Significant Withdrawal Symptoms
For his study, Vandrey selected six men and six women who were heavy marijuana and cigarette smokers. During the first week of the study, they maintained their normal use of cigarettes and marijuana.
During the next five weeks, they were randomly chosen to refrain from using either cigarettes, marijuana or both for five-day periods separated by nine-day periods of normal use. In order to confirm abstinence, they were given daily urine toxicology tests for tobacco and marijuana metabolites.
Using a withdrawal symptom checklist, each day participants self-reported aggression, anger, appetite change, depressed mood, irritability, anxiety/nervousness, restlessness, sleep difficulty, strange dreams and other, less common withdrawal symptoms.
Similar Frequency and Intensity
The study reported the following results:
* Withdrawal severity associated with marijuana alone and tobacco alone was of similar frequency and intensity.
* Sleep disturbance seemed to be more pronounced during marijuana abstinence.
* General mood effects (anxiety, anger) seemed to be greater during tobacco abstinence.
* Six participants reported that quitting both marijuana and tobacco at the same time was more difficult than quitting either drug alone, whereas the remaining six found that it was easier to quit marijuana or cigarettes individually than it was to abstain from the two substances simultaneously.
"Given the general consensus among clinicians that it is harder to quit more than one substance at the same time, these results suggest the need for more research on treatment planning for people who concurrently use more than one drug on a regular basis," Vandrey said.
The study was published in the January 2008 issue of the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.
http://alcoholism.about.com/b/2008/01/31/marijuana-withdrawal-as-tough-as-cigarettes.htm
For heavy marijuana smokers -- those who smoke 25 days or more per month -- withdrawal symptoms when they try to quit smoking can be similar to those experienced by people who quit smoking cigarettes, according to a Johns Hopkins study. Marijuana smokers who quit report irritability, anger and trouble sleeping, just as tobacco smokers report when they quit.
"These results indicate that some marijuana users experience withdrawal effects when they try to quit, and that these effects should be considered by clinicians treating people with problems related to heavy marijuana use," says lead investigator in the study, Ryan Vandrey, PhD., of the Department of Psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, in a news release (http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-01/jhmi-mwa012408.php).
"Since tobacco withdrawal symptoms are well documented and included in the DSM-IV and the IDC-10, we can infer from the results of this comparison that marijuana withdrawal is also clinically significant and should be included in these reference materials and considered as a target for improving treatment outcomes," said Vandrey.
Clinically Significant Withdrawal Symptoms
For his study, Vandrey selected six men and six women who were heavy marijuana and cigarette smokers. During the first week of the study, they maintained their normal use of cigarettes and marijuana.
During the next five weeks, they were randomly chosen to refrain from using either cigarettes, marijuana or both for five-day periods separated by nine-day periods of normal use. In order to confirm abstinence, they were given daily urine toxicology tests for tobacco and marijuana metabolites.
Using a withdrawal symptom checklist, each day participants self-reported aggression, anger, appetite change, depressed mood, irritability, anxiety/nervousness, restlessness, sleep difficulty, strange dreams and other, less common withdrawal symptoms.
Similar Frequency and Intensity
The study reported the following results:
* Withdrawal severity associated with marijuana alone and tobacco alone was of similar frequency and intensity.
* Sleep disturbance seemed to be more pronounced during marijuana abstinence.
* General mood effects (anxiety, anger) seemed to be greater during tobacco abstinence.
* Six participants reported that quitting both marijuana and tobacco at the same time was more difficult than quitting either drug alone, whereas the remaining six found that it was easier to quit marijuana or cigarettes individually than it was to abstain from the two substances simultaneously.
"Given the general consensus among clinicians that it is harder to quit more than one substance at the same time, these results suggest the need for more research on treatment planning for people who concurrently use more than one drug on a regular basis," Vandrey said.
The study was published in the January 2008 issue of the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.
http://alcoholism.about.com/b/2008/01/31/marijuana-withdrawal-as-tough-as-cigarettes.htm