PTSD/Depression and Anguish: Marijuana Vs. Many Fake Dangerous Drugs

Marijuana wins hands down!

(PORTLAND, OR) - The VA medical system would like you to think that PTSD is depression, it isn't! It is a combination of extreme fear and extreme anguish. The Vietnam Veterans discovered that marijuana was good and effective for "battle terrors," and therefore, why not PTSD? According to them, it was better than a whole list of very dangerous, zombifying and lethal drugs.

The medications prescribed by the VA are astonishing in their wide variety and also that they really do not safely work and have caused death by both accidental and suicidal overdoses.

These drugs are mainly the first generation SSRI's (Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) such as Paroxetine. We also have second generation SSRI's, Trazadone and Phenetizine, Maois (Monoamine Oxidase, inhibitors), and equally dangerous tricyclic antidepressants such as Elavil or Amitriptyline, which may be only slightly less dangerous. Other lesser used drugs are antiadrenergic agents, Propanalol, anticonvulsants such as Neurontin or Gabapentin, and eight atypical anti-psychotics such as Respirdone. In general, the veterans and other PTSD victims are not impressed by these drugs and continue to seek drug help as far from the VA as possible.

The first medical article on this subject I could find was PTSD Among Military Returnees by Matthew J. Friedman in the April 2006 American Journal of Psychiatry.

My own first article on this subject was Medical Marijuana: PTSD Medical Malpractice June 14 2007 in Salem-News.com, where I point out the failure of the "Dangerous Dozen" above based on the success of marijuana by Vietnam PTSD Veteran victims.

My next article on February 13 2009 titled Marijuana Vs Antidepressants: Marijuana Wins Hands Down, has managed to accrue 846 Facebook shares in spite of being four years old.

The next article I wrote was, Medical Marijuana Prevents PTSD Suicides, Sept 22 2012, has already received 577 Facebook shares.

During the start of medical marijuana legalization in Oregon, I took a telephone call from a mental health worker at the VA. She asked me if I would/could help PTSD Veteran victims to get medical marijuana permits so they could use it in place of the VA horror medications. Two VA doctors had told her to find a doctor to help the Veterans, I was that doctor. The VA had been using "talk circles" in which PTSD Vets could talk about their horrors and demons. Within ten days, I had fifty Veteran patients who had rejected the VA medical care, and eventually I had about 400. I also had some other war victims and some civilians. All were helped immensely by medical marijuana with no reports of bad results.

More recent evaluations of the antidepressant drugs indicate that most are only equal or lesser effective than marijuana itself. As far as the other standard medications are concerned, they frequently make symptoms worse, and mistreated patients end up with alcoholism, cocaine use, meth use, LSD use and "magic mushrooms". The lucky ones end up with medical marijuana. Of my 5000 plus patients, about 1000 were military PTSD victims.

MARIJUANA IS THE BEST AND SAFEST DRUG FOR PTSD/ANGUISH

Got a question or comment for Dr. Leveque?
Email him: Newsroom@Salem-News.com

More information on the history of Dr. Leveque can be found in his book, General Patton's Dogface Soldier of WWII about his own experiences "from a foxhole".
Order the book by mail by following this link: Dogface Soldier

If you are a World War II history buff, you don't want to miss it.

Watch for more streaming video question and answer segments about medical marijuana with Bonnie King and Dr. Phil Leveque.

Click on this link for other articles and video segments about PTSD and medical marijuana on Salem-News.com:
Dr. Leveque INTERVIEWS & ARTICLES

Salem-News.com Marijuana Coverage

Where and How to Smoke Legal Marijuana without Fear of Arrest in the U.S.

Eulogy of a Great Warrior: Hoss Plourde

The Ripple Effect How Marijuana Laws Are Impacting Society

Audit the Audit

Welcome Home, Tom

Comments Leave a comment on this story.

Name:

All comments and messages are approved by people and self promotional links or unacceptable comments are denied.

[Return to Top]

---

©2025 Salem-News.com. All opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Salem-News.com.