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by lucubratory 753 days ago
Yeah. I know someone who uses cannabis without much issue (for pain management, every day, partaking for years with no significant issues), but I also know someone who had been smoking cannabis for a few months and had one instance trigger a psychotic/schizotypal episode which still hasn't subsided a decade later. They had a family history of schizotypal disorders on both sides. My strong recommendation to anyone with a family or personal history of any sort of schizotypal or psychotic illness is to avoid cannabis as a treatment, because the risk of an extremely debilitating outcome is not worth it. There is the possibility that it's just triggering earlier an illness which would have struck you in your thirties anyway, but A) it can still make it worse and B) triggering an illness that would have happened at 35 when you're 15 or 20 is still losing 15-20 years of health and inflicting a lot of suffering. It's not worth it. Talk to a doctor about other treatment options.

For anxiety something like diazepam might be less risky (more risky for average people, less for those with a history of schizotypal), or a beta-blocker. For pain there aren't many great options. There's opioids, which some people are going to need but which have significant issues with addiction and bowel health. Managed/staged consumption of ibuprofen and paracetamol can help deal with mild to moderate pain if your liver is functioning well and being monitored, but there are some risks with NSAIDs (like ibuprofen) and bowel health that you should be aware of. Non-pharmaceutical interventions like the use of hot packs, massage (be mindful of massage with MAST cell disorders), hot showers etc can all be useful in managing pain.