Doctors who work with adolescents say some young people are self-medicating with cannabis, even though there鈥檚 .
Dr. Aishwarya Thakur, an adolescent addiction medicine physician at Children鈥檚 National Hospital in D.C., told 海角精品黑料 that in the medical world people roughly 12 to 22 are considered adolescents.
Thakur noted that substance use 鈥渃an start as early as 10, 11 or 12 years old.鈥� She explained that although usage rates remain lower for those under 18, cannabis use rises 鈥渄ramatically in the 18 to 25 age group.鈥�
鈥淲e hear from adolescents often that they’re using cannabis to manage various symptoms, particularly related to menstrual鈥憆elated symptoms,鈥� Thakur said.
鈥淲hether that means pain, whether that means mood fluctuations.鈥�
She cautioned that the science doesn鈥檛 support using cannabis to treat those issues and said the data shows it can lead to worse side effects, specifically in adolescents.
Thakur pointed to the fact that the potency of cannabis products is getting stronger.
鈥淪o the risks of developing psychosis like symptoms or cyclic vomiting syndromes,鈥� Thakur said.
鈥淎lso worsening mental health, that data is pretty robust.鈥�
When teens tell her they鈥檙e self鈥憈reating with cannabis, her approach is to address the underlying problem rather than simply admonish use.
Rather than scolding a patient who is using cannabis for a certain reason, Thakur tries to help them 鈥渕ake that reason better.鈥� Instead, she points them to other treatments for menstrual鈥憆elated symptoms: pain, mood disorders, sleep or stress.
鈥淭hose are the things that are important for a functioning human to be happy and healthy,鈥� Thakur said.
鈥淭he goal is to, over time, reduce the amount of cannabis they鈥檙e using.鈥�
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