Medical cannabis

1

I live in a state where medical marijuana is legal. My PCP suggested I was suffering from "polypharmacy" and I agreed with him -- Lots of meds, lots of brain fog zombie like days, little relief. He suggested Medical Marijuana and I was a bit surprised. Thought it over for a month, said yes, waited two months for the state to process my paper work and now I'm 10 days into this experiment. My neurologist agreed that it could be useful.

I have tons to say about it, but I'll stay focused here on TN.

I've had post-infectious trigeminal neuropathy for over two years -- pretty much daily pain in the right side of my face, all branches of the nerve. I also have nerve pain in my arm and ribs, which remain undiagnosed -- but I believe to be the same problem but with different nerves. I also have muscle spasms in my upper back and neck which are related to the neuropathy.

So -- I've tried capsules with plant extract pretty much daily. I'm having good success with the nerve pain -- which has been greatly minimized. The muscle spasms not so much. Help with sleeping (I also have PTSD) has been a work in progress.

What I've learned:

* each person has their own threshold of the amount that will affect them - -personally my threshold is very low and that's a good thing since it costs money

* consuming orally takes time to work: 1-2 hours, and can last a long time 6-24 hours depending on what you have taken

* smoking takes effect in 1-15 minutes and lasts 1-2 hours.

* There are various products with ratios of CBD and THC. Both work on inflammation and nerve pain, but CBD has little to no psychoactive component (no high). CBD blocks the psychoactive aspect of THC, so if you have a cannabis product that has more CBD than THC you can get the benefits of both without getting too high.

* there is a salve with cannabis in it that works beautifully to turn down the pain dial on my nerves -- it requires patience, and doesn't seem to work solo for me -- but with a CBD capsule in my system completely turns off the dial.


If there are others here who have used MMJ with or without success I'd like to here some details of what exactly worked -- what form of consumption, what breeds, what CBD/THC ratios.

If there are others here who haven't an have questions -- I'm happy to answer them (I think anyway)

Praying this doesn't explode after I hit send.

Karen

2

it’s getting more & more accepted. Even the state of Texas is considering a bill to legalize MMJ oil. That’s huge for a place like Texas. I’m glad you’ve found some relief.

3

I living Utah, and there will be another bill voted on next year to legalize MMJ. The bill was voted down by ONE VOTE last year. Just this past week, the governor made a statement saying that he is reassessing his stance on MMJ and thinks that it may be a good thing to pass. Politicians love to waffle, but in this case it would be for the best! I pray that this becomes an option for pain patients. I was so glad to see your "recipe" for success. I will hang on to this so that maybe I will be able to try it out someday.

4

I live in Alabama and I would bet my state will be the last to legalize it but I'd try anything! It was upsetting (to say the least) to know that even the strongest narcotics couldn't touch this kind of pain. Maybe I'll move to Colorado. :-)

Thanks for posting this!

5

I have also used CBD. I find that using it only helps me. I hate the Sativa, I can get very paranoid on it. My son laughs at me but it's really scary. There is a CDB with a small amount of Indica that is relaxing. I get pain relief however it's expensive and insurance doesn't cover it lol.

6

Once I figure out what exactly works for me, I will learn how to grow it for myself, which is also legal. A bit expensive to set up.


Siminative said:

I have also used CBD. I find that using it only helps me. I hate the Sativa, I can get very paranoid on it. My son laughs at me but it's really scary. There is a CDB with a small amount of Indica that is relaxing. I get pain relief however it's expensive and insurance doesn't cover it lol.

7

Karen, what is CBD, Sativa, and Indica? David (from Georgia)

8

Karen, could you explain how your state administers the cannabis oil? Do you get a prescription and go to a drug store?

9

Sativa, Indica are different strains of Cannabis. That's as well as I can explain it. If you google it I'm sure there's more information.

10

Greico,

The means of access vary state to state. In RI, doctor must certify that you have a qualifying condition. The patient then submits the doctor's recommendation to the state department of health who then issue a Medical Marijuana Card. The patient must name 2 caregivers who will supply the marijuana. A caregiver c an be an individual or an organization called a compassion center. I go to a compassion center. The staff there make recommendations on what might be useful for a patient's condition.

In RI, Medical marijuana includes the whole plant, buds, tinctures, oil, salves and edible forms. It can be eaten, smoked, vaporized, taken as a pill, or put as drops under the tongue.

There are two species of cannabis used medically. Cannabis indica is a lower growing plant with wide leaves that generally is associated with relaxation and treatment of bodily pain. Cannabis sativa is a taller plant with skinny leaves that generally is associated with mental effects like euphoria or paranoia.

Both plants have numerous chemical components, but the two big categories are THC - The stuff that gets people "high" and CBD (Cannabidiol) the stuff that relaxes people. You can read about it here: http://www.projectcbd.org/

Hope that helps.

11

I am so glad we are talking about this! I finally got an MMJ card (my state is legal for medical use). I was advised to use indica only as I tend to have anxiety. I also got CBD. Of course, there are no real dosages. Sadly, no effect on pain, and I’ve gotten headaches between 1hr-1 day after using the indica. I have chronic migraine as well. the TN and Migraine tend to trigger each other. I’ve tried to research various strains as to which ones are considered most helpful. Unfortunately, there is little real info out there that I could find. I’m not into the “high”, just want to live pain free for more than 20% of my life. Any websites, studies, etc. that anyone can provide would be greatly appreciated. For those of you who have found MMJ to be helpful, I’m so happy for you!
Camia