Medical Marijuana - Any positive experience w Fibro Pain?

[tgh1]

@tgh1 , thank you for that informative post. I hope the information there helps some people.

Just want to make a couple of comments. As you mentioned, everyone is different and various things will affect people differently. For instance, it never takes 2 hours for an edible to start working for me; most of the time 45 minutes to an hour is when I start to notice the difference. And I have never had the effects of an edible get stronger as time went by, past the first hour and a half or so. So these are things that are different for different people. It also never takes 10 or 20 minutes for me to feel the effects of smoking cannabis....I feel it almost instantly with some strains, and in 5 minutes or so with others. I like to choose the strains that "come on" really fast, so that I never overdo it. I have noticed, and also been informed by the people at the dispensary I use, that this will vary greatly with different strains.

Very good that you mentioned that there is no need to hold the smoke in the way it used to be decades ago. The new strains available now are so strong that just a small inhale and exhale is usually sufficient. I have not thought to mention this in my advice about the use of cannabis, so thank you for that.

The best advice, as you mention, is to experiment and to start with a very small dose and find out what works best for you. I am very glad that it has proven to be a game changer for you. While I can't say it works as well for me as it apparently does for you, it is definitely something I am very happy to have in my home, as it can be tremendously helpful at some times, and I am especially glad I live in a place where it is legal. It should be legal world-wide, and I wish it were.

Thanks again for your post.

Sunkacola , my post on edibles , I also can feel the effect in an hour sometimes it takes 2 hours. It can be stronger for me in 3 or 4 hours stronger . Usually no it does not , if it does get stronger I have taken too much . This to me is not an enjoyable time . Edibles for me is hard to get right. It maybe using homemade edibles which i have no clue on how strong it is . We do get edibles from the legal states when a grandchild will come home or someone flys back in with them. You would be surprised how much weed is around in a retirement community .

The 10 to 20 mins to get the effect was for Cathy. This is to help someone new who wants to be careful how much she may get. Like you , It is about instantly . I think of it like getting pain meds in the hospital where they give it through a IV.

I hate the fact politicians is making decision on what I need for my treatment. We are about to get medical weed. But smoking or vaping will not be included nor will chronic pain or Fibro. It is like they know more than the doctors . I was on opiates for 1.5 years , I could still go back on them from my pain clinic . Using them for pain control , I almost lost my life and my family . So here I am, my states says use opiates not marijuana . That is insane . This decsion should be my decision along with my medical doctor .

Thank you for your post . This Fibro forum I think will really help me. It is good to hear from people who is going through the same thing.

Tom

 

[johnsalmon]

it is a more complex situation to get a script in australia and the drug is not on the pbs system so it cost about $4 to $8 a day the procedure to get a script in australia is described here

 

[sunkacola]

it is a more complex situation to get a script in australia and the drug is not on the pbs system so it cost about $4 to $8 a day the procedure to get a script in australia is described here

I edited your post to remove the link information. Please do not post links or link information, as it is against forum rules to do this.

 

[sunkacola]

my states says use opiates not marijuana . That is insane . This decsion should be my decision along with my medical doctor .

I could not agree with you more on this.
And I hope that this forum does prove to be useful and helpful for you.

 

[johnsalmon]

I edited your post to remove the link information. Please do not post links or link information, as it is against forum rules to do this.

I checked the rules and that is why i edited it to delink it - one would have to copy it and paste it into their browser to actually link to it but apart from that I thought it is relevant to the topic - I have noticed that actual links are sometimes allowed in the posts - some are some are not it appears
"Do not link to frivolous YouTube videos, or sites containing "miracle cures. Don't post links to websites for advertising or phishing purposes" I am of course not guilty of this rule

you do allow links to Wikipedia. a site that is one of the biggest suppliers of non factual information on the web!

 

[sunkacola]

@johnsalmon , the safest and easiest thing to do if you want to point people at something online is just to write out where they should go to find it. For instance, to say, "go to the Mayo Clinic website and type in "blah the blah blah study etc". That way there is no chance of your post being edited.

 

[JamieMarc]

I would counter this with start by taking one Puff, especially if, like me, you are sensitive to drugs of all kinds.
I cannot afford medical marijuana, and my doctor did recommend it for my fibromyalgia. So, as an alternative I bought a disposable Delta 8 vape, Indica strain. I've only used it twice, so it's too soon for me to say whether it is helping with my pain, but it does definitely help with my anxiety and panic disorder, unrelated to fibromyalgia. I do believe that it will be a good addition to my toolkit to help manage my pain, and relax me, release some of that stress you know?

 

[johnsalmon]

the RACGP - Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
states that "A recent and authoritative systematic review, commissioned by the International Association for the Study of Pain, concluded that the current evidence ‘neither supports nor refutes claims of efficacy and safety for cannabinoids, cannabis, or cannabis-based medicines in the management of pain’ and that there is ‘the pressing need for studies to fill the research gap"

however as evidenced in this forum many members have had relief from FM pain with this product - that is not to say that the RACPG research is wrong - one can get true relief from a placebo ( the brain is a wonderful thing) and some may get actual true relief from the product - drugs can react in different way in different people - thus if you are using cannabis and getting relief ( no matter what the mechanism is) then keep using it - if it is not then stop using it. the important thing to remember with FM is that some drugs work for some people and some don't work for some people - some work for a little time and some work for a long time. So it is a trip of adventure with your Doctor to actually get ( if you can) to the ones that work for you.

 

[Pat L]

From much of what others have written, I am less well informed about marijuana. I had a state approved medical marijuana card, so tried a liquid form of 1:1, THC:CBD and started to get some relief, mainly from pain. However, after a few months, I had a couple of strange vision-related episodes. One happened while driving on a highway at a high speed, taking someone to the airport an hour away. I had never taken recreational drugs and didn't recognize this for what it was, but a close friend said I had experienced a high. This gave me quite a scare and after this, I stopped taking it and have not tried other formulations.

 

[sunkacola]

From much of what others have written, I am less well informed about marijuana. I had a state approved medical marijuana card, so tried a liquid form of 1:1, THC:CBD and started to get some relief, mainly from pain. However, after a few months, I had a couple of strange vision-related episodes. One happened while driving on a highway at a high speed, taking someone to the airport an hour away. I had never taken recreational drugs and didn't recognize this for what it was, but a close friend said I had experienced a high. This gave me quite a scare and after this, I stopped taking it and have not tried other formulations.

It is always inadvisable to use marijuana in any form if you are going to be driving. In general, medical cannabis can be helpful for people with fibromyalgia, and as long as you only use it at home or if someone else is going to be driving, you should be fine. I use it myself and find it helpful, but I only do so if I am going to be at home.

 

[JamieMarc]

The proper dose I have found is so crucial. That is why I switched from gummies to vaping cannabis. It was so difficult to dose properly with the gummies, or any edibles really, since they take hours to actually take effect. With the vaping, even though I really didn't want to inhale marijuana being a former smoker, I can control my dose perfectly. Because it kicks in so fast, within minutes, I always start out with just a tiny Puff, wait a few minutes or even 30 minutes actually to be certain, and then either stop or take another tiny puff if needed. I have overdone it as you mentioned, and got very anxious and slightly paranoid like I always did as a younger man whenever I smoked pot, and that was happening to me every time with the gummies. It was terrible. I'm so glad I discovered this vape since I can't afford medical marijuana. My doctor did suggest it, but as I have mentioned before Medicare does not cover it and it is too expensive for me on a fixed income. Now I know how to use it properly and effectively. It does help with my pain, my fibro fog, and my anxiety, which is a separate diagnosis. My mental health doctor had also suggested medical marijuana. It's a wonderful tool for me to add to my toolkit, but I caution anyone who tries to start super small, particularly if you are sensitive to drugs or have very little experience with marijuana as I have. Baby steps.

 

[Nan]

Hi Tom your post is interesting. Iv been to the Drs today and again they talk of my coming off Oxy. They actually asked me why I take Oxy?????? I think my problem is obtaining this to try. Iv tried a couple of TCH to vape but not been helpful up to now. Again thanks for info and glad you have found something that helps you. X Nan

 

[jaksoja]

the problem we have down here - even thro we are using it on prescription from a doctor if I am pulled up for a drug test by the police then I end up losing my licence - cannot drive while using it.

@johnsalmon
Hi. Of course you would not want to be driving if you are "high" or otherwise impaired. To the best of my knowledge, there is no drug test for MJ which police use that is similar to a breathalyzer. Blood tests are not used because MJ can stay in the blood system for weeks after use. Typically what is looked for includes:

• Physical symptoms that could indicate intoxication, such as dilated pupils, red eyes, smell on breath, speech patterns, slow reaction time, and more

Lastly, my use of marijuana does not get me high. On my lucky days, it will ease my pain.
All the best on your journey. Of course, you are wise to be cautious.

 

[sunkacola]

To the best of my knowledge, there is no drug test for MJ which police use that is similar to a breathalyzer.

There is actually a saliva test. But the accuracy of these tests is very highly debated.

 

[johnsalmon]

Australian police use a swab test of the tongue at the roadside if that is positive then a more detailed salvia test is done at the police station.

• THC can show up in saliva tests for:
  • 12 hours (for infrequent use).
  • Up to 30 hours (for frequent use).
• In urine, THC can be detected for 10 to 30 days or longer.
• Hair sample tests can detect THC for up to 90 days,
• Driving with THC in your system can result in:
  • License suspension.
  • Legal charges, especially if an accident occurs.
  • Voided insurance and denial of personal injury claims.

in all Australian states, driving with any THC in your system is a criminal offence.