Medical Cannabis for SJS

[Kathy57]

I'd be willing to try medical marijuana if it would help me!  I think they should just make it legal, regulate it, and tax it.

I think it would be safer that way.

Kathy

[Deb 27]

They've had a lot of issues in Colorado with people just staying stoned on the really strong stuff from what I hear. It's a shame, but some will abuse the strong stuff which is apparently very different from the medical grades. I think it could possibly keep people from getting hooked on stronger pain meds or getting ulcers from NSAIDS. You can get medical marijuana here now and I can't decide if I want to try it or not. God knows, I could use it for the darn aches and pains......... I'll let y'all know if I try it.

[Sharon]

I agree with WhatYouSjo- definitely the "lesser of all evils" by far...
if it works for us!
If I had the opportunity I wouldn't hesitate.

[mbr22m]

I'm currently experimenting with CBD oil but I can't seem to find the right dosage. I'm taking Green Roads CBD sublingually every day. I started at the lowest dosage they had,  which was 100 mg but haven't noticed any significant improvement. I'd be interested to hear what dosages others have tried? I've been following WhatYouSjo's blog too. My father has epilepsy and has had great success on it. His neurologist is saying he may be able to come off of some of his anticonvulsants.

[ignatz]

Finally made it to a dispensary here in NY. What they had on hand was very limited but they did offer oil with a 2:1 ratio of CBD:THC.

The recommended dose of the oil is 1ml twice a day sublingual. Each 1ml contains 6.7mg CBD and 3.3mg THC. Apparently some other dispensaries offer produces with higher concentrations of CBD but this is the highest they had.

I've only just started using it so too early to say if the CBD is helping. One side effect I noticed today was low blood pressure that led to dizziness and heart palpitations. It wasn't a problem until I was doing yard work and getting up and down a lot.

Also I did feel the high from the THC, it was subtle but noticeable.

Something else to note is the cost. A one month supply is $90 (cash only for some reason), that's really adds up after a while. Insurance won't cover it here in NY, I'm not sure if that's true everywhere.

I'll give it a week or two and post my impressions.


-Ig

[Joe S.]

Good luck to those that are able to try it. Keep us informed. It would be so nice to have the pain removed. My MD has refused to refer me. $90/mo for less pain is reasonable. Then you add the  bonus of lower blood pressure and Glaucoma assistance and it is less than some of the meds that I am taking.

[SunshineDaydream]

Finally made it to a dispensary here in NY. What they had on hand was very limited but they did offer oil with a 2:1 ratio of CBD:THC.

The recommended dose of the oil is 1ml twice a day sublingual. Each 1ml contains 6.7mg CBD and 3.3mg THC. Apparently some other dispensaries offer produces with higher concentrations of CBD but this is the highest they had.

I've only just started using it so too early to say if the CBD is helping. One side effect I noticed today was low blood pressure that led to dizziness and heart palpitations. It wasn't a problem until I was doing yard work and getting up and down a lot.

Also I did feel the high from the THC, it was subtle but noticeable.

Something else to note is the cost. A one month supply is $90 (cash only for some reason), that's really adds up after a while. Insurance won't cover it here in NY, I'm not sure if that's true everywhere.

I'll give it a week or two and post my impressions.


-Ig

Most dispensaries are cash only because, though some states have legalized marijuana, federal law prohibits banks and credit unions from taking marijuana money. Business people in the industry have problems getting bank accounts. That would change if Congress were to take marijuana off the federal government's list of most dangerous drugs.

Too bad about the previous sentence because there are many legal prescription drugs that, unlike marijuana, have proven to be dangerous, as can be seen by the opiod epidemic.

[Sharon]

I agree with everybody who's saying it's far less dangerous than so many of the other legal meds out there.
I can't seem to tolerate any AI med so far and the side effects have been toxic in some cases!

Ignatz- What symptoms are you taking it for? The THC usually makes a difference in pain soon after taking.
The THC component is also probably causing your side effects.
You can also probably find just pure CBD oil.

[ignatz]

@sunshine: ok, that makes sense. And btw, from what I read in the pamphlet they gave me you are governed by the states/countries laws you travel to so I wouldn't take any of this while traveling.

@Sharon and Joe: I have migraines and minor joint pain issues from SLE that's why I was prescribed it. I'm hoping that it will help to regulate my AI in other ways and help my energy and memory, we'll see. My joint pain isn't severe enough to give that a good test but I'll see if it helps.

I noticed the THC when I was at the grocery store taking noticeably longer than usual to shop and it finally occurred me why. The THC made me a bit spacey but it wasn't unpleasant in any way. I can see how this could be very helpful for people in real pain.

What I've read is that there's a synergy between CBD and THC so that you won't get all the benefits without at least some mixing. The guy there (a pharmacist with years of experience by the way) mentioned that there were some dispensaries that offered 6:1 CBD oil but they didn't have it yet. So I took Sharon's advice and looked online and found a place that offers 'pure' CBD oil (apparently there's trace amounts of THC) and ordered some. I plan on mixing the two oils to make the CBD proportion higher, along the lines of 5 or 6 to 1.

For now I've cut my dose in half, .5ml twice a day, to avoid the THC high.

-Ig

[Sharon]

Hope it works for you ignatz,
keep us posted on your progress! 

[Joe S.]

I am considering a move. OR or WA. Housing cost is more expensive than here. I will Check out 55+ locations in July. 

[Sharon]

Good luck Joe! I would also consider moving for cannabis.
Nothing is more important than our health.

[Sooki]

Joe S. - We've lived in WA for 25 years and really like it.  Good climate for Sjoggies, moist and not to bright .  Prices within commute distance to the larger cities along I-5 are out of reach for most people.  But there are a lot of other areas that are quite a bit lower.

Rural areas are less, but stay away from anything that advertises "stream frontage" - often code for flood zone.  The area between I-5 and the coast is still Sjoggie weather and less expensive.  East of I-5, the climate gets drier and sunnier.

I know the Seattle (and probably Portland) area has great medical facilities for autoimmune and alternative medicine as well. And cannabis is definitely available everywhere!  everywhere!

[Sharon]

Can anybody trying medical cannabis report if it has helped them with any other symptoms
besides pain and anxiety related issues?

[ignatz]

Well it's been a few weeks now so I thought I would update my experiences.

Dosage: Two weeks ago I bought some CBD oil online and use it with the medical marijuana oil. My dose is ~11mg CBD, 1.7mg THC, twice daily.

Unfortunately even with that reduce amount of THC I can feel the 'high'. The symptoms that bother me the most are fatigue, brain fog, and troubles with short term memory and the THC increases the brain fog. I believe someone dealing with pain issues from fibro or RA etc, could get a good benefit from this but the increased distraction level from the THC wasn't good for me.

I will say that it improved my mood and was pleasant as long as no detailed cognitive skills were required.

I'll continue with it with an even more reduced THC dose but I can't say that I've felt any great benefit from the CBD so far, but keep in mind that it's still early.

Everyone reacts differently though. I'll be interested to hear from others.

-Ig