Medical Marijuana

[Lindz28]

Hello, I had posted recently about having a new symptom of pain which comes and goes and is worse some days than others. Also, I get kind of a sharp shooting pain in odd places that only lasts a few seconds. My dr. prescribed Vicodin which I am not thrilled about. Anyways, somebody on here suggested medical marijuana and I was wondering if anybody else has tried it and what the benefits are over other meds and if it helped?

I have been doing some research but cannot come up with some answers, like how to get it in pill form instead of having to smoke it and do I need my dr. permission or is this something I can obtain myself. If my dr. is not on bored with this option I feel I shouldn't go against her advice? In my opinion it seems to me this may be better option as it is natural?

Thank you in advance and any information on this subject will be helpful. I live in Oregon, I don't know if that is relevant or not.

[there]

http://www.msworld.org/forum/showthread.php?t=126585

Also just google Oregon and marihuana. There is also a search function you can use. Lots of different strains for various symptoms. There is no pill that is equivalent to the real thing, but you can vape it or find an oil or eat it.

[palmtree]

We have it here. I tried it for a year. I can't smoke because I have asthma but they have cookies and candy. At first it made me sleep for three days. Then, it started having the reverse effect. I started getting terrible anxiety. I googled mj and anxiety and they suggested using Xanax. To have to take Xanax in order to continue using mj, that's ridiculous!

So I tore up my mj card and that's that. It's a financial drain, too.

[Poppy7402]

In some countries you can get MMJ as an oral mucosal spray called 'Sativex'. It may or may not be available like this in the States.

[Kimba22]

Hi Lindza28,

Sorry to hear about your pain.

Sativex is not yet FDA approved for MS. Marinol (Dronabinol) is a man-made pill form of cannibas (marijuana) and requires a prescription.

Here is a link to the National MS Society about marijuana and MS. http://www.nationalmssociety.org/Tre...ines/Marijuana

Here is some more information about what is legal in each state. Click on your state to learn more: http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/v...ourceID=000881

You can also learn more here: http://public.health.oregon.gov/Dise...ges/index.aspx

[Dale76]

We have it here. I tried it for a year. I can't smoke because I have asthma but they have cookies and candy. At first it made me sleep for three days. Then, it started having the reverse effect. I started getting terrible anxiety. I googled mj and anxiety and they suggested using Xanax. To have to take Xanax in order to continue using mj, that's ridiculous!

So I tore up my mj card and that's that. It's a financial drain, too.

Unfortunatly when you eat it you only end up absorbing about 12%, it is very inefficient compared to smoking it. Did you ever try to smoke it to see if it caused your asthma to flare? I have slight asthma myself and smoking MMJ never affects it. Cannabis smoke acts differently then tobacco smoke, it doesn't cause any constrictions and if your not allergic to the smoke it may be fine.

Also in regards to anxiety and such . I never touched MJ in my life before using it for medicine so like with any new medication there was an adjustment period during which I experienced some of the common side effects. After about a month I could not feel any side effects from using the MMJ and was getting better relief from all my symptoms then I ever had previous from anything.

Also the pill form mentioned above is very ineffective as it contains only one of the hundreds of ingredients from the plant and lacks the very important ones that we msers can benefit from. I recommend smoking it in raw bud form for the best effect. I do make the odd batch of cookies but they are pretty weak and it would be hard to get enough meds from them alone.

Regardless of how anyone feels about it I believe I would either be dead or bedridden currently if not for MMJ. Maybe it is not for everyone but I think everyone needs to give it a fair try and hopefully reap some benefit from it.

[football-mom]

I use medical marijuana and I've never smoked it. I use edibles or tinctures.

[Lindz28]

Thank you all for your replies, they all were very helpful as were all the articles. I am just having a problem finding what the average cost to buy is. I know I can get my medical card for either $50 or $100, found two government websites with conflicting prices. I have the state insurance so I guess it is a reduced price.

I guess I just need to call my Dr. on Monday and see what she thinks. I know I don't need her authorization but would prefer it. Thank you all!

[Dale76]

I use medical marijuana and I've never smoked it. I use edibles or tinctures.

Interesting, does that give you the relief you need or do you still have symptoms and or need other meds?

I use it as my only medication and my pain levels without it are unbearable so for me I can never get enough just eating it.

[GardeningMSer]

you almost certainly overdosed

palmtree,

I'm certain you overdosed on Med MJ. In my experience edibles are very strong - I live in San Francisco and when I first bought a mj cookie the clerk said "just take a small amount". She was VERY right - a sixteenth of the brownie was enough to bring on a strong anxiety reaction.

Since then I've avoided the edibles.

If you want more control while ingesting, I've read that it is pretty simple to make tea, if you do I'd start with a very small sip, wait an hour, and, if necessary take another sip.

For those reading this who do not have asmtha:

I use a relatively inexpensive vaporizer and buy a 1/4 ounce of a high grade Kush for approximately $50 to $60 about once a month.

I remove a green pea size piece from a bud, tear it into small pieces and then place it in the vaporizer and inhale slowly over the next 30 minutes or so. I do this at bedtime and sleep well and have minimal spasticity the next day.

G

We have it here. I tried it for a year. I can't smoke because I have asthma but they have cookies and candy. At first it made me sleep for three days. Then, it started having the reverse effect. I started getting terrible anxiety. I googled mj and anxiety and they suggested using Xanax. To have to take Xanax in order to continue using mj, that's ridiculous!

So I tore up my mj card and that's that. It's a financial drain, too.

[Dale76]

Just so everyone is clear you can't actually overdose on MJ, I get what the Gardener is saying that too strong of a dose could lead to unwanted side effects. But just so everyone knows it is not humanly possible to overdoes on MJ regardless of how strong it is. It also isn't known to interact with any other drug so really there is no reason to be anxious , it is a very safe drug.

[football-mom]

Interesting, does that give you the relief you need or do you still have symptoms and or need other meds?

I use it as my only medication and my pain levels without it are unbearable so for me I can never get enough just eating it.

Unfortunately for me, it helps a lot with muscle spasms and spasticity, but tends to aggravate my nerve pains a little bit and my balance/veritgo problems a lot. I take it as rarely as possible, only when the spasms and/or spasticity are bad enough to keep me from sleep or walking at more than a shuffle. But from what I am hearing, most MSers who use mmj don't have that problem.

[palmtree]

Maybe I'll try it again if it's covered by Medicare Part D. I just am not crazy about it. Everyone was smoking it my first and second years of college. We were passing around joints in the dorm hallways.

I think I just got sick of the smell in those days and I don't like the feeling of hallucination. Also, it seem you never know what quality you are getting. That's my explanation for why I got a feeling a gentle relaxation one time and the next time agitation. I suppose, since the edibles are made from stash, you are ingesting a mix of strains that there isn't much control over.

For those who benefit from MMJ, you have my full endorsement.

[Zuzus11z]

Another option would be CBD. There are some really good sources online.

[Dale76]

Yeah the smell is rank! Even after using it 3 years now I can still smell it when others light up. Thankfully it does taste better then it smells....