Medical Marijuana
Hi All, I just want to ask if anyone ever tried using medical cannabis as an alternative meds? I have read many articles about medical marijuana and how it can help you in terms of chronic pain, glaucoma, eating disorder/anorexia, anxiety disorders and panic attacks, inflammation, even cancer and a lot more. Like this article about a marijuana strain:Green Ribbon from:http://www.ilovegrowingmarijuana.com/green-ribbon/ . Cbd and thc are also new to me and I don't even smoke. If this is true I cant find any solid conclusive evidence that speaks to its efficacy. Any personal experience or testimonial would be highly appreciated. Thanks
I haven't used medical marijuana, or heard of anyone specifiacally using it. i have however heard of charlottes web. i don't have the link from it, but it's the same as marijuana without thc.
Hi Midas,
Thank you for reaching out to us and being part of our discussion forum!
Let me share our information on medical marijuana that may help; https://migraine.com/?s=medical+marijuana&submit=Go.
I just received my medical marijuana card, I live in New York and it continues to be a learning experience. .
Nancy
Hi Nancy
Thanks for the share. I am also in New York and have looked into the medical marijuana. I have been living with the double whammie of chronic migraine and Trigeminal Neuralgia for 20 years. Found out the hard way triptans are not for me when a round of severe migraines kicked up and I was given Imitrex. I thought I was having another stroke! The rebound headaches woke the terrifying trigeminal beast in a fit of annihilation. At that point, I began researching the medical marijuana. Due to cost, I stick with my topiramate and a daily round of magnesium and B complex. Not much else works. I'm way too sensitive to most medication. While I have extreme flares, if that's what one would call it, a few times each year, I have a PCP who knows me and how to manage the pain. Neurology is incredible and I have also been through Pain Management where I have been treated by a TN specialist. Unfortunately I am not a candidate for surgery. I look forward to other posts on this topic as the research is promising for many.
I've played around a bit with it. CBD capsules, CBD oil, CBD/THC oil in different ratios and now something called shatter and a vap-pen. It is not my magic bullet (darn!) but does lower my anxiety levels (sometimes) Improves sleep and increases appetite (which has always been a problem because of severe TMJ issues). No help during bad attacks but mild day to day pain sometimes is lowered. Good luck!
Hi Tamara,
I've recently become "certified" patient in NY and am finding the learning curve is pretty steep. I do find it helps with anxiety and restless leg syndrome and when I have a spike in pain.
Thanks for sharing!
Nancy
I don't know how typical my experience is, but I have had excellent results from a combination of CBD and THC products. I also notice that using cannabis a few times a week even when I'm not in pain seems to have lowered the frequency of my migraines.
These are the benefits I've experienced:
- Lower frequency of headaches- approx. 1 per month vs. 3-5 per month in the past
- Faster recovery- My migraines now last 2-4 hours and I'm able to function, vs 1-3 days where I was completely incapacitated from pain and nausea
- No more nausea and vomiting! This is the biggest one for me, and probably is a contributor to my faster recovery. It used to be rare for me to have a migraine and not be nauseous and vomiting for 24+ hours, even if I caught it very early.
Through trial and error this is the combination that I have found works best for me:
- 1 or 2- 2.5 mg Petra mints (micro-dose THC edibles, not sure how widely available they are outside of CA but I love them) or a very small dose of THC tincture
- 1 dropper full of high-CBD tincture
- 400-800 mg ibuprofen
- A cup of coffee or strong tea
I truly don't understand the science of THC or CBD, but I've found that CBD alone does nothing for acute pain or nausea, THC works well for both but taking an effective dose makes me too high to go about my day normally. Taking them together, plus some ibuprofen, has turned out to be the ideal combo to make the pain and nausea go away and not be too high to function. Inadequate caffeine is one of my triggers so I add the coffee for good measure and also because I feel it helps counteract any of the sleepiness I might get from the cannabis.
I hope this info is helpful!
Hi AnnAnd,
Thank you for sharing your experience with us. I'm happy to hear you are seeing a reduction in migraine attack frequency and severity - always good news!!
Nancy
