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Old 01-10-2016, 11:06 PM
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Diandra Diandra is offline
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Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Connecticut USA
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Diandra Diandra is offline
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Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Connecticut USA
Posts: 549
15 yr Member
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Originally Posted by antonina View Post
as of 1/1/16, medical marijuana is legal in nys. i am really looking forward to trying it. i am going to ask my pcp for an rx but i would like to provide her with some info derived from actual patients who have been helped by it

my question: are there any forms/strains/amounts of MM that are helping with the usual PN symptoms...burning, pain, numbness, weakness, balance issues? (btw, nys prohibits smoking it but vaping seems to be OK.)

when i smoked MJ in my youth i would sometimes get very anxious & paranoid. the best times happened when i found everything hilarious & got the munchies.

i would love to hear your experiences and any advice/recommendations you have to offer. TIA!
Hi Antonina,
I live in Connecticut and have been using medical Mj for several months.

My pain doc told me to get CBD only and avoid the THC because it is the THC that makes you feel high. My doc knew I was trying to cut down on my opiates and Lyrica with Med MJ.

When I got to the pharmacy, they claimed the CBD oil and THC worked synergistically for pain and that is what I should use. So, they gave me four different things to try...

..a vape with THC:CBD with ratio much higher CBD , for daytime use, I think it is 1:5
..a vape with THC:CBD with ratio quite a bit higher THC for nighttime use

they both help with neuropathy BUT, the THC makes me way too high if I smoke too much of either and there is no way I could drive and be normal on either vape. I told my PM doc and he said to insist on only CBD next time I go.

They also gave me something called "breath strips" which you melt on your tongue. I did not like them at all. They also had a mix of CBD and THC.

They also gave me drops of CBD/THC oil in a 1:1 concentration that can be put on a cracker or any small food item. I was not crazy about that either.

I liked the vapes best, especially the one lowest in THC. I was able to control the inhalation better. It definitely takes the edge off neuropathy and I generally feel better overall the next day. It helped with intense neuropathic pain, some with burning but it didn't help with numbness or balance. I did get deeper sleep with it.

I did get to my appt early and the waiting room was full. I asked all the folks in the waiting room what they took and what did they recommend. Of the 3 folks who sounded most intelligent and expepriencd, they all liked vaping best and recommended. One gentleman who had a degenerative nerve disease told me it was the only thing that helped him truly sleep since he was hit with his illness so I was happy for him and thought that was good news.

I was NOT happy with either the instruction or the printed materials I was given at the pharmacy. Both were poorly done and the labels on all the meds are not clear at all. I also had to pay a $100 registration fee to get my Med MJ ID card.
They also wanted me to jump through hoops to get a specific photo of myself for my ID and other stuff. I finally emailed and said LISTEN, I am out of work on disability, you are asking for WAY too much from folks who are ill. Here is a pic I took with my IPad and here are pictures, not copies of all the documents you asked for. Luckily the person receiving them took them via pics and I got my card in a few weeks. MAKE SURE YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE SPECIFICALLY GETTING AND HOW TO CLEARLY USE THEM.
The first night I vaped I burned my throat and the next time I took way too much and got WAY too high, like, tripping high. Take it slow when u start.
They told me to drink milk or something thick before vaping to coat my throat and that worked great.

This week I will be getting straight CBD oil.

My pain doc told me at my last visit, after he asked how the med MJ trial for me went, that the pain mgmt medical community was disappointed in the results that patients have been getting and the study results. Apparently there had been much higher hopes for med MJ.

Ithink med MJ it is a tool to add to ones arsenal of pain mgmt treatements and I am sure once I am more experienced, I can start cutting back on pain meds like opiates etc.

I wish you luck with your med MJ journey.

Personally, I think it has been hyped a bit to push sales. I was a bit disappointed but still glad to have it, as I need all the help I can get.

Good luck,
Diandra

p.s. to anyone who tries med MJ...you have to remember, most of these items are concentrated oils and much stronger than smoking a joint for pleasure. I thought I was starting out easily and slowly but I vaped way too much. Also, I did exactly what they told me NOT to do...they said, when you vape, if you don't feel it right away, DONT vape again immediately. I foolishly vaped 3x within 30 minutes and was SO high, I thought I could see my blood pulsing through the veins in my hands. Luckily, I don't get anxious or paranoid easily or I would have flipped...I knew I was just too high and it took several hrs to wear off. I did sleep like an infant though!

Last edited by Diandra; 01-10-2016 at 11:36 PM.
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"Thanks for this!" says:
antonina (01-11-2016)