[Lethe]

Howdy,
Anyone using medical marijuana here? I'm legal (Canada). I tried a wide variety of meds but none were effective for depression, lethargy, anxiety etc.
MM (medical marijuana) has made a dramatic difference in my life. I've had Parkinson's for at least 9 years and a year and 1/2 ago I was prescribed artane for tremors. Within 3 days I had a psychotic and physical reaction, ended up in hospital IC twice, and wore a catheter for 4 months. Although I've made a good recovery I am worse off than before. I can't sleep more than 3 hours.

Without MM I am awake by 5 or 6 am. I am lethargic and really don't do much except lay around, with no interest in anything. I have no appetite which make's it hard to medicate. I shake all the time.

With MM I am up and active at 6am, eat well and keep active and happy all day. It also helps me sleep and makes me feel relatively normal.

Ive also done research on the latest research and it's quite amazing the positive results. Over time I will post some links... With Parkinson's disease it's hard to get a med that effectively treats ONE symptom; MM treats may PD symptoms - insomnia, loss of appetite, relieves tremor, lethargy, depression, anxiety, etc. It relaxes me in public and makes me less self-conscious when I'm shaking in public.

MM is going to go mainstream soon and Drs who ignore it's effectiveness or bad-mouth it are going to miss the boat.

[libra]

I am legal for MM also, but in the state of Washington. The reason I tried it was for pain management. I had tried everything else and nothing worked. With narcotic pain relievers you also get pretty good constipation. However with MM there is no constipation
I guess there are 2 types, one type gives you a slight or more buzz, the other type does not. Since I wasn't interested in getting buzzed, I tried the latter.

Unfortunatelly it did not help my pain much. I would say it took the edge off it by maybe 5%.

My parkinsons is characterized mostly by rigidity in my shoulder and neck muscles. MM did help in that. It was temporary, but good.
So I would conclude that MM didn't help with my pain enough to make it worthwhile. It is also expensive. Down here I believe you have to pay $250 annually to stay registered. A little jar, maybe 3 0z of honey mixed with MM is alot.

If I battled nausea, dizziness, loss of appetite, insomnia MM would help tremendously. It is unfortunate it is still not accepted by the majority of medical community because in many cases it would help.
I am so glad it has helped you LETHE.

Here is a funny-the first time I tried it up here was by eating a chocolate chip cookie. Cookie was delicious and it took my mind off pain, but....true to form, I got the munchies! First stop I made was to grocery store. By the time I left store I had well over 2 bags of goodies.

[sunflower4u]

Would love to hear more about this. You can send a private message if you like. How did you get it? etc.

Thx,
Sunflower

Originally Posted by Lethe

Howdy,
Anyone using medical marijuana here? I'm legal (Canada). I tried a wide variety of meds but none were effective for depression, lethargy, anxiety etc.
MM (medical marijuana) has made a dramatic difference in my life. I've had Parkinson's for at least 9 years and a year and 1/2 ago I was prescribed artane for tremors. Within 3 days I had a psychotic and physical reaction, ended up in hospital IC twice, and wore a catheter for 4 months. Although I've made a good recovery I am worse off than before. I can't sleep more than 3 hours.

Without MM I am awake by 5 or 6 am. I am lethargic and really don't do much except lay around, with no interest in anything. I have no appetite which make's it hard to medicate. I shake all the time.

With MM I am up and active at 6am, eat well and keep active and happy all day. It also helps me sleep and makes me feel relatively normal.

Ive also done research on the latest research and it's quite amazing the positive results. Over time I will post some links... With Parkinson's disease it's hard to get a med that effectively treats ONE symptom; MM treats may PD symptoms - insomnia, loss of appetite, relieves tremor, lethargy, depression, anxiety, etc. It relaxes me in public and makes me less self-conscious when I'm shaking in public.

MM is going to go mainstream soon and Drs who ignore it's effectiveness or bad-mouth it are going to miss the boat.

[Lethe]

Originally Posted by libra

I guess there are 2 types, one type gives you a slight or more buzz, the other type does not. Since I wasn't interested in getting buzzed, I tried the latter. My parkinsons is characterized mostly by rigidity in my shoulder and neck muscles. MM did help in that. It was temporary, but good.
So I would conclude that MM didn't help with my pain enough to make it worthwhile. It is also expensive. Down here I believe you have to pay $250 annually to stay registered. A little jar, maybe 3 0z of honey mixed with MM is alot. It is unfortunate it is still not accepted by the majority of medical community because in many cases it would help.

Hi Libra - My Moon is in Libra...

I'm not sure what you mean. MM with no buzz? Eghads!! It is expensive and probably less expensive to bake it or make it into butter or whatever yourself. Do you have access to a wide variety of strains(question mark). Do you have tremors (question mark). Cause with regular use it helps me get periods of no shaking, something no other med has done. $250!! Yikes...

Was it hard to get your Dr to sign (question mark). Although I am legal (MMAR) and can smoke in public, to join a medical marijuana club all you need here is a confirmation from DR that you have an ailment. This is just access to your medical records, it is not the Dr prescribing it. To be legal you need a Dr to prescribe it and confirm that a specialist knows, and that nothing else has been effective.

It is expensive but I would like to grow it eventually, when I have the proper place. I am now waiting for a new court decision (only 1 patient per grower overturned) to be implemented and soon will get it free through a collective. Up here growers are willing to provide it if you are licensed, just to be your legal grower.

Yes, it`s ridiculous how many Drs still demonize MM and try to say its dangerous. They refuse to even look at recent scientific research, all positive. And half the meds have terrible side effects and arent effective. There no big money in MM as it`s actually cheap to grow, so the pharmas have no interest, likewise Drs. I think too often university gets in the way of an education.

[Lethe]

Originally Posted by sunflower4u

Would love to hear more about this. You can send a private message if you like. How did you get it? etc.
Sunflower

I belong to two different `MM clubs`. Although they are discreet (no signs, restricted entrance) they are storefronts on main streets. The police and politicians know them, the public does`nt. Besides having an average of 10 or more strains (half indica, half sativa) they also carry hash, oil, butter, Budder (gum-like 96% THC) as well as cookies, chocolates, tinctures, etc in sativa or indica.

Feel free to ask any questions. I luv talking about it (can u tell).

[sunflower4u]

Please check your Private Messages. I just sent you one
Thx,
Sunflower

[libra]

Canada is the place to be if you need MM for a medical condition. Down here, you have to first have your doc send your medical records to the medical clinic which specializes in medical marijuana. They will assess your health records and determine if your condition can benefit from use of MM. Then you get an appointment to see a nurse and specialized doctor. They take your vitals, look at your records, talk to you and thus determine if you can get a MM permit. You then have to pay $200 (not 250_I was wrong) 'which is an annual fee.
I'm not sure exactly how it is dispensed, the law down here is not clear, kind of a vicious cycle. You can be a caregiver and provide MM to one person only. If you provide to more than 1 person, you can be arrested for dealing. There are laws as to how many plants you can have, etc.
I have only tried a few samples, didn't use it on a daily basis. So my determination of its effectiveness might be wrong.
I started with tremors in my left hand. That is what led me to doctor. But now that I am on medications, the tremor is the least of my problems. My main issue is the stiffness of my muscles mainly in my neck and shoulders. Nothing seems to help, have tried, chiro, deep tissue massage, botox injections, physical therapy, etc.
I hope I answered all your questions.
Your situation up in Canada sounds great for those who benefit from MM.
Oh, MM with no buzz. Yes, that is what I meant, but I probably should of said MM with less of a buzz. Apparently, the pills are the best for certain kinds of pain and you don't get as much of a buzz as you would from say a cookie or just smoking it. You see, I am not really after the buzz. I had so much of that when I was younger, that I don't really like it anymore. Sounds crazy, but true.

[Lethe]

Originally Posted by libra

I started with tremors in my left hand. That is what led me to doctor. But now that I am on medications, the tremor is the least of my problems. My main issue is the stiffness of my muscles mainly in my neck and shoulders. Nothing seems to help, have tried, chiro, deep tissue massage, botox injections, physical therapy, etc.
I hope I answered all your questions.
Your situation up in Canada sounds great for those who benefit from MM.
Oh, MM with no buzz. Yes, that is what I meant, but I probably should of said MM with less of a buzz. Apparently, the pills are the best for certain kinds of pain and you don't get as much of a buzz as you would from say a cookie or just smoking it.

I shake constantly but with MM I get periods of 15 minutes or more no shakes. Since the artane reaction I've had difficulty walking at times and trouble sleeping, but the main problems are psychological - lethargy, anxiety, and to a lesser extent now depression. And lack of appetite.

Have you considered Tai-Chi? I learned it about 20 years ago but forget some moves, but just signed up to start again in April. It's recommended for PD.

I've heard the drabinol really knocks you out, a lot of people don't like it.

TTYL>>>

[libra]

I am glad that MM eliminated most of the side effects of Artane. Remind me never to take that stuff. I am sorry about the long term effects you experience. I take mirapex, sinemet and stalevo.
Am not sure what drabinol is - looked it up under drugs but couldnt find it.
If MM produced such positive results in me as it does in you, believe me, I would definitely be using it too.

[Lethe]

Although many people take artane with no problem I've run into a few people online who have bad reactions to it. I was taking a small amount of some mild med when I had the reaction. Now I'm taking 1,000 (10 pills) mg levadopa daily. Drabinol is a synthetic form of THC - one of the active ingredients in marijuana. It is what Drs prescribe - marijuana in a pill, more or less.