My MS neuro back in OH, always told me it is not addiction if you use it as prescribed ... it is dependence. Necessary for sympom relief.

Just my 2cents. Will go back to lurking now.

Interesting thread here:
(from: http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=5236)

Nice post, IHH! Thanks for sharing that.

I totally agree with it. The word addiction is bandied about too readily, it's become a crutch. Not that there aren't true addicts... I met many of them in San Diego and Mexico.

I also agree with using a combination of herbal and pharmaceutical remedies. I know that using medical marijuana cuts back greatly on my need for narcotics, which can only be a good thing. I have no anxiety meds, but I use tea in the same way. Medical mj is great for anxiety, too. It rarely makes one paranoid, regardless of the rumors.

There is never going to be one regime that fits all patients, that's just impossible. I think that everyone in as much pain as us rsd'ers are in, should try anything they can to get some relief.

Pot may not make one paranoid but it does trigger and can increase anxiety and panic attacks in people. It did this to me. It also depends on the kind of pot it is. Just like meds we all react differently to the different varieties of pot out there. Pot doesn't do diddly squat for me for any kind of pain relief. It does the opposite. It makes any pain I have more intense. So that's not a solution for me.

I really don't know that much about meds but was eductaed more at the pain clinic program where many were overusers though I am not at all myself. During this 6 months of pain for a few months I was on vicadin and when I quit completly before I went about a month ago I had no craving or issues. I think it depends on the person. I did notice from the people who had issues with prescription drug and overuse they also used other drugs that were not prescription. I may be wrong and I'm sure there are some who just overuse the prescription but I did see a trend of both drugs overused. For a person who the prescription drugs seem to not work for other then the bad side effects I'm in a little different spot. In general I do think its a combo of things to work overall. So maybe the meds,supplements,therapy,pt so on.

Jarrett, yes I agree with you on most things you said. I have personally known several people who should stay far away from mmj (medical marijuana).

I just know what it does for me... or would do if I was allowed to use it these days.

I have had rsd/crps since 1993. I had a surgery that went bad. The dr.s immediately saw that I had rsd and decided to cut their losses and declare me "ready to return to work".

I received NO monetary or physical aids in any way after that, except what I managed to procure on my own. I managed to get great dr.s to treat me and HOPE they get paid one day, I even got into the fed. trial study of Guanethidine.

But of course I couldn't get meds. I could barely feed my kids and dogs, and we lived in a decrepit tin-roofed house in the Az. desert so I could get the trial study done in Phoenix. But then one day a friend came to me and suggested mmj. I tried it, and it worked. Simple as that. And it cost me nothing, so I wouldn't have complained anyway, lol. The barter system is a wonderful thing.

I eventually won my work comp case, but all the money went to the dr.s. I also got on SSI and medicaid. I had to get aids first, but at least I am getting help for whatever time I have left.

But here's the rub: I cannot use mmj or I will lose all my benefits. Mind you, they prescribe Marinol, the pharmaceutical version, for me and my partner every month. It costs the taxpayers $2000 each month, and doesn't do as good a job as mmj. I feel like crappola about it, too. If they would let me grow my own mmj, I would cost the citizens of this country far less each month than I do now, and would have some self-respect, too!

Here's the list of meds they have had to prescribe just to get me through a day. ALL of them were unnecessary when I was using mmj. I take other meds too, but they can't be replaced by mmj.

Baclofen, vicodin, morphine, marinol, phenergan, ambien & relpax.

Also, before I started taking all these pharmies, there was never any indication that I had epilepsy... but I have it now! I didn't have migraines, which I now have at least twice a week.

If there was ANY way I could go back to using mmj to treat myself, I would in a minute. But as it stands, I will lose my money, my housing, my dr.s and my aids meds. Crazy, isn't it? I live in a "Green State", but the feds have everyone running scared. I can't get an rx from a reputable dr., they are too afraid of losing their licenses. They straight up tell me it would be much better for me than the pharmies, but their hands are tied. The other alternative is to pay $300 to a "dr." that doesn't care about his license because he is inches away from losing it anyway, due to his own issues. But then, if I ever got caught, while the feds and the state argue about who gets to have jurisdiction over me and my health care, I will be broke, hungry, homeless and in pain. Or, possibly, I could be in jail not getting my meds at all. Great choices, huh?

What it all boils down to is this: I should have the right to treat myself with the medicines that the dr.s think would help me most. MMJ is tops on that list. And all the taxpayers would benefit as well.... my partner and I are NOT the only aids patients on Marinol! There are at least 100 patients here locally at the aids clinic that use it, too. And most all of them are on medicaid too. At $2000 a month per person, that is totally insane! That's just in one city of 500,000 folks. No way should the taxpayers have to foot the bill for all of us.

So for anyone who doesn't want or need mmj, or doesn't know anyone who needs it, there is STILL a reason you should work to help make it legal everywhere: your own pockets.