calling all medical marijuana folks:
 

nys will officially launch its medical marijuana program in 2016!!! yippee!

i am looking forward to it & hope it will outperform the current crop of pain meds (neurontin, tramadol, cymbalta, lyrica, etal) which have lots of side effects that often outweigh the benefits.

soooo, here are my questions: (1) what benefits do you derive from MM? &
(2) are there any down sides?

I'll tack on another question for possible future use...

I won't smoke anything. (My dad died of lung cancer at 42 having smoked for 30 years.) I'd want another means of ingesting. Is adding it herbal tea an option?

take a trip out to colorado for a week and see if it helps

I travel to Colorado. It helps. Must be the altitude.:winky:

LOL. do u mean if weed helps or if the trip itself would help?

nys will not permit inhaling. has to be another form of delivery...pill, brownies, etc.

I ate edible MJ. It worked. MMJ should be available to people with neuro issues. Unfortunately for me, it's a long trip and I usually only go once per year. :/

One more comment...because I have autonomic issues, MJ in edible form, seems balance my bodily functions which when you have autonomic neuropathy is a very hard thing to do, and achieve pain relief simultaneously. I don't think, that Big Pharma should fool with Mother Nature. Get reputable MJ from a reputable vendor and leave it at that.

I get it for some kids that they need the cannabidiol and not the THC...and yes, I see the value in that but, really, I recommend a trip to Colorado for a brownie and see how that works.

My state, Wississippi will NEVER legalize. I am seriously considering a move....it's too cold and conservative here now....the cold I could live with.

I just noticed my profile says I am a 'magnate'...OK...what the h does that mean? (Likely when I am sick I spend too much time on the computer...life with Autoimmune Autonomic Neuropathy. ) Who gives a disease a name with two 'autos' in it and that no one can pronounce? :/ It's the disease where you feel constantly hung over and like you weigh 1500 pounds. It's been a nightmare. I am still moving but it's a huge effort and I pay for every minute of activity with major pain. Pain pills will kill me. Oxymoronic disease. :/

There are only certain conditions that qualify as in some other states. Also, it cannot be smoked. Here is a site:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/...0EV2R720140621

maybe both but definitely the first.

They both help, after I get over my altitude sickness on day 3.

I've been using MMJ for a short time and have tried several different methods. One basic difference is that anything that goes through the stomach (edibles, drinks, pills) is going to take close to an hour at least, to start working. Here in WA state it's a work in progress to standardize dosages in edibles, but our medical MJ system is much less regulated than in CO.

The immediate-acting methods that I've tried are smoking, vaporizing, and sublingual. My pain is not constant and comes on abruptly, so I need something quick-acting. First I tried a tincture, which is put under the tongue to absorb and acts almost immediately. I wasn't able to find out exactly what was in it but I had no mental effects at all, just pain relief. The downside was that it tasted vile. Just what you would imagine ground-up marijuana in glycerin would taste like! I was told that flavoring dilutes the tincture so it doesn't work as well. The downsides of smoking or using tincture are taste, harshness, and messiness.

Vaporizing has been the best for me. You buy a special "pen" to which you attach a vial of oil. No fuss, no muss, acts within a few minutes.

The trick with vaping, for me, has been getting the correct balance of the pain-reducing component, CBD, with the psychoactive component, THC. I've been able to get oils with relatively high amounts of CBD but also high amounts of THC. So I get the pain relief but also the high. It's not too bad for me since I just use it at bedtime and overnight. If you can get the right ratio (approx 2:1 CBD to THC) they are supposed to complement each other and give pain relief with very little psychoactive effect. This type of product does exist but is in high demand and short supply in my area.

I've also seen listings for waxes, concentrates, and patches but don't really know any details about them.

dogwalker---sounds like i need to take a trip to Wa. it's prolly easier to get there from ny than colorado.

pretty sure ny wouldn't permit vaping. but i can try it when i visit Wa.!:icon_biggrin::icon_biggrin:

I noticed in the link provided by Kitt that NY "would allow patients to inhale vaporized extracts of pot's active ingredients or to eat them in food, but prohibit smoking of marijuana itself." You still have a long time to wait, though! :(

Cbd isn't working for me now. 😔
 

I started taking it two weeks ago and I didn't have any temporal lobe seizures after. But then I drank a bit on New Years Eve and the next morning my husband recorded me having seizures around 2 am and at 4 am. He recorded me on his phone and when I watched it...it scared me! It was as if I was watching outside of my body and I don't recall anything as usual. I have not drank alcohol since and I had a seizure yesterday morning and after I got up this morning according to my husband.

I'm so scared...I refuse to take pharmeceutical prescriptions for seizures because tramadol gave me very bad side effects. I was lethargic and couldn't move all day, vomiting and nauseated as well. I don't understand why the medical marijuana spray was working up until I drank. I'm terrified of having these seizures because I don't recall anything that's happened nor do I know these seizures are even happening. 😔 I want to find a neurologist that won't push his drugs on me and force me to take something without listening to the side effects of these drugs that have caused me to be very sick. I'd rather go through seizures than to suffer the way I do when I'm on the prescription drugs I was given. I just...don't understand why The CBD spray isn't working now.

Hello, you may also find information on our Epilepsy forum-
For support and discussion about Epilepsy and Seizure Disorders.

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum11.html

Welcome Maribel1. :Wave-Hello:

just a few days short of a year...1/1/16. that's good news in kitt's link!!

There's a thread for that
 

Also,
 

In my experience suffering from extreme neuropathic pain and using cannabinoids, it is a useful tool but not replacement for pain meds. It does work well in conjunction with them though so that a reduced dosage is needed.

Here's one link:
http://www.ucsf.edu/news/2011/12/110...e-pain-opiates

You can also search and read up on CBD and NP. Some considerations: cost, legality, administration. Some studies show that a ratio of 1:1 CBD &THC is most effective for neuropathic pain but with THC in the blood, one would not pass a drug test if applicable. It is also expensive and insurance does not cover it.

I use mm and a low dose tramadol. I find that MM helps me cope with the chronic pain and accompanying life style changes. Before MM there seemed to never ever ever to be a brake from the pain, but the MM helped break the pain into segments that are easier to deal with. The down side is that now that it is my primary pain med, the high gets old. But since I now have brain damage from lyrica, I am truly scared of the RX's. Thank GOD i am retired.

You can use a vaporizer, eat it or drink it.. When eating it can be hard to get the right amount; enough to help but not too much to where you are stuck to the couch.

I have been using MM for about 6 months to treat my small fiber neuropathy. I use my MM in conjunction with 90mg of cymbalta and a pile of supplements. MM is legal in Michigan where I am currently living for work.

The best method of administration I have found is what is known as "dabs" or "shatter". It is a pure wax concentrate derived directly from the dried flowers and leaves of the plant. VERY high in all of the components that make the MM work. It also has almost 0% plant matter in the concentrate. That means you are avoiding the major carcinogens that exist in the flowers of MJ!

Many people think of marijuana, and think THC and CBD. There is a lot more to the plant then just the 2 chemicals. A major part of the pain relief process exists in the terpene profiles that uniquely exist in each strain of MM. These aeromatic hydrocarbons directly affect how the THC, CBD, and CBN work on your brain and body. This is why different strains have "different highs", and different flavors.

I have found that pure Indica strains work best for my sfn. They tend to give what is called " couchlock". For me, that means full body pain relief, and 8 hours of sleep.

Some side effects can be dry mouth, anxiety, restlessness, drowsiness, a depressed mental state, and hunger.
Most of the anxiety and restlessness comes from the Sativa strains. These give you more of the "head high", or euphoria.

Starting the use of MM has had a very positive effect on my life. I haven't had to pick up my cane, since I picked up a joint.

I hope some of this information is of help in making your decision!

Best regards,
Joe V

How to use cannabis (CBD) oil?
 

Hi. I suffer from SFN and fibromyalgia and I have not found a painkiller that doesn't wreck me with side effects. I was able to obtain some cannabis (CBD) oil from a Colorado dispensary but I do not know how to use it. Can someone help? I read that you should start with a small dose, about the size of half a grain of rice. Can I just put a drop on my food or in my tea or coffee? Or do I need to cook with it?

Ideally, I'd like to use it to relieve pain throughout the day but not make me so sleepy I cannot work or do other things I need to do! So I'm going to test it out on weekends while I'm at home until I find a dose I'm comfortable with.

Any advice would be helpful. Thanks!

P.S. I live in NY, where medical marijuana was recently legalized. However, my neurologist cannot prescribe till early 2016.

I live in central NYS. I'm curious about how much you had to pay for the legal stuff & approx how many doses you got for the price. I'm wondering what big pharma will be charging for stuff that can be grown for free. I'd like to try it when the Happy Man comes around here.

I used to smoke pot recreationally in high school and some in college. I had some of the WORST panic attacks EVER while high. There is no way I'd try THC again lol

The butter is the best route for you!! Same effect, you just cook with it like butter. No leaves :)

I had an interesting conversation with my pain dr. on Monday. I was in the waiting room and the nurse came out and started handing out urine sample bottles to the men in the room. I thought, oh crud, I'm busted. Luckily, everyone but me got one. There's a sign in the room that says if you are on an rx for pain meds, you can be tested at any time.

So when I went in and saw the dr., I asked if I can ask him something off the record. He said yes, so I told him I smoke pot at night for pain and sleep and I was worried about being tested. He said that they test to see if the patients are taking other pain meds than those that are prescribed to them and not marijuana. I asked him if there was any chance I could lose my insurance from the drug tests if I showed positive. He said no. That was a big relief!

We talked for a minute (which is rare for him) and I told him that pot is the best thing I've had for my p.n. He said he knew it worked well for pain and has no problems with me using it. I was quite surprised and happy! I appreciate a professional acknowledging the fact.

The downside, in my case, is I can only do it at night. I'm dumb as a brick after using and could never work or do anything like drive under the influence. I've tried the high CBD, low THC stuff and it did nothing for me. I usually prefer a Sativa over the Indica strains. I'm more coherent and I can be more 'normal' for my wife. I agree with others that Indica is the best pain relief and I do keep some in my stash for especially bad days (and nights). I never do edibles because of the time it takes to start working.

I am going on a 3 hour flight soon and I am very worried about it. I have to sit on ice packs and I'm sure that the tsa wont let me bring them onboard. I plan on eating some strong edibles when we arrive at the airport and they should kick in about the time we board. Hope it does the trick, or I'm screwed!