medical marijuana
 

I always keep my ears and mind wide open when I read anything pertaining to pain control. It so happened the other day I mentioned to Suzy (she has RSD) would she consider trying marijuana to help with pain. She said she wouldn't unless it is prescribed. Me like the lazy guy I am said "who needs a prescription?" I don't smoke pot by the way, just saying. She responded that she will not do it unless it is dispensed by a doctor. It then dawned on me why. If she was tested for mis-taking her medications she would be in trouble with the doctors so it only took me a second to realize her thinking. I then said "well we live in Virginia and I'm very sure there's no medical marijuana laws here, not this conservative state. Well, it seems I'm wrong. I just read Virginia was one of the first states to pass medical marijuana way back in 1979, primarily for cancer and glocoma. Whether these conditions have expanded I'm not sure. I'm 53 and never realized VA had this on the books.

Anyway, has any NT members with RSD ever tried medical marijuana, and if so how well did it work for you? Pm me if you wish to keep it private.

Thanks
jim

I haven't tried it (I still have teenagers in the house). But a few other RSDers I know in RI use it often for their pain and spasms and think it works well. The ones I know grow it themselves (and say its a ton of work!).

In this state you are allowed to use it and grow it and we are in the process of approving several applications (out off many) for "compassion centers" that will sell it to patients with scripts. There are certain parameters that you need to fall under to qualify for a script, they will be much tighter here than in California where it seems that just about any and all qualify.

It is predicted that the RI compassion centers will be up and running by late spring. it will be real interesting to see what happens. Colorado passed a med marijuana law last year, there are reputedly something like 27,000 users. The RI compassion center applicants (who are supposed to be "non-profit) are positively drooling thinking about the business they are going to rake in. I am amazed when I hear about the prices they are suggesting they are going to charge!! The stuff is going to be really expensive, and insurance doesn't cover it - a one week's supply will be around $300 - $400. I wouldn't pay that unless I was TRULY desperate. WOW!! The members of the Boards of Directors listed their proposed "fees" for serving on the boards - $75K, $100K, etc. Many of these individuals have FT jobs and these are supposed to be philantraphic positions in nature. Yeah, sure... So what we are creating in RI is another gravy train for the politically connected...

Interesting topic. XOXOX Sandy

$300 - $400? I wonder what kind of volume this is? I'm assuming this will not be pill form but the plant itself-smoke form?

hey thanks for this thread. i have been very interested in mm, and i was speaking to a guy last night who said he would get me some maryjane to try for pain and i forgot if i'm tested i might not get my regular pain meds. although i hope to switch from narcotics if mm works for pain, until its legal i dont really want to jeopardize my regular meds.

I would try it in a nano second if it were legal in my state and I had a prescription.

My 16 yo, a junior in high school, has requested a trip to Amsterdam for his high school graduation so we can try it together......Yeah, that's what I get for trying to be open to discussions about drinking, drugs, and sex.........

Once upon a time, say when I was in high school and college, I thought it was an 'awful' drug and rated it with cocaine or heroin. I've definitely loosened up in my views on that, probably because I have friends now who smoke pot. I really consider it like alcohol now....aside from the fact that it also invloves smoking. I do currently smoke cigarettes....something I never would have imagined I'd do, so the smoking part of it would no longer be a hurdle for me to get over......although it is a big part of why I don't want my kids smoking it.

I've never been drug tested since I started with narcotics....about 5 years ago, but I would never try illegal pot now.....A) because it's illegal and B) because I wouldn't risk it incase my doc ever decided to start drug testing.

My wife was tested twice by her doctor. This really got under my skin because Suzy plays by the rules in every way, yet her doctor felt she was not taking her meds correctly and even told us this (I go with her at every doc visit.) The last urine test cost me out of pocket around $700 dollars.

Hi Jim - That's for a bag of the dried up plant stuff that you smoke by rolling into joints or by some other method. Perhaps the liquid derivatives (marinol I think it is called?) will be available also for people who don't want to smoke.

Hi Jim,
 

Colorado is the place to be if you want it for pain. They have passed it big time here. We have dispenseries all over the place. They all have a green cross in front of them, you can't miss them.

They are also setting aside places in the High Schools for kids to smoke it here that need it. Thankfully both of my grandson's are out of this high school. This area here seems to be the most open to it.

Colorado Springs is already seeing problems from letting this happen. It wasn't voted on by the people so it was just snuck in on us.

Now they make soda pot in Colorado Springs so I have warned my boys to not take drinks from anyone.

I think your wife is smart in not wanting to do it unless it was prescribed. I wouldn't even then.

Now we are going to have Mothers against drugged drivers as well as drunk.

I'm very conservative.

Ada

I'm against people getting involved with "non-profit" compassion centers for supposedly "altruistic" reasons and then raking in a fortune off of them by charging a whole lot of money for something that only a limited number of suppliers will be allowed to distribute in our state. And in RI, the ones that will be licensed will the ones that know the right people. That's the way it always works. The administrative fees that are projected to be paid to the board members and administrators are absurd.

As for as using medical marijuana for pain, I think its truly a personal choice. I suffered enormously from pain from my RSD for over 4 years. There were days I absolutely couldn't move from bed except when I had to vomit. Too many days to count...if pot works for someone and helps give them some of their life back, then so be it.

Just a personal observation - the RSDers I know that use pot on a regular basis for their pain tend to rarely go out and get little done. I think that it can space you out for really long periods of time and you might become one of the "wastecases" we all remember from highschool. I also quit smoking many years ago and wouldn't want to ever inhale anything ever again...

I have actually joked about wanting to try it. Michigan has made it legal for medicinal purposes, and I have looked and printed the application. It can be presecribed for conditions such as RSD, but I am just not ready for this step.

My kids (17 and 16) are deadset against it. They would rather take care of me and help me deal with the pain. I can't even have a sip of alcohol, they and my husband tell me if a doctor says it's all right to have a drink, maybe they would let me. Until then, I can't touch it because of the medicines.

I guess that means that I have pretty good kids. My 17 year old son has "stepped" up to the plate and has cooked for our family since 2007. Instead of hanging out with his friends or even dating, he has been here to help when my husband isn't around.

I guess smoking pot would upset them and maybe make them lose respect for me, so I think I'll wait on the pot. I do have a spinal implant stim, but it has caused the RSD to spread/flare. I had originally gone in with just pain in my right leg and foot due to an auto accident, and am now suffering all over since the surgical placement of the paddle, wires and battery. I take Cymbalta, Celebrex, Lyrica, Ambien (at bedtime) and vicodin for the pain. I still have severe pain, but husband feels the meds help as I have "snuck" off some, and he notices within a few days. I guess I just take it day by day, as many others do, to see what is next. I go in on the 23rd for another epideral to see if it helps. The first one didn't, so who knows. I'm just tired, desparate and in pain.

i told hubby rsd 4 yrs that if we have to we will move back to calif if mm would help but he said he did not think it would help...:winky:

well my friend that uses for arthritis etc gave me some the other day. i tried it last night but got high. not what i'm looking for. i will try ingesting it to see if it helps with the pain. I do not want to spend all day being high i prefer to be a functioning person- i can function fine on oxycodone. augh! :confused:

We should have the freedom to choose
 

Since I have a signed contract with my doctor who I trust and who trusts me, I wouldn't do anything to alter this relationship yet I know if my state was ever progressive enough to actually allow pot to be used for whatever medical reason a doctor found necessary, I'd love adding this to my pain management arsenal. I have one doctor who's made it very clear that anytime I'm in CA visiting my family for an extended visit he'd have it waiting for me so clearly there are highly educated doctors who see this as being worth a consideration.

As long as drug companies can make $880 a month just so I can get one prescription for pain pills filled, they'll always fight tooth and nail against us growing a funny looking herb on our kitchen counter that literally grows like a weed. It's all about profits and nothing else.

Sure there are people who are positive that once a person smoke a joint they'll be doing cocaine and crack by weeks end, but most of these individuals are also the ones who preach they'd never take morphine either. Just let them live with our pain loads and they'd change their minds quick enough, but there's no winning against deep rooted ignorance and prejudice. Sadly enough their voices are being heard more than ours are it seems.

I don't care for the fuzzy headed feeling of pot and prefer morphine since I notice no blurry headed feelings, but I do know it should always be left up to the individual and the attending doctor. Of course we don't live in a free country anymore, so why dream we can actually pursue our own path of happiness when we've turned the USA into a land where our every action is monitored and controlled. That hurts worse then the physical pain if you ask me.

what sort of signed contract are you speaking of?

med pot okay
 

jim, pot works! i'm 53 as well and smoked pot in teens and twenties but returned to it a few years ago. it relaxes me and makes me want to eat and gives me a lift. i recommend it. try a local dispensary and talk to them. they are usually very knowledgable about which types are good for pain. try the edibles and stya away from smoking which is bad for the lungs. make a tea with the buds, swallow them, chew them or eat it in a cookie or brownie. trsut me, it works!

Hi,
 

If you have a contract with your Dr. you should think twice about smoking it without a permit from a Dr.
My niece called me last night. She had a stroke and went to the hospital and tested positive for the marijuana. She said she has to go in to see her Dr. today and if it's still in her system, she may lose her Dr. They did a blood test and urine test at the hospital. She said it didn't show up in the blood and thought she was ok until she got the call from the hospital that it showed up in her urine.

You don't want to lose your Dr. over this by doing it illegally.

Ada

i'm still lost about contracts with doctors. i have had multiple doctors over the years and never heard of any contracts

clarkstar - have you ever been on any opiates? If not, that is probably why you are not famiiiar with contracts. Usually when you go on strong pain meds, you sign a contract with your doctor, agreeing that you won't take any illegal drugs, or any other pain meds of any kind while you are being treated by the doc the contract is with. When one pain management doc put me on a trial of methadone last summer, the contract I signed also said that they could call me at any time and I had to bring my meds to the office for a "count" - that is to be sure your not selling your meds. You usually have to agree to take random drug tests to screen for illegal drugs also.

My family doc prescribes vicodin for me, very little per year as it does not help much so I don't take it often. She has never had me do a drug test or sign a contract. The only time I have had to sign a contract has been the two different pain management doctors I have seen.

Hi,
 

I signed one about 10 years ago with my PCP who manages my RSD. I never have had to do a drug test though. I never ran up on a PM Dr. that was wanted to help me with the RSD so I haven't had to deal with what a lot of people do with PM Drs. In my opinion though, from the people I have seen around here on heavy duty pain meds, the Drs. can see who needs those test. When someone calls you on the phone and they are so messed up they slur their words and sound like they are out of it, you know it. It actually makes me angry that the Drs. donot care about this problem, at least most don't. They either want to help a patient in the right way or they don't.

Ada

hmm, no contract for me and i'm on oxycodone and have a few other drugs handy if needed. baclofen and somethign else. but i went in having worries about getting hooked etc so my doc knows i dont wanna take em, and i told him i will try medical mj in order to get off the oxy as soon as i can. have to go to a pain center for that though, possibly they will make me sign a contract etc.

thanks for clarifying :):hug:

Re: Dr's and herb
 

I did sign a contract with my first PCP. He did not say Herb was wrong or not to do it. He just didn't want me to doctor shop which is a problem in our state. My New PCP knows that I tried it, and does not object. My PS is wonderful and if in this state it would be approved, I do think he would allow it. We should be a free county people, and we arn't.... The laws are harsh even when pain is the motive. I am 59, and would like to decide for myself what to put in my body. The doctors sure have me swallowing a bunch of other stuff. In my opinion it helps. If it's all in my head, well the jury is still out. However the law terrifies me enough that continuing on wouldn't be worth sitting in jail. I think there isn't any addicting properties, since I did this in my youth, now later as a older woman. MS contin however and all the other opiates are horrible to get off of. It took me almost 8 months of reducing to feel normal again. Like a placebo? I am not sure. I only know I felt better and laughed again. Too bad the law shuts out this kind of therapy. It really ought to be up to the individual. I also think liquor is much more damaging. My dad was alcholic, so I saw it, lived around it. I think a bit of common sense if a person where to try it, would go a long way. ginnie

Dr Oz show today
 

Dr Oz just had a big special on this subject today. Montel Williams who has horribly painful MS was on telling how this is the only thing that helps keep his pain at bay and he has been using it for 10 years.

He was talking to some doctors who dont think it should be legalized and if looks could kill...Montel would have knocked this one lady doctor out!

I have not tried it myself for this condition but it should definitely be available for us without worrying about going to jail! its no crime to want to be out of RSD pain!

I saw that Dr. Oz program on medical marijuana. It was well moderated by him.

I agree that it needs to be well controlled, but this should be between the doctor and the patient.

Many with different types of "chronic pain" have found relief with the use of this.

Medical Marijuana
 

I live in Wisconsin,also on a strict pain agreement. When I was not disabled and working as a nurse in the cancer clinic-Years ago(maybe12?) Anyway when I would take a patient to their room's and if I had time to talk to them. I would say back then 50% of the patient's were smoking it. I have read many article's on this. The releif that RSD and cancer patient's is amazing!! If I decided to try it out,then got tested at my DR. Office for any other pain pill's than what I am on I would be kicked out so fast it would make your head spin!! I think it is awfull that with the amount of pain we are in that we should be able to decide if this would be an option!! If they legalize it in a few state's,why not the rest?? Oh well we shall see? :grouphug: Take care-Alway's Breezy55 Politic's,whatever~~~

Hey Jim its not $700
 

HI Jim the Sticks for Pot are $6 if you buy 100 ,I say if someone does crank coke etc they dont have RSD or a mind
Gh
Mark

Say again, rsdno? Not quite understanding.