When are side effects worse than relief from the medication?
 

Okay, after a year (at least) of being 'bound' up (constipated), I had a heart to heart with the pharmacist I know well (store was empty, so she had time to talk today).

I explained my situation, and what I've tried. I can't have a B.M. for days at a time. At it's peak, 6 days without a B.M. Sorry if it's TMI, but that's my life.

I mentioned that I suspected Cesamet (synthetic THC) to be the culprit. She acknowledged right away what others (doctor/pharmas) didn't: Cesamet is notorious for constipation. She even said some doctors prescribe stool softener (which I already take, and have been taking, for some time) with the medication.

Long story short, this medication has been sent from the heavens for:

1. Controlling the lump of pain that encompasses a good portion of the left side of my head.
2. Seemingly reducing my Trigeminal Neuralgia attacks, and the severity of (though this could be a combination of both the Cesamet and Clonazepam).

I took a bunch of other medications, and none gave me relief like Cesemet.

Okay, so back to the bowel... the pharmacist was wide eyed when I told her all I've done, and how long it actually takes for my body to respond. She's no doctor, nor am I, but I can imagine the body not clearing for days on end isn't healthy at all.

So... what do I do? Do I keep at the medication and accept that this is what helps unbearable pain, enough so I can work, but leaves me constipated without fail? Do I reduce the amount of medication until the pain returns, then re-up the dose (Cesamet is not habit-forming like Clonazepam, it's the complete opposite really)? Do I flat out give up on the medication and suck up the pain?

I never was a cannabis user regularly in my younger days.. and gave it up years ago (recreational use). I know people who are at it daily, for health or miscellaneous reasons. In any case, I'm wondering...

... does the plant versus the synthetic make a world of difference when it comes to the drying effect on the body?

I know mj gives the 'pasties' (dry mouth). Is anyone able to confirm if the pure plant (not synthetic) causes such binding?

I ask too because I was originally prescribed Sativex, which is now 70% covered by my insurance (still very very expensive medication), and it's the pure form of the plant, versus synthetic, so I'm wondering if a medication change could help?

Thanks for listening :grouphug:

I would get the real stuff and bake it into treats. Prune/fig bars or things that are NON constipation makers for treats. Dont do cheesy stuff or the like. Make sure you use a fat when you mix the batter. you MUST have a melted fat like butter to allow the THC to break down in the batch.

Add magnesium and a stool softener to your diet. Colace is expensive, but its generic counterpart can be had for pennies on the dollar with a bit of senna in it. I take Phillips milk of mag tablets. 2 per day and its wonderful! if I am really backed up I go up to 4 (which is a normal dose to make you go)

Drink water! I cannot stress enough that we are dry dry dry and all of the meds we take steal water from us. We need much more water than we are getting.

You DONT have to live this way, nor do you have to choose betwwn a medicine that makes so much difference and being able to poop.

There are things like Miralax, but my body is tempermental and I really have a hard time getting the balance right. One day I go like a champ and the next its all fudgie and the next I sometimes dont make it to the potty before the event. So, I stay away from that one.

Diet! this is huge. Put a ton more fruit in your diet. Dont worry about fiber, just worry about juicy wonderful fruits. They have a calming effect on the normal levels of inflammation that occurs in our tummies (btw, the lining of our intestine mimics that of our brains, so when we attack mylin, we can mistakenly attack the lining of the tummy which makes it grumpy. If your tummy isnt getting the nerve signal to empty then it sits, and becomes chunks of cement. Of if you can go everyday, but your intestine steals all the water, it can be so dry its painful.

My intestine is one of those ravaged by MS. I do several interventions to keep things on an even keel, and I keep experimenting to make it better.

I hope you feel better. :hug:

Thanks Dej! :hug:

I actually do a lot of those mentioned

I drink 3-4 liters of water a day
I eat a TON (understatement) of fruits and veggies, raw or cooked
I eat a lot of bulk (whole wheat/oats/whole grains etc etc)
I take a large amount of magnesium daily
I take stool softener daily
As you know I walk/exercise daily, so I'm definitely getting that aspect in as well.

At the suggestion of pharmacist, I'm going to start taking probiotics again. Took them yesterday and this morning with breakfast.

I did only take 1 Cesamet at bedtime (instead of 2) the last 3 nights. I'm going to see just how much the medication is the culprit at this point.

Thanks for the suggestions Dej and for caring :hug:

One of my girlfriends is a pharmacist. I am going to copy your post and see what she says.

I do not know if MMJ or Cesamet add to the constipation or help keep things moving.

She was going to open a pharmacy/MMJ dispensary in Sedona but AZ issues have put it on hold.

I hope she has some good answers for you.

she is working today, got an immediate response with questions...

there are a couple of prescription medications to try, one is amitiza, the other relistor, both are for chronic severe constipation as you mention, have you tried either of those?


do you take the stool softener with laxative, im assuming or senokot s, if so how many?

I would reccomend that you STOP the oatmeal. it can cause quite a bit of inflammation on the lining of the colon, and its very very slow to be broken down and digested, which means the body hangs onto it longer. It has great fiber, but those of us with slow intestines tend to not want as much fiber as we do stuff to just move along. Try substititing grits or other grains and see how you do after a week. Once I stopped oatmeal my tummy calmed down alot. I used to think of oatmeal as a miracle food. its good for you! I had it almost everyday. Its made a big diff now that I switched.

Sorry to hear you're suffering from this so...I went 6 months with constipation, and tried the fiber/bulk stuff...my neuro told me absolutely stop the bulking agents!! He told me eat the fruits/veggies and nuts...esp almonds, every day. Beans, etc. And finally, after listening to the guy, I went and haven't had constipation for about 4 months. I do suffer from IBS, so I have to watch the beans/salads...

I can't think of anything else besides all you're doing...I do know the zanaflex is a muscle relaxant, and I take a lot of it...it relaxes the intestines as well:(

Let us know how you're doing and if you get any other answers...and relief:hug:

I googled this question: Does cannabis cause constipation. As usual, the answer is...yes and no.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...1064024AABqkAc

Thank you Aarcyn! :hug: that's going above and beyond, you're too kind!

I've not heard of Amitiza or Relistor, I'll have to check those medication's names in Canada.

I take stool softeners only... I really don't want to take laxatives, as one can become 'dependent' on them long term. Best to try everything else first likely.

Dej, interesting about the oats/oatmeal and how it can affect the body. I had no idea! I'll have to try as suggested and eliminate that for a while to see if it works for me. Do you mean oatmeal solely, or all oats in general?

Upping my veggies and fruits even more so now :)

Debbie, when I mention "bulk" I mean bread and such. I used to take bulk-forming capsules, but much the same from my doc, was told to avoid them all together so I stopped taking them a while ago.

Thanks for all the great support and suggestions!

oatmeal. many of us use it as a easy staple for breakfast and it can really slow the gut. I hope you feel better. :hug: