Hi guys, I was wondering what others thought or know about using marijuana for pain relief and for its anti-inflammatory properties, I read somewhere that it has similar efficacy to indomethocin. I'm curious what others think.
Does it have anti-inflammatory properties? Here is my thought process. If you find yourself in need of pain relief, especially if you don't have current damage, then you may need better disease control. That said, if we are talking about pain that's damage related, then anti-inflammatory properties may not be necessary.
Personally, I'm still waiting for medical marijuana to be legalized in New York.
I also read a clinical study awhile back that said marijuana was useful in reducing pain and inflammation. It's not legal here in Virginia . . . yet.
I have a "gereen card".....
Save your money. Its extrordinarily expensive, Its anti inflammatory properties are utter BS you are smoking it for crying out loud. A couple of advil have more anti-inflmatory effect. Even if you ingest it it doesn't do much. Those "clinical studies" in terms of are so flawed I don't even know where to begin. Its great for reducing nausea with chemo, but its hard to throw up when your are stoned. It is impossible to do a clinical study of pot. There are at least 500 "things" in it all of which vary in amouint and effect
While many psychoactive drugs clearly fall into the category of either stimulant, depressant, or hallucinogen pot exhibits a mix of all properties, perhaps leaning the most towards hallucinogenic. though with other effects quite pronounced as well. You don't know what you are going to get and we take some serious drugs otherwise the interactions can be extreme. THE LAST thing any of us need is something that adds to exhaustion.......
That being said about twice a summer high in the mountains having packed in 20 or so miles I may have been known to enjoy some brownies for dessert watching the sunset over iceberg lake TOTALLY mellow and not a thought of PsA pain or the future its wonderful........... However the mood and place have to be right and that checking out not based on "need" Yup its recreational (I was undergrad in the late 60's early 70's - okay) but lets be honest 90% of green cards have NOTHING to do with medical need...... Its all recreational and all like drinking to get drunk. Gosh knows we have reason.... But don't buy in to the rationalization. Almost always things are better stoned.
I haven't done a lot of research into the subject, but now that medical marijuana is legal here in CT, I'll be doing more research. I have both smoked and ingested it, and can say, for me, that it's great at eliminating nausea and reducing pain. It relaxes me, but I don't have the stereotypical "stoned" reaction. On the other hand, I have a friend who gets stoned and is still in pain. Everyone reacts differently - just like tramadol works for some and not for others.
A know a few people in my autoimmune disease support group who use it for various issues (sleep, pain relief, spasms, etc.) They have also all had an adverse reaction at one time or another when trying a new strain, or using too much because they are in more pain, etc. One member of my group ended up in an ambulance after trying a new strain at the clinic and ended up unconscious for whatever reason! Kinda crazy what can happen when interacting with all the meds people take for all sorts of complex illnesses.
I live in WA state where it has been legal for awhile. Here the medibles market (medical marijuana edibles) is big for those who don't / can't smoke it. I know it helps a lot of people, whether ingested or smoked. One member of my group says one puff off a joint is enough to relieve her pain and help her sleep when nothing else did. Another eats 1/4 of a pot cookie when the pain gets too much. I have not tried it yet because I have kids at home and just don't want to go there yet (I might at some point if things get too bad).
I wouldn't put much stock in the anti-inflammatory properties of marijuana...I think you would have to use A LOT for a LONG period of time to get the safe effect as a few NSAID's.
If you have more questions I could pass them along to the MMJ users in my autoimmune disease support group and get some responses for you :)
Its an interesting topic and I agree it must be pretty hard to get reasonable data together to argue its efficacy! However, For the purposes of research(!!) I have done a bit of testing, I'm not sure if it acted as a pain reliever or I just didnt care anymore!
Joking aside, I do agree with lamb, its hard to argue its benefits when ur not sure whats in it and you have to smoke it, I'm not really advocating its use instead of advil.......maybe its just an occasional, "god I need a break from this and a good nights sleep" kind of a thing :)
Hi Marietta, I didnt see your reply before I posted, I would be very interested to hear from your MMJ friends, thx. I'm in AUS and its not legal here but readily available however I do really dislike having to smoke if I want to use it and would love the option of MMJ, just to try and see if it works well for me although I do apprieciate theres a downside to it too. Cheers :)
You mentioned you dislike to smoke it, have you tried infusing it into oil and baking with it, or making a tincture? Those are two ways people use it here. There are recipes online for how to use oils / tinctures / bake with it.
In my state, though it is legal, one must go to a dr. to get a "Green Card", show medical records (the last few visits), ID, etc. The evaluation to get the card costs $150-$200. People were getting authorized for much cheaper at festivals, etc, and the state cracked down on it. Then you an take the card to a MMJ dispensary to get the MJ / medible / whatever. Someone in my autoimmune group said it's about $50 for a 2 week supply, used every few days. So it is not inexpensive. Since I'm in the Seattle area there is a huge emphasis on organic strains / gluten free medibles / you name it.
sophie said:
Hi Marietta, I didnt see your reply before I posted, I would be very interested to hear from your MMJ friends, thx. I'm in AUS and its not legal here but readily available however I do really dislike having to smoke if I want to use it and would love the option of MMJ, just to try and see if it works well for me although I do apprieciate theres a downside to it too. Cheers :)
If it is approved for medicinal use. It would depend on the quantity used, the risks and side effects and interactions with other meds. For us who have been around for a while, we have already seen the results of excessive and long term use, from the hippies in the sixties and the ones who didn't get off it and stayed in a time warp. Marijuanna was so mild in comparison to what is on the market today especially with the hybrid types grown hydroponically.
Research has found that it can cause cells to mutate. What might this possible do to people with auto-immune diseases?
Marijuanna can cause Schizophrenia and other manic types of mental illness.
It also stops the normal emotional development in young people
40% higher risk for lung cancer. 40% more damage to your lungs than smoking tobacco causes.
Marijuanna is not as innocent as it is portrayed. Many young people ruin the best part of their lives because they become Psychologically dependant on smoking Pot.
Knowing what I do know, It is not for me.
It works for me and that's all the study I need. It reduces the naseau, relaxes my muscles and tendons from bracing against the pain all day, helps me get a restful sleep and it reduces the amount of pills I take. Smoke it for quick results and eat it for more mellow but longer lasting results. Use it or don't use it, it is entirely up to you! I recommend it. :-)
Bella, I too have been around a while. Whilst I agree it comes with problems I feel you are really overstating them. Just my opinion.
Marietta, Thx for that, beats chucking it randomly in a batch of cookies! It was really interesting to hear how they are managing the MMJ stuff in your country, cheers.
Johnny, Im with you :)
I hear from the second cousin of an in-law that it can help when nothing else works. You know, for those days when you’ve maxed out your NSAIDs, heat packs, tub soaks and opiates and still hurt like the dickens? Those are the times when it seems to work for above said very distant relative. I don’t think that regular pain management that it really helps at all. Back when I was a rebellious youth, I tried pot, and just never liked it. Smoking made my chest hurt from the coughing and then I couldn’t do anything because I was way too gorked out. However, I think that is the perfect state to be in if nothing else will get the pain abated.
I just want to say that there is no definitive proof that MJ causes schizophrenia. There is a link between the two, but science is still unsure what the link is. There are two hypotheses, one that people with biological risk factors for schizophrenia are more drawn to pot, and the other is that more than average use may cause schizophrenia.
It does not stop emotional growth in teens with average use. People who are already predisposed biologically and psychologically can and do become addicted to marijuana, but also can become addicted to other things as well.
As with everything else that is a medication, each person must decide for themselves what is best. It’s not my preferred method of pain control, but I defend your right to do so if it helps you.
I totally agree we are all entitled to our opinions. No offense taken and there never any meant from me. I have no idea what you mean when you make a comment without an explanation of why you feel that way.
The topic of this discussion after all was asking what other people thoughts are and what they think.
I put up my post to put up another view point to this debate. My reason was to make others aware that there are also other facts to consider that they might not know about. Perhaps these do need to read in the full context and anyone interested enough will do their own research.
The information that I put up was gained from a prominent Australian Neuro Scientist who had spent many years of his life doing research at a major hospital. It was his research into Schizophrenia and the fact that so many patients that had been regular using of Marijuana that developed into getting a Schizophrenia diagnoses. It was this reason that led him into the progression of researching into the affects of Cannibis use and the information I posted were parts of information that he spoke about on a Seminar I attended.
sophie said:
Bella, I too have been around a while. Whilst I agree it comes with problems I feel you are really overstating them. Just my opinion.
Marietta, Thx for that, beats chucking it randomly in a batch of cookies! It was really interesting to hear how they are managing the MMJ stuff in your country, cheers.
Johnny, Im with you :)
What many believe is that during the early stages of schizophrenia people try to control the onset of mild symptoms with marijuana, alcohol, or other street drugs. My brother in law actually has schizophrenia and used marijuana during the early stages. He said it helped keep his symptoms controllable until they became severe (about 2 years after initial symptoms appeared) at which point he got a diagnoses and moved to a psychiatrists care.
Since schizophrenia onset is most common during the high school / college years, and that is when most kids have the most access to marijuana, it makes sense that if they are having trouble and find it helps them control symptoms and make themselves feel better, they will use it. I do not think the "marijuana causes schizophrenia" is a current prominent theory.
bella said:
The information that I put up was gained from a prominent Australian Neuro Scientist who had spent many years of his life doing research at a major hospital. It was his research into Schizophrenia and the fact that so many patients that had been regular using of Marijuana that developed into getting a Schizophrenia diagnoses. It was this reason that led him into the progression of researching into the affects of Cannibis use and the information I posted were parts of information that he spoke about on a Seminar I attended.