Cannabis and chronic pain...

AdultCat · 2021-05-31T08:55:18+00:00

Does anyone have experience with using cannabis as pain relief? My dad is awaiting treatment but in constant pain. He is on a mixture of painkillers but he wants to try cannabis as he's desperate. I have no experience with this though and am worried about him smoking it with all the medication he's on. We have managed to 'source' some but I've not told him I've got it yet... Please can anyone help as it's so upsetting to see him in so much pain 😢

5usa · 31/05/2021 10:07

You can get it prescribed from legal clinics now. Smoking is never an option though - people usually vape it or have it in an oil. It is very effective for some people who live with terrible pain.

TheUser420 · 31/05/2021 10:18

What is the condition ? You may be better of looking at a more specific website for detailed advice from people who breed, grow and refine it.

If your father doesn't smoke then it's not a great idea to start with cannabis - better off vaping (as noted previously) or making some edibles using the fact that THC and CBD are soluble in oils so lend themselves to cakes.

However none of this applies if you are sourcing the shit on the streets - who knows what that's been adulterated with.

whatnow41 · 31/05/2021 10:26

I've recently begun using cannabis oil from a specialist pain clinic. I have a legal prescription and it's dispensed from a pharmacy, is medical grade quality and obviously I know exactly what I'm taking. I think it will be a bit of trial and error to begin with in getting the right THC/CBD ratio and dose age to help me. From oil you definitely don't get high, but I believe if you get the prescribed flower and vape it then you still do. I've never smoked and don't want to begin vaping or getting high.

It's expensive though and definitely my last option, as I've spent 9 yrs trying everything else. It's £65 for a consultation, £25 for a prescription/dispensing fee, and £150 for a 50ml bottle of oil that should last 1 month.

I can totally understand why lots of people will source from the streets and try the illegal route, especially when you don't know if it will work for you or not.

TheUser420 · 31/05/2021 10:41

I can totally understand why lots of people will source from the streets and try the illegal route, especially when you don't know if it will work for you or not.

The problem with that is you are almost guaranteed not to be getting cannabis (which rather blunts the scare stories used to dissuade folk).

That's why people grow their own. They know 100% what they are getting, what was used in it's cultivation and what sort of product they are getting at the end. It also ensures they aren't giving money to criminals which seems to worry so many people on MN.

Well, the wrong crminals, after all, we all have to pay tax.

Original poster

AdultCat · 31/05/2021 10:42

Thank you for the replies..
He's already a smoker, around 5 cigars a day.
His has a degenerative spine condition which means every so often it traps nerves and leaves him in tears. He's on 20something painkillers a day but they're not touching it.
An ambulance took him in to a&e yesterday but they gave him gas and air and sent him home. He's waiting on another scan to see what the plan can be but in the mean time he can't do anything and is in agony.
A trusted friend has given me a sample joint to see how he gets on but my mum is worried because of mixing it with his medication... I'm clueless, ibroprofen is about my limit!!

OP posts:

TheUser420 · 31/05/2021 16:38

Ah - well in that case may as well smoke it. Makes it easier to titrate.

In terms of interactions with pharmaceuticals, unless someone is taking something very niche there's no interactions to really consider.

(The only thing I can think of would be a medicine that was specifically intended to produce emesis, as cannabis does have a mild anti emetic property - hence it's use by chemo patients who otherwise wouldn't keep any food down).

However I repeat myself: if it's street-bought there's a high chance it won't be 100% cannabis. After all, who's regulating it ?

Asimovs · 13/09/2021 14:36

For actual pain relief I find Paracetamol better. However I find Cannabis changes the way I perceive the pain. Based on the misery suggested by your description I would suggest he tries to get some relief via cannabis.

All the best

TheUser420 · 13/09/2021 16:01

@Asimovs

For actual pain relief I find Paracetamol better. However I find Cannabis changes the way I perceive the pain. Based on the misery suggested by your description I would suggest he tries to get some relief via cannabis.

All the best

The mechanism for analgesia with cannabis isn't exactly known. Much as with all analgesics, actually.

However the analgesic effect is not directly a function of cannabis' psychotropic qualities. Or TL;DR it's possible to take cannabis to ease pain and not feel a "high".

All of which being said very little research is going to be put towards the matter unless and until something can be patented out of it.

Suzi888 · 13/09/2021 16:04

Ask his GP - I’ve a friend whose husband has a degenerative condition and he smokes it and went through his GP. It’s important they know, but they won’t judge.

TheUser420 · 13/09/2021 16:27

@Suzi888

Ask his GP - I’ve a friend whose husband has a degenerative condition and he smokes it and went through his GP. It’s important they know, but they won’t judge.

Just be aware that your medical records are not confidential. And that's before you remember that if your GP - or another doctor at the surgery - decides to inform the authorities (for your own good, of course) then you are up the proverbial without the proverbial and no comeback.

In some cases, silence is certainly safer, if not golden.

PinkFootstool · 13/09/2021 16:31

@TheUser420 a GP isn't going to report someone for using cannabis unless they are putting themselves or others at risk, ie smokin until they are too stoned to care for young children or driving whilst off their faces 🙄

My friend's mum has MS. She's drunk cannabis tea for the last 25yrs. Brews a pot in the morning and sips it cold through the day. She credited it with keeping her off morphine for a full 15+yrs until she had no choice.

cultkid · 13/09/2021 16:33

Yes it worked so well but don't use the medical cannabis clinic they are total idiots

cultkid · 13/09/2021 16:33

Project twenty21 google it xx

SalsaLove · 13/09/2021 16:35

My extremely anti-drug SIL smokes cannabis twice a day to manage her MS pain. She said she wouldn’t be without it.

TheUser420 · 13/09/2021 17:42

[quote PinkFootstool]@TheUser420 a GP isn't going to report someone for using cannabis unless they are putting themselves or others at risk, ie smokin until they are too stoned to care for young children or driving whilst off their faces 🙄

My friend's mum has MS. She's drunk cannabis tea for the last 25yrs. Brews a pot in the morning and sips it cold through the day. She credited it with keeping her off morphine for a full 15+yrs until she had no choice.[/quote]
I am afraid I know people whose GPs have reported them based on their views. The old adage about secrets applies here.

Not quite sure of the efficacy of a tea preparation. Cannabinoids aren't water soluble. I guess you could steep milk in the preparation and then use that - much as you use butter to dissolve the cannabinoids to then make cakes, biscuits, or other edibles.

Crinkle77 · 13/09/2021 18:27

You can put it in cakes and stuff but no idea about how much to put in.

Astella22 · 13/09/2021 18:46

Just empty the top of a cigar and refil mixing in the cannabis with the tobacco. Start slow with a small amount and see how he gets on. It shouldn’t effect other medications but if he wants to be sure he could ask his GP saying is is only considering it. I wouldn’t admit it as any record that is digitalised is open to misuse.

TheUser420 · 13/09/2021 19:33

@Crinkle77

You can put it in cakes and stuff but no idea about how much to put in.

This is where sourcing a reliable and consistent supply comes in. Hence Grow Your Own.

Ingested cannabis takes a while to take effect - so you need to be very careful and spend a lot of time tweaking the dosage until you reach the desired point. There's also a different path to the breakdown of cannabinoids which can make it hard to compare how much you need from smoking with how much you need to ingest.

Smoking is almost instant and therefore much easier to titrate.

Branleuse · 13/09/2021 19:37

Worth a try

Plumtree391 · 13/09/2021 19:52

@AdultCat

Thank you for the replies.. He's already a smoker, around 5 cigars a day. His has a degenerative spine condition which means every so often it traps nerves and leaves him in tears. He's on 20something painkillers a day but they're not touching it. An ambulance took him in to a&e yesterday but they gave him gas and air and sent him home. He's waiting on another scan to see what the plan can be but in the mean time he can't do anything and is in agony. A trusted friend has given me a sample joint to see how he gets on but my mum is worried because of mixing it with his medication... I'm clueless, ibroprofen is about my limit!!

As your dad is already a smoker, he might just as well smoke a joint instead of a cigar. He doesn't need to use a lot of tobacco.

If he doesn't know how to roll his own, you can buy cigarette rolling machine. They are easy enough to use. Some people use a weed grinder too so they can sprinkle powder on top of the tobacco more evenly than clumps of weed, seeds, etc.

RicarBorn · 06/01/2022 14:40

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YouCantTourniquetTheTaint · 06/01/2022 14:46

I have, and it wasn't prescribed.

I have 2 herniated disks, plus issues with my lower spine, I take a cocktail of tablets every day, a butec patch plus 4 medications.

When I tried it, it was like I didn't have a back problem, I actually got tonnes of stuff done, that I normally couldn't manage, so I am not saying give it to him. I am just telling you my experience, which was positive.

YouCantTourniquetTheTaint · 06/01/2022 14:47

Bugger sorry I didn't realise this was an old thread, sorry

doadeer · 06/01/2022 14:50

I'm on medical cannabis which I take in a syringe - it still has THC in unlike CBD oil over the counter. I was told very few clinics in UK offer this? I get it privately through consultant. It's very expensive

oliverkell · 29/07/2022 17:29

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