Medical cannabis

[thesootherfairy]

Anyone else here tried medical cannabis?

I'm currently trying it. I suffer from chronic pain from ankylosing spondylitis with lots of peripheral symptoms.

I tried 9 different anti inflammatory drugs and lot of others for pain.

The clinic I spoke to were really helpful. I got my prescription about a month ago.

It is helping with the joint pain and tendonitis pain and stiffness. I've stopped using other forms of pain relief and I sleep better so feel less tired.

Anyone else?

@Vecnasnurse
Smoking it remains illegal.

You receive cannabis flower and you vape it in a dry herb vape (buy on Amazon or from clinic).

It doesn't smell because there's no combustion taking place. Just gently heating it.

You're not allowed to smoke it and clinic makes this clear.

You can get oil which is great too. Only thing is oil is harder to dose and takes practise.

I’ve got to the point I’ll try anything.I’ve had to stop work as it’s too much and I’m lucky my husband earns good wages.I’m greatful for the nhs for saving my life but arthritis has destroyed me having it on both knees-I’m only 56! I’m going to make an appointment-I’ve got nothing to lose in trying at least .

One of my relatives tried it but had mixed results. It definitely helped with pain but he said that sometimes it made him feel 'absent' and 'weird' and not in a good way.

For many people though, it's definitely a game-changer and if you have chronic pain etc, definitely worth a try. I can also recommend the Sapphire Climic! They were really good.

@Mollymalone123
That's exactly where I got to. Having tried 14 different medications with very little success.

I did take 9 months after my first consultation to decided.

I'm only sorry I didn't just go for it back then.

Cost wise. It's fine for me. Consultations will cost me around £200 to £250 a year.

The medication I'm not sure on end cost just now but I am expecting to be paying between £600 and £1100 a year.

Yes I wish it was available via NHS but NHS don't deliver with DPD so this is more convenient tbh.

And paying for the appointments means the doctors just seem to pay more attention and be more helpful. Again a nicer experience. Certainly nicer than my local hospital where the rheumatology dept are dire and staffed entirely by the rudest most dismissive people you could find.

My boyfriend is with Sapphire, his prescription is for ADHD and chronic pain. He spends £300 a month. He's shared some of the oil with me (I have arthritis and anxiety and he thought it might help). I've reduced my opiod use since trying it and am considering going to Sapphire myself, it's just the cost that puts me off.

@MilliwaysUniverse could you look at Integro and the access twenty21 scheme for reduced cost?

I know there are people with severe epilepsy who spend well over £1000 a month on oils.

It really should be available to everyone via NHS.

@Tiptoeingthroughthetulips
I know what you mean about absent. If I get the oil wrong which is easy then I do feel strange. They're quite strong.

Much easier to dose with the flower because it's almost instantly effective you can take a small amount and top that up if needed.

I find it takes 3 to 4 hours for the oil to kick in. Bit unpredictable but very effective. I find the anti inflammatory effect from the oil can last 24 hours before pain fully returns.

@thesootherfairy Interesting, thank you. Is cannabis flower the same as a bud of regular street cannabis? I wonder why smoking it in rizla mixed with tobacco is illegal, but gently heating it in a dry vape is legal? I'd love to see the legislation for that.

My dear departed dad used cannabis oil as part of his palliative care. He made his own using the Rick Simpson method of boiling down bud in a rice cooker. It became his hobby as well as a form of medication. It did wonders for him in coping with the awful side effects of palliative chemotherapy.

No need to be so patronising @Vecnasnurse
It is only legal to vape cannabis obtained via prescription. Smoking cannabis obtained on prescription is a criminal offence. It is because the combustion releases carcinogens just like smoking tobacco so isn't considered safe.

Vaping cannabis obtained via black market is illegal full stop under Misuse of Drugs act 1971.

And yes the flower that arrives in the prescription pot looks the same as black market cannabis flower.

And here if you'd like to read the 2018 amendments which now permit prescription cannabis

publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/cbill/2017-2019/0108/18108.pdf

I wasn't patronising you, I am genuinely interested. Thanks for the info.

I know a chemist who works for boots - she said they're working on a cannabis derived painkiller. Not sure when or if it will make it through though.

So if you're using stuff that costs £5 a gram, 600-1200 a year, you're using about 0.3-0.7 gram a day. I don't really know how much weed a person would smoke if they were aiming to get high as a "guage".

How do the oils differ from the flowers? Presumably you consume the oils via something edible?

Are they specially bred to have a reduced quantity of hallucinogens in them? I can see it's a great lifeline if you haven't had success with conventional painkillers etc but I have various friends who either had very very bad reactions to weed or for whom I remain concerned it exacerbates their mental health problems, and this would be something I would really worry about if it was something I was looking at.

How does it work with driving etc - presumably you can't drive if you take it, which must be difficult?

And then, final question, sorry: do they have any idea yet of the mechanisms by which it works? Is it inflammation reduction primarily?

Yes I used medical cannabis every day for 3 months prescribed by private hospital for chronic back pain. It did not help me, I often felt quick sick and it didn't help me with pain sadly. Plus it was crazy expensive.

I didn't vape. Mine was an oil, I had to take an increasing amount 4-5x a day via a syringe under my tongue. I was with integro. It was repulsive.

Would any of you who use a prescription not just buy it from a reliable and safe source and smoke it? I looked at all the prescriptions and the cost and couldn't see the benefits being worth the costs.

@GreySmall ooohh. That sounds so interesting. Fingers crossed they get there soon.

@BryceQuinlanTheFirst
Sorry you had a bad experience. I expect it doesn't work for everyone.
I find the oil really really strong compared to the flower. I wouldn't like to use the oil daily. I use it if I have a flare up. The flower is much easier to manage and nowhere near as strong. It doesn't make you feel sick either.

@Augend23 you can get high using medical cannabis. Cannabis doesn't cause hallucinations. You're confusing it with lsd.
The component THC which can get you high is also what works as a pain relief and anti inflammatory. So no that hasn't been removed or it wouldn't work.

Just like you can get high on codeine you've bought over the counter from Boots if you misuse it.

Of course I can drive and work etc. what I can't do is use the oil or flower and get straight in the car. It's no different with prescription codeine. You cannot drive on that either. You have to wait about 3 hours before getting behind the wheel.
I take my medical cannabis in the evening. I find the anti inflammatory after effects last through most of the following day.

If I need to I can take a small amount when I get back from work and then my bedtime dose.

As I said I don't need a lot. Others have far more difficult conditions to manage such as epilepsy or cancer pain which require much higher and more frequent doses.

Not me but my mum suffers horribly with her RA. Just just spent the summer with me in BC. I took her to the dispensary & she picked up a bunch of stuff to try. Gummies, beverages, balms, vapes, bath salts. She used the balm throughout the day & had a low level gummie (5mg) twice a day. Honestly after a week she was like a new woman. Pain reduced & sleeping better than ever without the horrible effects of the methotrexate. The UK are really missing a trick because you also pay a lot of tax on government weed products.

Of course they can drive, they have to prove that they have the medication legally and are using it in accordance with the instructions from their prescriber, and there has to be no evidence of impaired driving. So, as OP said, that would usually mean waiting 3 hours before getting behind the wheel.

You can find a statement of fact that is handy for those with these medications to carry with them here, there is a link on the website.

cannabishealthnews.co.uk/2022/07/26/story22-what-does-uk-law-medical-cannabis-driving/#:~:text=The%20UK%20law%20requires%20that%20drivers%20tell%20the,which%20medical%20cannabis%20is%20commonly%20used%20is%20epilepsy.

@badbaduncle I've bought from a friend who grew occasionally but she's died now. It's cheaper buying street weed but with county lines it's impossible to make a safe buy unless you know a grower personally.
I stopped driving because of the opiates and my illness so it wasn't a change for me.
Now if I know I'm driving i medicate accordingly.I'd prefer to smoke it (am an ex smoker though) can't get the hang of vaping but I don't because I worry I'll lose my prescription.

Ahhhh I know quite a lot of Rastafarians so didn't think about the county lines aspect. My dad is a farmer and grows it organically for me and 2 friends, he smokes it recreationally. It's not skunk, it's specifically for anti inflammatory and pain relief. If my dad didn't grew it for me I'd learn to do it myself at this stage. I can't afford to get a private script and will never ever go back to Opiates

How would they know you are smoking it instead of vaping it ?

I smoke it frequently to help with arthritis and insomnia. I can't afford a private prescription so buy it from a friend of a friend who grows it in his spare room. It's truly a miracle plant and fully agree that pharmaceuticals are blocking its legality here because it would render them useless for so many ailments.

Thank you @thesootherfairy , this thread is amazingly interesting and thanks for all the information especially re project21. I'm glad mmj helped you. My head's in a whirl as I've actually been researching medical marijuana today for chronic neuropathy & trying to weigh up which clinic is best then bingo, came across your post! May I ask you a few questions. Does the GP need to be informed and does the clinic liase with them ? Also does MMJ clash with any medications to your knowledge?
I was astounded to learn the UK is the biggest producer/exporter of medical cannabis & legalized it here in 2018 & yet the NHS will barely authorize it.

The only way would be if someone reported to the police and they troubled themselves to attend.
You will have seen from mnet how angry it makes some people so I wouldn't risk pissing any neighbours off and attracting criticism of prescription cannabis users.
I wouldn't want any disruption to my meds.

If I were at all green fingered and had the right info I'd grow my own but I can't even keep dandelions alive.