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?

This is such a helpful thread .I'd love to encourage a friend who has AS ,Chrons and a host of ever changing painful conditions .

But @Vecnasnurse you say they direct you to a secure messaging app and you have to provide a screenshot of your conversation with them on Insta.
Is that simple for someone not v clued up on phones etc ?

And @thesootherfairy you can get a legal prescription privately would you be able to explain a bit more about this ? I'm pretty sure my friend wouldn't be prepared to ask his GP but he could provide copies of clinic letters etc which refer to his conditions .

@peridito
Your GP won't be any help. You need a private clinic. There a loads and it's all done over zoom and the meds arrive via Royal Mail or DPD.

If your friend is on a budget, Sapphire. Cheapest and cheapest MC out there. Really good service efficient portal. Can't fault it really.

www.sapphireclinics.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAyMKbBhD1ARIsANs7rEEo1Ai3oMaybvu1WJDpLwMNqE2uH4-JjQkiGokQ12Uugf6tEcpZKwoaAn0eEALw_wcB

Some people don't like Sapphire because they're owned by Curaleaf and therefore only really push their own products Adven. Adven is very decent and at £5 per gram. The cheapest out there.

If not on a budget there are lots and lots out there.
Have a look at this website. It's full of information on medical cannabis; which clinics, their costs, what pharmacies dispense and who their courier is, the actual medical cannabis products and the costs etc etc.

medbud.wiki/clinics/
There are 20 odd clinics offering MC in the Uk with more popping up all the time.

@peridito I'm with Sapphire clinic as they have the access scheme (I think that's what its called) so I get reduced fees in exchange for using my records with them as research.
I've had no issues with Curaleaf prescriptions they are very cheap and quick to deliver. The Adven flower is really good, I get huge benefits from it. I coukd get my vape with a prescription but it worked out cheaper on amazon so check prices before ordering the vape (I have Mighty Medic Plus)

@peridito no such hoops for me when I placed my Order. I just went to the website, paid and they arrived in the post. Maybe they’ve changed the way they operate - I don’t use IG, so that wouldn’t have worked for me

Gosh ,you're all so helpful .I'm wondering about the consultation .I guess it may vary from clinic to clinic but is it by phone? zoom? whatsapp ?
And if I'm reading correctly the clinic contacts the GP for records ?

Am I correct in thinking that the above process legalises/legitimises the purchase ?

@Hooverphobe -I like the sound of your approach I just went to the website, paid and they arrived in the post.And I think my friend (it really is my friend!) might prefer that .
He's too reticent to make the necessary fuss /phone calls and has I think given up hope of the NHS helping him .His latest add on symptom is a problem with the trigeminal nerve ,which ,apart from the pain is causing swollen lips and making it hard to eat .
His consultant ,who hasn't even seen or spoken to him ,talks very dismissively of it and suggests greater doses of gabapentin .But he's pretty wiped out already and fears that even more gabapentin will make that worse .

@peridito ive got MS with trigeminal neuralgia and it’s really no fun so he has my utmost sympathies. 😔

I slept very well last night. 😁

@peridito
If you get medical cannabis on prescription it is then legal. Legal to consume vape and possess.

It's zoom calls. I think they're all the same.

They usually contact the GP for summary care record. But you can also send any info and diagnosis from consultants directly when you apply.

"Yes, I smoke, but not always. I don't always get to twist and smoke usually. But my priority is to buy something like candy at https://purerawz.co/. The best way for me. Invisible to people and does not attract attention. People don't always realize it and won't ask unnecessary questions. Convenient. It's legal in my state, but the people I talk to don't see it as legal and straightforward. And very often, they look at me with contempt. I don't care about their opinion, though.
What's the best way to smoke? And what's the most unusual way you've seen?"

Quick question. Is there any problem with this if for example you work for the police, or the courts or border force or similar?

@KavvLar you'll have to find out. Depends why you are prescribed MC. If it is for chronic pain for example and the pain is linked to a disabling condition, you will have protection legally speaking and they the employer will have to make reasonable adjustments.

However this does not apply universally. For example if you're a surgeon or police interceptor driver. Medical cannabis won't mix with your job and youd have to make a choice.

Others are not able to use MC during the working day due to their jobs but can medicate at home in the evening.

If you're a lorry driver you won't be able to have medical cannabis and continue working. Pilot would be the same. Pilots wouldn't be able to have antidepressants and continue to work either. Or codeine etc.

Some employers can make the adjustments but others can't due to the nature of the work.

You could try taking legal advice but I can't imagine there is much out there at the moment as this is so new. Majority of employers won't yet have caught up or have a policy in place. I suspect for most jobs within the police, you would struggle with an MC prescription. Other than a desk processing job perhaps.

@thesootherfairy thank you for your helpful and informative response. As I suspected but good to know.

@thesootherfairy I didn’t know pilots couldn’t have antidepressants! Makes sense though misses the point

Sorry for bumping an old thread, but I am considering getting a prescription for MC for pain. Can anyone tell me how long it took from application with a private clinic to get an appointment with them? I'm wondering if it's dependent on getting my GP to co-operate with providing medical notes that might cause a long holdup.

Less then a week and I've changed clinics

From appt to delivery of medicine provided you meet the requirements to get a script ie approx 10 days

Xx

It will possibly depend on your GP. I enquired at the Sapphire and they required a summary of care from my GP for which I had to go in and sign forms for & GP took 1 month to produce this. In the meantime I developed tachycardia so awaiting a proper dx on this & I don't think medical cannabis is ok with heart problems so have had to put this on hold for now sadly. I imagine once the mmj clinic has your medical details, the process would be fairly swift & their doctor can assess & prescribe if all's well medically.

Cannabis affects me really badly, so even tiny microdosing levels make me feel dizzy and awful, for ages and ages.

It's such a shame because I would love to try something more natural, and am definitely reliant on opiates.

If you go to your GP reception, ask them to print your summary care records there and then scan it in and email to the clinic.
Much faster and easier.

Integro were 2 days from consultation with consultant to receiving first prescription.

It took a week from first phone call to them to getting my appointment. I had my SCR to email over along with letter from consultant with diagnosis etc so fairly simple.

It's quite quick if you obtain the scr yourself

I posted a while back in this thread. I decided to bite the bullet and try out MC. I got a prescription through Sapphire. So far it's been smooth. My GP took ages to make my medical notes available and, after my appt with the Sapphire dr it took a while for delivery. It was a 2 week wait just to get a Dr appointment over zoom too so the whole process did take a while.

I started my first dose of oil this morning. Does anyone want me to update now and then as to how it's going with helping my pain etc?

I have fibromyaliga, back problems, migraines, and lately terrible insomnia.

Hi @Lionoso fingers crossed it provides some relief .
Was the 2 week wait for zoom mtg with the Sapphire dr ?
And yes I'd like to know how you get on .

I considered the legal route but it seemed more expensive so I stayed on 'the darkside' I make my own edibles and it's great for sleeping plus a nice feeling of relaxation & euphoria at the end of the day.
I used to vape but my lungs feel better now that I dont!

Hi, me too. Have posted here previously. Don't use the internet as I worry about who's implicated. I get local, make oil and also like you and relaxed at the end of the day. I don't vape. I don't like the smell.

Do you make candy sweets or chocolate? I can't see the taste ever being disguised. I just have some oil on a teaspoon.

@Lionoso could you give an idea of how much it costs you for your prescription?

I just have some oil on a teaspoon
same here, I'm very careful with the dose because I find too much can make me feel woozy next day, I make mine so that I have about .02g of cannabis flower per dose. Taken on an empty stomach I find it starts to work after about 40 minutes.
Also I find that edible cannabis doesnt give such extreme munchies as the smoked/vaped version, which for me is a good thing!

Personally I love the smell but it upsets the neighbours so I only vape occasionally and with windows open & a fan on