Am asking for a friend of my....well nots go into that suffice to say I was shocked when I was asked as they are very conservative peeps and quite elderly.
Is there a strain out there that kills the pain of arthritis? I dont think he can cope anymore, to the point that his wife asked me about weed painkilling properties. It must be severe for him as normally I would expect a different reaction regarding "cannabis". Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated as I am new to growing and dont know the different qualities of different strains......thanx peeps

Ms Powerband

i just answered a similar question on this board..

the old pure indica strains are just for that kind of pain.
weed doesnt exactly kill pain , but allows you to cope with it , the result is that the patient thinks it just hurts less..


afghani , k2, afghan deligh, and other very purely indica strains have a lot of CBD in them.
Afghani#1 by sensi seeds is one of my favourites,its a very good medicinal smoke.

most very squat , and short dark green , wide leaved plants are indica.
Indicas arent reallt popular in nowadays commercial trade, because its too good of a smoke( spoils the customer) , and the yield is somewhat less, that strains like Santa Maria, and Poperplant / snowbud.

I myself use pure indicas as a medication , and smoke a bit of santa maria, so i wont get too couclocked/lethargic.
Santa Maria is an energizer , wich makes one a bit more elegant, smooth...afghan makes me a bit grumpy.

together , afghan and santa maria, they make a perfect combimation for a new user...
if i were you , id get me pure indica seeds, and santa maria..

good luck!

Thank you Yoda,
I am growing some W/Russian at the moment, I believe its an Indica well mostly, do you think that might help?
When its ready I could give him some to try I suppose before he dives into a new world
Just shows, pharmaceuticals medication aint worth it! I think if it helps I will show him uk420......just seems strange talking to peeps who have always poo poohed pot as a bad thing

Again thanx Yoda, Ms Powerband

I would imagine White Russian to be quite an effective variety for pain relief as are most White strains, serious seeds also advertise White Russian as being a medicinal plant.


be a bit careful about giving this variety to the inexperienced though as it might blow their socks off, make sure they keep the dosages very low to start with.

yes indeed white russian is a branch of the more trippy kind..strong head rush to be expected.
effective , but with some serious side effects..: getting high

pharmaceutical help is necassery sometimes...
cannabis is capable of lowering someones morphine intake , cuz it amplifies its effect.

but i recommend your friend to start doing meditation , and growing indicas on soil....life will be good

try to not grow strains that are meant to "knock socks off"these strains so contain lots of cbd, but the ratio thc/vs cbd is all skrewed up...niice for a little get-together with a friend, totally unsuitable as daily medication..
really ...afghan weed is best...it calms the mind , rather than messing with it/or fucking it up..

whitre russian is in no way a suitable ambassador for a newbie med smoker... just so you know

Never thought about that! It would zap him into another world
Maybe first I should make him some of my loveley orange and walnut rock cakes with just a taste, to see how he gets on?
Thank you for your help, cos it never even crossed my mind. Im used to it and my first lot of growing Mazar knocked me out! And my friends!
Good feedback in here, thats why I love it,

Ms Powerband

Indeed. My GP does not approve of Ganja, but was a tad amazed when I asked her to reduce the Pethidine script by 50%. And I still don't use half of that.
Before growing I was on around 100mg to 200mg a day plus about 240mg of Codeine. Now an average day is 60Mg of Codeine and 50 of Pethidine if it is needed (about 3 times a week on average).

And Yoda is dead right about this - Cannabis doesn't really kill Arthritis pain like an analgesic opioid does, but it does dissociate the user from the pain, and that is interpreted as relief by them. It can also relax muscles that have become stiff or even gone into spasm due to skeletal probs. Plus, it does help one see a funny side to things, which is very important in a chronic pain situation.

I also hear that Cannabis Cream for external application is very useful for local arthritis.

All the above said, I am growing a Sugarloaf phenotype, which is said to be "very good for Arthritis". We'll see

like arnold says, its dissacosiation that weed helps you to do.

i dont think you will find a strain that actualy kills pain,if you can please let me know as i too have to rely on opioids.try kushes,they have good narcotic affect.another med user freind of mine gifted me some hinu kushxblackwidow seeds a while ago,i find this to be a great help for the night time.

hope you can find a good one for your freind.

good luck.

scott

My parents both suffer with Arthritis and my father has on 1 occasion only, had a joint with me but didn't like it...made him feel sick...Mum wont even entertain the idea...old stock..'its illegal for a reason y'know'
is there any other way apart from smoking or cooking that i can give it to them, he's willing but not a smoker
cheers

You could try a vapouriser mate....they work a treat. Would be great if you could borrow one to try rather than forking out ££££ ???

tell yer mom >
its illegal , because pharmaceutical companies have fought to make it illegal.
The cannabis plant costs pharmac. companies billons of dollars..

People that smoke bud/ hash , on avarage use less pain killers, aspirin , anti depressants, calming aids, and opium derivates.

Meanwhile , the plant is free of any patents, and doenst require a lot of financial funds to be produced.

Its illegal , bacause it is good for you.
How strange it may sound, but most of what we eat/drink isnt good for you.
Refined sugars, food additives, 2% of ingredients you dont have to name ob the label , lots of shit happening.
Fluoride is added to drinkwater / toothpaste, beacause otherwise , companies that produce fluoride as a waste product would have to pay for the waste ( fluoride) to bet littered elsewhere.

cigarettes arent illegal, and so arent fire-arms.( USA were talking bout).

In UK , you cant even make a BDSM video of you and your mrs.... so if something is illegal , usually its pretty good

in the case of cannabis ... many studies have showed that households were everybody was using cannabis were more ordened, happier, and better organized ( studies on cannabis use in Jamaica)

In Mexico , studies showed that areas where almost many people used cannabis , much less medicines were used...

Cannabis is too cheap , for pharmacetical companies to produce, so at this very moment companies like GW Pharmaceuticals are doing teste on medicines based on cannnabis, so people will get those pills, instead of ordering seeds,...

tell yer mom she shouldnt take a general stanpoint of view, but do some actual resarch and thinking herself.

Medicene Man or Black domina,Critical Mass[all Mr nice seeds]all heavy indicas

Is that "heavy" because its strong?
Got to be careful here cos the chap dont even smoke tobacco

Ms Powerband

they are all proper wipeout strains, definately not for the novice imho.

medicine man is the strongest headrush i ever encountered actually.
Trust me I aint a lightweight..
its a cross of White Widow ( slight sativa influence there) and afghan#1 .
it was a pleasant smoke to be inhaled ( loads of resin) but also a bit scratchy on the throat ( i guess thats from the little flower branches you find in White widow).

my honest opinion, medicine man is too much.
Kush is a good one..

afghani, top44 ( i kid u not , it is very nice mellow smoke), k2, and a lot of african x afghan crosses are best to be smoked as pain medication me think..

I would go with top44, quick harvest and a mild smoke. Will deffo at least let him get the hang of it.

Pot of Gold is an excellent plant for pain reduction

they dont need to smoke it

they can cook with it, make choccy with it,

Seems strange finding this post again.... not long got back from the Doctors and been told I have arthritis in my left wrist and thumb
The real strange thing is that last wk I made some hash cakes and realised for the first time why peeps use canna for pain. This batch seemed to have a quality of numbness about them Think Im gonna go and scoff one , while I debate this situation I really cant afford to be having arthritis if I wanna blow me metal! Might be time to put me trumpet down

Ms Powerband

What about the Doctor, from greenhouse seeds. Heard thats meant to be really good, hence the name

i suffer from arthiritis in my wrists and elbows .. i recently bought one of those magnetic bangles which is made of copper mix .. believe it or not the pain has been reduced considirably ...

would yoda .. or someone else consider Mazar to be of medicinal use ??

Maybe the 'Doctor' from Greenhouse seeds. Has a high CBD level and the beans are cheap at £13 for 5 feminized.

LS

yeah smeagol my nan and grandad use those, its helped them too.

Thanks for that! I've heard good things about the Doctor. It has pretty high THC levels too doesnt it? And £13 for 5 femmed seeds is a bargain in my eyes. Once I get my lights, I think I'll give the doc a go.

On the subject of painkillers, I'm temporarily back on NHS meds until I can source some clean green. I got put onto something called Acupan (Nefopam) (60mg x 3 a day) for the 1st time, and it is more effective than many pain killing meds I've been on in the past - except it makes me constipated to high heaven and makes me sweat profusely.

Nobody I know has ever been on them or have even heard of them... I mistrust anything chemical, but I need to use something in the interim drought period. Have any of you been on them? Are they dengerous? Anything I should watch out for apart from shitting lead bricks once a week?

Also - for those who have been on or are on NHS meds, what is the most effective painkiller for neuropathic/nerve pain? My pain has become pretty bad over the past 3-4 months, and to the point where I'm probably going to have to use pharms + weed to combat it. Any advice & warnings would be greatfully appreciated.

Hey stuwyatt, I've been using Acupan (Nefopam hdrochloride) for the last 10 months daily and find them to be ok. Can't say I get constipated from them but do get the sweats like you say, nothing too bad though. I'm allergic to morphine based meds so it rules out a lot of pain killers and the doctor (after scratching his head and consulting many books) decided that Acupan were the best. I've relied on these pain killers and smoking copious amounts of the finest weed. I had my arm sewn back on after a fuckup so its a little sore still, I've managed to cut myself down to just smoking copious amounts of the finest weed and one night time dose of meds to aid sleep. Oh yeah I found it makes you quite drowsy sometimes so quite good for helping sleep too. Overall they are pretty good/effective with few side effects for me. Hope this helps. Hh.


Edit, Having had my arm ripped off and crushed I experienced some nerve pain and palsy luckily I have most sensation and use of my arm back but as you probably understand damaged nerves and the like can hurt so the reason for the edit was to say that these meds have helped in that way especially. If you got any more Qs let me know and I'll try to help. Hh.

Thanks Hazyhead. You are the first person I've found who is also on these tablets, and your reassurances are a relief. One other side effect I've been having is a numb throbbing pain in the right side of my abdomen... I had put it down to constipation pains, but after a bit of reading tonight, I've found that acupan is not too kind on the liver. Have you had similar pains/liver probs since taking these tablets?

I got fucked up on gabapentin and amitryptiline last year (they sent me totally sideways), so those drugs and also the gabapentin related drug lyrica are also out of the question for me. Despite frequent requests, my GP is still refusing to prescribe opiate medicine.... Im not allergic to opiates, and I dont think that I am in the 'at risk' category for abuse, yet my GP does not give me a satisfactory reason for his denial to prescribe what I know I need. I've used black market diazepam before to aid sleep, and a blister pack of 30 tablets lasted me over 3 months.

Its been nearly 2 weeks now since I started taking acupan, and the sweats are not reducing. If anything, the tablets have screwed up my sleeping patterns totally - Im getting 3 hours max and have had the most bizarre lucid dreams/nightmares on them. While they are an effective analgesic, Im really not sure they are the ones for me.

Thanks again

Shit, I'd better put down my beer (only the 4th) and try and quit the 'trptylines. I'm taking a low dose of 'tryptyline for sleep - ha ha, at the end of all my woes with my arm I can gain a dependancy on meds and fuck my liver up, brilliant.

Sorry I don't mean to make light of a serious thing and I haven't experienced pains in relation to my liver (picks beer back up). I try to keep to a minimum when taking these meds sometimes skipping a few doses - yeah a shitty night ensues but a coupla blunts always helps and UK420 of course. The only problem I've encountered so far is that I'm well grumpy in the morning but then who is'nt. Hh.

Due to problems with production, my usual analgesic (Pethidine) is no longer available and I am now using Oramorph 10mg-to-5ml liquid oral solution (Morphine Sulphate).
Now, here's a tip: I was unable to use Morphine a few years ago, made me seriously ill and psychotic. But this time with a gentle titration I have been able to get myself onto the Oramorph without a single side-effect other than what one would expect - a certain euphoria, tiredness, and floating into gouch-land. So if you've tried Opioids before and found that you did not get on to well with them, its worth another try later on because it might just be a temporaray problem with Opioid(s) that you've experienced. It was for me.
That said, I have had some severe and really very unpleasant shoulder and thoracic pain over the last day or so, I think a bunch of nerves are snarled up in my upper throracic as my right arm is "Hot, hollow and throbbing with pain with occasional electric peeks of extreme pain", as well as my neck/shoulder being exteremly painful with some rather nasty spasms going on. Cannabis stops me from getting too wound up about this, but does nowt for the pain. But it does help the Morphine and together they have given me some much needed sleep as well as a measure of pain-control.

"Pain-killer". I dunno, only IV Opioids seem able to "kill" pain IME. Day-to-day its all about control and management.

Oh, forgot to say - StuW, I had a bad reaction to Gabapentin, but am fine on Pregabalin (Lyrica). Its certainly worth a try, its very different from Gabapentin.

Thanks for your comments and suggestions. Im just off to the docs now. Re: lyrica, just knowing how the drug works is enough to scare me. It does something to the neurons in the brain in the same way as Gabapentin, but the scientists dont actually know what it does or why it works... These types of drugs really scare me - especially after my gabapentin psychosis of last year. I've since learned that other than the listed side effects of Gabapentin, its been found to cause osteoperosis, screws up the cardio-vascular system and can cause permanent neurological damage....

I know that Lyrica is the kinder of the two drugs, but my current absence of weed, I really want a painkiller that wont screw me up long term...

Thanks again.

Me too
I hope to titrate down and off the Pregabalin soon; I don't know that long-term it has been all that effective. In fact, its doing nowt - I am experiencing pain storms more frequently and fiercely than ever at the moment Hmmm, yes, deffo time to titarte down and off. Fekk 'em!
Mind you, they worked very well at the beginning

This gets scarier! I was on Gabapentin for nearly 2 yrs as I recall.....but it was for my epileplsy

I'm now wondering if it could've aggravated the parts of me that are falling apart?
Gabapentin for arthritis? Gonna have to look into this, and also find a good weed to make me forget, cos I cant stand this wrist and hand pain. It also inteferes with everything that I hold dear.. That being wood cutting and trumpet playing.....

Ms Powerband

My GP is on holiday. The locum refused to change my current medication, or discuss any problems with the current meds. I've just necked a load of prune juice, so hopefully I'll have my 2nd dump in a fortnight soon....


There is every chance that you were on a low dose - so fingers crossed it didnt do you any damage. For epilepsy, the dosage is normally around 300mg-600mg a day - however, to get nerve pain relief, you've got to take around 1800-2400mg a day! I think I was on the 2400mg dose when I went mad (Im not epileptic - so you can imagine the war that was going on in my brain).

Im sorry you are having probs doing the things you love. As an ex violinist, I share your pain and frustration.

Analgesic doses of Pregabalin are a lot lower - I'm on 150mg twice a day. That's medium/moderate dose. Pain Clinics have a habit of just upping the dose as effectiveness declines though.
Mind you, you need to titrate off it carefully, it has some really nasty withdrawals otherwise.

I find a tablespoon of Hempseed oil every morning is a good solution to the constipation Stu

I'm gonna give that a go. Thanks for the headsup Arnold

This pain you have in your wrist, I have been wondering does it have anything to do with your addiction to powerballs?

I had to come off the acupan in the end... I needed a dump so badly, and the prune-juice/hemp oil/sennacot was only producing micro-poos... not enough to really help my bursting bowel. I was sweating so much on it too, and my sleep patterns were virtually non-existent.

My GP was on holiday, and the locum was reluctant (almost dismissive of my complaints) to give me a new prescription... so I've more or less given up on getting anything legal and safe for the pain. Heres hoping Dr Zajicek will be kind and offer me Sativex when I see him later this month

Also - I made an error with the epileptic dosage for gabapentin in an earlier post - the recommended dosage is 300mg x 3 a day for bipolar/epilepsy.

Not having a pop at you Stu, but I felt this illustrates so well a point I feel needs making over and again:
UK420 is not a medical site. We are not doctors or nurses. Any info shared here is purely ancedotal and untrained. No one should trust what they read here and take it as medical advice - it isn't. For proper medical advice, especially about doses of drugs, drugs prescriptions, interactions and contra-indications etc etc should consult your GP or Medical Consultant.
Just a word to the wise, really. But important.

Thanks for the reminder Arnie

I particularly worry when a member who has just been prescribed a drug is warned off it by other members quoting cut-and-paste lists of scary side effects, despite the fact that it may potentially have real benefit for them

Just to illustrate this point, imagine a 420 member asking about drug x that they have been prescribed for pain relief, and being given this list of common side effects:

Sickness
dizziness
fatigue
confusion
disorientation
loss of balance
poor concentration
difficulty speaking
blurred vision
drowsiness
changed sense of taste
vertigo
constipation
dry mouth
weakness
anorexia
losing touch with reality.

A list like this along with a few horror stories could easily discourage them from starting the drug at all, which would be a shame because in this case "drug x" is the cannabis tincture Sativex - the above list is just some of the common side effects listed in its patient info leaflet. These plus others are the side effects that cannabis as a drug is considered to have, but it's one that most 420 members happily put in their body on a daily basis without incident.

All drugs have side effects, and like Arnie says the decision to start, discontinue, or change the dose of a prescribed drug should be based on proper medical advice from a healthcare professional, not on what strangers on a cannabis cultivation site say

Each and everyone is unique, there is not one medication that fits all, it is all trial and error.

To advise another of your particualar side effects or not, maybe your advice , but its bad advice, the only person you should be talking to about negative side effects is the medic who has prescribed for you.

The use of anti epilesy drugs for nuropathy is well documneted in a positive light, as is tri cyclics for spinal dystonia and spasm.

Point taken, and fair enough. I wouldn't harp on about gabapentin so much if it wasnt for the fact that I know Im far from alone with my experiences with it. If anything, I hope that it will bring to the attention of users of this medication to bring up the raised points with their GP, and also be aware of them so that they can monitor themselves.

For those who find that gabapentin works with them, Im happy for you... and also infinitely jealous.

Stu,

Ask your doc if Movicol is okay for you, you can regulate the dose yourself depending upon just how desperate you are. It's a powder that you mix up with water yourself.

scoobs

Not having a pop at you Arnold but it should also be mentioned that much of the advice given by drs and nurses is also wrong and these people show a tendency to dish out pharmaceutical medication in all instances often giving out toxic substances that do nothing but harm to those seeking help whilst knocking any alternative type of treatment.
The medical profession doesn't hold all the answers yet medical professionals claim that they do and that they are the only ones to be listened to when it is plain to read from the many threads on here and elsewhere that in many instances all they do is poison an already sick patient.

Trychs, its simple really: A medical Practitioner has years of training, unlike any patient or man-on-the-web. They are also covered by high levels of 3rd party insurance in case of mishap or mistake. This site is neither of those two things. Therefore any advice is purely anecdotal and without any theoretical backing. Sharing experiences is one thing, doling out potentially bad and harmful advice is another.
I would trust my GP over a simple patient TBH, especially when it comes to things like medicines and dosages.
I agree many doctors are less than one would hope. But that is no excuse to abandon oneself to a plethora of untrained and uninsured advice.
I can sue my GP/Consultant. But who do I sue when things go wrong after following bad advice found on "the web"?
I can get a second medical opinion, discuss with a range of medically qualified folks when considering medical options with a doctor. But on the Web, all you get is (frequently angry) patients who at best are no more than self-procalimed experts.

I know which I trust more.

Caveat Emptor, is, I guess, what I was trying to say.

Mind you, I have never come across a doctor who claimed he "knew all the answers". Have you, really? My GP must be the one good apple in a very rotten barrel if what you say is true.

Thanks Scoobs for the meds recommendation. I'll ask my doc when he gets back from his hols. I only really want to take any chemical meds when the pain is bad... so this sounds ideal!

Both Trychs and Arnold have very valid points.
Arnold in his role as a medi Admin had to clarify his point, and rightly so...
Trychs brought up the point that many GP's and specialists are very misinformed.

My experiences are more with Trych than Arnold... If you, Arnold, have total faith in your GP, then he sounds like one of the rare 'good ones' and you are lucky - very lucky. I've been through 5 GP's in 2 years, and they haven't been able to help me one bit so far...

Just a word from a member,

The mods make a good point, which needs to be made. Realise everyone appreciates that, but would like to reiterate it from the outset.

Scoobs advice seems good to me and is worth asking your gp about.

It's worth chatting to the phamacist too. If u can't get a gp appt. straight away then the pharmacist may well be able to help/ advise in the interim untill you can get a gp appt.

As a former nurse I can say that we always used to ask pharmacists rather than drs where possible about meds. Pharmacists' training equips them to know about drugs and their interactions better than most drs. My partner's still a nurse and she says she goes to the pharmacist for solid research - based knowledge. Drs go to pharmacists for knowledge (or read medical journals which in turn are informed by pharmaceutical research !)

Pharmacists can advise over any symptoms and they can tell you if what you need requires a drs script. Take a list of any meds/dosages that may be relevant.

This isn't an ad. for pharmacists honest, it's just what I would do in your situation

Also its not a generalised endorsment of often toxic pharmaceutical products. I distrust drug companies to put it mildly, but if you need pharmaceuticals then pharmacists are the people who know about them. Handy to speak to them anyway if u get (understandably) spooked by lists of potential side effects. Side Effects have to be listed by law, however infrequently they occur. Even paracetamol has a scary list of potential side effects (its the one thing I take for my neuro disorder, cos nothing except that and weed brings some relief)

Just one humble opinion from a member and former nurse (till wierd neuro shit got me last year). Ask gp about the side effects of constipation too; these would include sweating

All the best,

catfish

e2a It's not a question of pharmacists being 'better' than drs, just more fit for purpose over meds.

definitely
mazar is a good one
its a cross of my favourite ( schwarzenegger) and skunk#1
the schwqarz is totally free of cbd// the skunk is somewhat high on cbd
together they form a nice evry day smoke very nice flavour ( good aromatherpeutical value there)
nice overall buzz, not too lethargic