Need your experience and help

[Q-Zo]

Hi there

 

I’m absolutely brand new to all this so please bear with me. 
 

My wife is suffering from chronic pain, for the last 15 years she has been prescribed Codine and is well and truly addicted to opioids. These don’t help her with pain relief anymore unfortunately. I want to encourage her to try cannabis as an option. She doesn’t  smoke but I realise that shouldn’t stop her from being able to administer the drug. I wouldn’t know where to sample strains that may help with pain relief. I realise that CBD V THC levels are quite individual and personal to the user. I’ve thought of a trip to a European coffee shop where she can maybe try and see if its an option she could get with. What would you suggest would be a good strategy going forward. Your advise is very welcome and appreciated. We’re desperate for help. Thanks in advance. 

[Arthur Mix]

That may be better than trying street stuff here . If it was me I’d start looking for equipment to grow your own.  Failing that do as you suggested I’d aim for 1/1 cbd to thc. If trying eddibles don’t do 250mg in one go start low and estimate what 50mg would  e should be a good starting point generally speaking . Has she used cannabis ever at all ?   Here’s a link to the medicinal section on here that may help a bit. 
 

https://www.uk420.com/forum/37-medicinal-cannabis/

Edited April 26 by Arthur Mix
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[j.o.i.n.t]

@Q-Zo Pain is a bugger, and I feel for her....has she been to the pain clinic and all that? Codeine is relatively weak in painkiller terms - does she not want a stronger one?

 

In my visits with debilitating pain I didn't find cannabis - in flower or extract form -  had an influence on the pain itself. Looking solely at the pain levels. I smoked it cos I liked it, but I'd not be able to say it reduced it.

 

Worth a shot mind, if she wants to... We're all different.

 

 

[Q-Zo]

Thanks for your comment. She’s on other painkillers too including paracetamol, ibuprofen and Amitriptyline. It’s become a cocktail which isn’t helping, we’re just looking for alternatives. Thanks anyway.

[monkeypig]

Chronic pain is a real burden to live with, but weed IME doesn't have any pain killing effects. What it does do for me is to help tolerate the pain. It can however make smaller doses of opioid painkillers more effective.  If in the UK, it may well be hit and miss getting a pain management specialist that is prepared to work down this path, although things may be getting gradually better as more specialists are aware that cannabis can be legally prescribed.

 

Not the most helpful I know, but if not seeing a pain management specialist, push for it,  and hope you get one open to the subject. I hope she can get some relief.

[Lux_Interior]

2 hours ago, Q-Zo said:

Thanks for your comment. She’s on other painkillers too including paracetamol, ibuprofen and Amitriptyline. It’s become a cocktail which isn’t helping, we’re just looking for alternatives. Thanks anyway.

 

My wife was on Amitriptyline for pain relief for MS. It had nasty side effects, dry mouth, next day hangover. She's taking Codiene Phoshate now. She has used Cannabis but as others have mentioned she doesn't think upon it as a pain-killer more of a muscle relaxant, reduces her muscle cramps in the morning. We don't grow specifically based CBD strains though.

[darXound]

10 hours ago, Q-Zo said:

Hi there

 

I’m absolutely brand new to all this so please bear with me. 
 

My wife is suffering from chronic pain, for the last 15 years she has been prescribed Codine and is well and truly addicted to opioids. These don’t help her with pain relief anymore unfortunately. I want to encourage her to try cannabis as an option. She doesn’t  smoke but I realise that shouldn’t stop her from being able to administer the drug. I wouldn’t know where to sample strains that may help with pain relief. I realise that CBD V THC levels are quite individual and personal to the user. I’ve thought of a trip to a European coffee shop where she can maybe try and see if its an option she could get with. What would you suggest would be a good strategy going forward. Your advise is very welcome and appreciated. We’re desperate for help. Thanks in advance. 

My sympathy for your wife and yourself.

 

Firstly, it's pretty shocking that humans have been using this medicine for thousands of years and in the past 100, we've forgotten how to use it (Thanks prohibition). Please don't take any of this as fact, as proper science is important and unfortunately cannabis has a long way to go. Despite having many studies now with remarkable results, large scale and long term population studies will not happen in our lifetime, so all we have are clues from the science in what cannabis is actually doing, and lot's of anecdotal evidence on how to apply it successfully. Let me offer you what I have found.

 

I started using cannabis for migraines. An incredibly lucky discovery considering I hadn't smoked it in over 15 years prior, but by chance I found my migraines were turned off in seconds when I smoked a particular strain. Something no pill has ever been able to do. This effect was instantaneous. I believe this effect comes from a combination of the THC and the terpene profile. This makes a lot of sense when you consider what we know of aromatherapy and the effects different scents have for different issues. I think the receptive psychoactive nature of the THC + the particular terpene profile is key to instant relief for certain ailments - hence different strains having different effects and benefits.

 

Cannabis works on different levels though. The way it works for my rheumatism is not an instant relief thing, but works long term through reinforcement of the endocannabinoid system (it seems)

Something you may not realise about cannabis if you're new to it, is the tolerance we build up to it. You may hear some stoners talk about not being able to get high any more and having to take a tolerance break. This is because of how cannabis works and is unlike any other drug. We can consume as much cannabis as we like with zero danger of overdose. Once our endocannabinoid system is saturated, we simply don't get any higher. As cannabis stays in our body for quite some time, the effect builds up until we no longer get high, we just feel medicated.

At this point, it's worth looking at what the endocannabinoid system does. In a nutshell, the endocannabinoid system effects every single part of our body and regulates every system within it, and outside of our own endocannabinoids, the cannabinoids in the plant are the only other things that effect it (by modulating our CB1 & CB2 receptors). These receptors are retrograde neurotransmitters (this means they can signal both ways, unlike regular neurotransmitters). They are the most abundant neurotransmitter we have and are responsible for keeping our body in homeostasis. That there is the key to why most things go wrong in the human body, and why it's absolutely criminal that it was ever taken away from us.

 

With that in mind, I think the key to treating long-term ailments is the saturation of the endocannabinoid system. I noticed a few years ago that when I smoked to the point I couldn't get any higher, this is when my rheumatoid pain would completely subside. I also noticed that I could get to this point then stop smoking, and my pain wouldn't return for months (4-6 on average). So for the past 2 years, i've been using this method. I will smoke a shit ton of cannabis in a short space of time (usually 2 ounces in a couple of weeks) until my endocannabinoid system is saturated, then stop. I found that the quality of the bud and strain used seemed to effect the length it took my pain to return. I believe this is because the saturation of the system is where the healing takes place. It reinforces the system and allows our body to fix itself, then over time the depletion and imbalance comes back.

 

Saying that and although this start/stop method clearly works for me, I don't think it's the right way to go because whenever I do start up again, it's not very pleasant. This is a phenomena I can't quite figure out, but another thing I hear about cannabis all the time is someone used to smoke it but after a long time away, they can't do it anymore because of negative side effects. I experience this when I start back up again after months away and by the time i'm used to it again, it's also time to stop.

 

I haven't smoked since January now and my pains are starting to come back. This time, I will be saturating my system and then continuing to consume it one way or another. I plan to start as I always have, but will then go onto taking RSO daily and seeing how it pans out.

 

To actually answer your question, the advice given by @Arthur Mix Is a good place to start. Definitely aim to grow your own, it's really the only option in this country to get consistent, affordable medicine. I realise you're exploring options right now so jumping into that might not be appealing just yet, so I pray you can find a source somewhere to try it out. Please don't just buy street weed from some guy in a pub though, the quality of bud and finish is so so important. Remember most gang grown street weed is usually 'skunk' strains that have everything but the THC bred out of it with the sole purpose to get you 'off your tits' and barely any use medically. Try and find people who grow it and know what they're doing, you'll be surprised at just how many people do. 

Applying for a canna card and going private is also an option, although I've heard the quality isn't there. Nevertheless, 1:1 strains are a very good place for beginners to start. After that, i've found that any strain with diesel in it's lineage is a safe bet for pain. Do a search for RSO (Rick Simpson oil). You'll find it's pretty easy to produce once you have an abundance of quality bud.

 

God bless you both and I hope your wife can get the relief she needs.

 

 

Edited April 27 by darXound

[Q-Zo]

I can’t thank you enough for taking time to post that comment. I’m just about finishing a book call Cannabis:Seeing through the smoke by Professor David Nutt and a lot of your comment is explained in the book. Your experience is very interesting, the fact you have found a passage to treat you ailments gives me some hope that we can find some benefits in Cannabis use. I’ve got a feeling this might be a bit of a journey and not just the elixir I hoped it might be. The idea of growing my own for medical use has already come into my mind but this feels like such a bold step right now when I don’t even know whether it’s something that could even help. Like I said, I’m right at the beginning of this idea, but your comment is a great start. Thank you. 

[darXound]

5 hours ago, Q-Zo said:

The idea of growing my own for medical use has already come into my mind but this feels like such a bold step right now when I don’t even know whether it’s something that could even help

Honestly friend, there is no question that this plant can help. I'd be willing to bet my life on that. In my case, the pain is inflammatory so it does take the pain away but as mentioned in previous comments, if it can't take the pain away, it will at least take your wife away from the pain. The only question is how to obtain it, and how to administer and use it in a way that suits your wife's needs

Edited April 27 by darXound

[Arthur Mix]

“ The medical cannabis guidebook “ might be worth getting lots of good info from there. 

[iShouldCoCo]

DIY is the best if course (better terps, more options for balanced cbd/thc etc) but that's not always practical. You may need to try various strains and cannabinoids which could take some time unless you're really lucky.

 

A stop-gap/alternative for your wife might be actually getting a legal medical prescription? If she has a condition on the list, it could be a good place to start. Check out medbud.wiki for more info on the UK medical market. No smoking allowed with legal medical flower though, vapes only!

[Herbal Kint]

On 26/04/2024 at 19:08, Q-Zo said:

Thanks for your comment. She’s on other painkillers too including paracetamol, ibuprofen and Amitriptyline. It’s become a cocktail which isn’t helping, we’re just looking for alternatives. Thanks anyway.

Thats horrible, i duno much about topic as i smoke it but in combo with painkillers canna got me through some hard times.

Sometimes painkillers didnt work canna helps me sleep and reboot and that speeds up any recovery.

 If you start grow diary tag me in,good luck to you both

[Q-Zo]

To everyone who’s dropped a comment, we’re very grateful. The links are helpful and community here seem’s really genuine. Thank you for the love, we’ll be back with developments.

[Pepe Ramon]

If you are serious about growing your own medicine then personally I'd be looking at a strain with a broad spectrum and a 1:1 ratio of THC & CBD, something like Skunk Haze from Dutch Passion. This strain was actually recommended to me by the late Jeff Ditchfield, or Danzig as he used to be known on this forum, he used this strain to create his own oils etc.

 

He has also published a book co-written with Mel Thomas called The Medical Cannabis Guidebook: The Definitive Guide to Using and Growing Medicinal Marijuana.

 

 

https://dutch-passion.com/en/blog/interview-with-medical-marijuana-pioneer-danzig-n375