Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis - Cannabis Treatment

[Crabeyes]

Hi,

I have been reading some articles recently about the possibility that cannabis has a positive effect in bringing about "remission" and maintaining it. With cases of UC & Chrons on the rise by thousands of extra cases each year its rather worrying and little talked about!. There are a few extracts below of some of the scientific findings. I myself have suffered terribly with ulcerative colitis and anyone reading this who has either chrons or colitis should really look into cannabis treatment. I know how hard it is for anyone with this extremely difficult incurable condition and how it effects not only your own life but everyone around you that you love and care for. I would really appreciate anyones experience in using cannabis to keep themselves in remission from these terrible auto immune diseases. And if so what strain you are using..........

Cannabis for Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's Disease treatment

17. December 2009 04:15

Chemicals found in cannabis could prove an effective treatment for the inflammatory bowel diseases Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's Disease, say scientists.

Laboratory tests have shown that two compounds found in the cannabis plant - the cannabinoids THC and cannabidiol - interact with the body's system that controls gut function.

Cannabis use is associated with a reduction in Crohn's disease (CD) activity and disease-related surgeries, according to the results of a retrospective observational study published in the August issue of the Journal of the Israeli Medical Association.

Investigators at the Meir Medical Center, Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology assessed 'disease activity, use of medication, need for surgery, and hospitalization' before and after cannabis use in 30 patients with CD.

Authors reported, "All patients stated that consuming cannabis had a positive effect on their disease activity" and documented "significant improvement" in 21 subjects.

Specifically, researchers found that subjects who consumed cannabis "significantly reduced" their need for other medications. Participants in the trial also reported requiring fewer surgeries following their use of cannabis.

"Fifteen of the patients had 19 surgeries during an average period of nine years before cannabis use, but only two required surgery during an average period of three years of cannabis use," authors reported.

I was put on put on various steriod treatments which had no effect what so ever and eventually admitted to hospital after pain so bad i could not walk. I was about 5 hours from surgery to remove my colon and have a colostomy bag. It was a fairly horrific experience being told at 25 that you may no be able to have get an erection if there is any error in suregery or they may damage sperm ducts and not be able to have kids. Fortunatly i reacted to a drug called cyclosporine, and later remission maintened with azathioprene. I was told by a top doctor off the record that it may have been and as with many cases caused by GIVING UP SMOKING TOBACCO. There are some kind of chemicals in cigrattes although harmful where helping stop this underlying disease from rearing its ugly head. Anyway i started smoking again and a combination of smoking, azathioprene and an evening joint and i feel excellent and i have even been lowering my dose slowly with aza. Anyone with this you can recover and things will get better in time dont lose hope. I did and i wish i hadent and i know i wont again.

Craby

[Cambium]

Yeah. Smoking tobacco can help with UC, but it can cause problems for Crohns. Cannabis however can really help with the symptoms of both. I found that eating Canna treats during a relapse is the best way to direct the treatment, but I haven't tried oil at high doses yet, or suppositories. Smoking spliffs help top up without having to go overboard on the eats and getting properly wasted Getting a munch on is an important side effect. Malnutrition can do massive damage during a relapse and only compounds an already dysfunctional immune system. I went through a similar situation to you, but had enough left for a reversal. Also went through similar revelations, except that I regard my attempt to give up pot as being the catalyst that put me on the operating slab. Good luck mate.

[Cambium]

Forgot to say that strain choice is a very personal thing. What works for you may not work for me. Let the hunt begin.

[heya123]

Maybe get a 1:1 ratio (THC:CBD) strain, like CBD crew? I've heard that CBD is very important so maybe having higher amounts will be good for medical use.

[bikemad694]

hi,i,ve been suffering with crohn's 4 11 years now & have had all the treatment u have mentioned & have had metholtrexate which sent me a bit loo loo & the asa made my liver bleed, infliximab which i had to have infused over 4-6 hours, that made my blood pressure go sky high & had blank spots in my vision so had to stop that & now thank god i've got humira & its brill , i stab myself every 2 weeks with a pen.i've noticed that the indica's dominant strain's are more beneficial , it must the cannaboid's more than the thc that doing more 4 it i think.i've had guillian barrie,miller fisher & another 1 i can't pronounce which in turn caused my crohn's & have extensive nerve damage specifically in the top half of my back its from my head down to the middle of my back . it's like having a 5 bar electric fire in my back so i am on gabapentin which is for treating arthritis & epilepsy, it cuts off the the pain if i stay still but as soon as i move, out of 10 its a 6 but the more i move the more the pain go's up. as for the the steroids i cant get off prednisalone,i have 5 mil one day & 10 the next, ive had that much my body is addicted to it i will be taking it all my life now hope ive given u some help & hope u find a stain the sorts u out, i have & its warlock from serious seeds now & they do some other strains with warlock in to so its a good one for me & if u give it a go i hope it helps, mastodon from emerald triangle is very good for night & its great for hash to ,wappa from paradise seeds is a good strain to & all the above i do grow cos they are the most beneficial to me

[tom420]

Yeah CBD and CBN would be very helpful and if not more important than the THC.

As someone said crab, try to find a high CBD strain, but the key is to really just test out a bunch of strains and find what seems to help you the most.

Good luck!

[Nautica]

Hi,

I have been reading some articles recently about the possibility that cannabis has a positive effect in bringing about "remission" and maintaining it. With cases of UC & Chrons on the rise by thousands of extra cases each year its rather worrying and little talked about!. There are a few extracts below of some of the scientific findings. I myself have suffered terribly with ulcerative colitis and anyone reading this who has either chrons or colitis should really look into cannabis treatment. I know how hard it is for anyone with this extremely difficult incurable condition and how it effects not only your own life but everyone around you that you love and care for. I would really appreciate anyones experience in using cannabis to keep themselves in remission from these terrible auto immune diseases. And if so what strain you are using..........

Cannabis for Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's Disease treatment

17. December 2009 04:15

Chemicals found in cannabis could prove an effective treatment for the inflammatory bowel diseases Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's Disease, say scientists.

Laboratory tests have shown that two compounds found in the cannabis plant - the cannabinoids THC and cannabidiol - interact with the body's system that controls gut function.

Cannabis use is associated with a reduction in Crohn's disease (CD) activity and disease-related surgeries, according to the results of a retrospective observational study published in the August issue of the Journal of the Israeli Medical Association.

Investigators at the Meir Medical Center, Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology assessed 'disease activity, use of medication, need for surgery, and hospitalization' before and after cannabis use in 30 patients with CD.

Authors reported, "All patients stated that consuming cannabis had a positive effect on their disease activity" and documented "significant improvement" in 21 subjects.

Specifically, researchers found that subjects who consumed cannabis "significantly reduced" their need for other medications. Participants in the trial also reported requiring fewer surgeries following their use of cannabis.

"Fifteen of the patients had 19 surgeries during an average period of nine years before cannabis use, but only two required surgery during an average period of three years of cannabis use," authors reported.

I was put on put on various steriod treatments which had no effect what so ever and eventually admitted to hospital after pain so bad i could not walk. I was about 5 hours from surgery to remove my colon and have a colostomy bag. It was a fairly horrific experience being told at 25 that you may no be able to have get an erection if there is any error in suregery or they may damage sperm ducts and not be able to have kids. Fortunatly i reacted to a drug called cyclosporine, and later remission maintened with azathioprene. I was told by a top doctor off the record that it may have been and as with many cases caused by GIVING UP SMOKING TOBACCO. There are some kind of chemicals in cigrattes although harmful where helping stop this underlying disease from rearing its ugly head. Anyway i started smoking again and a combination of smoking, azathioprene and an evening joint and i feel excellent and i have even been lowering my dose slowly with aza. Anyone with this you can recover and things will get better in time dont lose hope. I did and i wish i hadent and i know i wont again.

Craby

Apologies in advance for going off on a slightly different direction on this but as a fellow UC sufferer I'm always keen to let people know what worked for me...

Pepto Bismal has kept in full remission for the 2 years since I started using it. If I feel a flare coming on I take a mild laxative before bed (unless i'm already pretty loose) then the following morning take 500mg of Ciprofloxacin to make sure any bad bugs are knocked on the head - then I take the max daily allowable dosage of Pepto until things calm down. It always goes away after 2-3 days with this regime, it has bought me back from some truly horrible flares and it seems to work well for other people i've mentioned it to as well.

The other thing that I also look back on as being incredibly helpful was a food intolerance test from these people - http://www.yorktest.com/products/yorktest-food-drinkscan-food-programme/ (there may be other companies out there who can do it cheaper/better) - it identified some foods that were making my UC worse but I hadn't realized until I cut them out. At 300 quid it isn't cheap but in my opinion it's money very well spent. Acupuncture also helped me reduce my meds whilst I still took them (pre-pepto days) but doesn't work for everyone.

Again, apologies for going off on a different angle but after suffering for 4 horrible years with UC before finding such a simple way of controlling it has made me a bit of a preacher on Pepto...

Whatever finally works for you I wish you the very best of luck - it is a truly f*cking horrible disease.

All the best,

Naut.

Edited June 25, 2012 by Nautica

[Cambium]

then the following morning take 500mg of Ciprofloxacin to make sure any bad bugs are knocked on the head

I'm glad you're getting relief from UC using relatively simple methods, but you are doing us all a disservice by acting this way with a still, very powerful anti-biotic. Trouble is if folk like yourself continue to use anti-biotics in this way, they won't be much use in the very near future. Personally I don't fancy 2 years without anti-biotics, just so we can reset the resistance that improper usage brings.

e2a - You won't be knocking much back with a 500mg hit, only building resistance to the drug.

Edited June 25, 2012 by Cambium

[Nautica]

then the following morning take 500mg of Ciprofloxacin to make sure any bad bugs are knocked on the head

I'm glad you're getting relief from UC using relatively simple methods, but you are doing us all a disservice by acting this way with a still, very powerful anti-biotic. Trouble is if folk like yourself continue to use anti-biotics in this way, they won't be much use in the very near future. Personally I don't fancy 2 years without anti-biotics, just so we can reset the resistance that improper usage brings.

e2a - You won't be knocking much back with a 500mg hit, only building resistance to the drug.

Cambium,

I take your point regarding the use, or overuse, of antibiotics however I find that if if I don't use Cipro as part of my anti flare regime then the Pepto is much less effective. I also found that taking more than 500mg had no further benefit so it would be pointless for me to do so - others may need more or none at all.

One further point on using Pepto is that the chewable tablets seem to be more effective than the liquid for me, no idea why.

http://www.henryford.com/body.cfm?id=37911 (scroll down to the third Q&A).

Anyway, I'm hijacking the post albeit with the best of intentions, I'll butt out.

Naut.

[Cambium]

Hi. You're right, we shouldn't derail this thread. We also shouldn't allow improper use of antibiotics. By taking cipro in such small and infrequent doses, you are building populations of bacteria that are resistant to it, don't try and delude yourself otherwise. I understand that you believe it helps, but I can assure you it isn't. You are a petri dish of multiplying resistant populations, all just waiting to jump ship. There is not much that can be done about this due to the messed up way that antibiotics are used around the world. We'll have to have an enforced worldwide ban, and endure the suffering that 2 odd years without antibiotics around the world will bring, just to reset the natural good>bad ratio. There are other treatments on the horizon, but these things are unlikely to materialise with the efficacy that antibiotics have before there are real global problems. On a personal level you are likely knocking back more of the good than the bad. You are probably training your immune system to simultaneously under and over respond to attack. I hope that I'm wrong, but IMO antibiotics should have much tighter restrictions and control on use and distribution. Your story only reinforces that.

Edited June 26, 2012 by Cambium

[Newcouch]

Well, i dont know whether its better to start a new thread or go for complete necro.  I'll take Tig's advice...

 

So I have UC and its just taking over my life even though i am lucky enough to remain in remission.  I dont take cannabis and havent been near the stuff for thirty years, but have been hearing good things about it on c and c fora.

 

does anyone on here have UC and can they give me any advie about medical cannabis for UC remission please?

 

I am looking at the link abve, which surprisingly still exists; https://www.yorktest.com/products/food-drink-scan-test

i havent got any where so far with food dieries or diets..

 

Newc

[blackpoolbouncer]

I treated my friends chrons and colitis using 1:1 cbd:thc to cover the bases made into a coconut oil. 

1 to 2 spoonfulls a day spread out had an amazing effect and while in it was in full remission pretty much. Went from being in intensive care and booked in for colostomy bag operation in 2 weeks to back at work by 3 weeks. 

 

I definitely would suggest trying it. 

 

To a lesser extent I use it to keep my ibs at bay and it does really help. 

 

 

Hope you find some relief 

[BarrySHitPeas]

1 hour ago, Newcouch said:

does anyone on here have UC and can they give me any advie about medical cannabis for UC remission please?

I have Crohn's and UC,

Indica's work great when your already in pain, although make you tired relaxed lazy demotivated, energetic saliva's are useful when you havn't been able to eat much and are lacking energy motivation, CBD is good preventative but doesn't do much if your already in pain and really needs to be together with THC , CBG is worth checking out I've had good results with it and Chrohn's along with CBD it really needs to be taken with THC to reach its full potential.

 

1 hour ago, Newcouch said:

i havent got any where so far with food dieries or diets..

Going organic in relation to food has made a massive difference to me.

I can eat the foods that triggered me off before 

 

 

 

 

[Cambium]

2 hours ago, Newcouch said:

Well, i dont know whether its better to start a new thread or go for complete necro.  I'll take Tig's advice...

 

So I have UC and its just taking over my life even though i am lucky enough to remain in remission.  I dont take cannabis and havent been near the stuff for thirty years, but have been hearing good things about it on c and c fora.

 

does anyone on here have UC and can they give me any advie about medical cannabis for UC remission please?

 

I am looking at the link abve, which surprisingly still exists; https://www.yorktest.com/products/food-drink-scan-test

i havent got any where so far with food dieries or diets..

 

Newc

 

Yup. Get on it dude. Ingestion rather than combustion is best, although combustion helps me with other mental health related aspects of having a chronic disease, rather than impacting on remission/flare up. My personal experience is that it isnt a cure all, but it can dramatically help alleviate symptoms that if left untreated, can and do lead to a full blown flare up maybe resulting in surgery.

[HazyDaze]

Any good links and  or recipes ?

 

I'd love to ease a little bit of pain for a loved one