Does medical marijuana work for chronic pain?

I tried several strains of medical marijuana. Each time, I became hyper-aware of my pain. I felt tendons radiating. Back pain grew worse.
Perhaps I've learned to cover my pain normally and the marijuana highlighted it.
Sadly it's not a pleasant experience. I didn't care for mj as a young person. It kind of made me a bit paranoid.
Maybe I'm a mess.

I wish that were true for me

Has ANYONE else experienced anything similar?

I have been taking medical marijuana for over 6 years for chronic arthritis pain and it helps a lot! I am on high THC and take CBD at night for sleep.

(Sorry - long post!)

I'm a NYS resident, where recreational cannabis is legal - but I'm nervous, however, about registering for a mmj card from the same state that has locked-up people in the near past for life, for holding a joint... but that just may be me being paranoid. In the meantime, I'll adapt recreational cannabis for my needs, thank you.

While I'm needing to pause for a bit (L1-2 fusion next week), I've been reading & experimenting with cannabis for about 2 months now. Some things that may be relevant to your search for relief.

You should definitely take THC with your CBD. Perhaps it's my imagination, but I find more relief when I add THC to my CBD. I'm using CBD isolate mixed with some terpines, all mixed into MCT oil as a carrier... so I know exactly how much (in mg.) that I'm dosing.

THC for me is trickier. I vape flower. My vaporizer has dosing capsules, I loaded 10 capsules, weighed the total cannabis used to fill all 10, then devided by 10. (my dosing caps hold about .19gms. of flower, the way I pack) I found a calculator that computes mg. of THC derived from the weight of the flower & it's potency.

My best guess (& what I believe to be most pain relieving) is I'm using 50mg. CBD & 10-12mg. THC, every 6-8 hrs., so for me 4 or5:1 works best for me.

I discovered that (at least in my case) that I can overshoot the optimal dosing... more isn't necessarily better! You've probably heard that one should start dosing "low & slow" - this is sagely advice, you'll feel better, & in the end save a pile of money.

You shouldn't get (too) high if dosing properly. The CBD counters to goofiness you can feel from THC... if you're trying to relieve pain with pot, and if you're getting high, then your not doing it right.

Again, this it what seems to work best for me. I'd be very interested in finding-out what other persons optimal CBD:THC ratios, & total dosing regimens work for you.

Yes, my lumbar pain gets "sharper" if I use without using CBD, also.

Especially sativa's!

What strains?

The name of mine is Forte, not sure of more than that. It's thru etain.com

I've been trying different approaches to lowering my Oxycodone usage for mostly chronic back pain. Been using a 1-1 THC-CBD rub on lotion by Avexia (available here in NJ). It's about $50 a container. I started using it to cut back on Voltaren. The results have been very good. It works well on all my aches from fingers, shoulders, neck and back. It works quickly. I never had good results with CBD. I have pretty constant pain after spinal surgery four years ago. I also started edibles of a THC CBD mix. Obviously finding the right amount is the whole challenge. Like not taking more after the lower dose to begin a treatment. The edibles make it easier to get a feel for the right dosage. I slice them in quarters. It helps to have patience before taking the second dose.
I don't like smoke and I never drive after taking THC. It's reserved for evenings with TV and fiddling on the laptop.

It has help with my neuropathy in my feet.