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Hydrocodone/Medical Marijuana
I'm 62 years old. After 15 years of taking 3200mg of Ibuprofen a day for achilles tendonitis (which damaged my kidneys...before the discovery of ibuprofen's affect on them; in about the year 2000 or so), my Dr switched me to Norco (10mg Hydrocodone, 325 Tylenol...sorry can't seem to spell the generic name). Another 15 years down the road, I started having lower back, hip & knee pain. The Norco has worked wonderfully at relieving the pain. The last couple of years, I've been having trouble sleeping. Can only seem to sleep an hour or two at a time, having to get up for bathroom runs numerous times a night. California in the meantime had legalized medical marijuana. In the sense of full disclosure, I have done pot recreationally since the early '70s, but decreasingly in the last 10 years or so. Now that it's "legal", I started taking edibles as a sleep aid; have not noticed that the marijuana has had any pain relief for me, but as a sleep aid, it's been wonderful. So, Norco for pain, pot for sleep has been my regimen for about the last 15 months, and I've been feeling 25 years younger; no pain, nearly full 8 hours straight a night of sleep. I'm waking fully rested & ready to take on my days. For the first time in the years I've been taking Norco, my Dr had me do a urinalysis, results, of course, showing both the hydrocodone AND the THC in the pot. He gave me an ultimatum: one or the other, but you can't do both (due to DEA laws, etc). At this point, being a somewhat stubborn person, I'm not willing to give up my newly regained increased quality of daily life. What are my options?
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Just added note re dosage of Hydromorphone and cannabis. It’s not recommended for safety so I usually don’t take the narcotic at night. But also cutting dosage of Diazepam in half. Keep trying to balance the dosage but want to keep alert so rarely use during the day. I should exercise more which probably would require more daytime drugs.
Can you tell me how you 'weaned' down? I am going to titrate down from 5.5 10 mg hydro because I'm having total knee replacement and my surgeon said I will have a heck of a time with pain due to the amount of meds I already take. I was thinking of titrating 1/2 pill every 2 weeks until I get to 3 a day. If the pain is too bad (I am bone on bone) not sure what I'll do, but it's what I want to do to spare excruciating pain after the surgery!
I use medical cannabis for nerve and arthritis pain also helps with my appetite and sleep and as long as I stick to indica it help my anxiety and depression. I would recommend it to anyone who wants it stay away from opiates as I do. I am a 30year sober alcoholic if I had to take opioids it would jeopardize my sobriety thank goodness for THC!
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6 ReactionsI have also had some problems with pain management physicians being able to prescribe medication and using cannabis on my own. It’s all because of the federal laws. I grow my own and find it quite useful for sleep. The federal schedule needs to change.
If you have to be drug screened on a regular basis to get your hydrocodone, you’ll fail your drug test if you consume THC
That not the case in Virginia where we have legal dispensaries. In fact, my pain management doctor gave me the THC permit to purchase it. They don’t test for THC because it’s legal to purchase and use. Again, I can’t speak for any place except Virginia. Find out what the rules are where you live. Blessings to you and all of the pain warriors out there.
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2 ReactionsI live in Virginia so I will have to talk with my doctor. Thank you for this information. Have a blessed day🙏🏼
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2 ReactionsTotally agree. I too have thought about growing it myself.
Unfortunately in Florida they will test me for that. So not sure where to go from here.
So glad to be helpful.