Does medical marijuana work for chronic pain?

Can you tell me the name of the tincture you use? I have my medical marijuana license, but there are so many things to choose from at the dispensary, that I get confused. I’ve been using gummies for pain, but they take forever to act.

Good evening @erin123
Thanks for dwelling on my past. I do remember writing that post when I was facing the same issue. With cannabis, we are our own prescribers and are also responsible for appropriate dosages. It is not easy to always be on top of the pain "game".

Let me start by mentioning the impact of barometric pressure. When the BP goes below 30......it can mean that even if you take the same dose of 1:1 CBD/THC your body will have more pain than when the BP is above 30. This is one of the most difficult situations to deal with and may explain your "worsening symptoms".

Since you have asked about the need to "up the dose" to get relief as you grow older and your SFN (small fiber neuropathy) becomes more intense, I have been dealing with the same questions and issues. Here is a list of what I have experienced in the last year or so.

1. Five years ago, I had one hourly session of MFR (myofascial release therapy) every week with one therapist. Today, I have two hourly sessions every week and have two attendant therapists at every session.
2. Five years ago, I used just 1/4 of a tincture dropper of 1:1 CBD/THC in the morning and switched to a 1/2 dropper of 2:1 CBD/THC in the afternoon and at bedtime. Today I use 1/2 of a tincture dropper of 1:1 CBD/THC in the morning and a full dropper of 2:1 CBD/THC at bedtime. There may be other times when I want to be more aggressive about the THC because research is showing that THC has greater potential to control pain. So....I endure a bit of psychoactivity just to have an easy pain free afternoon. What I am working on now is fitting in more stretching exercises, especially in my feet and legs. Without the twice-a-week MFR for my feet I would have to give up driving.
3. In addition to Yoga stretches, I also have added exercises for balance and stability to avoid falls. And what works best is the 2-mile walk in the park almost every day that climate permits. It is quite different living in Minnesota than in California and Hawaii.
4. Because living with pain is just plain exhausting, I do find that now that I turned 80 this year, my energy level has diminished a bit and I even take naps more frequently.
5. I do want to mention another issue and that is this: for me, pain tolerance has increased at a certain level. What used to be a level 7 or 8 is now a 4 or 5. Simply put, I can now tolerate pain at a higher level. I know what it is. I am not afraid, and I adjust my behavior accordingly.
6. And finally, I have increased my practice of mindfulness and meditation. I find joy in every day. I am busy with my volunteer work with Mayo Connect which adds considerable value to daily living. My life partner and I have semi-adopted three 14-year-old girls. Last week was his birthday and they came over to cook dinner for him. We are thrilled that they want to share their precious teen time with us. We are also active grandparents for 4 grandchildren. We see them about twice a year and love every minute of our time together.

I hope this helps you. Please remember that everyone is different. Some folks just manage pain and discomfort better than others. You are only 50. I am 80. Let's hope the world continues to meet your requirements for ease and comfort so that you can enjoy your senior years.

Let me know if you have any questions or if I left something out. I am here for you.
May you have happiness and the causes of happiness.
Chris

Can you tell me the name of the tincture you use? I have my medical marijuana license, but there are so many things to choose from at the dispensary, that I get confused. I’ve been using gummies for pain, but they take forever to act.

Chris, I just wanted to thank you, belatedly, for your incredibly helpful and equally inspiring message. Thank you for sharing your routine and experience. I especially loved hearing about semi-adopting those girls. 🙂 Your story helped me feel less alone on the path of navigating lifelong chronic pain.

I had one last question about your dosage experience. You mentioned having to increase your dosing from a half to a full eyedropper, but would you be able to share the increase in the actual milligrams of active ingredients? It should be on the label of the tincture.

To answer the last question on the list, I've been using a 50 mg CBG tincture, Lazarus Naturals, which is THC free. It really does help my pain, but I really do have a terrible rebound reaction when I stop taking it or try to taper down.

For example, it really helps the GI nerve pain that was interfering with sleep, but what used to be 3-4 level back pain goes up to 6-7 when I stop or taper down. I had hoped to take it intermittently, but it seems like that's not going to work for me. But I may still choose to take it all the time, because nothing else helps the GI pain. Still working it all out!

Hi there @erin123, good morning. You just "made" my day,, my month, and my year! And you are correct,we are both on the path of navigating lifelong chronic pain. It is an amazing mental challenge as well as a physical struggle, I have the eye dropper in my hand, and here is what it says: a full dropper is 1 ML which is CBD: 16 mg and THC: 8 mg. Does that help?

The following MLs are shown on the dropper....25ML (1/4 dropper), 50ML (1/2) dropper, 75 ML (3/4) dropper, and then 1 ML (full dropper). And to make it easy, I take two droppers at 50ML because it is difficult to fill the dropper completely. When I first started I used strains and the young man at the little dispensary recommended Indica. He was my very kind "teacher". Guess you can tell I never played with marijuana in high school. Who did that in the '50s? Not me, especially when my Dad was a principal and superintendent in the district. He used to remind me not to do anything that put his name on the front page of the newspaper.

I have spent a great deal of time trying to sort this all out. It used to be that 25ML of 1:1 CBD/THC would do me in and I would have to sleep it off. My tolerance has increased evidently. Just be careful and go up the dropper slowly. I don't want to waste my pain-free time sleeping. So that shows you how our bodies accommodate the product. I have been working on this for 10 years. Finding the balance point is always a challenge. What site or sites do you use for information?

Please stay in touch.......
May you have happiness and the causes of happiness.
Chris

I may have commented before, but for those considering medical marijuana, let me share my late husbands story. He had chronic back pain and terrible foot pain and burning. (It was to the point I would have met someone in a dark alley to purchase whatever it took.) I hated seeing him in such pain, and the drugs he was prescribed helped but he didn’t like the side effects. A very good friend brought over medical marijuana and asked him to try it. It was amazing to see his face relax; soon the pain was gone. He got his medical card and was able to enjoy the last 2 years of life. Some say it leads to other drugs. I don’t think these people have experienced bad pain. The medical marijuana had nothing to do with his death. He died from a heat stroke, doing what he loved. I know a doctor who said he thought medical marijuana could be the alternative to narcotics.

Chris, I just wanted to thank you, belatedly, for your incredibly helpful and equally inspiring message. Thank you for sharing your routine and experience. I especially loved hearing about semi-adopting those girls. 🙂 Your story helped me feel less alone on the path of navigating lifelong chronic pain.

I had one last question about your dosage experience. You mentioned having to increase your dosing from a half to a full eyedropper, but would you be able to share the increase in the actual milligrams of active ingredients? It should be on the label of the tincture.

To answer the last question on the list, I've been using a 50 mg CBG tincture, Lazarus Naturals, which is THC free. It really does help my pain, but I really do have a terrible rebound reaction when I stop taking it or try to taper down.

For example, it really helps the GI nerve pain that was interfering with sleep, but what used to be 3-4 level back pain goes up to 6-7 when I stop or taper down. I had hoped to take it intermittently, but it seems like that's not going to work for me. But I may still choose to take it all the time, because nothing else helps the GI pain. Still working it all out!