medical marijuana

[nialla]

did we already discuss smoking pot to help get through treatment?  i have a friend who did treatment last year and smoked weed 24/7, literally, it got her through it.  i don't smoke anymore myself, but i used to, quite a bit, and it really was beneficial medicanally (sp?) stomach cramps, nausea and i remember when i had a miscarriage, i was in so much pain mentally and physically and it really helped.  it's kind of expensive, but perhaps scrips could be given for medical marijuana, i guess that depends on where you live and what the laws are.

*nialla

[willy]

Nialla;  Yes, it's been posted on quite a bit.  POT is POPular.  : )

There are many pluses and some minuses involved in using it.  I personally see it in several ways; It is an illegal substance that can be abused recreationally.  It is also linked to increased fibrosis. 

At the same time I also see that it truely has medical properties which can aid in many symptoms of HCV, TX, and the physical or psychological symptoms wiich accompany both.  While it may have some negative attributes or connotations if it helps folks get thru TX or thru the pain of their infirmity I don't judge.  I certainly wish it could either be decriminalized or some allowances made for it's medical use for some folks.

IF you want more information or lists of threads use the search engine on this board.  There are quite a few threads on the topic.

best,
willy
(and by the way....congrats on that SVR!!!!!!!)

[rayc2001]

I like to smoke, and do have a script.  It has not had any adverse effects that I am aware of.  I smoke about a cigarette a day.  I must admit I use it more now medicinally than ever.  If sleeping pills aren't working, I smoke a couple of puffs.  I suffer nausea occasionally, and 2 hits alleviates that like magic.   It is not illegal here, although that presents its own problems.  I make sure I drink even more water, so as not to compound any headaches.  Mentally, I think it helps at times.   I carry all required paperwork at all times, and get it from a dispensary.   


Ray

[Dude]

Lucky. I have to find other means of procuring it. On the other hand, it can be pretty respectable bud, requiring the lightest useage in order to reach the much sought after altitude. Titusville 2-toke. Believing in nature and how it provides all our needs, I can truly say thank you Mother Nature. Without you, self medication would be next to impossible.

I think the VA lacks the balls to start prescribing medical cannabis. I couldn't wait.

[luv2sleep]

Cannabis: Potent Anti-depressant In Low Doses, Worsens Depression At High Doses
ScienceDaily (Oct. 24, 2007) — A new neurobiological study has found that a synthetic form of THC, the active ingredient in cannabis, is an effective anti-depressant at low doses. However, at higher doses, the effect reverses itself and can actually worsen depression and other psychiatric conditions like psychosis.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 


 
It has been known for many years that depletion of the neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain leads to depression, so SSRI-class anti-depressants like Prozac and Celexa work by enhancing the available concentration of serotonin in the brain. However, this study offers the first evidence that cannabis can also increase serotonin, at least at lower doses.

Laboratory animals were injected with the synthetic cannabinoid WIN55,212-2 and then tested with the Forced Swim test -- a test to measure "depression" in animals; the researchers observed an antidepressant effect of cannabinoids paralleled by an increased activity in the neurons that produce serotonin. However, increasing the cannabinoid dose beyond a set point completely undid the benefits, said Dr. Gabriella Gobbi of McGill University.

"Low doses had a potent anti-depressant effect, but when we increased the dose, the serotonin in the rats' brains actually dropped below the level of those in the control group. So we actually demonstrated a double effect: At low doses it increases serotonin, but at higher doses the effect is devastating, completely reversed."

The anti-depressant and intoxicating effects of cannabis are due to its chemical similarity to natural substances in the brain known as "endo-cannabinoids," which are released under conditions of high stress or pain, explained Dr. Gobbi. They interact with the brain through structures called cannabinoid CB1 receptors. This study demonstrates for the first time that these receptors have a direct effect on the cells producing serotonin, which is a neurotransmitter that regulates the mood.

Dr. Gobbi and her colleagues were prompted to explore cannabis' potential as an anti-depressant through anecdotal clinical evidence, she said. "As a psychiatrist, I noticed that several of my patients suffering from depression used to smoke cannabis. And in the scientific literature, we had some evidence that people treated with cannabis for multiple sclerosis or AIDS showed a big improvement in mood disorders. But there were no laboratory studies demonstrating the anti-depressant mechanism of action of cannabis."

Because controlling the dosage of natural cannabis is difficult -- particularly when it is smoked in the form of marijuana joints -- there are perils associated with using it directly as an anti-depressant.

"Excessive cannabis use in people with depression poses high risk of psychosis," said Dr. Gobbi. Instead, she and her colleagues are focusing their research on a new class of drugs which enhance the effects of the brain's natural endo-cannabinoids.

"We know that it's entirely possible to produce drugs which will enhance endo-cannabinoids for the treatment of pain, depression and anxiety," she said.

The study, published in the October 24 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience, was led by Dr. Gabriella Gobbi of McGill University and Le Centre de Recherche Fernand Seguin of Hôpital Louis-H. Lafontaine, affiliated with l'Université de Montréal. First author is Dr. Gobbi's McGill PhD student Francis Bambico, along with Noam Katz and the late Dr. Guy Debonnel* of McGill's Department of Psychiatry.


 MLA McGill University (2007, October 24). Cannabis: Potent Anti-depressant In Low Doses, Worsens Depression At High Doses. ScienceDaily. Retrieved November 7, 2007, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2007/10/071023183937.htm

[emkins1]

I've commented before and asked this question many times, but I've not been entirely satisfied with anyone's response.  If something in marijuana is effective against nausea, has that effective ingredient been isolated from the plant and refined into a form that doesn't have to be smoked?  Can it be taken in pill form or injected?  I seem to recall someone responding to me on some board saying yes, there is such a medication.  If so, what's the big fight about?  Can't the pills now be prescribed by a doctor and purchased from a pharmacist?

The first two weeks I was on Infergen, I became dangerously nauseated.  I was hospitalized and had to go off treatment for a week and begin again from Day Zero.  I would've gladly taken a pill of whatever it is in marijuana that relieves nausea, but I would not light something on fire and inhale smoke into my lungs.  That can't be good for the body.

So please, someone, enlighten me here.  And please, I'm not interested in brownie recipes!

Em

[nialla]

marinol,
it's a pill form of cannabis used for nausea and to help stimulate the appetite
here's a link:

http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/ongoing/marinol.html

*nialla

[emkins1]

Oh thankyouthankyouthankyou, Nialla!  So the pill does exist.  Now I'll repeat my previous question:  What's the big fight about? 

Em

[robin]

I have always promoted the legal route with Marinol but very few people seem to want to go that way as you don't get the smoking high but do receive the benefits of increased appetite, decreased nausea and it also helps with stress and anxiety. I think California and Oregon are the only states that approve Medical Marijuana use and there has been a lot of negative publicity around the doctors or clincs that only write scripts without real verification of it's need and then the easier than it should be access with a lot ending up on the street for sale. Keep your spirits high...robin 

[rayc2001]

emkins,

I am a state of california medical marijuana patient.  There is a better way to recieve the benefits of cannabis without inhaling cancerous products.  It is call vaporization.  It heats the plant material only to where the active drug is vaporized, yet before the plants material ignites.  You attach a bag with special mouthpiece, and put a bowl in the machine and it vaporizes the thc's for you.  It is recommended by doctors especially.   It is a little costly, about $515, and called the Volcano.  Do not buy cheap imitations.  Also, the effects are immediate, as opposed to the pill form.

Hope this info helps!!!


God Bless!!!

Ray

[nialla]

ray;
everything's much more liberal in california, here in new york medical marijuana is not legalized, yet we have bars on every corner.  i've never heard of inhaling the vapors, that sounds pretty clean and easy.  what i miss about smoking weed is the ritual of rolling the joint and passing it around in a circle of friends.  i stopped smoking right before i got pregnant in 2001 and then just never went back to it.  i have no issues with it at all, i think if used right, it's a sacred healing herb that should be decriminalized and legalized.  i hope the states that don't legalize it would consider doing so (i imagine there are lobbies out there) and i hope that the drug marinol is easy to get for the people who need it.

*nialla

[negative1]

A friend of mine has a vaporizer. Wow! A little goes a long way!
I htink alot of it has to do with the fact that the smoke isn't hot and you can take in alot more. Good Idea..

Earl

[robin]

Marinol is prescribed every day. When I was having the regular pukes and losing bunches of weight my family doctor wanted me to give it a try but I was afraid it would buzz my head and I don't need anything else playing head games with me...I can do that fairly well on my own. Keep your spirit high...robin

[MissyMouse]

This is cool....

Kim/Ruthere and I were talking about this on the phone yesterday and Lyn and I were talking about this when I found out I was going back on tx.   I had such a time with nausea and weight loss that I might actually give this a try.  I tried it way back in the 80's when it first came out (I was on chemo for Leukemia) but I don't remember it doing anything for me.  Maybe it will help this time around.  I did do o.k. with the Phengran for nausea but it didn't help my appetitie at all.   I'm gonna talk to my PCP about it next week when I see him and then get him to talk to my GI.

Mouse

[emkins1]

Hi Missy,

I 'member when you passed out from hunger and dehydration in your kitchen snitching a cookie.  'Member, I did that, too!  So weird waking up with a pot holder over your face!  I got Phenergan for my nausea, too.  No wonder it didn't help your appetite!  You were probably sleeping too much to eat.  Recently I took Phenergan by mistake when I thought I was taking my regular atenolol.  I had to come home from school after morning classes and sleep it off.  Great--someone as squeaky clean as I am having a drug overdose...or drug accident...or whatever.  Mostly when I was on treatment, I took the over-the-counter version of Dramamine that the local pharmacist recommended.  It worked great for the nausea and multi-tasked as an antihistamine for my itchies and sneezies and as a mild sleep aid, too.  I think the Effexor I was on helped my appetite because I never lost my taste for food.  All in all, it was an "ideal" treatment period.  And I was on Fergie.

Robin,

The info that Nialla directed us to on this thread says the buzz has been taken out of Marinol.  I guess that's a disappointment to some, who prefer to medicate in the organic way.  Me, I stay buzzed 24 hours a day on my own brain waves.

love,em