Marijuana Eases Neuropathic Pain (CME/CE)

[Justin]

(MedPage Today) -- Smoking marijuana modestly reduced pain and other symptoms of chronic neuropathic pain, results of a small randomized, placebo-controlled trial showed...

Marijuana Eases Neuropathic Pain (CME/CE) (click here for the full article at MedPage Today)

[Metalneck07]

Justin - Very interesting article ! I have long felt that every state should implement laws allowing Marijuana for medical reasons. Of course if this would be allowed the laws would have to be strictly enforced in order to prevent abuse.I also believe that users would have to find alternative ways to using the Marijuana since smoking it comes with it's own bad effects.Personally I think in the near future we will see all states allowing it for medical reasons. In the big picture it's a good idea in order to prevent patients who are desperate for pain relief getting it from undesirable situations.
Thanks for the article.
Caitlin aka Metalneck07

PS I also believe that more information to the public on medical maijuana and it's benefits will be needed before the general public will be willing not to stereotype it. Just my

[JK2234]

Vaporizing or Baking it in brownies helps me alot more then vicodin or percocet with pain...

[JK2234]

I wish i never ran out of it last week...I cant cope...

[chasswen]

how come i never get to be in any of these studies

[Gilbert P]

High

I found smoking this actually increased my pain It makes me more aware of the pain.
so I quit about 12 years ago after a 20 + year habit

Gil

[KBear]

LMAO.... You all are too funny. I smoked as a teen/ young adult, but I just can not handle it anymore. Makes me extremely hungry, but I'm paralyzed with the laziness (as in laying on the couch begging others to bring me Dr. Pepper, Oreos, etc.). I had tried it for pain early on, but that was the only side effect I got, no pain relief (not to mention I can't stand that out of control feeling).
On an interesting note, when I started pain management and the doctor was telling me that they do random drug tests, he said "We don't test for marijuana, nature of the business." So obviously a lot of people are using it for pain and really I don't see a problem with that. I know more people addicted to pain killers than marijuana, so I think it just has a bad rap more than anything.

[Cindylou]

Very interesting Kathy, the response of your pain management doctor. Actually kind of him to give you that heads up. I wish it was medically approved in Minnesota. I think it gets a way bad rap as well. Chuck, you and Gil crack me up!

[Jack-of-all-trades]

LMAO.... You all are too funny. I smoked as a teen/ young adult, but I just can not handle it anymore. Makes me extremely hungry, but I'm paralyzed with the laziness (as in laying on the couch begging others to bring me Dr. Pepper, Oreos, etc.). I had tried it for pain early on, but that was the only side effect I got, no pain relief (not to mention I can't stand that out of control feeling).
On an interesting note, when I started pain management and the doctor was telling me that they do random drug tests, he said "We don't test for marijuana, nature of the business." So obviously a lot of people are using it for pain and really I don't see a problem with that. I know more people addicted to pain killers than marijuana, so I think it just has a bad rap more than anything.

I hear ya on the munchies and laziness. I have enough trouble with these on my on without any help. When I was in College it was all the rage. My roommate was a regular user and still made decent grades. Made me so stupid for two days I couldn't even find my classrooms, and really didn't even care. Plus didn't like that out of control feeling.

The only way I would condone legalizing would be to distill out the THC, (tetrahydra something or the other, which I think is the active ingredient) and dispensed by way of a prescription. This would make it easily available for those who need it but not those who might abuse it, get behind the wheel of a car or accidentally drown their baby in the bathtub or the like.

One of my coping mechanism: I have a picture on my desk and drift off in fantasy land. I fantasize if I end up with terminal cancer or the pain gets to much I go to the picture on my desk with the view from a front porch of a log cabin on this big lake somewhere in the northern wilderness. I don't smoke or drink, at least not anymore, but I picture myself on that porch with a pack of Marlboro's and a bottle of Jack Daniels and maybe a dime bag of weed. I'd probably take my Bible along too.

Just did a little research. This seems to be a legal, FDA approved tetrahydrocannabinol http://www.justice.gov/dea/ongoing/marinol.html

[SemperFi]

My overall concern is can I function if I've smoked. I get pretty good pain control with my pain medication and I've been off medicine for neuropathies now since last week and am wondering if some of the increased pain I have is related to that tho isn't really neuropathic pain as I've identified it in the past.

I have enjoyed MJ in the past (decades ago) tho because I utilized it for enjoyment not for any other reason altho in the last 30 plus years my priorities have changed and I don't really like sitting around too stoned to do anything. If just a toke could alleviate neuropathies or whatever pain I might be feeling then it might be worth it.

Medical MJ is very easy to obtain here in my area of CA tho I know my PM would likely not want to prescribe my pain medication if he thought I was smoking weed. Personally I have nothing against the use if it helps with pain alleviation and one isn't participating in any activity that involves responsibility to self or others (like driving, babysitting, etc). I've been told with the Medical MJ there are many different types for differing types of health concerns.