I have only smoked it once. With family of all things. I remember laughing a lot. LOL I wish I knew someone in this God Forsaken town that was trust worthy. I would like to try it for the pain right now. But, no chance. My hubby would kill me if he knew i smoked it again. But, I just took a vicodin and drank a beer.....I am more jacked up right now than I would be high!!! Anyhow, Anything that would make me less depressed would be a good thing at this point.

It helps me a lot! but, as with any drug, there are less than desired side effects. it's not something i'll do everyday, but when i am going through severe nausea or pain, i will light up with no hesitation.

Sorry to resurrect old posts. But, (other than saying I LOVE gabesbabe's comment about "a vicodin and a beer" - yay!), I bring this discussion up again to report something from a couple of years ago (old news for a old post from an old fart):

"The recent annual congress of the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR 2006) was held this past June in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. One of the studies presented dealt with Sativex, a cannabis-based medicine, which is administered by oromucosal spray. The hypothesis as to how Sativex may help sufferers of rheumatoid arthritis is based on the purported existence of cannabinoid receptors which modulate pain perception and immune response.

This study found improvement in morning pain and quality of sleepas one might imagine. Further, as one might imagine, side effects included impaired balance, hallucinations and an increased appetite. But there were certainly no major improvements in tender and swollen joints."

Ps. - I am with you, kguts, no reason on earth why it should be illegal, anywhere.

B

Nice Bistro. Thanks for posting that.


and just want to share my excitement that it has become decriminalized in MA :) love how liberal we are :)

next step -> medical marijuana

I know I will be running the risk of being lablled 'the Dutch guy talking about how great pot is', but I have done some research into medicinal cannabis and here it is:

There are 3 types of medicinal marijuana available on prescription over her in the Netherlands. The cultivation and distribution are in the hands of (don't laugh!) the Cannabis Chemist. They adhere to strict regulation and undergo vigorous checks every quarter.

The cannabis they grow is modified and sterile, they do not contain heavy metals, bacteria, mold, pesticides or any other properties that may be harmful. It's not the stuff you get hash bars or from your local, eh, supplier. It is grown to a certain high standard, so you always get the same quality. It has a specific amount of THC and CBD in order to combat pain effectively, while minimizing addiction and the feeling of getting 'high'. It is developed and distributed as medicine and is monitored and tested as such.

The medicinal cannabis should NOT be smoked. You can drink it as a tea or inhale through a special vaporizer.

It is not easy to get a prescription for medicinal cannabis. You need to convince your specialist to prescribe it. A prescription will only be given for a limited number of doses, and you will be checked before you get a new prescription.

The dose you are given is low. As long as you follow the dosage prescribed, you will not get addicted or get very high. As with any other drug and medicine, if you use too much, you run the risk of getting addicted and flying as high as a kite.

It is prescribed to patients suffering from MS, cancer, HIV/aids, neurological pain and in a few cases, arthritis.

A lot of American would hate living in Holland, because government is heavily involved in our lives. Every aspect of our lives is regulated and organized. As is the case with medicinal cannabis.

I have been suffering from pain for the past 5 years and would like to try medicinal cannabis to get some relief once every couple of months, but my rheumatologist, said I am not a severe enough case. Go figure.

I know this was posted a while ago and just came up again.

It was just legalized her in Michigan also. I guess we are becoming liberal here too keriann. If there is a day I need it or want that option it is nice to know it is there.

I was very happy to find this post! I've been wondering if this was a taboo subject in the RA forum and I'm glad to see it's not.

I started using marijuana about 6 months ago to deal with pain but I've found that I really just don't have the time to sit around baked out all the time! Like KGuts, I've got stuff to do! :)

I'm doing some research about ways to use less in food and beverages. This should lessen the feeling of being "high" and just help manage the pain. Reportedly, it also lasts longer. And nobody is going to arrest you for having a pan of brownies.

kitten,
I have not looked into this, but I have a belief that pot, even if it is in food, decreases oxygen in the body. Oxygen is already being decreased in our bodies because of RA and it's important that we do everything we can to increase our oxygen so that it has less of a hit. Ways to do this is lessening toxins, being near the ocean as much as possible, doing yoga, etc. Try and look into this and let us know what you find since I honestly don't know for sure.
thanks,
-Sarah

A very valid question Disney and I have liked the interesting informative replies.
I asked my doctor once to prescribe it for me and she laughed and said, no sorry can't do that. Well I was in a non-legal state.

Cannabis has many different strains and has different effects on different people.

I am not sure of what the difference is in the potency of the legal medical MJ prescribed by docs and non-legal. I am referring to if they only prescribe a certain strain of cannabis.

I do smoke MJ, but rarely. For me mj has been an excellent pain relief. It gives my body a time to rest from the constant pain.

But I have to be sitting down and not have any place to go because I am very sensitive to it, for me personally it is hard to regulate.
One or two hits for me can take hours for the effect to subside. I at one time did not feel safe as I could not feel my legs while walking around and I know that might seem like paradise to some, for me it is dangerous, I slipped in the tub and hurt myself. I have severe arthritis in my knees. So not exactly the best thing to do.

I like to be in control, I want to be able to think and feel. I don't want to be numb. I am not interested in drugs for recreational reasons.
I believe cannabis has its place in this world and has medicinal value.
If anyone is considering trying it for the first time make sure you know what you are taking and make sure you are not alone and I will make the disclaimer of saying be aware of the legality of your situation.

I was a huge pot head in high school and like mose, kind of outgrew it. A while back, I decided to do some research on how it helped with RA. Turns out that there is a component in Marijuana that can help to put RA into remmision. It went on to say that it is the only component in the drug that does not provide the high. Something I found intersting. And yet since Marijuana is ilegal in most states, they can't break it down and use that componant in medication.

I live in Georgia, a state that has not yet agreed to make it legal. But if it were, I would be using it on the nights that I can't sleep. If there was one thing pot did for me, it was help me sleep.

Me again. Cannibidiol is the name of the component in MJ. Just in case any of you wanted to research it out.

I have a friedn who works in one of the very few research labs that is studying cannabinoids. Her explanation of how marijuana use might help fight RA was pretty simple. Marijuana has a mild immune suppressant effect, just like MTX and the biologics. So, it might actually have a minor part to play in actually treating RA and not just managing symptoms.
I live in WA, a state that does have a medical marijuana law, and I do occasionally use it to get to sleep. That's about all I find it to be good for- it doesn't really lessen pain, but it does make me less anxious about it.

Just my reply, and may likely get creamed, but that is just over the top for me. I have a teen and a 21 year old - I do not feel I can preach abstinence and sit over there smoking a doobie at the same time. Pain meds are bad enough, but medical marijuana just does not sit well with me. I understand it is helpful, and for some may be a tool of treatment, but to me, it just does not sit well with my PERSONAL morals. I am not judging anyone, nor their choice of pain relief.

Heather

naturegirl,

Just to answer one of your thoughts, medical marijuana is actually very strong and comes in all different kinds, as well as is sold in all kinds of foods. I have heard, seen and experienced medical marijuana and have pretty good proof on all accounts that it's usually, much stronger than what you can buy on the streets.
-Sarah

This post makes me miss getting high (no offense, Heather, really). It's been decades, and I never had a bad experience with it, other than allergies. Like you guys, kitten5309 & kguts, others, I got kids to raise now. It would be such a luxury to eat a brownie right now ......

"Marijuana has a mild immune suppressant effect", now That is Very interesting (to me)! I guess I did seem to have more colds then but I thought it was just the allergies. *thinks long and hard about mtx .....*

Great discussion. I'm glad it was resurrected a second time.