Opioid Tapering With Cannabis: A Regimen

[PCaddict]

Peace, brother.

Tell me the Gov. has nothing to do with it.... Due to changing laws my doctor took me straight off Methadone after 15 years of prescribing them. I would say that is government interference

 

[SPARECHANGE]

CBD Critical Cure

• SweetSue
• Feb 25, 2018

SUMMARY

*The initial goal is to decrease the frequency and dose of opioids, with an eye to quitting opioids altogether.

* Work closely with your doctor that prescribes the opioids.

* You may need to get a separate doctor for your cannabis regimen.

* Gradual tapering off of the opioids can spare you the withdrawal symptoms and cravings that usually come with discontinuing opioids.

* You want to reduce the risk of accidental overdose if restarting opioids after they've been stopped.


A personal note

Pulling this information together was an emotionally grueling project for me. I have such a strong connection to this community and I know many are struggling with opioid dependance, an unexpected hangover of injury made worse by the medication meant to give relief.

We now know that cannabis is as effective as opioids, with small exception, and without any of the dangerous side effects that come hand-in-hand with opioid use. With the knowledge we're getting now we have a gateway drug out of the opioid nightmare.

This is a labor of love, from me to you. Even if I never know you, this was my gift, in hopes that it will help you find your way home.




Resources from Dr. Smith:

Cannabis-MD is a collection of educational materials for medical professionals.
- The site teaches you about the plant, the ECS, how cannabis interfaces with the ECS, and classes on particular disease states and their treatment with cannabis.

Medical Cannabis: What Clinicians Need To Know And Why

• SweetSue
• Feb 25, 2018

"Medical Cannabis: Basic Science and Clinical Applications" by Dr. Gregory Smith. A textbook for physicans on what cannabis is and why it's an important therapeutic tool.

"CBD (Cannabidiol): What You Need To Know"

CBD (Cannabidiol): What You Need To Know

• SweetSue
• Feb 25, 2018

married? wanna b? I'm ♡'ing your labor of love. nothin better, than reading, someone understands u. even the pain doc, when one has the time... it's like hearing oneself speak. they do, often get u. their hands r tied, folks. i just stop talking because doc says one's next thought, anyway, but can do zip. ty for this, miss sue. very cathartic, getting current, with u.

 

[SPARECHANGE]

This is such amazing work and compassion, Sue. I think we've talked before about my experience with opioids. The truth is that this has become such a problem that it touches the lives of practically everyone, from the people who become addicted, to the people who love those addicts. I've done a lot of research into pain management and the so called "opioid epidemic" and I can see a lot of the research I found mirrored in this, so I know the amount of work that you poured into this.

When I began my research, I never imagined that pain itself would be such a convoluted topic, and perception of pain is something that people do not really take into account. I think that physical recover is hard to achieve when so many people walked down this road to cope with some kind of emotional issue, and as time went on, the stigma and the rigors of addiction just made both the physical and emotional troubles worse, like a snow-ball rolling down the hill. I can't say I've experienced this process personally, I can't claim that kind of insight; I'm a pretty empathetic person, and I've watched the closest people to me I've known walk down that road, and in the end it took their lives. It sucks to watch someone suffering with pain, knowing the relief they're turning to is poisoning them all the same, and not being able to do anything about it. You want them to stop, but at the same time you don't want them to suffer in pain. If this kind of information had been available to me 15 years ago to help the people I love, it might have changed my life.

What's done is done though. Now days I just want to do my part to turn the tide of this opioid epidemic, to try to stop other people from feeling the kind of pain and lament it brings to everyone from the people taking the drugs, to the people who have to deal with the fallout. I don't really have the type of personal insight of addicts to know what they're going through, but I've watched enough of them go through it, listened to them enough, pondered on it long enough, and loved enough addicts to know it doesn't make anyone a bad person. I think the bare minimum I can do to help others avoid that type of euphoric-chase to cope with emotional distress, is to remind people addicted that they're not monsters, and that there shouldn't be a stigma behind the word 'addict'. I try to remind everyone I know, if they spit the word out in disgust, that it could just as easily be them, or someone they loved. There's always someone that believes their shit doesn't stink, or that they'd never succumb, and they're usually the most vocal about it, so I feel a bit of an obligation to yell just as loud that it is not your fault, that it's not all about will-power, morality, or any of that non-sense.

I'll keep a link to this thread handy, and share it with the people I know that need help. Thanks again, Sue.

u just unloaded a decade of mental puu, for me. helps, seeing someone tell ur own story. thanx 4 sharing.
did that atf GrO easy on u?

 

[SPARECHANGE]

SweetSue,

Thank you for all your time and efforts. Excellent posts. I will take time to study info here. Count me in for this study. I am tapering opioids, have been for years. Using cannabis for almost one year after starting very low CBD doses. Was terrified of THC at first, makes me smile to remember. Still working to find best profile, percentages,.... Preference is tinctures but not limiting methods. Encouragement felt, appreciate.

i know it's an old post, but filtration time>buchner funnel... ty for what y'all r doin!

 

[SPARECHANGE]

hello, I'm only beginning my reading, here. unfortunately, for every study that states one thing, 10 more, will contradict it so the stats, in the above "article", are a point of contention, for the "opposition", but the points made, graphic symptoms, i.e.

and any other specialists you have, supervising your care, such as the cardiologist... (btw, oil took me from 155/whatever, to 120/80 & no longer require heart n b.p. meds- but at the ok, of the bosses/docs. it's like lookin in a mirror. everything in miss sue's thread, has been spot on, with my experiences.

i meant to delete that entire comment about stats. i was digressing. it was a distraction from the real issues so i was deleting n phone died. sorry.

 

[SPARECHANGE]

Tell me the Gov. has nothing to do with it.... Due to changing laws my doctor took me straight off Methadone after 15 years of prescribing them. I would say that is government interference

interesting concept. so... start with THE SKULLS, kiddy movie. move up to THE GOOD SHEPHERD. realize, it's bush sr. in the room, when the cia gets "DI-NERO'D"... then, look into sea n land, joint venture, with the prime minister, du jour... then, look up the production process, where we waring? black markets, subsistence farming. which pharmaceutical company/s, did bush hold interest in? just questions... tony Blair, comes to mind, for 1... has the cdc read ur personal med files? are they arbitrarily weighing in on ur care? man, I've been there. none of it matters. gotta move past the depression's anger and get to the useful/miss sue parts. what IS workin for ya? is there something else we can run to? just havin hope, again... that's something. hopefully, cannabis can give anyone who's lost it: back.

 

[Alafornia]

Tell me the Gov. has nothing to do with it.... Due to changing laws my doctor took me straight off Methadone after 15 years of prescribing them. I would say that is government interference

Exactly my argument: Government promulgated the problem both on the front end promoting opioid use then on the backend again encouraging rapid disuse.

 

[SPARECHANGE]

no turning back the tide. i figured they'd eventually outlaw em, over public hysteria and ignorance, anyway. just the writing on the wall.

 

[SPARECHANGE]

my gal just started rso, yesterday, afternoon. interesting drive, state to state, it being her first GOOD rso experience. ever try to make it home, after a 14hr day, with a 2yr old, kinda trippin, coked up, jonesing & carpet commandoing for last nights crank spacing? remember the rug burns, in the movie, oh- jason patrick and swf were narks? that shyt is real! that's what happened, when she couldn't find her i.d.! and it's the touring edition so there's plenty of lights, buttons n shyt, whdn ud in total darkness, middle of the desert? can u imagine if she'd lost her phone? and we're in amboy- rough, technical road, in darkness and she's crankin sly and the family stone, at max power! yeah, this is my life! and every 2 seconds, she's askin me if i know what moon phase, mercury's io will be in, on feb 9, 2029! how the f should i know?! and isn't that one, Saturn's, anyway? and I'm hoping this isn't more than a fart. there's nothing you'd let your dog touch, within 90min... and here she goes again with, "5 cubed is-" alot... and what's the "hypotenuse of?" -
are u kidding me?! we almost hit another kid, on a bike!
so I'm wishing her all the luck i/we had, here and waking her up, staring at her, breathing heavily, on her arm (I'm fat)... asking her if she feels strange...

 

[SPARECHANGE]

my gal just started rso, yesterday, afternoon. interesting drive, state to state, it being her first GOOD rso experience. ever try to make it home, after a 14hr day, with a 2yr old, kinda trippin, coked up, jonesing & carpet commandoing for last nights crank spacing? remember the rug burns, in the movie, oh- jason patrick and swf were narks? that shyt is real! that's what happened, when she couldn't find her i.d.! and it's the touring edition so there's plenty of lights, buttons n shyt, whdn ud in total darkness, middle of the desert? can u imagine if she'd lost her phone? and we're in amboy- rough, technical road, in darkness and she's crankin sly and the family stone, at max power! yeah, this is my life! and every 2 seconds, she's askin me if i know what moon phase, mercury's io will be in, on feb 9, 2029! how the f should i know?! and isn't that one, Saturn's, anyway? and I'm hoping this isn't more than a fart. there's nothing you'd let your dog touch, within 90min... and here she goes again with, "5 cubed is-" alot... and what's the "hypotenuse of?" -
are u kidding me?! we almost hit another kid, on a bike!
so I'm wishing her all the luck i/we had, here and waking her up, staring at her, breathing heavily, on her arm (I'm fat)... asking her if she feels strange...

omg, last night actually happened. there's no coleslaw left. i was soooo exhausted!

 

[SPARECHANGE]

Exactly my argument: Government promulgated the problem both on the front end promoting opioid use then on the backend again encouraging rapid disuse.

the lovely g, was watching the dreaded, news, the other day. its talkin about captain lee's son and the laced opioids, compliments of red, china. now, I've never been to china and I'm not naive to the propaganda, news is only too happy, to deliver, but my mental image of china- there was no brokedown winnebago, in the desert of bonsai tree, china with some guy, who wasn't farming rice, or slaving in a factory, with a blow n smack problem, sayin to himself, "why don't i just bake in hundreds of tons of my inventory", i robbed billions to accumulate and just give it away! the world would b a much happier place and travellers, the world over could b confident their next lot lizard, would be open sore, free. aren't most things, in red, commy, countries, state owned? and didn't miss sue tell us- 85% of opioid users, reside in the u.s.? sounds personal, to me, but Limbaugh, used to make me laugh so i feel a lil conflicted- at the same time, the guy's kinda a feminine hygiene product.

 

[SweetSue]

So i finally found a doc willing to write my meds and work with me to slowly lower me off of the fentanyl patches n the oxycodone. This saturday ill be starting the 87mcg patches versus the 100mcg im on currently. And ive been wanting to start tryn my hand at the topicals and different oils to help with pain so was wondering if u dnt mind me askn what was ur recipe for the topical? Also if i accidently let my bud sit out n forgot to cure it n its all dry crispy now wud tht still be gud for an oil run or sumthn or wud it have all degraded into cbd?

Jones, did we take care of the pain oil issues?

Thats an interesting article, the resistance of the medical profession to replacing opioid use with cannabis I would suggest has very little to do with their lack of knowledge on the subject. It has more to do with the pharmaceutical industry controlling and dictating to physicians what they will prescribe. Thats what we are up against, a multi trillion dollar industry fighting tooth and nail to maintain their market share and they have bought the medical industry lock stock and barrel who are in their pockets. And this is not just about cannabis, any alternative medical therapy which the pharmaceutical industry cannot gain a profit out is derided, howled down and buried regardless of its efficacy.

The madness around what the pharmaceutical companies did to the world - what they’re perpetuating in other countries even as we try to clean up the deadly mess they made here - is something we’d be best to step beyond so we can focus on healing. Let them fight it out for the money.

I choose to look ahead, where all the relief lies. Looking back and working for some justice for this grand painful adventure is a waste of time and energy, IMHO.

married? wanna b? I'm ♡'ing your labor of love. nothin better, than reading, someone understands u. even the pain doc, when one has the time... it's like hearing oneself speak. they do, often get u. their hands r tied, folks. i just stop talking because doc says one's next thought, anyway, but can do zip. ty for this, miss sue. very cathartic, getting current, with u.

Thank you for the lovely compliments. This room really is a labor of love like no others.

i meant to delete that entire comment about stats. i was digressing. it was a distraction from the real issues so i was deleting n phone died. sorry.

Don’t worry yourself about digressing on this thread, or any other I maintain. This room, in particular is made for rambling.

 

[SPARECHANGE]

i can ramble- Jones, I'll get back to u. I'm stuck gay, on the capn. i agree with movin fwd, with the cluster... we've been left with, BUT IT'S DAM GOOD TO SEE SOMEONE ELSE BREAK DISHES, every now n again. may i speak for the room when i say- yeah, we all agree. all visit that place, quite frequently, but try to sift through the b.s. n use whatever good we can find, that's left. so turn that frown upside down- all that krap left over is usually some form of hash, if it makes u feel any better.

 

[SPARECHANGE]

ok so jones- u can put em with fresh bud, to rejuvenate. some people use bread/banana. to each their own. i don't like mould, or fruit flies so...orange peels, i think i read, too. extra dry means less chlorophyll. could b joint material, too. chlorophyll is often responsible for stomach upset from edibles, caps, etc. were u to decarb, de-stem, de-seed and superfreeze it's already oil worthy. guess just preference, on ur part. it's fine.

 

[SPARECHANGE]

and jones, my gal's started, yesterday. methadone n oxy descents, so ur not alone. I'm not 2 mo free, yet. get some imodium n pepto, or equivalent, but fear not- i know EVERYONE is diff, but that was the extent of my withdrawals.
the gurl- diff story. seen legion? remember the walker lady on the ceiling? i should've oiled an indica, for her....
on one hand, 16hrs out, on 1.5ish MG! she thought she was ready for a bigger, 2-2.5 dose. while i couldn't b prouder and my ego couldn't b bigger, with the strength thing- my heart goes out to her. it doesn't sound fun. ease in. less, really can b more...
now to figure out how one even could get less than a paint stroke into THE RED PILL. of course I'm not diluting MY Frankenstein monster; proud father: testosterone; can't do it!

 

[SPARECHANGE]

[works off miss em's echo] jones? we're with u man. if it helps, I'll try to stay on n hold ur hand through it. how's it goin?

 

[SPARECHANGE]

i can't b the only one. u know when u go to decarb the last of one of ur favs? and u scramble to grab back out, "no, not that one! nope... definitely, not that one...". what if it's one of ur prettiest grows? that "DO NOT" pile, adds up and the "DO"... well, the nova, after realizing one might fit an extra oz... is still MT! put the stainless back n got stuck. i mean i never even tried to smoke em cause i already had some, cured. this sux. for empathy, check "this" box. for pity- just give that knowing knod u give a fellow man passin u enroute for std testing... in THE SWAB room...

 

[SPARECHANGE]

uh huh. i only need 3 more loads!

straight up, amnesia

• SPARECHANGE
• Oct 19, 2019

she'll literally b sorely missed. r.i.p.

 

[SPARECHANGE]

secondaries look as pretty as the primary tops. i can't tell the diff, unless i um... see the whole shaft.

 

[SPARECHANGE]

Tell me the Gov. has nothing to do with it.... Due to changing laws my doctor took me straight off Methadone after 15 years of prescribing them. I would say that is government interference

i truly hope u (not just me) can c this, as a blessing n disguise. it's about to get "windy" up n here so brace yourself: this has been the writing on the wall, a few yrs, now. if u haven't been arbitrarily deflated, yet- it's comin. nobody will risk their med license, for u, and the dea doesn't sound too concerned about ruffling feathers to use fear and intimidation, as many powers that b, so often do; abusing the power limitations of their world. small people...
hence, when the neighboring pill mill gets raided, if the offices r connected, ur doc just became fair game, too... and it can damage your doc's reputation and shut "him" down, for months, til the innocent r proved so; the American way, like it, or no... costing them (good docs, good people) even 10s of thousands in legal fees and income cause u just got hosed, for the same period. ever try changing pain docs? pharmacies? states? odds r, ur starting with xrays, AGAIN, at some other doc and ur left, holding a baggy of tylenol in one hand, for the 4 mo it'll take for ur new doc to provide a foundation (AGAIN!), for your takin more than vicodin, those 4 mo., if that. now, consider the travel expenses you just added. copays. meds u can't use.
here's another hard truth: my withdrawal from methadone n oxies was arrested at stomach cramps n the puupies. in the last 2wks, i just went for it- down from 100mg morphine equivalent, but i did ask for norcos, for "breakthrough" (i know- just with oxies, at the end; redundant drug) n then used em to step down, off, instead; still able to abide by directions, til the end... but i dropped the methadone, by itself, first. minimal discomfort, with a come up n the oxies, to compensate.
started final drop, aug 15 & am down 37-39 lbs, depending, since my last opioid, aug 31.
the biggest thing i gained, was my hope back!
i could name 50 body systems, at least, that i often, mistakenly credit cannabis oil with (the diff from rso being- i use hybrids, indis, and sats. he uses indicas, typically, as i understand it. the real deal is 2/3 of those issues were opioid caused. I'd not read that, over my decade battle. not all of em, anyway.
first, the obvious- anxiety, stress? u can nix those pills for rso (under medical supervision /approval; often easier said than done)... my heart pills- GONE! B.P. pills- bye bye: OIL! no psvt, 244beats per minute issues/resets. no 150/whatever, blood pressure- 120/80, again! opioids n perceived pain take that street cred.
stinging sensations outta nowhere- gone. chronic headaches n migraines- opioids caused- GONE! the kind of headaches that say, "doesn't matter what tomorrow, or kurt Cobain, look like. opioid caused n the imitrex that works reliably for those migraines- contributes to ur high b.p. and if it's too high- u go e.r. and they won't refill, til u stabilize. can u imagine? happened to the lovely g.
consider your morphine equivalent: if they haven't started to decline ur intake- they will. do the math 4 yourself. ur prolly over 1k mg equivalent... so ur drops will come in significant increments. think of a 20% drop, at 1k. u just lost 2 meths, or significant oxies. and that's how it goes. if u zee em quarterly, it gives u 2mo to try new (legal) things. u would b n breach... fyi... they play the game. u may need to, also, and i mean well intended "play"; or I'd not have had the norcos, to help...
I'm forgetting a ton. knees, when I'm kneeling, don't suddenly and acutely, mysteriously, send me onto my back, writhing. plantar fasciitis- gone. the stress of each of these- u dunno how much tension n ur chest it's responsible for, til it's gone! the agoraphobia of- that doorknob means outside- means pain- ain't goin!". that was a biggie- significantly less, now.
going into town... lil things, like this- freak u? it gets better. ears ringing- gone. spacial awareness- improving.
the ability to better care for yourself- hygienically- huge diff and the not doin it cause it hurts n u /we stank- the skin dryness, irritation- clean right up! the half pound u gain, weekly- being horizontal- drops away, fast. my first goal, was to focus on bath n shower combo- least once- ea. day, again. goal 1- check!
anyway, i could n often do go on, but u get it. it's better! the lovely g says, "u can drive? how? y?"... i actually have this model because i could no longer sit up n got too fat, for a sedan; usually needing to lay n back. my response was, "because i can, now, and because i know i now feel better than u do.". she's in a similar situation, but was less... prepared to b incapacitated, early on. i didn't think I'd c 50, with all my prostate symptoms. i go with "ignorance is bliss, on that one". already had a come to jesus with my heart thing. one's enough. but the rso has quieted 2yrs of being p crazy! oh and the first night in a decade, u sleep beyond 2hrs. the first day, u don't nod off... dood- it's a blessing. you've been given a gift n hopefully, a second chance at a life.