Why Aren't We Universally Utilizing Medical Marijuana For Opioid Addiction?

[jlaity]

This boggles my mind so I thought I'd look for some opinions here. I just read a local whitepaper that talks about an addiction treatment facility in Massachusetts that's weening patients off of opioids using medical marijuana with a 75% success rate![SUP]1[/SUP] Rates for other addiction treatments aren't that high and those addiction treatments can be nasty. Drugs like methadone can do just as much harm in certain cases. Why isn't PA pushing for the use of medical marijuana in opioid addiction? It's clear that it works and it's a safer alternative than any other addiction treatment.

1)http://theslocumfirm.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Utilization-of-Cannabis-for-Pain-Relief-and-Opioid-Addiction-White-Paper.pdf?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=whitepaper&utm_campaign=downloadpaper

 

[Koren55]

Jlaity

You're quite right. I've been on opioids for 17 years now and I want to get off. For that I'd love to try Medical marijuana. But right now, no one will help. I want to do this under medical supervision, but I'm told if I test positive for marijuana, they won't write prescriptions. Doesn't make any sense. So here I am trying to find a pain specialist willing to work with me. So far no luck.

 

[gtrmike470]

In 2009, I had a lower back surgery. My third procedure. Failed. Spinal stenosis. Epidural fibrosis.
While I was waiting for the surgery, and after, I was loaded up on OxyContin. At my peak I was taking as much as 880 mg per day. Took me 3years to take MYSELF off of it by reducing my prescription by 30 pills every month or two. Once I got to about a third of my dosage, my doctor was happy to talk to me about prescribing me cannabis for long term pain management. He's been my doctor for 25 years, and I have always been open about my usage with him. That didn't change when it came to talking about how cannabis was the only thing that suppresses the spasms. Gives me a chance to sleep. The key to everything. OxyContin just makes it so that I don't give a shit. About anything. Much less remember anything. Much healthier choice.
Now I manage better than ever with my cannabis perscription, and some spinal Cortizone injections every three months. My quality of life has increased tenfold.
Peace and good living[emoji1365]

 

[Delta33]

I'm a severe acute chronic pain patient that has used Opiates for pain dating back to 1993 - my dose increased in or around 2008 after my 10th operation and removal of a spinal cord stimulator. Last month I was told a Pain Pump could not be implanted due to the severe damage to the spinal cord. While on Opiates I worked full time and was extremely productive, had I not been on Opiates I could not have worked. My dose was the same for the last 12 years but it was the foot-drop that sidelined me. Just 6 months ago my new pain management Dr. declared that my dose was to be reduced and it has been by about 70%. After the tapering started the pain got worse but while my body got busy fighting the pain my foot drop got worse and I was falling 2 to 4 times daily. Last week I ran into the corner of a wall twice in 16 hours - my head would lead but my legs didn't follow and boom a BLOODY mess. My blood pressure soared to 160/121 and it was 120/68. I'm nearly 60 and I was extremely active but now after walking 100 yards I've got to stop due to pain, spasticity and the foot drop - my feet go completely numb. I also suffer from Arachnoiditis as a result of a Myelogram in 1987. I no longer have a Fear of Death.

I live in Pa. and when the Governor signed MM into law I jumped for joy. It wasn't because it might be a way to get off Opiates but because it was one more drug that might help me. I will never be able to not use opiates and I'm OK with that and if Cannabis can replace or reduce the amount of Opiates I use I'm all for it. I'm told by several doctors that my pain is much like a cancer pain, in the spine - its Acute, Progressive, Severe and Chronic and one day it will prevent me from walking or paralyze me.

If I was to even try MM one time and test positive - I'm tested every other month with urine and a monthly pill count and in all my years in Pain management I have not once misused my meds - I wont start now. If I tested positive for Cannabis my medical records would reflect the results and I would loose my Work Comp medical insurance for ever. So far my medical costs have exceeded 1 million dollars.

I grew up in the 70's when weed was everywhere but now its more of a drug that does work for many different medical problems. The state of Pa. is moving so slowly that its looking like late 2018 before patients will be able to use it - however, no flower, no smoking, only pills, dabs, tinctures and creams, we wont be able to grow it either. Just last week the state awarded the growers license to 12 growers and they have 1 year to be ready with their product. So now its 2018 and what if the growers don't get it done the way the sate wants it. Pa said " we will raise the bar for MM use ". What gets my goat - if a child under 18 years old needs MM now, they can go out of state to get it with a parent. The Governor said that it was parents of young children that pushed for the law to be passed so they should get priority - me, I've got to wait at least another year and the law was signed in April of 2016.

MM will make a difference but there will be those patients with severe pain and MM cant help every patient. There are over 10 million patients that need opiates just to take a shower and go to work / pay taxes. I truly hope that MM helps me - hell I miss it. For now we need the state to get off their ass and get MM out to the people that need it but they are dragging their feet.

I hear what your saying and I'm praying it works for me. My mom is 85 and she wants to try it.

Thanks and that was a great question.

The difference between Opiates and Cannabis is like - night and day but should be legal in every state for that reason.

Sorry for the long version.

 

[bobrown14]

Jlaity

You're quite right. I've been on opioids for 17 years now and I want to get off. For that I'd love to try Medical marijuana. But right now, no one will help. I want to do this under medical supervision, but I'm told if I test positive for marijuana, they won't write prescriptions. Doesn't make any sense. So here I am trying to find a pain specialist willing to work with me. So far no luck.

I had a near death experience, was in the ICU for 5 days with an anurism on my Aorta which caused a large blood clot to form that blocked blood flow to my large and small intestines shutting down my digestive track. Needless to say I was in extreme pain. They put me on intravenous Hydromorphone (Dilaudid) which is one of the strongest opiods you will get in a hospital setting. They gave me a button ... push it as much as you want ... well needless to say I was addicted in about 3 hours.
After 5 days ... ha... they also gave me some heavy duty blood thinners to remove the clot.

It worked the pain slowly got less but I was left with a 6cm anurism in my aorta that has pain to go with it. Feels like someone stabbed me in the back with a hot poker from time to time. Comes and goes. So I got to take home with me a nice supply of opiods which of course I was already addicted to.

As I transitioned from hospital to home with opiods in hand, I started seeing my primary care physician. After 3 months of this my wife handed me some cannabis seeds and told me this is going to work for your issues better than that crap they are giving you now - blood thinners and opiods. She told me I smelled like a dead person walking.

So I started growing my own organic cannabis.

Well it wasn't too long about 6 months into my rehab.. still addicted to opiods and taking them several times a day .. I can tell you I NEVER missed a dose. Probably the only prescription drug I can say that about. One day I called to get my opiod prescription re-filled and the doc said ... Oh no more prescriptions, you risk getting addicted... really? Well we had a knock down drag out argument... pretty much me saying you cant stop this cold turkey... I'm already addicted. You need to give me "something". By that time my first crop of cannabis was finishing. I was close... doc gave me another prescription of another opiod so I was good for a little while.

Finally I just said to my wife this is crazy... I weened off the opiods with cannabis. Only "drug" I take is a baby aspirin every day and of course vape my home grown organic cannabis. Still get that stabbing pain every once in a while, as my 6cm anurism has shrunk down to 2cm the last time I got an MRI.

Good luck waiting for PA or the Feds to do anything positive on the MMJ thing.. and you can thank Nixon and Ray-gun for the war on drugs that caused places like Afghanistan and Columbia to replace cannabis with poppies and Coca plants. Now the USA has a REAL drub problem, heroin/opiod addiction and PA just happens to have one of the highest death rates in the country for heroin/opiod overdose in the country. "There were 4,642 overdose deaths in 2016" and we are on track to exceed that in 2017, the statistics are not in yet.

 

[FredyJohnSmit]

Agreed mate, It all depends on all the false perception that our government is keeping in his mind regarding the medicinal marijuana benefits. Extensive research is still required in this field to uncover the health benefits of the medicinal marijuana.
PEACE