Using Cannabis To Reduce And Replace Opiod Drugs
With the wave of legalization sweeping the country we now find ourselves faced with the medical evidence that cannabis is much more valuable than we all suspected. One of the more recent findings has been its ability to help patients reduce their need for addictive and dangerous opiod pain medications. It's a sad testimony to the state of health care that more people die every year from complications of prescription medications than by any other means, made even more poignant by the realization that we grow and dispense the safest, most beneficial herbal medication on earth, so this frightening statistic was never necessary.
Some statistics shared in the seminar:
* Every day 44 people in the U.S die from prescription painkiller overdose. If you add in heroin deaths that number climbs to 78.
* Over 7,000 people daily end up in emergency rooms in this country from misuse of opiod medications.
* in 2010 one in twenty people in the U.S. Over the age of twelve used painkillers non-medically.
* Between 1999 and 2010 opiod prescriptions quadrupled. So did the number of deaths by opiod overdose.
This is a link to a report to Congress in 2014 on this terrifying national practice of overprescribing opiod painkillers.
Americas Addiction To Opioids: Heroin and Prescription Drug Abuse
Dr Dustin Sulak recently offered an online seminar in the findings he and his associates are seeing in their Mass. practice, where their patients on opiod pain relievers have begun to reduce and eliminate their opiod dose in favor of cannabis. In most cases cannabis is better pain relief with a longer therapeutic window than opioids.
Ironic, isn't it, considering how so many in the medical community still cling tenaciously to the erroneous concept that cannabis is some sort of gateway drug? Turns out, it's the complete opposite. What Dr. Sulak and his associates discovered was that cannabis is the perfect match to an opiod therapy and can be used to great effect to help addicted patients off the dangerous pain meds. He's made it one of his missions to get this message out there, and I'm making it one of mine. I'd hope you'll join me and spread this message far and wide:
You should never let an opiod medication pass your lips without some cannabis.
This dose of THC can be as little as 1 mg. Yes, you read that right - as little as 1 mg of THC, a dose so small that it has no euphoric effect on you, will increase both the potency of your opiod medication, And extend the therapeutic window of that medication. This tiny dose of THC has no ability to effect the pain on its own, but will work synergistically to potentiate the opiods.
This means your opiod medication can be reduced from the start. You should notice immediately that the dose that wasn't hitting the pain may now be too strong. Listen carefully to your body, and if possible, get your primary care physician involved so that change can be closely monitored. Unlike cannabis, opioids come with some nasty side effects, and weaning off them is more safely done under the watchful eye of a trained professional.
You'll want to listen closely to your body to find your minimal effective dose of cannabis, using some sort of "Inner Inventory" to assess subtle changes. Only you know your body. No one else can do this part for you. If you're using a cannabis patch you should dose every four hours to find the minimal effective dose.
You use cannabis for breakthrough symptoms and to reduce cravings. One of the benefits of cannabis is its ability to shift your perception from craving back to rational thinking.
Select CBD:THC ratios to enhance benefits and decrease unwanted side effects (such as unwanted psychoactivity).
- A 1:1 ratio is broadly effective and in general is well tolerated by most people. It makes a good jumping off point.
- Use a ratio of 2:1 or greater if you're also treating Hepatitis C with active liver inflammation or fibrosis.
** Evidence suggests that for this patient population unopposed THC (using a ratio lower than 2:1) will aggravate the situation.
*** Evidence also suggests that CBD will protect the liver in these patients and can prevent the progression of liver disease.
It kind of goes without saying that testing your cannabis products is the only way to be certain of the component profile and know exactly the quality of your medication. Reality points out that testing is still a dream for many of us. At the end of this post I'll leave a list of high CBD strains generously compiled by cajuncelt (and thank you so much for all that work Cajun). Choosing a high CBD strain enhances your potential for hitting the desired ratios.
As you progress along your healing path cannabis can be used to enhance other life-affirming activities like exercise, meditation, prayer, journaling/reflecting, or psychotherapy.
Cannabis can also be used to enhance your sleep patterns. Choose ONLY indica strains for evening consumption. Resist the urge to load up on your favorite sativa for that delightful late-night creative session you enjoy so much while you help your body break the dependence on the opiods. Then you can indulge again. Heal first. Get off the opiods first. Sleep and let your body heal.
That was in my most gentle but still firm mom voice. Did you hear it.
Most of Dr. Sulak's patients have been able to reduce their opiod dose by 50-80%.
I want to take note here for patients new to cannabis. There's this marvelous two-week window of opportunity when beginning cannabinoid therapy. Your body begins to develop more cannabinoid receptors and acclimate itself to the increase in cannabinoids. The introduction to cannabis should be a careful and methodical thing to gain greatest advantage of this period. I'll be including Dr. Sulak's process for introducing cannabis to new patients.
Experienced cannabis users don't get off easy here. It's recommended you go through Dr. Sulak's Six Day Sensitization Protocol before attempting to wean off opiods to reduce the chance of developing an extreme cannabis tolerance. This process will offer you a number of benefits:
- The tone of your endocannabinoid system will improve.
- Your ECS will up regulate (create more) cannabinoid receptors.
- Your body will create more endocannabinoids, thus reducing the need for more phytocannabinoids. You need less cannabis because your body is making more on its own because you took the hard choice and did the protocol.
- Your body's sensitivity to medications will increase.
- The protocol offers the optimal advantage to opiod taper.
I've done the protocol and I can testify that it works as promised. I cut my cannabis usage in half. It was also one of the most challenging six days I've gotten through, but I survived it. So can you. Keep yourself busy and take advantage of the many free resources Dr. Sulak offers on his Healer site to help you get through.
If you sense yourself building a cannabis tolerance in the future don't hesitate to challenge the dose by putting yourself through the sensitization protocol again.
It's recommended that you switch to an oromucosal dosing with a tincture if your current primary delivery is inhalation. You can get better dosing consistency and enhanced bioavailibility with oromucosal delivery than with inhalation. Save inhalation for recreation.
Special Patient Concerns
It is possible to fast track a serious addiction with ultra-high doses of cannabis to beat the withdrawal symptoms and then taper off the cannabis. A subset of patients don't respond well to a low dose but tend to respond well to a high dose of CCO if done carefully. Dr. Sulak's standard approach with these patients is to begin with a tiny dose of an oromucosal tincture 3 x/day. Gradually increase over the course of a month to a dose of 100-500 mg daily. Remember, cannabis is an individually dosed medication and everyone will respond in their own way. I may only need 100 mg a day. You may need 500 mg a day. Start Low, Go Slow
When you're using high doses of cannabis, in particular high doses of THC, your body will begin to reduce the number of cannabinoid receptors. The receptors will actually sink right into the cell, unavailable for attachment. This is part of the way your body evolved to protect you from over stimulation. Overstimulate and you end up with increased tolerance brought about from a reduction of attachment points. You can reset the system by going through the Six Day Sensitization Protocol.
An interesting point on choosing your personal medication: Dr. Sulak recommends you let your nose guide you. Say you have a choice between a few strains you believe are good candidates. How to choose? Smell them. Which one appeals to you more? Go with that one. If it works for you, have it tested, or acquire the test results, if you were lucky enough to get it from a good dispensary or a cultivator that can get plant material tested. Now you know what's in there and you can use that profile to compare other strains.
It's the terpenes that influence the cannabinoid expression. A plant smelling faintly of lavender probably has linalool, a sedating terpene. One with the terpene pinene can reduce the memory aspect of someone with PTSD.
With the wave of legalization sweeping the country we now find ourselves faced with the medical evidence that cannabis is much more valuable than we all suspected. One of the more recent findings has been its ability to help patients reduce their need for addictive and dangerous opiod pain medications. It's a sad testimony to the state of health care that more people die every year from complications of prescription medications than by any other means, made even more poignant by the realization that we grow and dispense the safest, most beneficial herbal medication on earth, so this frightening statistic was never necessary.
Some statistics shared in the seminar:
* Every day 44 people in the U.S die from prescription painkiller overdose. If you add in heroin deaths that number climbs to 78.
* Over 7,000 people daily end up in emergency rooms in this country from misuse of opiod medications.
* in 2010 one in twenty people in the U.S. Over the age of twelve used painkillers non-medically.
* Between 1999 and 2010 opiod prescriptions quadrupled. So did the number of deaths by opiod overdose.
This is a link to a report to Congress in 2014 on this terrifying national practice of overprescribing opiod painkillers.
Americas Addiction To Opioids: Heroin and Prescription Drug Abuse
Dr Dustin Sulak recently offered an online seminar in the findings he and his associates are seeing in their Mass. practice, where their patients on opiod pain relievers have begun to reduce and eliminate their opiod dose in favor of cannabis. In most cases cannabis is better pain relief with a longer therapeutic window than opioids.
Ironic, isn't it, considering how so many in the medical community still cling tenaciously to the erroneous concept that cannabis is some sort of gateway drug? Turns out, it's the complete opposite. What Dr. Sulak and his associates discovered was that cannabis is the perfect match to an opiod therapy and can be used to great effect to help addicted patients off the dangerous pain meds. He's made it one of his missions to get this message out there, and I'm making it one of mine. I'd hope you'll join me and spread this message far and wide:
You should never let an opiod medication pass your lips without some cannabis.
This dose of THC can be as little as 1 mg. Yes, you read that right - as little as 1 mg of THC, a dose so small that it has no euphoric effect on you, will increase both the potency of your opiod medication, And extend the therapeutic window of that medication. This tiny dose of THC has no ability to effect the pain on its own, but will work synergistically to potentiate the opiods.
This means your opiod medication can be reduced from the start. You should notice immediately that the dose that wasn't hitting the pain may now be too strong. Listen carefully to your body, and if possible, get your primary care physician involved so that change can be closely monitored. Unlike cannabis, opioids come with some nasty side effects, and weaning off them is more safely done under the watchful eye of a trained professional.
You'll want to listen closely to your body to find your minimal effective dose of cannabis, using some sort of "Inner Inventory" to assess subtle changes. Only you know your body. No one else can do this part for you. If you're using a cannabis patch you should dose every four hours to find the minimal effective dose.
You use cannabis for breakthrough symptoms and to reduce cravings. One of the benefits of cannabis is its ability to shift your perception from craving back to rational thinking.
Select CBD:THC ratios to enhance benefits and decrease unwanted side effects (such as unwanted psychoactivity).
- A 1:1 ratio is broadly effective and in general is well tolerated by most people. It makes a good jumping off point.
- Use a ratio of 2:1 or greater if you're also treating Hepatitis C with active liver inflammation or fibrosis.
** Evidence suggests that for this patient population unopposed THC (using a ratio lower than 2:1) will aggravate the situation.
*** Evidence also suggests that CBD will protect the liver in these patients and can prevent the progression of liver disease.
It kind of goes without saying that testing your cannabis products is the only way to be certain of the component profile and know exactly the quality of your medication. Reality points out that testing is still a dream for many of us. At the end of this post I'll leave a list of high CBD strains generously compiled by cajuncelt (and thank you so much for all that work Cajun). Choosing a high CBD strain enhances your potential for hitting the desired ratios.
As you progress along your healing path cannabis can be used to enhance other life-affirming activities like exercise, meditation, prayer, journaling/reflecting, or psychotherapy.
Cannabis can also be used to enhance your sleep patterns. Choose ONLY indica strains for evening consumption. Resist the urge to load up on your favorite sativa for that delightful late-night creative session you enjoy so much while you help your body break the dependence on the opiods. Then you can indulge again. Heal first. Get off the opiods first. Sleep and let your body heal.
That was in my most gentle but still firm mom voice. Did you hear it.
Most of Dr. Sulak's patients have been able to reduce their opiod dose by 50-80%.
I want to take note here for patients new to cannabis. There's this marvelous two-week window of opportunity when beginning cannabinoid therapy. Your body begins to develop more cannabinoid receptors and acclimate itself to the increase in cannabinoids. The introduction to cannabis should be a careful and methodical thing to gain greatest advantage of this period. I'll be including Dr. Sulak's process for introducing cannabis to new patients.
Experienced cannabis users don't get off easy here. It's recommended you go through Dr. Sulak's Six Day Sensitization Protocol before attempting to wean off opiods to reduce the chance of developing an extreme cannabis tolerance. This process will offer you a number of benefits:
- The tone of your endocannabinoid system will improve.
- Your ECS will up regulate (create more) cannabinoid receptors.
- Your body will create more endocannabinoids, thus reducing the need for more phytocannabinoids. You need less cannabis because your body is making more on its own because you took the hard choice and did the protocol.
- Your body's sensitivity to medications will increase.
- The protocol offers the optimal advantage to opiod taper.
I've done the protocol and I can testify that it works as promised. I cut my cannabis usage in half. It was also one of the most challenging six days I've gotten through, but I survived it. So can you. Keep yourself busy and take advantage of the many free resources Dr. Sulak offers on his Healer site to help you get through.
If you sense yourself building a cannabis tolerance in the future don't hesitate to challenge the dose by putting yourself through the sensitization protocol again.
It's recommended that you switch to an oromucosal dosing with a tincture if your current primary delivery is inhalation. You can get better dosing consistency and enhanced bioavailibility with oromucosal delivery than with inhalation. Save inhalation for recreation.
Special Patient Concerns
It is possible to fast track a serious addiction with ultra-high doses of cannabis to beat the withdrawal symptoms and then taper off the cannabis. A subset of patients don't respond well to a low dose but tend to respond well to a high dose of CCO if done carefully. Dr. Sulak's standard approach with these patients is to begin with a tiny dose of an oromucosal tincture 3 x/day. Gradually increase over the course of a month to a dose of 100-500 mg daily. Remember, cannabis is an individually dosed medication and everyone will respond in their own way. I may only need 100 mg a day. You may need 500 mg a day. Start Low, Go Slow
When you're using high doses of cannabis, in particular high doses of THC, your body will begin to reduce the number of cannabinoid receptors. The receptors will actually sink right into the cell, unavailable for attachment. This is part of the way your body evolved to protect you from over stimulation. Overstimulate and you end up with increased tolerance brought about from a reduction of attachment points. You can reset the system by going through the Six Day Sensitization Protocol.
An interesting point on choosing your personal medication: Dr. Sulak recommends you let your nose guide you. Say you have a choice between a few strains you believe are good candidates. How to choose? Smell them. Which one appeals to you more? Go with that one. If it works for you, have it tested, or acquire the test results, if you were lucky enough to get it from a good dispensary or a cultivator that can get plant material tested. Now you know what's in there and you can use that profile to compare other strains.
It's the terpenes that influence the cannabinoid expression. A plant smelling faintly of lavender probably has linalool, a sedating terpene. One with the terpene pinene can reduce the memory aspect of someone with PTSD.