Med. Marijuana for AI joint pain?

malucho1 · July 2009

Just wondering if anyone has been able to get Medical Marijuana for AI joint pain. And, if they have, has it worked?

I never much liked "getting high" in my youth. But, I've been reading about Medical Marijuana for chronic pain. And, maybe, the drug has improved since I was young?

Any thoughts?

Today, my Oncologist told me that they (mainstream oncology) don't really have an answer to this problem...so I should feel free to look at alt. treatments like acupuncture (which I am already doing).

malucho1 · January 2010

No one answered this but I have a report back. I've been using marijuana for the past 6 months and I feel it has SIGNIFICANTLY reduced the joint pain from aromasin. I don't hobble anymore. It is pretty amazing. I use only at night before bed and only use medicine I get from a dispensary that tests it for mold and THC content. I consider myself very lucky to be located in the bay area in CA where this is possible. I went back to my onc. last week for regular 6 month tune up and she was supportive. Anyway, just thought I would share.

I told the onc. that someone should study this and she agreed but said is it pretty difficult to deal with legal issues.

If you are in CA you can do this legally based on proposition 215 which gave rights to people who have medical reasons for using marijuana.

karen1956 · January 2010

When I was on chemo, I asked my onc about marijuana for nausea etc....and he was not in favor, but instead suggested marinol....he was worried about the lung issues for marijuana...I tried the marinol and it didn't do anything for my nausea. Medical marijuan is available in Denver, but have only given fleeting thought to it. As my onc is so adament that I stay on AI's and do what I need to do to stay on it, I wonder what he would think if I asked for medical marijuana.....I'm sure it woult also help with anxiety and sleep.....but what about depression....I guess thats a suggestion for my therapist or psychiatrist or my onc when I see him again in 2 1/months....thanks for the thought.

malucho1 · January 2010

Lot of oncs don't know much about MM but they also don't know much about how to help us with AI joint pain.

I was worried about bad effects of smoking on my lungs, too, so I got myself a vaporizer after seeing that MM was working on the pain. Also considered edibles but given the trouble I have maintaining healthy body weight on an AI, I decided against a nightly brownie. Wink

Psychiatrist was ok with me taking it. Helped me get off Ambien, too.

I also learned that there are different strains of marijuana. (Who knew?) The one that I use is Indica strain and good to take at night only as it makes you sleepy. People describe it as a "body high" as opposed to brain/head high. I can vouch for the fact that it feels very relaxing.

karen1956 · January 2010

I talked to my therapist about MM today....she thinks it is a great idea....we are both going to investigage it....she also mentioned the vaporizer....MM is legal in Colorado...will keep you posted on what happens.....

prssnprss · January 2010

Have any of you had your vitamin D levels tested? After hearing about how low levels of vitamin D may increase risk of certain cancers, heart disease, osteoporosis, and a whole slew of other health problems, I began taking an additional supplement of about 6000 mg of vitamin D each day. Within about 4 days, I noticed that my joint pain from Arimidex was significantly reduced. . . and I wasn't even expecting that! So now, I am totally off of Naproxen and ibuprofin, and can actually kneel down and sit on my heels again! You can take up to about 10,000 mg of D daily, but if you need more to give your levels a boost, you should check with your doctor. There are cases where doctors have prescribed mega doses for a few weeks to get levels up, before falling back to a maintenance dose. I have since learned that there are ongoing clinical trials testing this exact effect! Well, I unknowingly did my own trial and it is working for me.

I'm not against MM, but I am telling everybody the pleasant surprise I found with vitamin D. (2 caltrate a day is not enough). Hope this helps!

karen1956 · January 2010

I see my psychiatrist tomorrow...therapist spoke to her and psychiatrist thinks that MM is a very creative solution....now just need to find out who can write the Rx and then a dispenser.....worried a bit about the whole process as there are lots of sheisters (sp) out there who are only in it for the money and will write a Rx for anyone who has a physical complaint....I haven't talked to my onc about this yet, so don't know what he thinks about this....will see what the psychiatrist can do with this whole process....

I started taking 1000IU/day vit D last week and no improvement....also added magnesium 400mg/twice daily to help with constipation and it helped the 1st day or two and now its back to before.....

If I can find something to make the side effects of the AI's more tolerable, I will definitely continue to my 5 year mark and maybe even longer....but if not, I don't know that I want to keep at this for another 18 months....QOL has to be worth something.....

karen1956 · January 2010

Onc is not in favor of MM....he does not believe that it helps with the joint pain....but he will Rx marinol. Not sure what I want to do.....

I have started taking 1000iu/day Vit D...not sure its making much of a difference

malucho1 · January 2010

That's too bad, Karen. Would you consider doing the MM without his blessing? To my mind, since it does not harm, there is no harm in trying it. If he's right and it doesn't help, well that is the end of the story. But if it does help, it can be a great relief and help you get through treatment with less suffering. I paid a MM doctor about $100 for my prescription. I think the honest Oncologists are saying that they don't have ANYTHING that is truly helping with AI joint pain.

My protocol: I use the vaporizer every night before I go to bed. I don't try to use it during the day because I need to have high level cognitive functioning for my work. I believe that some of the medicine stays in my system all the time, since I am so consistent with my dosing. I started seeing relief from the pain after about 3 days of using it for the first time. I still get twinges of joint pain, but I am no longer hobbling like I was before.

karen1956 · May 2010

bump....

applied for MMJ card in Colorado....now lets see what/if any beneft

malucho1 · May 2010

@Karen--Let me know if it works. I'll be curious. I've been using a strain that has high CBD for reputed better pain control and added benefit of possible anti-cancer activity. It also makes you less "high" which for me is a plus. It still helps me sleep. I only use right before bed. I find if I am traveling and can't use, the pain comes back within 2 days.

Here is a link to CBD: http://www.harborsidehealthcenter.com/highcbdstrains.html.

Also, if you can't get high CBD, I'd recommend asking for an Indica strain but I'm sure the folks are your dispensary will have advice, too!

brenda63 · July 2010

I too have been having a lot of pain from my meds. My son suggested me to try mm... but I dont like the idea of smoking it. So what other ways can you use it without smoking it?

MBJ · July 2010

Hello ladies. I just saw this thread. My husband had a friend who has a prescription and he got me a tincture made. You just put half a dropper of it under your tongue. It's quite expensive, though. I have been using it before I go to be at night and when I wake up in the middle of the night. I tried to use it specifically for pain during the day and it just made me grouchy.

Anonymous · July 2010

The Marinol is not effective in most cases and difficult to control because you get too much. The smoking of MM or vaporizing has been reported as the best way to get as little as you need. The high cannabidiol (CBD) strains are recommended for breast cancer patients. They are not particularly psychoactive. Harborside Health Center in Oakland is the most reputable for lab testing its product for the active ingredients desired. They also have counselors.

There is a great study where heavy cigarrette smokers who also smoked cannabis did not get lung cancer whereas the heavy smokers who smoked no cannabis got the expected amount of Lung Cancer. This came from a speech given by a San Francisco oncologist.

malucho1 · July 2010

I use a vaporizer and a high CBD strain from Harborside. Lucky for me, Harborside is only 2 miles from my house. Yesterday, my oncologist signed a form to renew my eligibility for medical marijuana. I am using it for joint pain from the Aromasin and to help me sleep. I use it only before bed. I have been using it for almost a year now and it has been a god send.

Lunakin · July 2010

Lucy88, do you have a link to that study? Or the authors, publication date? Thx.

Member_of_the_Club · July 2010

I'm glad this is working for you. Another option for AI joint pain is increasing exercise. Anecdotally, this has helped a lot of women and there is now a study looking into it.

Pinkwashmenot · July 2017

I use cannabis that is made into a tincture and combined with honey. I only use a tiny amount and OMG - I can sleep now, and all the horrible bone, muscle and joint pain are gone. It's like a miracle. I have an Onc who is very up to speed on Medical Marajuana and one the first things he did with me was to fill out the paperwork for me and told me to get my card and some weed. I hesitated a long time, my primary wanted to pput me on oxycondone 3x day for the pain (not my idea his - and he is very conservative). Anyway after thinking about oxy versus marajuana... well heck no contest there. Addiction rates for oxy are terrible - and for MM - none. And the MM has a side benefit of possibly killing cancer cells (per a new university study I read on Sci-hub). Any way long story short - get the marajuana, have someone make a tincture out of it - or buy it that way, and put it into honey or some other edible and use it. Your lungs dont get hurt from edibles, only your waistline. lol

ChiSandy · July 2017

Neither my PCP nor my MO will sign an application for an MM card here in IL. The PCP doesn’t want me smoking or vaping anything because of my asthma, nor edibles because of the carbs; and says studies about CBD for pain control are inconclusive. The MO thinks it could be estrogenic, and will sign an app only for her Stage IV or her chemo patients who are losing too much weight due to loss of appetite. There are docs to whom the dispensaries can refer patients who have one of the official diseases for eligibility, and who can take a history & then sign the app. But I wonder if it will affect my law license—since possession of MM in a state that allows it, by someone with a valid permit, is still a Federal felony. Could even get me on the no-fly list. And our new A.G. has said he wants to start busting people for pot even if they are possessing it in a state where it is legal—recreational and medical alike. (Can it have something to do with investment in for-profit Federal prisons)?

Traveltext · July 2017

CS, "since possession of MM in a state that allows it, by someone with a valid permit, is still a Federal felony. Could even get me on the no-fly list." Holey moley, would anyone prosecute such a case?

jeeves67 · September 2017

ChiSandy, you said "There are docs to whom the dispensaries can refer patients who have one of the official diseases for eligibility, and who can take a history & then sign the app." I live in Illinois also, not far from a dispensary. My onco is also not into it, and I would bet my PCP isn't, either. Do you know if all dispensaries have these connected docs? I wrote an email to mine, but haven't heard back. Perhaps calling is what they prefer. I just started chemo and while I'm not discounting the meds I've been prescribed, I'd like to have options, and honestly, to just see which ones work better.

Med. Marijuana for AI joint pain?

Comments

Categories