Cannabis to help Appetite?
I was just advised to try this because i won't eat. I have no appetite and water is disgusting but a nurse suggested this might help. Has anyone tried this and did things taste better or did you just feel hungrier? I would rather know your experience during treatment. It's been a rough treatment so I really would like it if this helped. Thanks for any help!
Comments
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During my nursing career I often gave Marinol with mixed results for appetite. What worked the majority of time was Remeron (mirtazapine) at 30mg or higher for weight gain (off label) anxiety, sleep. I had one patient that smoked marijuana for nausea and pain. That really helped her. You might want to give it a try. If it made you feel better then maybe you would want to eat/drink. Sending best wishes your way.
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Hi,
I have been a medical cannabis user for some time. Marinol is synthetic cannabis, not the real thing. Do you live in a legal state (medical or adult use)? Please let me know as what I have to say will vary depending on what your source will be. Take care
PS: There is a thread called cannabis basics which is worth reading.
https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/79/topics/874792?page=2#post_5526144
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Yes, I believe it is is in IL. I also read the thread but I was more concerned about the eating aspect. There's also so many terms and letters that I don't understand what product I would want. I don't want to smoke it but I don't quite understand the edibles either. Treatment has taken quite a toll on me so I'm struggling with all this information. I want something edible that will help with my hunger and does this actually help?
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Also curious to know if anyone has had success using this is help with appetite...does it affect or help the taste? I’m currently on round 3/6 of TCHP and I am suffering from the horrible awful taste and texture of everything I try and eat. Absolutely nothing tastes good, not even water, and I’m hungry...but everything I try and eat makes me nauseous because the taste and texture is awful. I was never a picky eater before and would eat pretty much everything. I get about 2-3 ok days before I go back for more chemo...but the 18 days before are brutal.I’m also not sleeping well, so that would be an added benefit... I would just like absolutely everything I try to eat to not make me queasy and taste so horrible...I can pretty much only stomach yogurt and some days that is iffy.
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I will probably trying this next week if and when I can get some.
Space, what do you drink instead of water? I go between soda and soy milk. I force the water when I have to but its so hard.
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Hi ladies,
I’m currently at work but will post more later. I will speak to the legal market only, because I have no idea how to evaluate products that are sold illegally.
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I drink Gatorade Zero, I find the other sports drinks are too sweet.... if I drink water I find it easier to drink when it’s ice cold, add crushed ice, and a lemon slice...and drink with a straw. Gatorade I drink with ice and a straw as well... I have to use a glass water bottle or cup because all my bottles before were metal! I actually got a big glass mason jar and lid with a thick plastic re-useable straw and most things are pretty good out of that. I will add packets of crystal light to water bottles when I’m not at home...and kittle kids Capri Sun juice bags are pretty good too. Lots of luck...it’s been such a trial and error (mostly error) it seems like!
I do live in a state where medical is legal...I’m not really interested in smoking, or vaping...but if it will help me eat because food will taste better...I’m very interesting in pursuing. -
For my bco friends in legal states
THC, one of the many natural chemicals in cannabis, is an appetite stimulant. Hence the often humorously referred to munchies! THC is also psychoactive, meaning it will get you high.
Cannabis Sativa is the plant from which this is derived. There are two main varieties of the plant, Indica and Sativa. There are hybrids as well. My personal experience leads me more to hybrids and Indicas, but even Sativas can stimulate my appetite. There seems to be great variations in how our bodIt’s react to cannabis. My best advice is to find a local dispensary that employs someone who has experience in dealing with medical patients. I found this incredibly helpful and it’s the foundation for much of what I know about cannabis.
The best news? You don't have to smoke or vape! Drops, capsules and tinctures are easy to take for more precisely measured doses. If you're less concerned about dosing accuracy try some treats like gummies, cookies, pretzels, tea, drinks etc. Smoking and vaping have an almost instant onset. Anything you ingest can take as long as 90 minutes to take effect. My state is now both adult use and medical so our product choices have exploded but there was still a large selection when it was only medical.
I have had appetite challenges too. I dropped over 25 lbs for no real reason last year but am holding steady right now. I do believe it helped. I also try to keep nutritionally dense foods on hand*...so even if I can only eat a small portion, it's nutritious. If Marinol only worked 40% of the time as another member stated, real cannabis is a clear winner. I would venture that at least 95% of those who use it feel the effects.
So friends, don't buy on the black market unless you like to gamble and anything sold online or outside of a legal dispensary is not derived from cannabis. CBD formulations that you see everywhere these days are derived from the related hemp plant. It has helpedmy joint pain, keeping me away from opioids, and helped my appetite.I'm more than happy to chat or answer any questions. I'm not a professional in the field but I have a lot of personal experience (which may or may not work for you).
* The Munchies are indiscriminate. They will guide you to eat whatever is in your kitchen. If there's a box of cookies on the counter, you will eat the cookies! So fill your fridge and shelves with more nutritious fare
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Hi. I’m in California so I have access to legal CBD & THC. I find a combination of an edible of CBD:THC 4:1 or 5:1 is helpful for nausea & appetite. I do well in the morning but I’m nauseated by evening. I have used hard candy, gummies & chocolate covered nuts. I don’t chew any of them (until I get to the nut). I let them dissolve in my mouth which is a better place for absorption than chewing & swallowing. I take them about 45-60 minutes before eating. It helps with sleep too. Good luck
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It’s not that I’m not hungry. I’m starving. I try to eat, and the taste and texture of food makes me feel just plain yucky. I am one of the lucky ones I guess that the chemo metal mouth is full force. I don’t want to get the munchies and have everything I try to eat make me nauseous. I am so far able to keep everything I eat or drink down, it just makes me feel so sick.
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Thank jhl! I have a really high tolerance so prefer 2:1 or 1:1 but I think low and slow is the way to go for new users.
Let my own semi-scary experience help some of you. Some of the edibles are delicious, really delicious. There is a brand in CA called Kiva. They make a range of sweets but I love their dark chocolate bars, especially chocolate raspberry. One evening I idly and over the course of 4 hours consumed the better part of a 100 mg. THC bar. I felt alright until I took my dogs for a walk. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I could barely walk straight and knew I just had to make it one half block to be home. Managed to get inside and practically crawled up the stairs. Everything wasspinning wildly but knew that if I could just lay down and sleep I’d be ok. Yes, I was an idiot. Don’t be like me no matter how tasty an edible is 😂 BTW, CBD can counteract the effects of too much THC. -
Space, i think I'm the same as you except I don't know that I'm hungry, i just am but I have no appetite so I don't eat. I also have a smell/ taste problem. Initially everything seems ok but then I don't want it. If I eat too much my stomach cramps act up and it's all gurgle at night. Drs just gave me a pill and said to deal with it, it's a symptom.
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Hi, During chemo (adriamycin and cytoxan combo), I had the same problem with taste. I could not drink water because it tasted like chemicals. I used a mixture of cranberry juice and water. It helped ALOT. I also could not tolerate the taste of most foods. Usually, the first three days after an infusion were the worst. The only thing I could tolerate during the first three days were pickles and spicy mustard. An oncology nurse who also went through the same chemo said that she could only eat very spicy food. I know this goes against the advice of many to eat bland food, but for me pickles helped. I also tried CBD and it helped the first time, but the second time it did not have any impact on taste so it was not worth it for me
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I get TCHP every 21 days, and for about the first 10 I struggle to eat. I can handle yogurt and chocolate protein shakes...eggs aren’t too bad, and waffles and maple syrup. But like you, I can eat it once, or sometimes even a bite, and it turns to tasting terrible! Pickles and mustard are a hard no for me, I feel like I’ve tried everything lol. Eating more often, even if it’s just a few bites of yogurt seems to help me with stomach cramps... But I’m still starving all the time.
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I know what you mean about pickles. It surprised me too. How about nuts? I would have to switch between nuts because after every infusion, my taste would change and I could not tolerate the nuts I had before. So I had salty peanuts one week, then salty pistachios, then sunflower seeds, etc. I had to keep changing the food. When I could eat usually a few days before the next infusion, I forced myself to have protein, like chicken
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It is the THC in cannabis that is an appetite stimulant. Cannabis derived CBD (not hemp derived) with no THC is generally not considered an appetite stimulant.
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If you are on Zofran it is important to let it dissolve under your tongue and to take it an hour before you try to eat. So if your doctor says to take it every 6 hours then try to take it around meal time. If he says take it as needed then talk to your pharmacist to see how often you can take it safely throughout the day. If it is long acting it's not working for you. When my Dad was going through Chemo he could only drink cooled broth. It isn't so much your appetite it is the nausea and metal taste in your mouth that is making it difficult for you to eat. exbrnxgrl has a lot of good advice and experience. As she said you don't have to smoke or vape. Drops, capsules and tinctures may help you so why not give it a try?
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So far I've had both mirtazapine and canabbis gummies. Can't say either has helped my eating problem. Maybe I need to try them for longer? Also I only took half a gummy (which was very tasty) The food didn't taste better for me and I didn't feel hungrier. Let's see how it is later in the treatment.
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mirtazapine starts to work in 2-weeks, but takes 4-6 weeks to get the full benefit.
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I just saw this in another post: Topic: More Tips (and a Shopping List) for Getting Through Chemo Forum: Chemotherapy - Before, During, and After .
Jun 14, 2020 06:08PM nopink2019 wrote:
I just ran across a recipe that a dear friend made for me when I was initially diagnosed and going through chemo the 1st time. I remember it as one of the most thoughtful gifts during chemo. In her memory, I wanted to share these 2 recipes for chemo popsicles. Tofu provides protein when nothing tastes good. Just blend and fill popsicle molds.
MANGO-ORANGE: 4 oz orange juice, 8 oz mango pulp, 4 oz soft tofu, 1 Tbl honey
RASPBERRY-BANANA: 4 oz raspberries, 1 banana, 4 oz orange juice, 4 oz soft tofu
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I just finished chemo about a week ago (16 sessions of AC-T) and I really relied on cannibis gummies with a THC/CBD mixture to help me through it. They helped me want to eat when I was nauseated or had no appetite, and I was usually able to eat regular things, not just like oatmeal or other boring sick people food. I read that some of you have issues with texture and flavor of foods-- I admit that I didn't really have that except that the nausea thing makes everything unappetizing, so the gummies helped me to start eating (that was the hardest part sometime-- having food in front of you and even getting the energy & stomach ready to take a bite) and they allowed me to zone out a little while eating so that I was able to get a decent amount of food in without really realizing it (which is what I needed). I also relied on the gummies for the pain and discomfort of chemo (and especially Neulasta- omg). A higher dose helped me to feel tingly then relaxed all over my body, and/or to fall asleep and sleep comfortably. I would 100% do it this way again if I had to go through chemo again. I didn't get crazy high or loopy or feel weird. For reference about tolerance, I've always been weed-friendly, especially when I was younger, but until chemo, I probably smoked or had an edible only once or twice in the past five years.
There are some quality brands for edibles out there that are pretty accurately formulated, somewhat fast-acting, and even micro-doseable, letting you feel the effects a little and decide if you want to take another. I personally prefer gummy candies because you can just pop one at a time (or even half)... my problem with edible baked goods is that I forget that they're "medicated" and might eat too much. Two of my fave brands for flavor and reliability of effects are Kanha Nano (I like the Passionfruit Paradise gummies - 5mg THC each) and Plus (good variety of doses and flavors; my fave is the Unwind- blackberry & lemon [2 flavors in the tin] 4.5mg THC/0.5mh CBD each).
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seilien,
What was the composition of your gummies in terms of mgs per piece and what were the percentages of THC, CBD?
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it looks about 250mg. I'm not exactly understanding the description due to someone else bought for me. "CBD Peach Rings – If peach is your flavor of choice, you really must try our exceptional CBD peach rings. Each succulent gummy has 99.99% CBD hemp isolate that is laboratory tested to ensure consumers’ safety. Just wait until you take a bite of these perfectly peachy CBD rings."
I need to reresearch -
Seilien,
CBD from hemp is not CBD from cannabis. While the hemp plant is related to cannabis it is not the same. Also, if you are looking for an appetite stimulant you need a product with some THC. Yes, THC is psychoactive but it's what gives people the munchies.
This is a quick read:
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If there is anyone out there who does not want to smoke (in my opinion the fastest way to get relief/munchies), be careful of edibles. I have smoked all of my adult life and edibles kicked my butt. I only ate a small piece and had hallucinations. I understand, as with any drug/medication, reactions are very personal and you may not have the same side effects, but edibles are hard to control since you must ingest it and if you have a bad reaction and don't have some CBD on hand to counteract the side effects, it can be a really bad experience. I have been using a new product, pure resin (basically liquid hash). It comes in a cartridge and you use an atomizer. It is similar to vaping, but burns much cleaner and way less harsh. If you are not a regular smoker, one small hit would probably do the trick. If you live in a state with legal/medical marijuana, see if they have DART products.
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Stacy,
I am sorry you had a bad experience with edibles. The good news is that edibles are very clearly labeled in terms of serving size and amount of THC and/or CBD content. The onset of effects can be very slow, anywhere from one to two hours after consumption. It is very important, especially for those new to cannabis, to go low (dosage/THC) and slow (wait 90 minutes to 2 hours before taking more). There is also the option of micro dosing. Some edibles such as mints or gummies, are sold in very low dose forms which give the user greater control.
So don’t be afraid of edibles as you can have total control over the amount you consume. That being said, Kiva is a popular brand of cannabis confections in CA. Their chocolate bars are delicious. One night I ate too much because the chocolate was so good. When it became apparent that I’d over imbibed, I just crawled into bed and slept. That was totally my fault as gluttony got the better of me
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