Date: 02.12.2009
From: Greg
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Subject: Cannabis
Hello everyone!
This is my first entry on any forum, so here goes!
About a year ago I quit my 22 year old 'recreational habit' of smoking weed. During these 22 years I worked as a carpenter and builder and put any pain down to general abuse to my body! About 3 months after quitting I started having severe pains all over my body in my joints, (no pun intended!), at 39 years old I was diagnosed with rhuematoid arthritis. I restarted my smoking habit to discover a really noticable reduction in 'flare-ups'. Whilst smoking, my flare-ups were about one every 4-8 months, without smoking I had them very regularly; about every 1-2 weeks. I was wondering if anyone else has a similar story, or if anyone has used any form of cannabis based/related drugs...
Also, does anyone use M.S.M?
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Date: 03.12.2009
From: Angela
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Subject: Re: Cannabis
Hiya Greg, I am 53 and suddenly got RA 18 months ago from nowhere.
I used m.s.m. upto 7 weeks ago when I started combined dmards.
I was advised to stop as the rhummy thought that it may counteract the effects of the MTX and sulfasalizine.
I know a women that has been on it for 8 years now, she has RA like myself, and she has never took prescribed medication since. Thats what stirred me to try it.
She had researched and found a supplier in USA that sold it in the purest crystal form, so I ordered some from there.
I took it with vit c, magnesium, cod liver oil, and evening primrose and my well being felt great. I really thought I had turned the corner.
Unfortunaely though I have a relatively high ESR, it has always ranged from 60-103 and after 3-4 blood tests I saw I wasn't winning, and thats one of the resons I gave in to the aggressive therapy.
However I still intend to go back to it once my ESR gets controlled and stable.
As for weed,I have heard that does help to,and my kids are always saying they will find some for me,but I am a bit wary of using it, one because I dont smoke, so would have to put it in a cake, and then I would probably overdose myself knowing me lol.
But hey if it works for you, and cuts down your flare ups then why not.
Can we get it on prescription these days. Wasn't it legalized for medicinal purposes or was it rejected??
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Date: 03.12.2009
From: jill
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Subject: Re: Cannabis
Hi Greg, welcome to the group, have some fab peeps in here with real good advice and support, we r not alone in this,R.A. is a rotten condition
, I have Inflamatory Arthritis, and its similar to R.A., pain is same and so is the treatment, again we r all different and at different stages, some have it mildly, and others chroniclly, mine is chronically,..I dont know what M.S.N is...sorry for ignorance but wld be interested in knowing what it is.....I know what canabis is, and have in my distant past took it with m8s, didnt do a thing for me, and prefered wine....... its interesting what U said about getting less flare ups etc, but the only thing that worries be about cannabis is the parnoia affects of it....I do smoke, bout 6 a day, not a lot, but it helps me somehow, I also found smoking weed made my throat raw...also I gotta be honest, I ddint and dont like drugs, and didnt take anything else, never felt the need to, as wine did the job for me..... Im on MTX and Enbrel now, prob do far worse damage than canabis to be honest LOL, but this is my last resort....I know they give people with MS cannabis, but I think its in Tablet form, not in weed form or to bong it lol ....ive been told many times by ppl i know that smoke canabis to take it as it helps their pain....im too scred to get used to it, and im on enough Opiates to sink a ship...... anyway, i do remember eating some, use to like eating it raw, and saw huge massive spiders climbing the wall....that defffo put me off lol and im terrrrified of spiders....all i do want to say, and who am I to judge and I wont, if it helps u, and your pain is Unbearable then i wld say good on u......I am interested in what your rhumatologist thinks...have u told him? anyway Greg let us k now how u get on, and do u intend to go on any of the DMARDS?
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Date: 03.12.2009
From: jill
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Subject: Re: Cannabis
Hi Angela read your ESr is still high, but remember u daying that u felt ok, even tho high, r u still doing ok? hope so...I know I aksed Greg what M.S.N. is, but incase he doenst get back to us for a while, could u explain to me what it is? im assuming its kinds like canabis but leglised? lol prop totally wrong....wish I cld be painfree, someone i kn ow has R.A. and smokes it all week, but she still suffers bad......degeneration is happening and mb it cld be becos shes taking too much canabis....anyway take care Love Jill x
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Date: 03.12.2009
From: Angela
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Subject: Re: Cannabis
Hiya Jill,
M.S.M. stands for methylsulfonylmethane it is a supplement. If you put it into your search engine, you can read all about it.
That will be far better then me trying to explain what it is.
It is really hard with your condition,because you have so much damage already done, I would like the think it might work for you though, you dont know till you try I suppose.
I am doing ok thanks, I dont suffer half as much as yourself or others on the forum, even though my ESR is high,the biggest thing that bothers me is my inability to walk with my knees not working as they should. I had injections 4 weeks ago in them, and I can actually get about now with my rollater(wheeled walking frame with a seat)dont know how long it will last.
I have noticed though since I started the MTX after about the second week,that the pounding pulse sound in my ear has virtually stopped,that used to drive me crazy in bed at night, and I dont wake up in the night anymore with my heart racing like mad.
My last blood test has shown my ESR has gone down from 103 to 68, so fingers crossed the combination of sulfa and MTX might be doing the trick.
My only little concern is that I am pumped with steroids at the moment, so it could be them that have lowered my ESR but we will soon see.
Take Care xx
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Date: 03.12.2009
From: jill
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Subject: Re: Cannabis
(((((HUGS 4 U))))) THANKS FOR YOUR REPLY...ooops caps..... stay strong and pos xxxx
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Date: 07.12.2009
From: Verity
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Subject: Re: Cannabis
Hi Greg,
Ive had RA since I was 6 and am now 24. I smoke regularly but Ive never felt that cannabis has prevented flare ups but I strongly recommend it for pain relief! It also enables me to relax which in turn helps my muscles relax and then my joints. I find it helps me stay calm when I get frustrated and upset as I have a tendency to get very angry with myself! lol
I try not to be biased but I swear by it lol
Im not denying that for some people cannabis can be very bad and messes with your head. But for those that are OK with it, its another way of coping.
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Date: 10.12.2009
From: jill
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Subject: Re: Cannabis
I take diazapam.... kinda helps.... i wld be worried about the side affects cannabis gives, the paranois mainly lol....dont need that on top of all this too lol...i diduse to have it when out with the gals, few years ago...but my family wld kill me if I tookit regularly, I do smoke and they go mad at that, I smoke about mb between 4 and 7 a day, not a lot, so daft really, but when im stressed it helps me...... Verity, also i had a bad hallucinations once when chewing mine....saw hugeeeeeeeeeeee spiders crawling the walls.......im terrrified of spiders, now if it had beeen huge hairy men, that wlda beeen different lol....do they give out cannabis on NHS tablet form, thort they did for MS sufferes?
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Date: 10.12.2009
From: Verity
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Subject: Re: Cannabis
Hi Jill, eating it can make the effects a lot stronger. Also, if youve eaten a little too much, by the time it kicks in its too late to do anything about it! I can understand why you wouldn't want to go back there lol! To be honest, im not sure about medical marujiana in this country. Ive never spoken to any doctors about it. I loved when Professor Nutt stood up and spoke out about how cannabis is actually not as harmful as the government is making out. The amount of benefits for various illnesses is immense and it has a lot less side effects than any of the drugs were all on now! Maybe one day they'll look into it so everyone can benefit (Unlikely I know lol)
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Date: 10.12.2009
From: jill
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Subject: Re: Cannabis
yea i agreeee, wlsnt want to know whats in m,y meds, especially the Bio lones....eeek.....
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