Sativex in the UK?

[Coslet]

I’ve been looking in to cannabis for help with spasticity and neuropathy pain. I came across Sativex and saw that it was approved in the UK for MS and was wondering if any of my fellow AMNers in the UK have tried it before?

[monkeybus]

I had a look into this a while back. It is a little known fact that the UK now has a network of medical marijuana clinics.

Sativex approved for MS only on the NHS, and is pretty much unavailable to get.

mssociety.org.uk/sites/defa...

Has to be a private prescription. That'll be £200+ for each consultation, and you'll have have them regularly (private medicine is a business), then the Sativex is £400 for 270 doses.

£600. You could buy several ounces of half-way decent weed for that.

Whenever I am in England I always buy some weed. My legs feel fantastic, and the spasms stop. It is nothing short of outrageous that The UK is lagging behind most of the western word when it comes to medical marijuana.

My mother is prescribed morphine for her back pain.

All the above doesn't answer your question. Sorry about that

[COwithAMN Administrator AMN EASIER Volunteer]

I was involved a bit some years ago with GW Pharma who is the company that developed Sativex. I was interested of course in how it could help AMN. I never got around to trying it, but one member of this forum did, and he did not seem to have any benefit.

Like others, I tried to get it approved for AMN but we know that the process for getting something on the NHS approved list is mostly impossible for a patient group to achieve, and only worth doing if you've got the support of interested clinical people who will also invest time and energy.

I assume the fact that it is approved for MS means it does have benefit for some people with spasticity.

[monkeybus in reply to COwithAMN]

Of course, approved is one thing, actually getting it prescribed is another matter entirely.

If MS patients (who are a sizable, reasonable influential group) cannot get it prescribed, what hope us?

[Catrick]

Hello Coslet,I can't take baclofen, leaves me unable to function with fatigue. I'm a lady. I bought a month's supply of Sativex privately in the UK, at great expense, and found it to be more fatiguing than baclofen. From MS patients I hear it can be a great help if one does not succumb to the fatigue. My neurologist confirmed it can be more fatiguing than baclofen. You may tolerate it well so do try it if you can.

[Coslet in reply to Catrick]

Currently I take 10 mg of Baclofen at 7am, 2pm, and 30mg at night. The spasms are unbearable if I don’t. Im looking daily for any edge to stave off further digression. The Botox injections every 3 months combined with the Baclofen are keeping me in the game. I manage my family’s construction company. That involves office work and field work. I’m half the speed I was 10 years ago but considering the current work ethic of most it’s still faster and more effective than most. I know my limits but I continue to push because I feel a stationary life is a death sentence. I’m 42 with 4 kids. 3 still in school. I refuse to let AMN break me.

[Catrick]

Hello Coslet,You're lucky you can take Baclofen. I'd think you'd benefit from Sativex, do try it when you can. You appear to be working very hard, along with raising 4 children, do make sure you pace yourself and get time to rest up. Plan ahead and see if you can get help at home locally, I was in touch with one family in the US who had students come in from their local university to help out with the kids and with some of the household chores.

Best of luck with the Sativex.