Safe to take???

[Braveheart65]

A friend has just turned up and given me a bottle of CBD OIL, never heard of it but she says it’s great for pain relief. Is it safe to take?

[Laura009]

I dont know if its safe to take with liver disease but l know of people with PMR polymyalgia rhumatica who are taking it and finding it works incredibly well. Women with endometriosis are also saying their pain is dramatically reduced while taking it. My husband is currently looking into thoroughly for himself as he has PMR and my daughter has endometriosis and won't receive a laparoscopy for another 2 years.

[AyrshireK]

As you are only recently transplanted you'd be wise to run anything like this past the t/p team because at the moment you're meds will be being tweaked regularly based on blood results at clinic. This treatment could perhaps throw results off so at the moment it is wise to protect your new liver until things have stabilized - run it past doctors at your transplant clinic.

[Laura009]

Apparently if it's from Holland and Barrett for about a tenner it does nothing. The bottles you can buy online for approx £130 and last about a month is what works. I am im no way advovating it's use but definately worth looking into.

[Hidden]

Also known as Cannabidiol, CBD is found in the cannabis plant. But unlike THC - the ingredient that makes cannabis users high - CBD has no psychoactive effect. As Katie has said, it would definitely be wise to discuss this with your medical team especially as your transplant is so recent. I know contacting anyone is difficult at the moment although I hope you have managed to have contact with a transplant coordinator by now. Here is the NHS link on Cannabis oil:

nhs.uk/conditions/medical-c...

regards

[Braveheart65 in reply to Hidden]

No, I haven’t got thru to anyone bar the out of hours service at my GP who offered the ambulance admission.

I’ll wait to see what the liver team say on tue re this CBD stuff and yes it looks like it’s from Holland & Barrett.

I’ve got paracetamol at 8pm then going to bed to try to sleep thru thus pain.

Thx for the replies

[Hidden]

HiI've tried CBD capsules and cbg crystals , these worked to start with but stopped working. I did get mine on line. Like has already been said check with your transplant team before taking anything different.

Take care and stay safe Lynne

[Richard-Allen]

While many people believe that there are certain benefits to taking these supplements because all the addictive qualities have been removed.

I believe there is still a moral dilemma here.

Knowing that everything thing we take into our bodies, rub into our skin, or put in our eyes, will at some point end up going through the liver. I made a promise.

When I had my transplant, I made a promise to my donor and the transplant team who gave me this gift, that I would look after and respect it. I promised that I would never knowingly do any harm or cause damage to this organ. It seemed the least I could do.

We are all different and we all have different morals and scruples. These were just mine.

Richard

[Braveheart65 in reply to Richard-Allen]

Right now I’d take anything if it gave me relief from this pain. Guess my morals and “scruples” are lower than yours....

[Shaunwood in reply to Braveheart65]

Careful wot u take u may be doing more harm than good g/night

[Braveheart65 in reply to Shaunwood]

Not taking anything other than paracetamol until liver team say otherwise.

[Beture47 in reply to Braveheart65]

Hi you are allowed to take codeine I had a transplant 5 years ago and I am seriously careful about what goes on and into my bodyI suffer very painful headaches and take 60 mg of codeine and of course a laxative as codeine make you constipated

I have found since my transplant I can't digest certain food

I hopebthis helps

[Shaunwood in reply to Braveheart65]

How was ur ngt have u been in touch with coordinator yet if so wat did they say ? Hope u have a better day keep in touch x

[andy-g in reply to Richard-Allen]

Hi, I was interested to see your reply as I have not met many people who think as I do. My transplant came from a young adult and I shared with a child, a good liver is often given to a child who has the smaller lobe as I am sure you know. I feel it my duty to respect and care for this precious gift. I was born with hepatitis which caused my liver failure. I religiously take my antiviral medication to keep the viral. load undetected. As I received my transplant when I was 67 I my thought was by respecting the liver it would available for someone else when the time comes. Unfortunately I now have advanced prostate cancer but I live in hope of a cure being found to save this liver. I was pleased to see there others of like mind. I know some of the people I met along the way seemed to think it was a chance to repeat former patterns. So respect to you, this gift is literally the gift of life.

[Braveheart65 in reply to andy-g]

My liver came from a young person too and was shared with a child also.

I know I will feel similar to you and others who have commented in respect of protecting and taking care of the donor organ but I can’t think that way until I get some relief from the pain. Sorry but it’s the absolute truth of where I currently am at.

[andy-g in reply to Braveheart65]

It must be awful for you I had no pain at all so I did not mean to judge as I do not know your situation. I know there can be problems with a split transplant as I was advised this might happen. I was fortunate they did not have to do anything further. I hope you get your issue resolved I know how pain will rule your life. I know I will be in that situation with the cancer and will find pain relief where I can.

[Hidden]

I hope you get some rest tonight, take care...

[Mama41]

I’ve not had a transplant but have had a couple of liver resections. The first one took me a long time to recover from and even though I was taking paracetamol and codeine I was still in a lot of pain.

I started to use a TENS machine which gave quite a lot of pain relief.

Not sure if it would be suitable but might be worth asking your GP or consultant.

The hospital can lend you one or you can buy one for less than £20.

Good luck and I hope you get some pain relief soon.

[Braveheart65 in reply to Mama41]

I will ask on tue when I go to the clinic I’ve ordered one just in case they say it’s ok to use. 👌

[Yarkis]

Read an interesting study about THC and liver function. Seemed to lower enzyme levels in AFLD but worsened fibrosis through a lipid oxidation process. I'm not sure about other alkaloids in the plant it self. The study used whole herb. There probably isn't much research on it, but I would definitely run a Google before tossing it.

[Laura009 in reply to Yarkis]

THC is the addictive part of the cannabis plant which causes the highs and is an absolute NO NO. It is the cannabis oil which may have pain reducing properties and which is under discussion here.

[nutrimar]

I was also given a CBD oil vape by a friend for my birthday, and found it worked fantastically as an ani coagulant, reducing my need for warfarin. However, I did a search relating to using it post liver transplant in order to see if it affected the medication, and found out it has the same enzyme in it as grapefruit do, and can interfere with tac levels. I wasn't very happy!

Do get online though and do a thorough investigation for yourself, you never know if current research has superseded the old.

[Braveheart65]

I’m not taking it-went down the toilet. No point in making things worse. I’m sticking to codeine and will just need to manage the constipation. But thanks for the reply. I appreciate people taking the time to reply to my post.

[Laura009 in reply to Braveheart65]

Very wise. Hope so very much you start feeling better very soon xx

[TT-2018 in reply to Braveheart65]

I put ground flaxseeds into my porridge in the morning and also use fybogel and senna, it does the trick for me with the codeine.

[X19Dave]

see if they will give you tramadol think it is better than codeine but you need to check

dave

[SevereFattyLiver]

I would definitely recommend speaking to your doctor(s) first.

[Braveheart65]

Spoke to GP, continuing with paracetamol only but as my dose of codeine was only 30mg and she described that as low side of medium, she is hopeful that the lactulose she has prescribed will work quickly. Hopefully the script will be at local pharmacy lunchtime. So fingers crossed, relief from constipation in sight.

The headache, thirst and constipation are apparently 3 common side effects of codeine. Nasty drug.

Cheers folks for the replies.

[Shaunwood]

Hi braveheart haven't heard off u 4 a while how r u feeling have u got rid of all ur aches &pains last i heard u were off 2 c ur consultant did he sort u out ?

[Braveheart65 in reply to Shaunwood]

Thankyou for asking!

Hmmm...... well I started being sick, lasted 2 days, till I couldn’t vomit anymore. Pulled muscles in my back, shoulder & tummy. Then got blood tests-results and a scan meant me being hospitalised awaiting 2 stents being inserted thru groin to enlarge/hold open an artery which was narrowing to my liver. Hospitalised for 6 days and 3 staples later I got discharged on Sunday. But back and tummy muscles still causing major discomfort. So now using volterol gel (with doctor/consultants knowledge) moving about is problematic due to pain in back and tummy. Waiting on referral to anti coagulation clinic and now injecting myself daily with blood thinners.

So in short, I’m not great!

If I just felt a little better I’d have some hope, now it’s just pain. It’s 3 months yesterday I had the transplant.

[Shaunwood]

Aww im sorry 2 hear u r still in pain &still got problems & back in hospital again really I can't add a lot asmy problems haven't been anything like yours is the voterol easing ur pain &did dr say wats causing it .have u got anyone who cares 4 u or nurses coming in ? if not can't c ur drs help please keep in touch let me no how u r getting on take Care xxx