Medical marijuana for PD

[luba1]

Hello everone, just out of interest has anyone had any success treating PD tremor and stiffness with marijuana? If yes what kind of marijuana do you take??

Thank you!!

[andrehypnotic]

Not legal in the UK. The Government are too busy and obsessed with LGBT and other sexual matters.

[movinngroovin]

I use CBD & Hemp Oil for sleep.

[jackedmonston]

I tried medical MJ with OK of PD doc, and nothing. I wouldn't have known I took it. Then yesterday, my wife had repetitive stabbing back pains which nothing (including CBD cream) touched other than too much wine, so we tried THC brownie. It killed the back pain, but there was too much THC and she had a very bad reaction that looked a little like PD! Tremors in her feet and one arm, speech problems, dizziness, balance issues, and she couldn't walk. Made me wonder how THC could be good for PD.

[Hidden in reply to jackedmonston]

This is a problem that I have described before with MJ edibles. Dosing is difficult because there can be a significant delay after eating the edible before it kicks in (up to hours) and this fact can vary considerably from person to person and depending on how much food is in your digestive system. One whole brownie is usually too much for many people and especially a novice or first time user. It takes considerable experimenting to find out what works best for each person. My favorite edibles are the gummy bears! The advantage of smoking and vaping is that it takes very little product and results are quick (10 minutes or less) and easier to control than with edibles and tinctures.

I don't particularly like smoking and vaping, but I feel they offer the most consistent results followed at a good distance by the the assortment of tinctures and at a greater distance by the edibles.

Art

[StayPosEvryDay]

Yes. I use a vaporizer with high grade medical marijuana that is high in THC (Sativa strains). Once a day prior to hiking, biking or cross country skiing. Best results are achieved prior to intense exercise in afternoon for 1 to 2 hours. Believe chemical compounds in cannabis are metabolized in area of cannabinoid receptors. Tremor symptoms relieved up to 4 -5 hours without carbidopa levadopa. Otherwise, I take 2 CL every 2 to 2.5 hours to relieve tremor. 71 and was diagnosed when I was 61.

I believe the key to the use of marijuana for Parkinson's is to combine it with exercise.

[luba1 in reply to StayPosEvryDay]

Thank you very much!!!!!

[Fishaholic in reply to StayPosEvryDay]

I give you a man on that.

[Woolysock]

I enjoy a little med pot (indica strain) in the evening. It reduces tremor and gives a solid night's sleep.

[luba1 in reply to Woolysock]

Thanks!

[Beverly2017 in reply to Woolysock]

Hi wooly sock. I'm trying some MM tincture with very low THL . It's 12mg CBD per ml. This was my 1st time last night and it did nothing. I took 5 drops..

Another question...do you take sinamet also at bedtime? Or do you take the CBD early in the evening then the sinamet an hour later. I have restless legs at bedtime and anxiety and desperation as I'm so uncomfortable. Cant stand the blankets touching me. I take sinamet CR at night. It takes an hour or more before it starts to work. I haven't been getting much sleep lately. My son suggest the CBD tincture.

[Woolysock in reply to Beverly2017]

CBD has a very subtle effect and builds over time. Unlike THC, you won't notice it at first. I find a little CBD elevates my mood. I lean towards THC in the evening and often forget to take my sinemet. A little THC (indica) makes going to bed delicious.

[Hidden]

I think it is worth mentioning, since the interest in MM seems to be increasing, that MM is quite a bit different than what was commonly available for recreational use 20 or more years ago. Back then it was common to smoke a half or even a whole marijuana cigarette at one time, by comparison, today's products may take as little as one draw to get an equivalent effect to half a joint depending on the strain and THC content.

I mention this because someone who may have experimented as a teenager and is now considering trying it again may have expectations of what to expect and if you are expecting a similar reaction, you may be more than surprised if you try to take the amounts that you used to take! It will be a mistake you only make once, but it would be nice to avoid that problem altogether if possible, by being prepared for the difference. So starting with products with lower THC content until you are used to today's products, may be a prudent choice for those who have never used MM or if it has been many years since you tried marijuana. Taking too much by accident, can be a little alarming for some people and there is no switch to just turn the effect off. After you are accustomed to the effects of MM, you can then consider trying the more potent THC strains. Being one of those people who experimented when I was much younger and then making the mistake of thinking, "I can handle any marijuana" based on my experience from many years ago, I can tell you that I was wrong!!! Today's MM is much stronger and I did get a little overwhelmed by it on a couple of occasions! Those are events that I wish I could have avoided and so I am posting this in the hope that it may be useful information for others!

Art

[ParlePark in reply to Hidden]

Excellent advice!

[Tzichi]

CBD OIL has been helping me control dyskinesia. I'very been told by my doctor that it doesn't work for everyone .

[olehoss]

Luba1, there is nothing to add to the 14 responses you received when you asked the general question about the use of MMJ - either CBD or THC. "Easilly" pretty well nailed it on his explanations about the effects of MMJ.

Just like the current "personal" trials; each of us has different tolerances to different types of medicines, and their effects on our bodies and brains.

So, if you are living in a Country and State/Province where MMJ is legal (State Law only - cannabis is still illegal at the federal level), you can get certified for a MMJ Card, and talk to the "Bud Tenders" at any of the dispensaries that are permitted to sell MJ. Just be prepared to do a lot of research, ask a lot of questions, and experiment within reasonable bounds - which most of us are doing.....Glen....and best of luck!

[Hidden]

Just to reiterate, it is helpful to decide what you would like to use the MM for before you try it.

If it is as a sleep aid, the indica strains will tend to slow a racing mind and help you to achieve a good night's sleep and the right amount of THC in the indica strain can add to the effect, but this would not be the best choice for daytime use where the sativa strains can be more invigorating and possibly be helpful for improving creativity and inspiration. Some people get very good benefit from the CBD content with "no high", but the majority of people find the best benefit with some fairly specific ratios of THC to CBD. Myself, I prefer a higher THC ratio with only minimal CBD because I like to use it for sleep and the higher the THC content, the less I have to use for the desired effect. If I was going to use it during the day and remain high functioning, then I would lean toward a higher CBD content and lower THC content, but I would still like a middling THC content as I believe the best results are gotten with the right ratio of THC / CBD. They seem to work best together.

Only experimenting with various ratios of THC / CBD will show you what is the best ratio for your particular need. The tinctures would be most useful for this testing phase and you can pretty much find a broad selection in tinctures. My problem with edibles and tinctures is the delay involved before they kick in. It can be hours depending on the individual and stomach contents. This is where smoking and vaping excel because they work so much faster (10 minutes or less) and the vape is so convenient because you don't even have to light it, just hold a button down while you draw on it. It is also noticeably smoother than smoking which can sometimes be a little harsh unless you are using some type of smoking device to smooth it out. With smoking, the flame gets the decarboxylation process going which allows the activated cannabinoids to be released to you in the smoke. The smell from vaping also seems to be milder than if you are actually smoking the buds and what smell there is seems to dissipate faster than actual smoking. They may be buds, but they are definitely no rose buds! Another advantage to vaping is that there are no ashes to clean up and you don't have to worry about catching anything on fire or burning anything because the heating device only gets hot enough to trigger the process to basically release the activated cannabinoids from the cartridge to you.THC and CBD are only two of the over one hundred cannabinoids that have been identified in these plants, but they so far seem to be the two that have shown the significant effects attributed to marijuana. Some dispensaries are offering vape cartridges with minimal chemicals in them and I would consider that a significant advancement in this area of MM. Some of the original vape devices seemed to have a tendency to spontaneously combust into flames or explode, but it seems that the problem was more related to the battery than the device. Some earlier battery powered electric cars had similar problems related to the battery catching on fire. Hopefully that problem is now resolved!

Something I have noticed in using MM for sleeping is that if I use it every night to get to sleep, it is somewhat addicting and it also seems to require that I increase my dose in order to get the same effect each night. Importantly, I also have a much harder time getting to sleep without it if I am using it every night!

What I have found most effective for me is to only use it on a night when I absolutely need to get a good nights sleep. If I do it that way, then I can still get to sleep on nights that I don't use it. Doing it this way, I also do not seem to have to increase my dose. I can still get the benefit from a relatively low dose. I try to limit my use to around two nights a week to keep tolerance to a minimum. Once in awhile I might do three nights in a week, but I try to stop it there as my max per week.

Art

[luba1 in reply to Hidden]

Hi Art, thank you very much for the reply. It’s very helpful. I already tried candy CBD & HCL 2:1. It is very helpful for tremors energy and anxiety, but my main concern to get addiction to the MMJ and then I will need more & more. I read in internet if I need any surgery I have to quit in 2 weeks MMJ. How would I quit if I got addicted to that. Any thoughts ?

[Hidden in reply to luba1]

I don't think addiction is the right word, I probably should have said that for sleep, it almost becomes a part of the going to sleep process and as such, if you don't include that step, it throws the process off and can disrupt your sleep in that sense. No, if it was truly addictive, there would be a withdrawal process that would be hard to handle for possibly weeks after stopping. I never had a strong desire to take MM during the day at all and I think if it were addictive I would have had that feeling at any time during the day or night.

I imagine it is like alcohol and with alcohol, some people become dependent on it to get through the day while the majority of people use alcohol and don't have a problem through their whole life. I choose to use the MM as a sleep aid and feel fairly comfortable using it when I want to insure a good nights sleep, but I also do not want to use it every night as a sleep aid.

Another consideration in all of this is that even though I use a very small amount of MM for sleep, I am using a higher THC content product, so likely a significantly higher dose of THC than most people would use to control tremors during the day. I'm pretty certain that the amount I use, while good for sleep, would be too much for me for day time use. Another consideration is that if you are one of the lucky ones who gets good benefits from products with higher CBD content and lower THC content, then impaired function should almost never be an issue.

On a somewhat related note, the dispensary gives me samples to try and I made the mistake of thinking that sativa and indica would probably both work for sleep. I won't make that mistake again! The sativa actually kind of woke me up and I felt got my creative thinking going, but that sure was one long night as I couldn't stop thinking and was awake almost the whole night! There is definitely a learning curve to MM and that is why I have discussed it, in the hope that it helps others to get through the learning curve quicker and easier!

One MM product that I do find addictive is the gummi bear type candies, but that is not because of the MM in it, I just like the gummis!

Art

[Kwinholt in reply to Hidden]

Thank you for being so articulate with all of this and I agree with everything you said . I personally use at this time , the 4:1 CBD/THC tincture spray but have been looking at the same ration or a 2:1 vape pen to illuminate the delay in the benefits. My question for you , naive as it may sound , as a runner , with the use of a vape pen for benefits to help with my PD will it be harmful to my lungs as say inhaling an old fashion joint? Karen

[Hidden in reply to Kwinholt]

Hi Karen,

I don't think it will be, for a couple of reasons. With an old school rolled joint you never knew what you were getting in terms of what plant, how it was grown, was the soil contaminated or where it came from and quality control meant that the person who you bought it from hopefully washed their hands before they rolled the joint they were selling you! These joints also were rolled with paper which could sometimes have cadmium in it. All of this or most of this is eliminated with MM and you need to vape much less MM to get an equivalent or stronger effect than the old joints. The other positive with vape over old school is that now they are starting to make vape cartridges that don't have all the "other chemicals" that the original cartridges had as standard ingredients. Lastly, because vape has much more control of the operating temperature, it gets just hot enough to decarboxylate the MM and release the cannabinoids whereas a joint burns much hotter and possibly generates other chemicals that we would definitely not want in our lungs.

If it is still a concern, the tinctures offer another option with the main drawback that you will have to pay close attention to timing.

Art

[Kwinholt in reply to Hidden]

Thank you Art. I appreciate your response. Karen

[Hidden in reply to Kwinholt]

You're welcome, Karen!

One thing I think that may have possibility as a "true medical marijuana" is a MM patch. I do not currently know if that is a viable approach, but I think it could possibly be and that would be more of a true MM imo. I believe that modality will make MM a much more viable and user friendly option to use in many different health issues and I feel it goes a step further to separate MM from the negative connotations carried over from the days when marijuana was considered a street corner drug used by "undesirables". It would also have much better "release characteristics" that are not currently available from the products that are available right now. I can imagine one day being able to go into a Walgreens or Costco and by MM patches the same way they sell nicotine patches. Wouldn't that be something?

Art

[Kwinholt in reply to Hidden]

I know right? The thought about the patch that’ I have experienced was the CBD/THC patch was more for a localized pain not for an all over relief but I’m sure a patch with just the THC is different but then I wonder if there’s a delay in relief ? I’m more of an impatient person and when I get to that point of discomfort , I want relief now . 😊 I truely try and stay on a very precise schedule with meds , ect and not let it get to that point of unbearable but there are times it happens . Thank you so much . Karen

[Hidden in reply to Kwinholt]

Yes, I think the technology needs fine tuning to get to an all day patch that gives even distribution to the whole body. It is done with other drugs, so I believe it is possible.

Art

[luba1]

God bless your heart,! Thank you!😃

[SCT25]

Great info in this thread. Any first time users of today's medical marijuana would be wise to head Easilly's warning concerning the strength. The weed our parents were smoking at Woodstock generally contained 3-4% THC. Today's medical marijuana is cultivated with some serios scientific and contains up to 26-28% THC. Often just one hit/draw will result in a favorable outcome. Just go slow and I would highly recommend your first time using MM that you do so in a safe comfortable place like your house. And if you know someone who can coach you thru your first time you would have a leg up. The good news is that noone has ever died from "overdosing" on marijuana. You may get so stoned that you wished you were dead, but in a couple hours you'll be fine. I use it primarily when I first wake up. That is when my body is extremely rigid and very painful. The marijuana helps some with the pain, but more importantly it allows my mind to be at ease so that I avoid the intense anxiety from the pain until I can loosen up my body. I used to do that with bloody mary's, but medical marijuana has far less unwanted side effects. My only complaint is that if it is truly "medical" marijuana, why doesn't my health insurance cover it?