HI
Kindly respond if you are a PWP and currently using medical marijuana to treat REM sleep. Did it or is it helping you to sleep well, and deeply ?If so, how many hours of sleep are you getting, and what percentage concentration of THC in the strain that you are using?
Thanks.
I’ve been taking a little CBD oil before bed for the past few nights and I’ve had excellent sleep. While I still wake around 3.30am to pee, I’m now falling back to sleep within minutes instead of tossing and turning fog hours. It’s great.Unfortunately I don’t know the strength as it’s illegal, so I just started with a tiny amount.
Had a horrible couple months sleeping one to three hours of sleep per night!! My neurologist initially prescribed taking supplements of magnesium citrate and melatonin. Then, after a couple weeks of minimal sleep was prescribed trazadone.
After a few weeks of trazadone my neuro changed my script to Remoran which has certainly helped in my case. At about the same time I also started taking an Indyca brand gummi. So, while still taking Remoran, magnesium and melatonin and a gummi with thc, my sleep is now much better (about 6 hours or so per night).
Not sure which of the items above helped the most but I do think the indyca marijuana with a bit of thc is helping me get out of sleep deprivation hell! Also, I think mannitol plus exercising as much as you can will help, too.
Yes - I take 1ml (9mg) of liquid CBD/THC 10/10 at bedtime - oil based - sub lingual, It works really well for me
James
I take 16 mg of THC/CBD in gummy form which helps me sleep through the night. It does not help me fall asleep but it sure helps me stay asleep or go back to sleep quickly if I should wake. I do not have PD but my husband does. We have found that he needs a much lower dose than I do, about 4 mg THC/CBD. He has lots of sleep issues: inability to stay asleep all night and terrible night sweats. It does seem to help him but not as much as he'd like. An option is to increase his dose but he is reluctant to do that for several reasons. He is afraid it will make him groggy or too slow and because, of course, there is no research on marijuana for medical issues, there is mostly the concern of mixing it with the many PD drugs he takes.
Some notes on medical marijuana (which is what we have):
- you really do have to find your own dose and that is trial and error
- there are many ways to injest it and that can make a difference (candy, vaping, smoking, tinctures, etc.)
- Indica and Sativa are different varieties and do different things, so you might want to research that. (Having said that, I found that most products don't tell you which variety they contain so you might need to ask.)
We are fortunate to live where it is legal and the recreational and medical facilities are separate. That means that we know what we are getting in terms of dosage and we have people at the facility who are knowledgable and can guide us.
- one doctor told me that THC and CBD work better when they are together. (THC is the 'mind altering' part)
Good luck.
Two questions
1. What's the difference between medical marijuana and non-medical marijuana?
2. You said THC is the mind altering part (agreed, this is the psychotic part)..., So what's the worst THC can do to the mind? Is temporary like drunkenness is or is it a gradual permanent damage?
Thank you
I don't know if you ever got your question answered. In some states medical marijuana is legal. The dispensary sells products to people who have a medical card. In some states medical and recreational are legal . The medical stuff is taxed at a lower rate than recreational. You would need a medical card to get the medical grade marijuana. I got my card from Nugg MD online for about $150.The indica drops thc/cbd I take before bed really help .
I was prescribed Klonopin to help with Rem Sleep Disorder, which worked ok, but researching it I found it was implicated in dementia, which is already a risk with Parkinson's. Currently taking Cheeba Chews, chocolate with 10mg THC/ 10mg CBD and unknown percentage of Melatonin. Works pretty well most of the time, though the RBD still happens sometimes. I found I have to be careful closing my eyes in the shower as it does affect balance. I'm already prone to balance issues only with eyes closed, I think from foot neuropathy not giving my brain positional feedback. Balance ok when eyes open. I take one half a piece 2 hours before bed.
I just recommended this to a fellow Rock Steady Boxer and he said it's working for him.
I started at 1:1 (approximately equal amounts) CBD/THC. Around 70% of the THC in the product I use is THCa, not psychoactive and I believe a precursor to THC9 (the psychoactive form). I'm also, luckily, in a legal state.
Combined with melatonin, I slept very well with this at first, but found I had to increase the dose over a few months, and it became less effective. I just found out from my psy-doc (who luckily for me takes a functional medicine approach and is well versed in many approaches including cannabis) that a break from THC every three or four months is useful for people who develop tolerance.
She recommends over a few days or weeks, depending on how you respond, replacing the 1:1 product (or higher THC), with a high CBD product (at least 20:1 CBD/THC) stay on that for 1-2 weeks and then switch back gradually, hopefully to a lower dose of the product with more THC.
Since sleep is VERY important to me (everything is worse on less sleep), I'm also using some trazadone during this process to help keep my sleep stable. On the switch back I'll also gradually reduce the trazadone (which makes me a bit foggy in the morning).
Before using CBD or any cannabis product, check for drug interactions. Cannabis, and as I understand it especially CBD, raises serum drug levels of a number of medications.
Good luck!
Yes, I take one dropper full of 10/1 thc/CBD before bed. I also take valerian, benadryl and another sleep supplement that has l- theanine, melatonin and 5 htp in it.
Hi Bythejerseyborder
I thank you and others that responded to my post.
When discussing Medical Marijuana (MM) as a sleep aid, it is important to be aware that MM reduces REM sleep, which is probably not a good idea in the long term. Melatonin increases REM sleep and is a frontline treatment for RBD, possibly better than Clonazepam and with a better safety profile than Clonazepam.
drugs.com/sfx/clonazepam-si...
aastweb.org/blog/medical-ma...
Melatonin with Magnesium Glycinate and Zinc Gluconate may be a workable option for some people. It works for me and the melatonin also has shown to reduce nocturia in studies.
healthunlocked.com/cure-par...
Art
While visiting family in Colorado I picked up CBD. I took one dropper-full each evening. I was able to sleep 8 hours. When I ran out I tried melatonin and had the same response. I'm in Connecticut now and see a doctor who advertises herself as "The pot doc". Haven't needed or wanted to try pot. Even as a teen I couldn't make myself inhale.
You don't have to smoke it.
Our former neighbour used to make "pot cookies and brownies" for her husband who has '' alopecia'' , which makes clumps of his hair go white and then fall out. She dropped a few before moving as she knew I was having sleeping issues, and warned me to go easy to start," Don't eat more than a 1/4 until one got the impact figured out. I did not use them every , only when I had a flip/flop night. I found it efficacious with little hangover or drowsy feeling, same with CBD, you have to find your "sweet spot".
PS pot products are legal in all of Canada, one can grow 4 plants for personal use, and there are stores popping up all over the country.
Husband takes 1.5 gummies with 5% THC seems to help. He does not drink alcohol n is more sensitive to sedatives. Sold legally do not need medical marj. Card.
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