CBD; worth a try for pain relief..?

[Vip1]

Hello all, hope you're all reasonably well!

As have posted here before, Dad is weak with Stage 4 Lung cancer an the immunotherapy that he's having. There's some pain and he keeps this at bay with paracetamol3x/day.

I understand that CBD oil could be a good thing to try for pan relief.

wondering if anyone has tried and if so, which one it was and has it proved effective?

As always, thank-you

[RoyCastleHelpline Partner Ask the Nurse Roy Castle]

Dear Vip1

So sorry to hear your dad is in pain and how distressing this must be for you all.

It would be advisable for the oncologist or GP to reassess your dads pain and prescribe medication that is safe to use with his Immunotherapy.

You may find this link of interest from Cancer Research UK on CBD oil: cancerresearchuk.org/about-...

We would advise caution on buying any CBD products online as there are no guarantees it is the product advertised and may have the potential to do harm, this link from NHS Inform provides some information on this: nhs.uk/conditions/medical-c...

If you would like to discuss anything further you can call our free phone nurse led helpline number on 0800 358 7200 Monday to Thursday 0900-1700 and Friday 0900-1600 or you can email ask the nurse at [e-mail]

Kind regards

The Roy Castle Support Team

[JanetteR57]

Good that your dad can currently keep pain at bay with paracetamol - there are stronger painkillers that are evidenced to help (unlike CBD oil) if his pain gets worse.

A friend of mine found heat patches helped and he also tried acupuncture (some evidence it can work) and others use TENS machines. He should talk to his medical team for advice - some nurses specialise in pain management and are best placed to advise.

It can often seem appealing to try herbs, supplements and similar 'natural' sounding products but many can interfere with treatment and with immunotherapy being such an expensive treatment that not many are able to have and reliant on a patient's immune system mounting a response, taking additional things that may impact that should be discussed with a patient's medical team.

I've recently been prescribed medication for blood pressure - the first lot warned against having grapefruit juice or grapefruit and the second type I'm now on warn against bananas yet few of us would think them harmful but they can undo/interact with the issue the medication is trying to resolve.

In the meantime, wishing your dad good results on his immunotherapy - it has been quite a game changer. If your dad is weak, you could try encouraging him to eat differently which may also help build him up and keeping as active as possible. Both may release different endorphins/chemicals into the body that improve his sense of wellbeing. good luck. roycastle.org/about-lung-ca...

[Vip1 in reply to JanetteR57]

Thanks Janette, really good advice I feel. I'm not a fan of the idea bug my sister was keen to explore. I think you've confirmed what I expected and we'll not be pursuing-

A different question please. My father feels very tired at the mo.

He's in-between immuno sessions & doing daily chest therapy (himself) to release the mucous build up.

All in all he's very tired & even coughing up the mucous now seems troublesome.

Was,mucous build up an issue for you too ?

Any thoughts, advice - mucous related or other - would be gratefully received

Thank you as always

[JanetteR57]

Yes, mucous was an issue (my tumour turned out to be mucinous adenocarcinoma) but I've often had that issue with chest infections too. this may help.... also inhaling over steam, drinking hot drinks, sucking boiled sweets, keep moving about to stop it settling, not lying on his back as it can settle. hope he gets some relief soon. physiotherapyforbpd.org.uk/...