Cannabis oil

[MigraineGirl]

Hey guys, this might sound strange but recently there's been alot of news about cannabis oil has been used as treatment for neurological problems and other health issue's. My dads thinking it could be the next step for me to try, has anyone with migraines / Chronic Migraines tried it or had positive results? any help&advice would be great.

[lcb10]

This is difficult to come by here in the UK anyway (see end). It's best to know the legal position, whether or not the oil is something you may have few problems getting, however it is that you get it.

If you haven't tried this or researched it before, here is some basic info. Apologies if you are aware of all of this, but in a thread which rarely rears its head, it's good to have the basics.

Cannabis oil which is *said to* help with other conditions, such as cancer, I'm fairly sure is said to need to contain the active ingredient (or the / the main psychoactive) component, THC.

(Some people say that there are other cannabinoids in cannabis oil, thought to be of very small doses, aside from THC which can also have both therapeutic and psychoactive effects. But as far as the claimed medicinal therapeutic doses go, I've no idea about this. I know that for other conditions, many people who have said they take cannabis oil say that it only matters if the THC is present. "If no THC, no good." I remember in the past, there have been some people selling THC extracted therapeutic hemp oil with claims connected to other cannabinoids present in the oil.)

Cannabis oil or hemp oil cannot be sold containing the active ingredient THC here where I am in the UK. If you live somewhere where you can obtain cannabis medically, you're very lucky by our way of thinking.

You can buy hemp oil and hempseed oil, both animal grade foodstuff and human grade foodstuff here. But if it's sold in the normal commercial marketplace, it won't have THC. Whether or not it will have small doses or residues of other cannabinoids I think is really hard to distinguish one way or the other anyway. (Again, many people say it is only the stuff with THC which counts.)

Can your doctor grant you a special position to be able to order and take real cannabis oil (with THC) legally?

This all depends on your country. This can happen in the USA, for example.

Here in the UK, unfortunately, I don't think so. You can't order cannabis in any form commercially or for anyone from home or abroad. You are not allowed to import. However, I'm not sure if there might be an exception about taking it with you when travelling yourself, from a legal place (say Netherlands) when it is given to you medicinally with a prescription. I am not sure about this

Also, there MIGHT just be a position, which may be mirrored in some other countries, if you are lucky. For example, a situation if you happen to have been supplied with some oil or marijuana to make the oil yourself, in a way that is unconnected with commerce or dealing, AND your doctor has recommended that you try it if in the right, legal position (usually meaning another country). Then, though I think it's still not legal for you to take it, I think some police may turn a blind eye if you are caught. This is nothing you can rely on, of course.

Finally, a real exception in the UK is IF you might happen to be accepted onto a drug trial, and then the drug can be prescribed through this trial by your GP, I believe. However, it is so expensive medically in the UK, that few trusts will pay for it themselves to patients except for the very worst patients. To go on a trial and pay for it yourself, the cost would be forbidding to most people.

Also, as with any trial, there are a lot of things which need to be satisfied to be accepted on the trial. This would probably narrow down the numbers of people who would be able to participate and use the drug significantly.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal...

[lcb10 in reply to lcb10]

Sorry. I was incorrect about travelling into the UK with cannabis if gained medicinally in a country where it is legal to obtain it.

That's only legal for other European residents, not for UK citizens to go, obtain it, and travel back to the UK with it.

release.org.uk/law/uks-law-...

Like you, MigraineGirl, I'd be really pleased to hear from American (etc.) people who've had it prescribed medicinally - does it help migraine / c. fatigue / neurological cognitive or movement problems, how and how much?

Also, it would be good to hear from any British people who've been able to try the Sativex prescription.

[Fran_in_California in reply to lcb10]

In some more enlightened States in the US, like Colorado, medical marijuana use is legal. Elsewhere you can get - as icb10 says - something from your doctor that says you're OK to try it (good luck with that if you have the usual HMO, or have only Medicare). You take it to an independent dispensary and you pay for it - no discounts. No, I haven't tried it for my arthritis but I'd love some enlightened rheumatologist to develop a trial . . . sign me: 18th Century Pains/21st Century Medicine.

[lcb10]

Hi Fran. Would you have any idea of the cost if paying for the prescription drug from an independent dispensary yourself in the USA?

As the link I gave in my first comment (Wikipedia article) shows, the price is high in UK.

Initially I thought it may not be too bad, as the article says 3 x 90 doses vials of the oil cost £375. (What is that, about, in dollars? I think around $580 / $585 usually. Though the rate is better for Americans currently, so less in dollars at the moment.)

I thought that sounded not too bad, as 3 x 90 doses is around 180 doses. I guess I was thinking of sumatriptan and codeine and other pills for migraine. 180 doses of any of those, or even combined doses would be a lot at 180. At around one every 2 days of the year, that's far more than you should take, even with chronic migraine. (In any case the rebound migraine / headache / sickness for many make this impossible).

However, the article then said that an annual dose for one person was thought to be at £4250 (which would be in US, usually approximately $7000).

That's really high. So, I guess it must be that it's needed for the patient to take a number of doses per day, every day.

I know the charges aren't anything like this in the US. Do you know how much?