Trying to rid myself of pain…

[Cricket01]

Hello to All.. I am wondering if I can take Hemp oil with 20mgs of methotrexate? And how long apart do the meds need to be? Thank you…

[sylvi]

Morning Cricket01, personally i wouldn't touch that one until there was more research done into it. There are people who swear by it and that is their choice. Sorry i can't add anything to that. xxxx

[Lolabridge]

Could it be that you medication is not working well for you? I suggest you contact your Rheumy to let them know you’re suffering and ask for advice.

[nomoreheels]

Hiya Cricket01, welcome. Can I ask, is there a reason you'd be asking about hemp oil over CBD oil? It's just that the more commonly purchased of the two if looking to potentially help ease pain is CBD oil, hemp oil only contains trace amounts of CBD (0.3%). I don't know if it's preferred over there or not? Or the legalities. Here in the UK it has to contain no THC to be purchased (& used) legally.

To answer your question… please discuss it with your Rheumy. We should declare any supplements we take or are considering, even with ‘natural' products it doesn't necessarily mean safe when taken alongside traditional meds. If you feel the pain is due to MTX not working as well as it could or did then please let him know. They assume all it’s well if your blood work is ok. Sorry it's not a straight answer for your first post but it's not a question we can or should answer definitively as we're the same as you, patients not medical professionals. Have you used the search box? It might be helpful to you to read past posts written on the site about hemp or CBD oil. If you filter posts to only include My Communities it will bring up those written on the NRAS site, you'll find posts of oils relating to our conditions.

On a personal level I’d prefer that more clinical trials are done on humans & a medical grade prescribed to me rather than buying something online or from a health food shop which is for the most part unregulated & less likely to be of great help strength wise. At the moment though there are only a few conditions it is prescribed for here.

Have you tried traditional pain relief & none have helped? I ask as it took some while to find my particular combination of meds to keep the lid on my pain, working with both my Rheumy & GP.

[Knip in reply to nomoreheels]

Bradley Walsh and Dame Judi Dench have been using CBD oil and he has been in trouble in the UK for advertising it. Not sure of the particular product but it has been in the news recently. I'm not sure if a painkiller called Syndol is still on sale...that used to contain Doxyalamine, a muscle relaxant, and at one time helped me a great deal. The GP tried to get me a substitute via the pharmacy with no success but that was fifteen years ago.

[nomoreheels in reply to Knip]

I had heard of Dame Judi taking it but not Bradley so I did a quick search. I couldn’t find evidence of him stating he uses CBD in any form but there is a company claiming to be selling a product with his name… but they aren't gummies, it's a tincture. Lots of claims including These CBD Gummies will enable the person to enhance the functioning of their immune system, hmmm, & this corker It will help your endocannabinoid system to perform well and will not let you suffer from any disease. So the grammar used is suspect too, the previous quote refers to the product in the plural form (Gummies) yet their claim immediately after is in the singular… it's littered with similar inaccuracies. There aren't any images of him, no testimonial/s, which makes me wonder if there's any connection to him at all. Conversely there's no word from him discrediting the company using his name. A Companies House search doesn't list him declaring as having any interest in this company either. It begs the question how he can be in trouble for advertising when he has no connection to it, other than his name being used, I guess fraudulently.

I think Syndol is available. It was pulled at one time because of a licensing problem but that must have been cleared now. I'm pretty sure it was once recommended for me for migraine but I was prescribed alternatives so it mustn't have worked for me.

[Knip in reply to nomoreheels]

It struck me as strange at the time but, since I wasn't thinking of taking it, I put it to the back of my mind where it stayed until I read Cricket's post. Thank you for putting me straight. From the comments on here it looks as if CBD oil helps some people, which is good to know. Pain is strange and so different for all of us, so no one thing brings relief to all, does it! Take care and stay as safe and as well as you can be.

[Kgj2112]

I have AS when I was on mtx my rhumey said no problem with cbd and it together. The cbd even medical grade from dispensary is a gamble in quality and effectiveness. I have a medical marijuana card but order mine online after researching but please talk to your dr. CBD helps but don’t cure the mtx may not be working.

[Cricket2013]

Hemp, CBD or full spectrum oil are all good, because they are natural herbs….I personally use full spectrum…it doesn’t cure RA but it helps with sleep and pain

[RheumST in reply to Cricket2013]

Reasoning that xxx oil is good because it is natural is not good reasoning. Hemlock is natural so are all mushrooms etc, but many natural things are deadly poisonous.

here have a look at this to get an idea of sound vs unsound reasoning:

Maddox's Diet Rant (pretty sarcastic but sound science and very funny).

maddox.xmission.com/c.cgi?u...

[Cricket2013 in reply to RheumST]

I started to use full extract cannabis, after all the nasty drugs failed and left me worse off than when I started…..cbd needs the thc to be effective…also it is not deadly poisonous - have you ever heard of someone dying from a cannabis overdose?

[Amandajane64]

Hi, i take cbd capsules. Im on toczilizumab. I still get pain but the cbd helps me to cope with it better. I get mine from CBD brothers the origional alternative. I have the 250mg blue capsules, i find they suit me well.🙂

[sunnydown in reply to Amandajane64]

I do exactly the same. I'm on 17.5 MG of Methotrexate and I too take daily the CBD brothers 250MG blue capsules. They are a game changer and my finger joints pain has reduced to virtually zero.

[Maggsie]

I regularly take a cbd capsule in the evening. I find it helps me relax and also helps me sleep.

[Floralqueens]

Hi Cricket. I do not take any non prescribed medication with my Methotrexate, so I am unable to help you with your question.

[RheumST]

I'm sorry I don't have any experience, nor knowledge about hemp oil, so I would caution you to be very careful, and get some reliable advice.

Apparently you are asking for someone who has reliable advice.

I would first turn to your medical team, to see what they think.

First of all what kind of pain do you have ? Typical rheumatic joint pain ?

Have you ever had it under control with any prior drugs such as steroids ?

How long have you been on MTX, which apparently takes time from when you first start taking it before it becomes effective.

MTX 20 mgs is what I have been on for more than a year at this point and at first was added to Prednisone, then gradually after several months I was weaned off the Prednisone, but joint pain returned and I had to really slow down the reduction of the Prednisone rate. Eventually, I got off the Prednisone completely which is where I am right now on MTX only (same dosage as at start) and I have no joint pain, and few if any side effects. I don't know when and if my Rheum Doc is going to have me gradually reduce the MTX. My lab tests no longer show inflammation.

So that is my experience, in short, but we are all a bit different in our response to various drugs, so all we know is that for most people MTX usually works well. Of course Rheum comes in many different flavors and it is not well understood, but fortunately there is a large body of practical experience.

My primary doctor, who is actually far smarter than my Rheum doctor, recommended CBD gummies, for helping with my sleep problems, so he obviously did not know about any contraindications with mixing MTX and the CBD (small dose, 1/4, or 1/2, of a standard dosage). I gave it a half-hearted try but it did not appear to help with my sleep issues.

In any case it would be a good idea if you are going to try it (to titrate it), to start with small doses and gradually increase over 1 or 2 weeks in small steps until you reach a dosage that seems to help.

I'm afraid that the very little that I say in response to your question.

Since I wrote my comments I see that at least 3 or 4 people have said they use it and it helps them. So that sounds encouraging.

Good luck and let us know how it works for you.

[Cricket01]

Thanks guys. I really need to think on his and have a chat to my Doc.. It seems it’s all totally different in Other countries…In hospital now with bad reaction to MTX.. They have me back on Prednisone 60mgs… I know so high.. Hope it’s only for a short time… My sick is a mess.. Thanks Again….