Why are people being forced to break the law to gain pain relief when there is a perfectly legal alternative which NHS refuse to prescribe?

[dori2o]

Across this country there are people being forced to break the law to gain relief from chronic pain. I am talking of course of the excellent pain relief given from cannabis.

For the past 10 years there has been an alternative to the risk of buying or even growing your own cannabis. Sativex has shown in many many tests that it is extremely beneficial to people who suffer from chronic pain. Many States in the US have cleared the drug for use in chronic pain patients, many European countries allow the use of the drug. As always though the UK is lightyears behind and forcing people to take much stronger, much more dangerous drugs, with much worse side effects than Sativex, before the local health authorities will even consider looking at applications for the canabinoid to be prescribed.

My local authority expect me to have tried every alternative, that includes such drugs as Pethadine, Methadone and Burpenorphine, even Ketamine.

When will peoples lives, mental and physical welbeing be put first.

I find it amazing that all over the world we have doctors pumping people full of a drug which is effectively Heroin (Diamorphone), a Class A drug, and nobody bats an eyelid.

Yet, simply because of the stigma associated with the recreational useage of cannabis, people are being denied relief which could change lives.

I put it to you that if cannabis didn't have this political stigma attached to it, Sativex would be available across the counter in every pharmacy in the UK.

[fairytails]

i do agree with you my cousin has m.s and his doctor actually perscribes he uses it ! but the trouble is what money would the drug companys make if it was the miracle to pain stopping! like everything else it all boils down to greed ! thats why it remains illegal i think?

[dori2o]

Don't get me wrong, I'm not looking to de-criminalise cannabis, that is a completely different argument for another forum and another day.

But, we have a situation where there is a company manufacturing a drug which provides the same benefits and very few of the negatives of street bought cannabis, and yet the majority of health authorities are refusing to prescribe it, even for those with MS for whom this drug was developed, not just those with chronic pain for whom the drug has preven to be beneficial.

I buy cannabis from the black market. Once a month at most but normally once every 2 months. As I stopped smoking in 2009 I don't smoke it but I do ingest it by cooking with it. I make cookies which I can then freeze and use as and when needed.

In my opinion, the health authorities are actually putting peoples lives in danger by insisting they use these much more potent and dangerous drugs first before even considering an application to fund Sativex.

Ketamine for example has links to severe bladder problems. Personally I don't think it's worth taking a medication that can leave me worse of in other ways even if it does proviode a bit more relief than get now.

[Hidden]

Hello

Commercial cannabis can be prescribed that is very pure and you do not have the risks from a product that may have purity problems.

One reason why the powers that be do not want to allow this is that the commercial markets want to possibly keep manufacturing expensive medications and keep their profit margins up

It is the same with the opiates, The problem of the black market it the purity issue, the pure is a natural product hence less problems.

I have never tried black market meds even though I have been in pain for thirty odd years now. Sometimes I wonder if I had taken a different route with my complaint. Suppose I will keep taking the tablets now

BOB

[Hidden]

Same argument is true for Chinese meds. NHS and drug companies won't use them because each dose and medication is made for a specific person and ailment - thousands of combinations. There is thousands of years of docuemented history benefiting millions of people. They argue that a med or dose cannot be standardised into one pill, and in its present form, Chinese meds cannot be tested and certified safe to use. China has been testing andgettying results for thousands of years.

Example, my daughter had bad excema over her trunk and arms. Gp prescribed cortisone cream. No difference after one month. Chinese medicine, we were given a bag of bits and pieces (bark, sand, twigs, dried leaves) to boil and use to wash her affected areas twice a day until it cleared. Cleared up and never returned within 2 weeks.

Clearly we are all saying standardised meds don't work. Alternatives and other cultures do hold the answer. Powers that be refuse to act on it.

[alfiep]

My doctor refuses to prescribe Cannabis for me despite knowing it greatly reduces my pain.He is quite happy to prescribe huge amounts of Pethidine and Oxycodone every month but refuses to even consider Cannabis.WHY ???

[Hidden]

I live in Scotland and just asked for Sativex last week, My GP was very willing but she had to refer the script to the prescribing advisor. I will be able to get it if my specialist agrees. Ie. it has to be prescribed by a consultant. It is good for muscle spasm and at a guess some CRPS sufferers and others have so many muscle spasms 24/7. I started using it from the black market and found it great for pain (at night, I don't like being stoned) and the stoned effect great for getting me back to sleep when I have woken in pain. It treats pain and sleep disorder in one hit. Result: better sleep, and for me about a 10 fold increase in activities of daily living. I hate having to use the black market though.

[Hidden]

is sativex not prescribed at all in this country?