Questions re: vaping cannabis for pain management

[wmacbride]

I recently got a prescription for medical cannabis-it's legal here, so long as you have a doctor's prescription.

 

I was sick of taking morphine for pain, and thought I'd give cannabis a try. My supplier sent me a couple of different strains to try, both of which have balanced levels of THC and CBD, which is supposed to help with pain.

 

I also ordered a grinder and a vaporizer.

 

Let's just say it's a lot stronger than I remember from the late 80's. It does help with pain, but I can't seem to get the dosage right. I don't like the smell, so I tried making canabutter.so I could ingest it instead of vape it, I'm never going to do so again, as I ended up feeling really weird - like I was dead.

Not pleasant.

 

Does anyone have any hints about how to use medical cannibis that provides maximum pain relief? Can you titrate the level up?

[MidwestUSA]

Have you tried both strains?

 

Wish I could be of more help, I'm still awaiting legalization. Can you use it before bed and sleep thru it? That might be one way to get your tolerance up.

[Mrin]

Hi there - Coloradoan here.

 

Just a few things - not sure how much you know about cannabis.

 

1. THC levels are what get you high

2. CBD levels are where you find most of the medicinal benefits

3. Vaping the herb can be challenging until you figure it out. A really expensive vape like the volcano can take a lot of the guess work out of it

4. Don't try eating the stuff/making butter. You'll just spike the THC levels you ingest and get uber stoned for about 2-4 hours

5. The biggest challenge when it comes to medical is getting high enough CBD levels without get whacked out on THC

 

That being said, you have two issues the way I see it. The good news is that they have a related solution.

 

1. Getting enough CBD's: getting enough CBD's can be really hard because of the corresponding THC content. This is a plant that has been strain engineered for a long time to produce more and more THC. Only recently are we focusing on CBD's. It is hard to get enough CBD's from just the weed/plant matter. Thankfully, there are some options:

 

- vape oil: I'll go into this below but many of the marijuana refineries in places like Colorado are getting really good at isolating CBD's. They provide hash oil that has very high CBD levels and low THC levels

 

- salves, tinctures and balms: additionally, many medical shops here sell it in topical form. Not sure what your pain is from but if it is topical or muscular, a lot of patients have benefitted from this form. Think RA or PA patients.

 

2. Don't like the taste: Okay, this is easier to solve. Regardless of whether your pain responds to THC or CBD better, the easiest thing to do is switch from the plant matter to a hash oil. The most common form you see here in Colorado is a vape pen. Basically it is just like any other e-pen/vape pen you see people use except it is vaping hash oil made from the plant. Simple. Low odor. Easy on the lungs. And of course, based on what I said above, you can get formulations that a high in CBD's and low in THC's.

 

Not sure where you are based but one thing I'd suggest is coming to Colorado or Washington state where it is completely legal and trying out some of the options to see what works best for your pain management.

 

Best of luck!

Edited March 29, 2016 by Mrin

[wmacbride]

Have you tried both strains?

 

Wish I could be of more help, I'm still awaiting legalization. Can you use it before bed and sleep thru it? That might be one way to get your tolerance up.

 

so far, I've tried both Spring Garden ( warlock,) and Highlands (CBD Critcal Mass). These have balanced levels of both THC and CBD ( THC 8.04 and 7.02 respectvely, and CBD (10.5% and 9.25 %respectively) .

 

Both are grown organically. The THC levels when I tried it in university were at about 2%, so you can see how much stronger it is.

 

I go out and vape on the back porch (much to the chagrin of my neighbors..lol) after supper.

 

I will say that it really does help with the pain. I can actually do things I couldn't before.

 

I you are able to use t legally soon.

[wmacbride]

Hi there - Coloradoan here.

 

Just a few things - not sure how much you know about cannabis.

 

1. THC levels are what get you high

2. CBD levels are where you find most of the medicinal benefits

3. Vaping the herb can be challenging until you figure it out. A really expensive vape like the volcano can take a lot of the guess work out of it

4. Don't try eating the stuff/making butter. You'll just spike the THC levels you ingest and get uber stoned for about 2-4 hours

5. The biggest challenge when it comes to medical is getting high enough CBD levels without get whacked out on THC

 

That being said, you have two issues the way I see it. The good news is that they have a related solution.

 

1. Getting enough CBD's: getting enough CBD's can be really hard because of the corresponding THC content. This is a plant that has been strain engineered for a long time to produce more and more THC. Only recently are we focusing on CBD's. It is hard to get enough CBD's from just the weed/plant matter. Thankfully, there are some options:

 

- vape oil: I'll go into this below but many of the marijuana refineries in places like Colorado are getting really good at isolating CBD's. They provide hash oil that has very high CBD levels and low THC levels

 

- salves, tinctures and balms: additionally, many medical shops here sell it in topical form. Not sure what your pain is from but if it is topical or muscular, a lot of patients have benefitted from this form. Think RA or PA patients.

 

2. Don't like the taste: Okay, this is easier to solve. Regardless of whether your pain responds to THC or CBD better, the easiest thing to do is switch from the plant matter to a hash oil. The most common form you see here in Colorado is a vape pen. Basically it is just like any other e-pen/vape pen you see people use except it is vaping hash oil made from the plant. Simple. Low odor. Easy on the lungs. And of course, based on what I said above, you can get formulations that a high in CBD's and low in THC's.

 

Not sure where you are based but one thing I'd suggest is coming to Colorado or Washington state where it is completely legal and trying out some of the options to see what works best for your pain management.

 

Best of luck!

 

Thanks for the input. It's really helpful. Unfortunately here in Canada, the only form it's legal in is leaf, bud, etc. Edibles and oils are not legal

 

My vaporizer is a Zuess, and it works quite well. I learned the hard way not to try and stuff too much in at once. I tried that, thinking more would be better. It wasn't .

 

As I mentioned above, the two strains I'm trying right now have a CBD level that's close to the THC level. There is one other strain my supplier has recommended I try, but I ca;t yet as I am only allowed to purchase 30 grams per month, due to government rules.

 

One of the strains is supplied in bud form, and the second is already milled. I prefer the whole bud type, which I grind myself.

 

You are right about the cannabutter. i am never going to try that again.

[MuddyFootprints]

If it's been prescribed, you have a pain management physician who can help you with the dosing problem.

 

Talk to your physician.

[wmacbride]

If it's been prescribed, you have a pain management physician who can help you with the dosing problem.

 

Talk to your physician.

 

There is no pain managed physician anywhere near where I live, and the wait list for the nearest one is serval months long.

 

My doctor who prescribed it did so at my request, and also because he feels it could be helpful to me. I have tried everything from physiotherapy to acupuncture, massage therapy, a TENS unit, specific exercises, dietary changes, a variety of pain medications, herbal medications, and more.

 

None of them did much, and while morphine works, the side effects were bad. I also have inflammatory bowel disease, so other than Salofalk for that, I've been told to avoid NSAID's for pain relief.

 

I've seen several specialists for the issue that causes me pain. it's due to a structural issue, and the orthopedist I saw most recently felt I was not a good candidate for any sort of surgical remediation.