Marijuana & CBD Oil

[snowyh]

Has anyone ever tried pot for relief of phantom pain? If so, does it work?

Helen

[stonecutter]

Never tried it even for recreational purposes.

[allenuk]

No to pain management use, yes to the other stuff - I was a teenager in the sixties, thankfully.

But my sister-in-law, who had a heart transplant nearly ten years back, and suffers from all sorts of aches and pains even though she's only in her mid-50s, does use it - she doesn't smoke it, as that would be too dangerous for her health, but she does make pot cakes, which she says gives her relief (and hopefully pleasure!)

Cannabis pills do exist, and you might find a source on the www, but of course they're illegal in most (un)enlightened countries.


A

[ann58]

Allen, are you talking about cakes you eat? Like brownies w/pot in them

[allenuk]

Cakes you eat, certainly. You have to make sure you put them in a separate cake-box, mind, and not give them away to unsuspecting visitors.

The cannabis takes a bit longer to get into the system - smoking's quicker, but has all the disadvantages of ordinary smoking.


A.

[hang10john]

Works great but hard to fit into day to day life. I haven't found the strain for pain relief that doesn't come with all the other fun stuff that comes with the cannabis experience.

Used in moderation and proper set and setting, especially in the early stages of use, I can't imagine anything better for pain relief. Takes my painful residual limb and turns it in to the best feeling part of my body, and I'm not exaggerating. I can feel all the healing powers of my body focusing in on my broken part.

Its definitely not for everyone though. Some people can't handle what it brings to the table in regards to self reflection and expanded awareness of the universe Unfortunate, but some personality types or maybe metabolisms just don't groove with this plant medicine. Its amazing watching it become more and more accepted in the general population. Unfortunately I predict a lot of folks have bad experiences because they don't get started in the right way.

[snowyh]

I recently obtained some CBD oil, but haven't experienced a PP episode to determine its effectiveness yet. I lifted (and abridged) the following from bluebirdbotanicals.com :

Cannabidiol, also known as CBD, is one of over 60+ naturally occurring cannabinoid compounds found in Cannabis. Both marijuana and hemp are forms of cannabis. Until recently, THC was the most well-known and studied cannabinoid due to its abundance in marijuana. However, as the second most prevalent cannabinoid in marijuana and the top non-psychoactive cannabinoid found in hemp, CBD has been gaining momentum in the scientific community and media. Unlike THC, CBD does not cause any feeling of “high,” which contributes to its legalization across the United States.

CBD oil is sold as a dietary supplement and makes no formal medical claims, but users list anxiety relief, sleep aid and pain relief among its qualities. Since my PP episodes are usually triggered and exacerbated by stress (and because I tire of the disapproving looks I get from medical professionals when I ask for a Lorazepam refill), I decided to try CBD. So far I have only taken it in small doses before bedtime because I can also use some help with insomnia. I haven't noticed any change in the quantity or quality of my sleep, but then again I'm only taking 1/3 of the recommended dosage. But what I HAVE noticed is something I didn't expect at all--an almost complete elimination of the "tinglies" that have been a daily part of my life following amputation. The tinglies are non-painful sensations in my phantom limb, and on most days they are just a constant reminder that they could, at any point, transform into a ferociously painful PP episode. Though I originally obtained CBD to deal with full-blown PP episodes, I now dare to hope that it may prevent them altogether (cross fingers). I'll follow up as things develop.

Helen

PS--Before buying CBD oil, make sure it's legal in your country/province/state.
PS--And John, CBD use hasn't caused me any self-reflection or expanded awareness of the universe

[hang10john]

I tried tincture CBD drops for a while, but could never feel one way or the other if there were any noticeable benefits.  I don't think that straight CBD oil is for on the spot pain releif?   Smoking puts the pain relief on maximum immediately and is easier to manage then the other methods that were hard to really feel confident that they were working. I'm still searching for a strain that is all pain relief without the difficult to manage other effects. CBD dominate strains have been hard to find.

I also tried vaping and topicals.   The vaping is similar to smoking, but I experienced a hang over type after effect that I think may be associated with the chemicals involved in how the vape oils are extracted.    The topicals have been hit or miss for me and expensive.    Once I got used to smoking, non of the other methods made any sense to me.   

I'm 8 months into my amputation and my residual limb has pretty much quieted down for pain.   I only get the occasional cramping and prosthetic pain, so I think I'm through the worst of it I hope.   The herb was really helpful as I recovered from my accident, but as time goes by I don't feel the need for it like I did as my wounds were healing.  I'm thankful that I live in a legal state and that I had the option to take the path that I did for pain relief.  I feel that it helped on other levels then just the pain.   

[snowyh]

Thanks for all the good feedback, John. Question: What is a "CBD dominate strain"?

[hang10john]

www.leafly.com/news/strains-products/high-cbd-marijuana-strains-according-to-lab-data

[snowyh]

Wow! I had no idea of all the science that goes into developing different strains!

[stonecutter]

Being a Shriner, a lot of my Shriner friends are older fellers... Quite a lot of them are former military and bear the effects of injuries from their careers. One such friend had knees that I defined as "screwed." He struggled to bend his knees to 90º and if he knelt down for any reason, I would need to help him up.

I didn't notice... but a good year had passed without my witnessing his difficulties with his knees and then one day when we went over to someones house on Shriner business, he knelt down to tie his shoes... I stood back wondering what the hell he was doing as we are going to have a hard time getting him vertical again. But he popped right up! I raised an eyebrow and didn't say anything until we got back to the vehicle...

He is on a regiment of CBD oil daytime and THC at night. Says he feels like he's in his 20s again. He didn't want anyone to know he was on the oil because he thought everyone would think he was a "pothead!" Makes no difference to me what anyone is on - if it helps you live a better and more comfortable life: HOOK IT UP.

Honestly - the recent legalization of cannabis in Canada made it easier for people to access resources like this. It's not all about being in a cloud of smoke as everyone expected.

Still haven't tried any of it myself though...