Cannabis research

I've been using mj for the last couple of yrs just before starting Humira for my crohn's colitis...best thing I could have ever done and wish I'd done it sooner!! Still no surgeries for me yet and in fact my fistula slowly started to fee better before I even started the Humira, I think that the mj combined with Humira made a bigger difference (of course we'll never know for sure).

I just started medical mj (my GI was strongly on board with helping me get approved for it and encouraged me to keep "smoking" the non-medical until I could get onto the medical mj...he doesn't care what works as long as something does and it's great to have an open-minded GI cuz I've had some really stuffy ones that were very out of touch.

I was using one type of mmj that did not have any THC in it but it really never helped me with the physical issues so I switched that type for a low THC and still a high CBD for my daytime use and it helps more than the type that has no THC. the nice thing is that it's totally up to me to decide the % of strains and type of strains and amount to smoke per day since this makes it a med that you can customize completely to your personal needs....it helps with more than just inflammation and pain, so much more, a couple of examples are: insomnia and stress coping. I was hoping to have success with the type that has no THC to see if I could function during the day, driving and such but unfortunately I need the THC to get any benefit.

It sucks that it's very expensive (about twice as much as regular weed) and I'm not getting an even bigger benefit by being able to drive after smoking it and trying to function without worry about bowel movements so I don't know if I will continue to use the medical or not, besides it being basically twice the price, I also have to pay 200/yr for the licence to have it legally and until/unless it gets legalized here in Canada, I may just go back to buying cheaper stuff that works just as good as the medical grades (or even better since it's expected that it has much higher levels of THC than medical grades do)...if the medical stuff isn't going to aid in me having less frequency than the non-medical, it seems pointless to spend the extra $$ though it makes me feel better having a licence to use it since it's still not legal here.

Smoking cigarettes seems to help one group of people consistently, the most. Those who were longterm smokers, quit smoking, and then got diagnosed with uc. If you don't fit that pattern, odds are much lower smoking will help. I believe the theory is that nicotine thickens the mucusal layer in the intestine (often thin and permeable in uc patients). Nicotine might have masked uc, quiting revealed uc.

Regarding medical marijuana, I don't have any experience. However, it's been discussed in a number of threads here, before. Here's a lengthy, 8 page topic:

www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=38&m=2873589&p=8

emilp89 said...

pb4 said...
I was using one type of mmj that did not have any THC in it but it really never helped me with the physical issues so I switched that type for a low THC and still a high CBD for my daytime use and it helps more than the type that has no THC. the nice thing is that it's totally up to me to decide the % of strains and type of strains and amount to smoke per day since this makes it a med that you can customize completely to your personal needs....it helps with more than just inflammation and pain, so much more, a couple of examples are: insomnia and stress coping. I was hoping to have success with the type that has no THC to see if I could function during the day, driving and such but unfortunately I need the THC to get any benefit.

According to the internet, there is a possibility THC might be immunosuppressive and/or anti inflammatory. CBD is also claimed to be anti inflammatory.

If I was desperate, I would get it and smoke it, but only to achieve remission.

They also say that cigarettes help UC. Does it really make a difference whether you smoke marijuana or cigarettes? One is illegal the other is not...

Yes, it makes a difference from my experience at least...I also smoke cigs (I have crohn's not UC but my CD affects my colon, so "crohn's colitis) cigarettes don't aid with pain, mj does....smoking did cut back some of my daily bm's (I quit for about 3 yrs at one point and my flare became worse, I've always flared in the 23 yrs of being sick but finally found remission for the very first time with Humira, but I have IBS issues that I'm still trying to get under control) I went back to smoking cigs and as I mentioned it did cut back some of my daily bm's but not enough to function in daily life all that great...it's carbon monoxide via smoking that aids wit inflammation in the colon which is what aids with colitis) MJ on the other hand is amazing, it helps with pain, it helps physically and emotionally (in regards to making me feel more relaxed) it helps me sleep all through the night and fall asleep faster, and it calms my gut right down for hours (compared to cigs which doesn't have the same calming effect as MJ does) MJ definitely beats cigs in my opinion when it comes to aiding with health issues (inflammation in the colon).

ewafromwarsaw said...
Emil, i've read that medical marijuana is legal in Czech Republic (across the border in Poland many many years of prison for that), do you know anything how people get it there?

Ewa, I've never been to the Czech Republic, but I heard that some drugs were legalized and that you can't get arrested if they find you have a certain amount of drugs on you because it is "for personal use". But I don't know how that functions there. Are you close to the Czech border? :)

no i live in Warsaw (far from the border), i'm not sure if the foreigners can buy mm in Czech Republic, even on prescription. I was thinking about going to Prague and trying it (i've never smoked marijuana before) but as for, what you call "personal use", it's 8 yrs prison in Poland :)

I think MMJ, like any uc treatment might help some people with some of their symptoms, but not everyone would benefit. There appears to be no easy, works for everyone treatment for uc. If it's legal and easily obtainable then maybe it's worth a shot. In my state, medical mmj cards are available but as a uc patient I'm not eligible. It's okay for Crohn's patients here to though *shrug*, maybe overtime my state might broaden who can.

iPoop said...
I think MMJ, like any uc treatment might help some people with some of their symptoms, but not everyone would benefit. There appears to be no easy, works for everyone treatment for uc. If it's legal and easily obtainable then maybe it's worth a shot. In my state, medical mmj cards are available but as a uc patient I'm not eligible. It's okay for Crohn's patients here to though *shrug*, maybe overtime my state might broaden who can.

My MMJ doctor told me more than half of his crohn's and UC patients have been able to come off their meds (including biologics) because MMJ has helped them so much. Here where I live it's states it's covered for CD and UC and even IBS meets the requirements for MMJ....I'm in Alberta, Canada. It sure varies from place to place what diseases/health issues MMJ covers which I think is odd too. Who and how it helps depends greatly on finding the right strains and the right daily amount for each individual even if those individuals are using it for the same condition, like CD for example.

notsosicklygirl said...
I think a lot more research needs to be done. He is citing a study that is 21 men, without any link to the actual study. it's a tiny group and we know nothing about this group so far as treatments they are currently taking... It says they failed everything, but does that mean they stopped? Some people continue on stuff for quite a while and maybe they were slow responders? We know nothing. The article is a bunch of "it should work because..." or "marijuana is believed to...". I didn't see a whole lot of anything new or exciting here. I actually had a medical card to use MMJ years ago. I tried it and don't recall a significant result. It wasn't the worst I'd been so far as flaring but I wouldn't credit it with remission. I wouldn't discount the possibility that it might be useful in treating a plethora of illnesses, I just do not believe that we know much of anything. It might do nothing other than reduce immediate symptoms, like nausea or reduced appetite, for example. MMJ also comes with its own side effects, dry eyes & mouth, paranoia, anxiety, inability to operate a vehicle, less focus, reduced motivation... Not to say you will have all of them, but they can be debilitating.

I understand... and I am not telling people to use it. I just wanted to share that it could help during a flare.

pb4 said...
In general, I think there are more pros than cons when it comes to mj, but definitely some people do experience side effects that they don't like and therefore they tend to never use mj which is fine so long as the don't knock it for others because it's pain relief alone is pretty impressive to me based on my experiences with it and I certainly enjoy feeling relaxed enough to go out (someone else driving of course) or even just be at home and know that I'm going to get a few or more good hours of not even thinking about a bowel movement and to me that's golden considering how many decades I've been struggling on a daily basis literally with this cruel IBD. Not to mention how nice it is to be able to fall asleep in a normal time range and actually stay asleep, those things alone all having an impact on my physical and mental health and so far mj is the only thing I've found that doesn't give me negative side effects/issues and actually gives a lot of aid to many of my issues...I'm grateful for it.

I've never smoked, but I've heard that Introverts tend to not like the effects of MJ. Which I bet a lot of people on the UC forums are. I too am an introvert.

So good that we keep open minds-they have already found over 125 genes that indicate UC. There are a lot of possibilities for helping individuals, perhaps not every person is helped by every thing(duh), but to some it might mean the world. Small minded folks keep MM from helping the seekers. Obvious: This disease isn't a one size fits all. Glad for the info- my friends in the arthritis world are also finding relief. Thanks for the info.