Cannabis as medicine for real, anyone?

[Wifezilla]

Generic drugs are no longer as "cheap and ineffective" as they once were and many, many patients are benefitting from the use of generic drugs on a daily basis. As a matter of fact, many generic drugs are manufactured by the same companies, using the same ingredients, as brand name.

I have no trouble with generics, but there are people taking drugs for mental illness that even the slight difference in ingredients between a brand name an a generic can cause an episode. They found this out hard way when their insurance company switched them to a generic and they had a serious psychiatric episode.

If it is made by the original manufacturer, no biggie, but that isn't always the case.

"The active ingredient of Marinol is synthetic THC"
http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/ongoing/marinol.html

????

"Dronabinol is known to produce mild side effects similar to cannabis. Many scientists believe that dronabinol lacks beneficial properties of cannabis,[48][49] which contains more than 60 cannabinoids, including cannabidiol (CBD), thought to be the major anticonvulsant that helps multiple sclerosis patients,[50] and cannabichromene (CBC), an anti-inflammatory which may contribute to the pain-killing effect of cannabis.[51] Others have countered that the effects of all of cannabis's cannabinoids have not been completely studied and are not fully understood.[citation needed]
It takes over one hour for Marinol to reach full systemic effect,[52] compared to minutes for smoked or vaporized cannabis.[53] Some patients accustomed to inhaling just enough cannabis smoke to manage symptoms have complained of too-intense intoxication from Marinol's predetermined dosages. This powerful psychoactive effect, however, has led to recreational use of Marinol.[54] Many patients have said that Marinol produces a more acute psychedelic effect than cannabis, and it has been speculated that this disparity can be explained by the moderating effect of the many non-THC cannabinoids present in cannabis. Mark Kleiman, director of the Drug Policy Analysis Program at UCLA's School of Public Affairs said of Marinol, "It wasn't any fun and made the user feel bad, so it could be approved without any fear that it would penetrate the recreational market, and then used as a club with which to beat back the advocates of whole cannabis as a medicine."[48] United States federal law currently registers dronabinol as a Schedule III controlled substance, but all other cannabis remains Schedule I, except nabilone. Taking a Marinol pill to manage nausea can be ineffective because nausea can cause the pill to be ejected before it is absorbed by the body.
Marinol is also more expensive than medical marijuana, costing for example US$723 for 30 doses at 10 mg online, as of May, 2008."

reefer madeness is real for some.
as is alcohol trouble

And for years that mean a person couldn't have a beer all because a very few had problems with it. Our government apparently never learned the lessons of prohibition.

 

[Beekissed]

Do we have a "beating a dead horse" smiley somewhere?

 

[FarmerChick]

We sure need a dead horse smiley. I could use it a few places...LOL

 

[FarmerDenise]

I am using it legally and under a doctor's care.

Marijuana can be ground up and put into gel caps. The problem is the dose can be too much for someone and it takes about 1/2 hour to take effect. If someone is suffering from nausea, swallowing a pill is counter productive, since they usually up-chuck anything they consume.
I prefer to use tincture, since it is easy for me to use very small doses, a few drops at a time. Most of the people I know are very carefull how they use it and don't like to get high. We also have a medical license and confer with our doctors about it and any other herbal medication we might be taking.
We also have dispensaries, where one can buy small quantities of marijuana, tinctures, salves and other prepared medicines. This is all very controlled. They limit how much you can buy at one time. No one without a license is allowed in the place. They are trying to do everything they can to keep it on a medical basis only.

I make other medical products for myself and my family also. I always research what I do. All medication needs to be adressed with caution and should not be used willy-nilly. You can get sick from using too much peppermint tea!!!

 

[Wifezilla]

LOL...exactly. How many people gobble soy products all day because it is "healthy" not realizing they are actually ingesting plant hormones?

 

[FarmerDenise]

I use soy milk to combat symptoms of menopause. It is very effective probably do to it's high level of estrogen.

 

[Beekissed]

Here's a little hint they don't tell you at the pharmacy....if you are too nauseous to take a pill orally, the same pill can be introduced rectally and be absorbed in this manner. Most medicines have a 15-30 min. time lapse for effectiveness. In the nursing field, unless its nitroglycerine tabs, we always wait a standard 30 min. for effectiveness of meds before re-evaluating treatment of symptoms. Each person metabolizes meds at a different rate, so the 30 min. wait is often necessary to evaluate true effectiveness of symptom relief meds.

Good info to have, Farmer Denise. Thanks for explaining it for us!

 

[FarmerDenise]

I'll pass on the rectal insertion, thank you very much
And why should I have to purchase an anti nausea pill to shove up my rear, when I can grow and create my own anti nausea product, that when prepared and consumed poperly has no bad side effects? Isn't this forum about being self sufficient?

 

[Wifezilla]

Yes, but if you grow it yourself, some poor pharmacy executive wont get to own an extra vacation house. How selfish of you!

 

[Homesteadmom]

LOL...exactly. How many people gobble soy products all day because it is "healthy" not realizing they are actually ingesting plant hormones?

We avoid soy products in our house as much as possible as ds is sensitive to it. And there is too much conflicting info on good vs bad for soy. I have heard it causes weight gain too.