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Hi there, I'm Liz,72 years old and totally ignorant when it comes to Cannabis

Liz

New member
I posted this am and some were very nice to reply, I thank you.
I suffer from Neuropathy. Not chemo induced, as my neurologist said" shit happens" I had shingles which left me with Trigiminal Neuralgia,I also have Fibromyalgia and for 5plus years have had Neuropathy. I've used so many meds I've lost count,each of course leading to side effects.until last week I was taking 2-5/325 Percocet along with 1200 mgs of Gabapentin,300 mgs 4x's a day. Percoet left me with burning throughout my entire body,as if I'm on fire. I'm finally down to 1/2 Percocet for 4 more days and then that will only leave me taking 1200 mgs Gabapentin(which I want to get off of also)
My knowledge of what I need to use as far as cannibus is zero. I know I DO want to try oil or tincture(whatever is most efficient) but not get very high. If those don't work, then I'll have to try smoking but I want to try the oils or tincture first. There is a dispensary near me that sells THCA 43:1 THC ...and also, HIgh Ratio 28:1 CBD MCT...and also THC MCT tincture oil...and High ratio 28:1 CBD MCT oil.
TO be honest, they are speaking in another language . These numbers and oils and tincture is so confusing.
Are tinctures better than oils? Are the ratio better higher for relief of pain? I've read and read and still I cannot understand. I DO know, supposedly CBD and THC work together to relieve pain. CBD being the pain reliever and THC kind putting a high plus pain relief.
PLEASE help me...I'm so desperate.
Growing up dueing the hippie movement, you;d think I'd know something about this but I grew up in a VERY strict family and VERY religeous. Cannibus was an absolute no no.
Thank you for your time and any help you can give.
Liz
 
D

Dioni

Hi Liz, Welcome to ICMAG, sorry to here of your pain issues...I'm getting ready to do a SERIOUS SEEDS, seed test of they're CBD Chronic and I'm hoping that they have some meds to really help with issues such as yours and others. I will get back to you with the results.
 

guineapig

Active member
Veteran
Right, i know it is a lot to figure out for a new person. There is a medical forum here which has many stories of patients with various health challenges. Hopefully someone will chime in here to help, or maybe you might want to post in the medical forum. As a very general rule you are correct about CBD and THC, but it is difficult to know which form to use as you have no experience with this. I know people with all these conditions, except for the fibromyalgia, but the burning sensation must be related to the shingles and the neuropathy. In a strange way, the use of opiates can actually make pain more acute as they wear off, so perhaps this somehow explains the burning sensation when taking opiates?

I know its confusing, hopefully someone else can chime in here and help :abduct:

:ying: kind regards from guineapig :ying:
 

stoned40yrs

Ripped since 1965
Veteran
The nerves in my feet are dying from repeated frostbite. Mega painful burn. I take the max dose of gabapentin a day. 2700mg. Takes about 75% of the pain away, no side effects. I've tried at least 75 strains to help, at the most some help with the gaba for a few hours. No opiates, I turned them down. I went off the gaba for a week a couple months ago and tried to treat the pain by eating and smoking as much pot as I could. One of the worst weeks of my life. Gaba works good to a certain point. If you can't find any pot to help I would recommend getting off the opiates and increasing the gaba closer to 2700mg. Then finding some strains of pot that give a body numb effect for a few hours at a time. I know I'll be on gaba till I die but I don't have any side effects and it's not a narcotic. I have to take blood pressure meds also. No good reason to stop taking the lisinopril or the gaba. Opiates are a whole different ballgame.
 

Liz

New member
Many thanks

Many thanks

Thank you so much for you replies. I really appreciate your time and knowledge.
Big D, My Neurologist said 3600 mgs is the max for Gabapentin and you said 2700 . I wonder why the difference? I was on 3600 mgs of Gabapentin about 5 years ago (for Trigiminal Neuralgia)and was stupid and went off cold turkey and ended up in the hospital because I couldn't walk,move my limbs, and was screwed up in my head. Well, here I am again, as desperate as I can be andn back on it( can you believe?) So, I may do as you suggest and give CBD and THC a chance with the Gabapentin before weaning off.
I DO have another question. IF CBD already has THC in it say 1:1 ratio, Is it necessary for me to buya separate bottle of THC too, or is one bottle of CBD/THC 1:1 sufficient?
 

zoic

Member
until last week I was taking 2-5/325 Percocet along with 1200 mgs of Gabapentin,300 mgs 4x's a day. Percoet left me with burning throughout my entire body,as if I'm on fire.
Liz

I was on about the same for cervical stenosis last year. The funny thing is that is was the gabapentin, and also lyrica that caused that for me. It was like my nervous system was having a panic attack or an epileptic seizure. I still take perc as it also helps me with the chronic fatigue I experience from MS with no side effects, except a power up.

CBD is not going to get you high, however some THC is needed as well for medicinal. It is a great analgesic and I find the more pain I have the less I experience the high. Now since CBD is an antagonist to many meds and THC, it modulates the effects somewhat. 2:1 CBD to THC may me most optimal for you, but probably harder to find in today's recreational market.

Right now I am having great success with edibles made from plant cuttings. The effects last longer and the high is less intense once you get your ideal level after some testing.

Hope that helps. :)
 

Liz

New member
Hi ZOIC,
Thank you so much. My mind is swimming right nowLOL I'm still recovering from a TBI)tramatic Brain Injury) from falling on concrete. I'm so thankful for all of you helping me.
 

stoned40yrs

Ripped since 1965
Veteran
Thank you so much for you replies. I really appreciate your time and knowledge.
Big D, My Neurologist said 3600 mgs is the max for Gabapentin and you said 2700 . I wonder why the difference? I was on 3600 mgs of Gabapentin about 5 years ago (for Trigiminal Neuralgia)and was stupid and went off cold turkey and ended up in the hospital because I couldn't walk,move my limbs, and was screwed up in my head. Well, here I am again, as desperate as I can be andn back on it( can you believe?) So, I may do as you suggest and give CBD and THC a chance with the Gabapentin before weaning off.
I DO have another question. IF CBD already has THC in it say 1:1 ratio, Is it necessary for me to buya separate bottle of THC too, or is one bottle of CBD/THC 1:1 sufficient?

My doctor must be lying to me then, he said 2700mg a day is max. He also told me that cold turkey from it is bad and can cause a heart attack. Need to be weaned off that stuff he said. Never trusted any of them doctors anyway. Goodluck!
 

horribleherk

New member
I posted this am and some were very nice to reply, I thank you.
I suffer from Neuropathy. Not chemo induced, as my neurologist said" shit happens" I had shingles which left me with Trigiminal Neuralgia,I also have Fibromyalgia and for 5plus years have had Neuropathy. I've used so many meds I've lost count,each of course leading to side effects.until last week I was taking 2-5/325 Percocet along with 1200 mgs of Gabapentin,300 mgs 4x's a day. Percoet left me with burning throughout my entire body,as if I'm on fire. I'm finally down to 1/2 Percocet for 4 more days and then that will only leave me taking 1200 mgs Gabapentin(which I want to get off of also)
My knowledge of what I need to use as far as cannibus is zero. I know I DO want to try oil or tincture(whatever is most efficient) but not get very high. If those don't work, then I'll have to try smoking but I want to try the oils or tincture first. There is a dispensary near me that sells THCA 43:1 THC ...and also, HIgh Ratio 28:1 CBD MCT...and also THC MCT tincture oil...and High ratio 28:1 CBD MCT oil.
TO be honest, they are speaking in another language . These numbers and oils and tincture is so confusing.
Are tinctures better than oils? Are the ratio better higher for relief of pain? I've read and read and still I cannot understand. I DO know, supposedly CBD and THC work together to relieve pain. CBD being the pain reliever and THC kind putting a high plus pain relief.
PLEASE help me...I'm so desperate.
Growing up dueing the hippie movement, you;d think I'd know something about this but I grew up in a VERY strict family and VERY religeous. Cannibus was an absolute no no.
Thank you for your time and any help you can give.
Liz
hi Liz I suffer from diabetes induced neuropathy gavepentin, lyricsa nothing works a good nights sleep is hard to come by indica dominant weed helps in the evenings as once you relax those nerves the neuropathy backs off & is tolerable I don't know what your home situation is but growing your own product would be economical as that's what I do a strain like bodhi dank Sinatra is gonna be my next choice stardawg worked as well
 

Jhhnn

Active member
Veteran
I posted this am and some were very nice to reply, I thank you.
I suffer from Neuropathy. Not chemo induced, as my neurologist said" shit happens" I had shingles which left me with Trigiminal Neuralgia,I also have Fibromyalgia and for 5plus years have had Neuropathy. I've used so many meds I've lost count,each of course leading to side effects.until last week I was taking 2-5/325 Percocet along with 1200 mgs of Gabapentin,300 mgs 4x's a day. Percoet left me with burning throughout my entire body,as if I'm on fire. I'm finally down to 1/2 Percocet for 4 more days and then that will only leave me taking 1200 mgs Gabapentin(which I want to get off of also)
My knowledge of what I need to use as far as cannibus is zero. I know I DO want to try oil or tincture(whatever is most efficient) but not get very high. If those don't work, then I'll have to try smoking but I want to try the oils or tincture first. There is a dispensary near me that sells THCA 43:1 THC ...and also, HIgh Ratio 28:1 CBD MCT...and also THC MCT tincture oil...and High ratio 28:1 CBD MCT oil.
TO be honest, they are speaking in another language . These numbers and oils and tincture is so confusing.
Are tinctures better than oils? Are the ratio better higher for relief of pain? I've read and read and still I cannot understand. I DO know, supposedly CBD and THC work together to relieve pain. CBD being the pain reliever and THC kind putting a high plus pain relief.
PLEASE help me...I'm so desperate.
Growing up dueing the hippie movement, you;d think I'd know something about this but I grew up in a VERY strict family and VERY religeous. Cannibus was an absolute no no.
Thank you for your time and any help you can give.
Liz

Welcome. I can certainly appreciate the confusion.

The first thing to understand is that smoking or vaping cannabis gives rapid onset of effects. Start out with a toke, wait 15 minutes, take more if you're comfortable with that. It's relatively easy to regulate the dose. It also wears off within a couple of hours. Ingesting cannabis gives slower onset so wait an hour or two before more. It also lasts much longer. As a novice you want to take it easy & do it with a friend around.

You might want to try CBD oil first because it's not psychoactive. From there, try something high in CBD & low in THC. Experiment with the dose, expect some surprises. Depending on how that works for you, try something with more THC.

Drill down into different parts of this forum to get more info, evaluate it over time, sort the wheat from the chaff so to speak. Ask questions.

None of this is an area of expertise for me, at all. My purposes are recreational. The convergence of A64 & retirement left this old hippy living the dream- growing my own, gettin' high & nobody to mess with me. I've been lucky, to say the least.
 

horribleherk

New member
hi Liz I suffer from diabetes induced neuropathy gavepentin, lyricsa nothing works a good nights sleep is hard to come by indica dominant weed helps in the evenings as once you relax those nerves the neuropathy backs off & is tolerable I don't know what your home situation is but growing your own product would be economical as that's what I do a strain like bodhi dank Sinatra is gonna be my next choice stardawg worked as well
p.s. if you smoke start off with 1 good hit & stop wait a bit & if needed do more just don't overdo it I'm an evening smoker & moderate you don't want to feel overwhelmed just relaxed gavepentin & lyrica don't make me feel good as well as not working on my neuropathy
 

Chimera

Genetic Resource Management
Veteran
Liz,

CBD is known to help with inflammatory pain, but if you read the research provide by GW pharmaceuticals, it is really THC that is most useful for pain related to nerve damage.

CBD can reduce the psychoactive experience from THC, but it is not the panacea that many within the industry promote it as, at least that is to say, it is not the most suitable treatment for all conditions.

Also, please be aware that the pain reducing effect of THC has been shown to be biphasic- meaning that up to a certain point, THC does reduce pain, but after a certain point the increase in THC in your system does not reduce pain any longer, and can in fact decrease the analgesic effect provided a lower doses.

As mentioned above, try a series of different types and see what works for you. I would think as a 'naive user' with neuropathic pain the best bet would be to try a THC-predominant medicine and experiment to determine what dose your body can tolerate and how you react to the THC, in terms of pan reduction.

For further research here is a great Review article by Ethan Russo, one of the most respected cannabis physicians, who used to be the head of Medical Research for GW Pharmaceutics, which is the leader in Cannabinoid research and therapeutics.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2503660/


Try not to get caught up in the differences between brands and things like oils vs tinctures.

Tinctures are alcohol based whereas as MCT is really just a form of purifies coconut oil. Cannabinoids are oil/alcohol soluble, meaning they dissolve in oils or alcohols, and not in water based creams. You really have to choose the best option for you.

Consider as well that you can receive therapeutic results from applying MCT-type cannabinoids creams and salves topically. I would suggest you try this for localized pain, but also do be aware that if your pain is more global in nature, you will likely receive the most benefit from either edible or oral forms of THC. If you can tolerate the side effects, many people do find positive relief from cannabinoid inhalation, so don't be afraid of those vape pens if you are a non-smoker. Inhalation is a much more direct route for the medicine to reach the site of action in your brain.

Good luck with your treatment and don't hesitate to ask any questions here, there are a great group of informed people that all share the same goal when it comes to helping those in pain, although as a group we may butt heads over things like which cultivar is best.

Wishing you the best of health,
-Chimera
 

Liz

New member
Chimera...THANK YOU!

Chimera...THANK YOU!

Wow, you're a book of knowledge. I saved your help,and the others. So, now, I guess I have to try to figure out what is best for me.
All of you have certainly given me so much info. I cannot begine to thank you for your time and knowedlge and concern.
My thanks again. I'm not finished with my questions though,that's for sure.
here's another one...The dispensary where I will go, sells the CBD 1:1 etc. But they also carry bottles of THC. IF the CBD already has THC in it, why would I buy THC separately? Also, what does THCA do? Any thoughts? )see, I told you I'd have more questions LOL):thank you:
 

mack 10

Active member
Veteran
Thc a is a part of cannabis.
When heated it turns into THC.
THC a is inactivated THC.
Meaning you will get the benefits of the THC without getting stoned

The diff bottles are for people who want to treat a certain condition, ie
Some people want CBD only,
Some THC only etc etc.

One thing we don't fully understand is how all these cannabinoids work together or on there own. I think a full cannabis profile would be a good place to start.
If you really don't want to get stoned I would try inactivated THC a or something with low thc and high cbd.
 

Liz

New member
Black Death, I found this online. Maybe this can clear up our questions as to what the Max dose is for Gabapentin.
"Clinical studies referenced in the package insert state that efficacy for a range of doses from 1,800 mg/day to 3,600 mg/day were observed; however, there was no additional benefit seen with doses greater than 1,800 mg/d.1"
 
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