“Make the most of the hemp seed, sow it everywhere”, George Washington
I’m not very humble when I say that I believe my book will one day be a steppingstone toward a greater understanding about why certain types of people are more prone to fibromyalgia. Furthermore, I haven’t read any books which outline all of the various theories regarding the cause of this condition such as mine has. Hearing the voices of others who suffer daily can help the reader know that s/he is not alone in the day- to- day struggles. I give details of various treatment modalities and I believe the book to be a valuable source of information about not only cause but what can be helpful in living with the daily challenges of this dis-ease. Yet, surprisingly, in spite of this comprehensive review and analysis I had never explored whether or not marijuana (Cannibas Sativa)
as prescribed by a physician could be useful for pain control. In fact, even now I have mixed feelings about the issues surrounding fibromyalgia and marijuana use even though I believe that cannibas is very helpful for several other medical conditions, in particular following chemotherapy.
In the February,2008 issue of Journal of Pain it was reported that 40 patients were part of a study at the University of Manitoba in which a control and an experimental group were given either a placebo or Nabilone, (brand name Cesamet) a pain drug based on marijuana’s active ingredient. The results indicated that after one month there was significantly less pain and a better quality of life for those who took Nabilone.
I believe that the ways in which cannabinoids are taken is extremely significant. For example, smoking could not in any way be thought to be beneficial for someone with fibromyalgia since smoking is harmful to the lungs and of course increases chances of cancer, among other conditions. Those with terminal cancer and in great pain have been reported to do well with smoking marijuana, whereas, someone with such conditions as Multiple Sclerosis or Rheumatoid Arthritis have benefited from an oral spray. Others have suggested that eating various forms of cannabis, in the form of cake (brownies) can help with certain conditions.
The battles to legalize or decriminalize marijuana are ongoing in many countries, but it is not my intent to discuss those legal issues. Instead, I would place the smoking of marijuana and regular tobacco, as well as alcohol consumption in the same category and believe that all three are harmful for those of us with fibromyalgia and an already out of control nervous system. While I have never smoked anything, I am not a moral judge of anyone who does. I myself am addicted to sugar (chocolate especially) and know what a battle addictions can be! I used to enjoy a glass of wine with a meal but have given that up now for many years as it acted as a stimulant and made me feel worse. Oh! The discipline required to avoid caffeine, sugar, alcohol, and fast foods. However, we all chose (or not) our own poisons. Furthermore, I am not suggesting that those who smoke an occasional joint or who drink alcohol sensibly are addicts. My point here is that these habits are not particularly helpful for those of us with fibromyalgia, particularly since we already have highly sensitive nervous systems!
Many believe that smoking or taking marijuana in any form helps to relieve their fibromyalgia pain . People who do so and have reported this publicly usually have a prescription from their physicians. To report publicly otherwise is to face breaking the law in many countries. I have no doubt they have reached the point that their pain is unbearable and none of us can place a judgement on them. We cannot walk in any other person’s shoes. I would hope however that the choice is one made with the understanding of other risks involved (if smoked) that could worsen fibromyalgia. My final thought though is not about the use of marijuana, but rather of the many legal chemical medications that are often prescribed for fibromyalgia and the trauma to our bodies from over medicalization.
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Indeed!:-)
I am 28 and I have been in and out of the hospital since early december with severe pain nausea loss of appetite hair loss and many other symptoms. After being told I had borderline persoonality disorder by a doctor whoo met me for five minutes while I was high on morphine and unable to walk due to the ppain I made a symltom list and my doctor diagnosed me with fi romyalgia. Stilll everyrime I go to the doctor my mental health is questioned I feel mistrusted and guilty for being sick. This week I am ha e a flarw up of my whole right side the doctor increased my gabapentin to 300mg three times a day. It is doing nothing and she will not offer anything elkse. Blood was also drawn to check for lupus and any inflldammatory markers. I liive in vermont but am having trouble finding people to talk to here about medical mj.
I am so sorry for your pain and other horrible symptoms. I hope you will read more of my blogs regarding ‘changing your brain’ as i believe that we must become our own advocates and try not to overmedicate ourselves. Someone as young as you are would do very well with strategies such as meditation, light exercise and in particular movement, even when in pain. I don’t mean to downplay your symptoms as I too have been plagued with them since I was 25. I hope you will buy my book and the respond to me about whether or not it helps. Best wishes, Barbara
@ Jenny,
I am 22 and I have very similar symptoms to what you to described…I have fibromyalgia and I also have a disease that causes my thyroid to be underactive, which can cause the hairloss, loss of appetite, and many other things. Have you ever had your thyroid levels tested? Fibromyalgia and thyroid disease often go together in women who are in their 20′s…I’m not an expert, but it’s definitely worth looking into. Hang in there!
Yes, Jenny, I too have an under active thyroid and have taken medication for it for 25 years!I don’t believe that thyroid problems cause fibro but I believe fibromyalgia results in thyroid problems.So many systems are affected when the nervous system is hypersensitive. I have my thyroid tested twice a year but since the medication it has not changed much over the years. Best wishes, Barbara
I am in seventh heaven! I am 64 yrs old, female, and had never in my life tried cannibis / marijuana,
until recently. And I found a form that doesn’t make me “HIGH”, as I cannot stand
the feeling of being high, stoned, drunk or whoozy.
I have severe pain from fibromyalgia, from head to toe, radiating, penetrating to the bone pain.
The only thing that has ever given me any relief has been Tramadol but it has only taken the edge off
the pain a bit.
After trying “joints”, gelcaps, and cookies, I found great pain relief but couldn’t tolerate
the high that came with those forms. So I tried Apothecary Star Elixer, both Indica (Grape
Wreck strain and Sativa (Blue Dream strain). At low doses, 1/3 to 1/2 a dropperful in a
glass of cocoa or chocolate milk and lo and behold my pain decreases from 90% to 100%.
And I only take it twice a day…..morning and bedtime. I still take the Tramadol also but have
been able to cut down to 2 doses at 50mg each. The attendant at the dispensary said that
the two types of MJ I was trying were high in the CBD properties of marijuana, not the THC
properties. Evidently it is the CBD that is killing the pain.
I am not sure if other tinctures or elixirs of different strains or name brands will work as well
as the ones I am trying but for anyone else who doesn’t like the high I would sure try to find
this Elixir or another one comparable if you live somewhere that marijuana is legal. I live in
California so I was lucky that it is legal here.
Great news for you Marcy! Hope others can benefit form reading your comments! Regards, Barbara
Like many of us with fibro, I have spent years having doctors tell me it’s in my head or think I’m a medication seeker (which is farthest from the truth). I am comforted by the fact that I have been able to see a change in the last ten years in acknowledgement and acceptance of fibro as real. My best friend who is 20 yrs older than I am (I’m 37) has has had unnecessary surgeries due to the ignorance. She has lost everything from her appendix to a full hysterectomy. I am grateful to live in a time where there is at least acknowledgement if not understanding.
I was discharged from the military medically and when I was treated by the VA, at one point I was on over 17 meds all contradicting each other and making me a zombie. I walked away from all of that, stumbled into accupuncture which helped a bit. For me, that’s how it seems to go, something will help a bit and then no more.
I have gotten migraines since I was 3 years old and after giving me enough morphine for a full grown man with no relief even after I begged them not to, I was finally given an injection of Toradol which took the pain away in 20min. So I went home and researched the chemical make up of Toradol and found there was a prescibable version that called Tramadol. My pain management doctor has prescribed it three times a day and I find a definite, huge relief in pain. I also take oxycontin three times a day and have been for about 8 years. Many worry about addiction but I am very blessed to not have a problem with it. I am able to stop if necessary as I did to have my child but after every since anti-depressant and mood stabilizer and every other drug didn’t work after doing this med thing for about 14yrs now, I know what works for me. Diet definitely has an an effect and stretching helps too. I also have these wonderful patches I can place on my lower back which help.
I hypothetically tried MJ one time but it made me goofy and foggy and underneath I was still aware of the pain. I don’t think it is for me.
This is a life sentence. There are good times and bad times and most of us will process our life before and life after as if we were grieving ourselves because we are. We are grieving a loss and it hurts but we then have to step in and make a new life. It’s never all roses. It breaks my heart to not play with my son like I want to or to have to lay down after loading the dishwasher which seems to be my hardest chore. But there are those days when I look at my husband and tell him my pain is only a 2 or 3 and we enjoy a nice family day and that’s what keeps me going. I refuse to let this awful disease defeat me. I am not fibro, I simply have it. But that doesn’t mean I can’t wait for them to find a cure.
Good luck to you all and many blessings.
hello all! I too have fibromyalgia, autoimmune disorder (ELS -LUPUS) and celiac disease. I was overweight and so frustrated with the so many anti depressant/anti-anxiety meds and the doctors that missed the positive ANA test results, refused to believe that it was the medication that they were prescribing me was not right. I began medical marijuana a few years ago, quit taking medications that were not specifically designated gluten free. Began a highly gluten free eating habits and lost 45 lbs in 6months. The weight loss itself was a great pain relief and to combine that with a better direction of what is actually wrong with me and the patients of a good doctor who understands your medical history and genetics is the most beneficial of all. many other situations for me that helped were, sleep – you really need a good rest, so tell your friends/family to leave you alone when your sleeping, it is your best medication. Therapy be it either counseling or physical pool therapy it will make a difference in your strength and your bodies ability to fight that nasty winter cold that usually takes me down for days – so much for the 24 hour flu for me. Keep your air clean around you and send the stress packing. You don’t let someone hit you and take it do you? fight back and take control of yourself – you WILL feel better over time.
Good for you Rachelle! You have the right attitude!So many are on a gluten free diet and do NOT actually have celiac disease like you and all they do is feed into hype about gluten. At least you know for sure you have it and can control it with avoiding gluten. You are a strong individual and have a good message to share with others, thank you! Barbara
I have suffered with fibromyalgia for 10 years. It has changed the way I do most anything. I used to be outgoing, upbeat, and ready for most anything. Now I have to prepare myself mentally and physically for events or family get-togethers I must attend. Others can’t understand what you are going through. Many have said, “but you don’t look sick”. I tell them it is like having the flu.
I take several medications to ease the pain and to sleep. I do not like taking them, as they all have side effects, and you don’t know the damage to your body. I have an infared sauna that does help to calm the pain, but I can’t sit in it all day. I have a hot tub that helps also. I listen to meditation tapes and do my best to relax and keep my stress low. I don’t exercise as often as I should because I have a difficoult time getting myself going when I feel the way I do. I have tried marijuana in a tincture and it seems to help. I too do not want to feel the high.
I have also learned to say no. I know my limits and help others when I can, but when I can’t, I say so. I hope the medical system will be more aggressive on finding a good treatment and cause for fibromyalgia.
Dear Lyn: You could be my clone! Except I have never tried marijuana, otherwise ditto everything about you is like me! Barbara
As I said in an earlier post, I have fibro & hypersomnia/narcolepsy. Due to the narco/hypersomnia, I can’t take any muscle medications besides IB Profun because of the extreme sleepiness and grogginess (I tried just flexaril once a night for 2 months & slept for 12 hours+ each day; I couldn’t wake up. Then I tried Klonopin for anxiety and panic attacks. I slept for hours and couldn’t function for the 2 weeks even on half of a regular pill!) I have found that not only does Medical Marijuana help my muscle pain and stiffness, it also helps my hypersensitivity by kind of “slowing” my brain down. It helps me to be less anxious for sure, and also helps me to pay attention (Usually I am distracted and can’t focus for long before my brain starts worrying or thinking about something else and I move onto another activity. Watching a movie in one sitting is basically impossible) and relax even if just for a few hours. It has been a life saver to me after years of pain, tests, and sleepiness/brain fog due to prescription medications. Each person is different, but I am glad in the way that I treat myself. It has made me feel so much better to go off ALL prescription meds except Nuvigil to treat the narcolepsy. I wish it were not illegal however so I could not be afraid to discuss how much it truly helps (in moderation of course — too much of something is NEVER a good thing!)
Hi Dee: Although I have never tried marijuana, there are certainly those who have and have found some degree of temporary relief. I would say that meditation, mild exercise and proper diet are the big #3 for working with fibromyalgia,especially if you are smoking as the lungs will suffer! I agree that moderation is sensible! Good luck, Barbara
Don’t say anything because you have never smoked marijuana so you have no right to say this. I myself have fibromyalgia from genetics. When I smoke pot all my pain is relieved yeah sure it helps for awhile and after it hurts again but one thing I know is that it is the only thing that has helped my symptoms. Don’t get me wrong I have tried other things I tried pain reducers and i am currently on an antidepressant and I can tell you they don’t help for sh**. It’s people like you that make it so hard to legalize a drug that was once used all the time. There is no study of significant danger of marijuana. No one has died from smoking marijuana alone. When I have the symptoms I can’t eat, i can barely move, my muscles tense so bad i start to cry because I can’t do anything for it even after i have taken my pain medication. Due to this condition I have lost so much weight I’m sure I can only eat about 600 calories a day forcing myself. So tell me what can I do if you say not to smoke weed what now? The creator of this earth put it here for a reason to use it. Trust me it’s not harmful it’s when those stupid teenagers (not all, the stupid ones) start to do other drugs because they’re bored of marijuana that’s the reason why the perception of marijuana is so bad in today’s society. Try marijuana and then you can speak because I do want to hear how you felt, no pain after smoking, how everything was relaxed, you deserve to feel it.
Dear Samantha: I would never chastise anyone for doing whatever they can to relieve symptoms. While it is true that I have never smoked anything at all, that isn’t to say that I have a moral attitude against it. In fact, it seems very reasonable to me that it should be legalized! My view of smoking in general is that it isn’t good for anyone’s lungs and I have advocated putting marijuana in food to avoid the lungs involvement. I wish you very best wishes and better health ahead. Regards, Barbara