different meds for chronic pain

[jollyman069]

I am not trying to start a war or iadvocating pot use, but what do u all think of med pot being used for pain. i have read on montel williams and he has ms. he stsates of all the pain meds he has been on pot works the best so please give me some feedback.... and yes i am a child of the 70s as they say... grew up listening to zeppelin and that kind os music...brian

[Mollyrae]

Jollyman started an interesting thread and to me it has been interesting to hear the veiws of others. I do not condone him or anyone for their choice. I think it has been rather "fun" to opinionate. Yes, pain meds can do the same thing but they are legal and do not kill the cells quite as fast as pot which is illegal. I did say however that pot use when all other options have been exhausted is acceptable. Pain meds do age a person faster than someone who does not take them but that is just something most of us have to live with in order to have some kind of life. I have taken pain meds for approx. 10 + years now and do not feel that my skin has wrinkled much. I think it totally depends on how you take your medication, Abuse or not Abuse.

I am aware of all the studies done involving pain meds, I have to be, I've had to take them long enough.  

The bottom line here is that......We all have opinions....and are allowed to make them. This is what makes our country what it is today...Come to think of it.....This is why we have wars too :)

[jollyman069]

bravo.. well stated sandee

[sandee1818]

Mollyrae, Tuck, jollyman and cornchips,
  While I agree with the studies that show marijuana use kills Brain cells there are also
significant studies that prove long term use of pain medications deplete chemicals in the brain that provide natural pain relief and other things as well such as dopamine.
Here are some other effects of long term use of prescribed narcotics...
· mental and physical health problems
· severe constipation
· contracted pupils
· moodiness
· menstrual irregularities
· lung, liver, kidney damage
· BRAIN DAMAGE
. collapsed veins from injecting the drug
· loss of weight
· reduction of sex hormone levels
· frequent infections
· pregnancy complications including still birth
· death

Like marijuana pain medications while legal they are dangerous too. As we all know , put in the wrong hands they are deadly.
I do not in my opinion think marijuana should be used as a medicinal tool except in extreme cases where there are no other options.
We also need to be aware of the effects of long term use of our medications that we take daily for pain. I have seen some people deteriorate severely while taking narcotics for pain but I have also seen many who take these medications daily and do very well. After all the alternative is to painful to bare.
I have been taking pain meds for many years and I do not see any deterioration and I have asked my Dr if he sees any in me as well and he always replies no you look great! He believes these pain meds age you early and has seen it many times in his Pt's but he states I am the exception in his practice at least:)
I just wanted to make it clear that while we are prescribed our meds and they are legal they too have effects on our bodies and brain.
I want to add that I do not tolerate illegal use of any drug but if one is coming here for help and needs it we will not judge you or turn you away.

[Mollyrae]

sorry for the typing, hands are sore today. Hard to hit the keys...........

[Mollyrae]

cornchips: Your young and have not smoked pot for amost 40 yrs. My X-hubby has and everyone can see the deterioration. Please don't take the path that he has chosen.

By the way, Don't nurses et drug tested?

[jollyman069]

couldnt agree with u more. i would much rather have person driving at me after smoking a joint then someone who just drank a sixpack

[Cornchips]

Hey, about the pot use.  I am 26 years old, and I've had type 1 diabetes since I was 5.  And since I have begun to smoke pot I have found that when my blood sugar becomes high, say anything over 270, it actually helps the pain associated with the high blood sugar.  What it helps with the most is the severe stomach pains I get.  So pot is not really all that bad, it really does help certain people with certain pains.  I am an SICU nurse and have been for 3 years, so doesn't make everyone sound unintellegent.  Also, alcohol is alot worse than reefer, the only difference is that one is illegal, and one isn't.  Show me the man/woman who smokes a joint and kills a family of four driving down the road, show me the same man/woman who gets drunk and does the same thing and I bet those numbers and insanely high.  Anyways, thanks for taking the time to read my thoughts.

Bobby

[Mollyrae]

I can't argue with the fact that you can think, I just know that if you didn't smoke the pot you would have many more cells than you do now. The real test is as you get older, your mind will slow much quicker than someone who is healthy and hasn't smoked pot. I have seen this with my own eyes.

My X-Husband still smokes pot and has since he was 15. He is now 52 and sounds as if he came from the hills with no education.

He was never like that.  It's so sad.

[Tuckamore]

I do not disagree with what Mollyrae has said. Indeed the statistics say she is correct. And I never said Pot was good for you. Indeed it is not BUT that will not stop the millions of ppl from using it, or using other street drugs. That is the reason I think it should be controlled. Just think if we had no drug dealers, no drug wars or at least they were greatly, greatly reduced. Why would someone have a need to buy it from a dealer for $25 (I'm guessing) if they got it at the pot clinic for pennies or nothing at all? If someone was caught selling than it's life imprisonment.....for the one who bought it too, no questions asked. And it is my belief that if you made it legal, by clinic and control only, you would see a great change in our crimes, prisons and jails. I wish it were easy to just educate ppl and tell them that how awful pot, cocaine, heroin and all the other drugs were for their health, safety and well being and they would just stop using them or better yet never try them. We've tried that for years and it hasn't worked. There has to be another answer. We are not winning the war against drugs. Heck we're not even holding our own, we're loosing bad. We never will win as our system is now because there is too much money to be made and too many of our citizens are addicts or recreational users. But this thread started with the question should pot be used as an alternative pain method and I (we) got off the question. I have enjoyed the debate. My answer was yes, under physicians prescription and guidance. I'll shut up now, I'm up to 6 cents worth and that about empties my pocket. Tuck

[jollyman069]

hi , well just because i dont totally agree with u i respect ur opion and thats y i started this questionb is because i wanted different opions. molly the only thing i really have aproblem with ur argument is if it killed thsat many brain cells i wouldnt be able to sit upo on my own or even be consuis, i am not proud of doing what i did but i just feel some of the arguments against pot are totally off kilter but like i said i respect u and ur opiupion...brian

[Mollyrae]

Pot kills 1000 times the brain cells that alcohol does, builds up the tar (resin) in your lungs quicker than cigs, Disables your reaction time 2x that of alcohol and I could go on.

Like I said though, I think in clinical use under Docs supervision it's ok.

Like tuck said, Please no hate mail, this is only my opinion....

Take care all, Molly

[Tuckamore]

OK, my 2 cents gain, I think that makes 4. I do not advocate pot for recreational use. If it were legalized (along with other street drugs) and ONLY obtainable by prescription (Drug Clinics maybe). It would free up our law enforcement agencies and our jails and prisons to concentrate on violent crimes which hopefully there would be less of and spend home time concentrating on home security. It could also be taxed, increasing our revenue. All pot heads come forward and go to the "pot clinics" for your fix. All street drugs should be treated in that manner. There are other countries that so this and their are success stories. The government has there nose in everything else, they might as well get it where it might do some good. Hopefully we would have less murders and burglaries to buy the illegal street drugs. You are just NOT going to "cure" the addicts. And many don't even want to get sober. So control them, watch them and get rid of the "dealers." OK, no one ever accused me of being overly smart and I'm sure I'll get blasted but it's my opinion. Please no hate mail. We're all entitled to our opinions. I guess I can't remain anonymous so I'll sign this, Tuck

[jollyman069]

i started this so will put my 3cents in, when i was young i was a avid pot smoker . probably smoked my weight in pot, but when i got married and had kids felt it was time to stop living the cheech and chong life style....lol,, you know never had any withdrawl symptoms and never had cravings. i admit i did miss the eveening buzz, but that was about it and i do beeleive it should be legal ...brian

[nuggetone]

I agree it should be legalized.  True they just havent found a way to tax it.  My friend had cancer and it was the only way she could eat.  Smoke a joint a finally she had an appetite and wasnt nauseated anymore.  The pills are the problem.  We who have to take them for pain end up taking more and more to ease the pain.  So many people overdose on pills but I have never heard of anyone that overdosed on pot alone.  Then too I dont get it--drinking and getting drunk is worse than smoking a joint.  It is usually thoses that suck down a couple six packs or pint of whatever, or bottle of wine daily that says no to pot.  Go figure.

[Mollyrae]

When the common pain meds have been tried with no avail and the patient has exhausted other possibilitys, I think that Pot, under a Doctors supervision is justified.

I will have to say though, I am NOT in favor of legalizing pot. It will only add to the rampid drug use in the United States.

We have enough problems with street drugs as it is, we do not need another.

Pot  hinders the brains ability to think, concentrate, make sound decisions, ect....

This is my opinion and everyone has one :)

Mollyrae

[Tuckamore]

I for one wish they would legalize the drug and it would be controlled by prescription and the DEA, just like other substances. Yes I have tried it 3 whole times in my mid-twenties. I didn't like it and would never try it again, even for pain control BUT I think from a political stand point our jails and prisons are full of pot users and I think this would help in that case.

My Great Aunt used it per her Oncology Physician as she was dying from CA. It helped her when nothing else did. It was a shame that her kids had to buy it off the streets for her because it is illegal in our state. I AM NOT advocating the use of pot. I agree with the Sandee and the fact that it only ads problems for us CP suffers in obtaining legal prescription pain relief drugs. So that is my 2 cents worth.  Tuck

[Brenndy]

must chime in here.  i am so for legalizing weed.  the politicians haven't figured out a way to tax it yet because the thc is a derivative of a plant.  when grown from bud, it's 100% natural, a plant given to us by the big creator.  nothing synthetic about it like 99% of these medications that are floating all over the damn place.

honestly....it is positively natural mellow
ps; was on montel's bus this past week...the PPA....it's like a 5* floating hotel in there. very nice and cozy.  

[jollyman069]

thanks for the feedback, i was in no way advocating illegal drug use, like sandee said it is bad enough for us cp pts, to get meds the right way. i was just wondering if more chronic pain sufferers had any thoughts on the subject

[LLWB]

I disagree with sandee. There are quite a few states that have medical mj laws. I think if your doctor prescribes it, it would be okay to try it. A doctor is highly controlled when, and to who he can prescribe for it, and you must be a long-standing patient, and have a chronic or longstanding condition to qualify for it. Yes, I do live in a mj state. It has not increased drug abuse. I do NOT advocate illegal drug use either. Long term studies show that mj works very well for pain control, and no one, ever, has ever od'd on mj. Can't say this about most of the drugs that are legally prescribed by dr's to control pain. I think long term use of a lot of legal drugs is poisoning our bodies. If you want more info, pm me about this.

[sandee1818]

I like Led Zeppelin too but I have to say that using marijuana for pain is illegal unless prescribed and I don't see that happening here. I think the medications that are available now are enough and the marijuana needs to be left for the extreme cases and then only with a prescription, legal all the way. I do not tolerate any use of any drug that is illegal as it adds to our already growing problems of obtaining pain management help.