The pain was unreal, but the state the pain meds left me in was worse. I’d rather appreciate my pain than be totally absent from my life.
Editor’s Note: Any testimonials or endorsements found on this site are for anecdotal purposes only. The information in Rxleaf testimonials is not intended as direct medical advice, nor should it be relied upon as a substitute for consultations with qualified healthcare professionals who are intimately knowledgeable about your individual medical needs.
Oh, where do I start? I will say I’ve only had two good days in 18 years and I remember the two days well… still not sure why I felt the way I did, but I look to these as hope to feel that way again. Pain meds nearly took everything from me.
On January 5th, 2001, I was hit head-on at 80 miles per hour. The impact severed nerves in my spinal cord. I got lucky not being paralyzed, but the pain is excruciating and sometimes I lose feeling in my legs. It’s very scary. Sometimes I feel like, from the chest down, that it’s tight and expanding so fast, rotating down the core of my spine.
Those nights, I lay awake and cry.
I was on the Fentanyl patch but the pain was still bad, so my Doc recommended a pain pump to bypass my organs. At the end of the day, I was still on 270 micrograms of Fentanyl per day, 1250 micrograms of Clonidine, and 875 micrograms of Prialt.
Do Yourself a Favor and Don’t Even Start Pain Meds
I found out real fast that there was an end of the road to synthetic meds, so go ahead and do yourself a favor and don’t even start. These are the worst to come off. I came off Lyrica, which was worse than Fentanyl and it’s not even talked about. My Doc is Mr. Medicine Man and he’ll fix you up a cocktail and shove it into the pump, non-FDA approved, he doesn’t care. He just had his license pulled for fraud. He would charge $30,000 for something that cost $3. I’m not exaggerating. In it for himself.
I chose to come off all my medicines myself, against my doctor’s wishes. We got in a bad argument and after he found out I didn’t want his medicine, and he threw me to the wolves. I had to find another doctor that would even take me with this pump in my body that was a nightmare in itself. In August, I got the pain pump out. I made sure this new doctor understood that I was going to burn cannabis no matter what the law said. I just wanted this pump out of my body and to go medicate myself as I should have the right to do.
Ditching Pain Meds Without Rehab
I got off the pain meds without rehab. I prayed a lot and it was like the Lord took it out of my body – this need. Now, I can’t stand any medicine. It’s like my body rejects it.
“Smoking It Has Helped Me The Most”
I will tell you that when I tried the good stuff, the high quality, medical grade herb, I was amazed. Smoking it has helped me the most; I’ve tried dabs and edibles, and smoking is the most effective. It’s been six years. I’m glad I don’t wake up looking for the pill bottle anymore. Also, I don’t drink alcohol either and I know that doesn’t make me a saint, but my point is that I never needed to go further than the cannabis to kill my pain. Besides I never tried cocaine and not heroin either, so no, cannabis is not a gateway drug.
I traded these synthetics that are supposed to be “so powerful and great” for a natural plant that really does help. And now I don’t have to run to the doctor every month and feel like a f***** zombie. I can get up and move, I can go out with my family. The opiates tied me to my bed for two years. I cry when I think of that. My five year old asking me to take him fishing. It’s very emotionally painful for me.
“A Natural Plant That Really Does Help”
No one knows what I go through, just like I don’t really know what you go through. My feet feel like they are on fire all the way up to my shins, like 500 degrees liquid fire at all times and my back will never be right. But, I will say this, please, if you think your best bet for pain is opioids, think again. I will never take synthetic medicine again. I can’t. Like just last week I got a steroid shot for gout. And 8 hours later, it felt like my muscles were lifting off my bones. Excruciating. My body doesn’t want the crap anymore. I will lay here and appreciate the pain before I ever go back to that life.
From RxLeaf – More on Cannabis Based Pain Relief
A 2005 study in the journal Neurology put cannabis-based pain relief to the test.
For five weeks, researchers ran a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 66 patients who suffered from chronic pain. After a grueling test period, the patients who received cannabis-based pain relief reported significantly lower levels of pain and better fewer pain-related sleep disturbances. Importantly, the drug given to patients contained 2.7 mg of THC and 2.5 mg of CBD — a near 50-50 mix of the two active ingredients, which is not uncommon in many strains of cannabis available in the legal consumer marketplace.
Dogs?
The American Kennel Club is quick to point out that there’s no study that examines the effects of CBD dosing on dogs. They’re also quick to point out that they’re currently sponsoring one. But that doesn’t mean nothing is known about how dogs react to cannabidiol.
The $2 million the AKC has put into studying the effects of CBD on canines isn’t based on a pie-in-the-sky idea. There are solid reasons to believe that a cannabidiol regiment can relieve canine epilepsy in much the same way that it treats epileptic diseases in humans and rodents.
The randomized, double-blind study was led by Stephanie McGrath. McGrath is a board-certified veterinary neurologist at Colorado State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.
“The timeliness and importance of research into the role of Cannabis in veterinary medicine cannot be emphasized enough,” McGrath said in the AKC’s press release. “With the changing public perception of Cannabis, it is time that we put science behind the stories and claims. We need to know if this drug is safe and if it works. If CBD is effective for treating epilepsy, it has the potential to save the lives of dogs around the world.”
It takes a village
The AKC is not alone in funding the three-year initiative. Twelve dog breed groups, such as the American Miniature Schnauzer Club and the Irish Setter Club of America Foundation, have donated generously to fund the research.
If CBD is effective in decreasing seizure frequency, it has the potential to improve the quality and length of life for dogs with uncontrolled epilepsy, and add a much-needed tool for veterinarians in the treatment of canine epilepsy.
More than dogs
Few completed studies have looked into exactly how dogs benefit from CBD. However, there have been many, many studies that examine the effects on rats and mice (and a few on human). So while we can’t be sure how exactly it’s working in canines, we can be sure that’s safe.
That safety has been a motivating force behind many pet owners’ decisions to dose their dogs with CBD — and many companies to help them do it safely and effectively. While relying on anecdotal evidence is never ideal, it’s been the way that nearly all medicinal cannabis treatments have started, thanks to absurd laws that kept the plant and its active ingredients out of scientific laboratories for decades.
And when people saw their own afflictions dissipate by using CBD, especially for problems like anxiety, inflammation, and seizures, they thought it might work on dogs, too. Like us, canines have an endocannabinoid system that interacts with CBD. And while there are certainly differences between how humans and dogs process CBD, especially between oral treats and injections, we are probably more alike than dissimilar thanks to our common mammalian roots.
CBD Dosing Information
First, it’s important to remember this. While CBD may benefit your furry friends, cannabis on its own can actually harm canines. According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and similar to pain meds like acetaminophen and ibuprofen, THC is toxic to dogs, cats, and horses. It can cause physical problems, like vomiting and seizures. Further it can cause mental imbalances leading to prolonged depression, lack of coordination and low blood pressure. So please be careful when you’re selecting your CBD for pets. You want to be sure that the kind you use is completely free of THC (or contains extremely minute amounts). If you pet ingests THC, its best to contact your local veterinarian as soon as possible.
CBD Over Pain Meds
Second, it’s important to know what you want from treatment. Although CBD is safe for dogs, it’s not recommended as a treat. It’s been known to help with arthritis in older dogs (thanks to those anti-inflammatory properties), as well as anxiety, cancer, and help with appetite problems. It may be a good idea to take up CBD if your dog suffers from any of these afflictions. Also, too, if the dog has had poor experiences with pain meds in the past.
There are generally five options when it comes to delivering CBD to dogs: tinctures, pills, ointments, dog treats, and straight CBD oil. Every treatment you give to your pet should be free of THC and as natural as you can find. Further, though, they may have different dosage recommendations. Like with any cannabis product, it’s always best to start with a very low amount and build up over time. This may mean starting slightly below the recommended dose and gradually upping the amount of CBD every five days until you start to see a difference.
