Insomnia & medical marijuana..

[Sar34]

I will be moving with a friend to a state that has legalized medical use of marijuana and I'd like to know how efficient it works for insomnia. She will be asked if she wants to switch from the 3 different medications she takes to sleep, 8 pills total. Along with another question.. 

Does marihuana help with pain, arthritis from broken ribs, shoulder, heal bone, broken disk in her back with 4 herniated disks in her back now, along with one in her neck and another popping out to be another at the top of her back. 

After a lacerated liver, spleen, kidney, collapsed lung etc., are ongoing pills really the best for someone's body for the rest of his or her life? 

She's on 15mg Zolpidem right now for almost a year now and still needing to take 4 Benadryl every night. 

Is marijuana safe for individuals with brain injuries? I'm just scared something might react wrong for her. Really unsure if marijuana kills brain cells, honestly. I'm sure her doctor will know but no, I do not believe in every doctor because just as every one of them can try to save you, they can miss something and hurt you. 

[Garrett]

My prayers are with you and your friend as she faces these difficult struggles ... Honestly, the only answers we can give to you are anecdotal because federal law has banned scientific research since the 1970's. We have hundreds of people that can offer their personal experiences but as strongly as we all believe in our medicine the actual medical answers are still missing. 

That being said, my personal experiences with insomnia have taught me a few things. The marijuana doesn't put me to sleep like Zolpidem ... it allows me to think calmer and happier thoughts, to distract myself so the Zolpidem can try to ease me into sleep.  I take the standard 10mg dose. 

I understand the cycle of prescription drugs ... the VA Doctors had me taking so many different medications that I had to go in-patient to be fully evaluated so they could take me off four different drugs at the same time.  Honestly, I'm not sure if I'm more afraid of my medical issues or the drugs they piled on me.

Scientifically valid data from good research is years away ... we know that medical marijuana is currently helping millions of people ... the scary part is we're experimenting on ourselves ...

  

[t-pain]

GREAT QUESTIONS!

too bad no one asks these questions on their prescription medications! HAHA.

 

1. insomnia:

Yes, marijuana is excellent for insomnia.

The National Academies of Medicine reviewed all marijuana research from 1999-2016 and published a comprehensive report on cannabinoids and health earlier this year.

There is moderate evidence that cannabis or cannabinoids are
effective for:

• Improving short-term sleep outcomes in individuals with
sleep disturbance associated with obstructive sleep apnea
syndrome, fibromyalgia, chronic pain, and multiple sclero-
sis (cannabinoids, primarily nabiximols) (4-19)

https://www.nap.edu/catalog/24625/the-health-effects-of-cannabis-and-cannabinoids-the-current-state
 

2. pain

79.99% of 218,556 MMMP patients were registered to use marijuana for “severe and chronic pain”

https://www.michigan.gov/documents/lara/Medical_Marihuana_Act_-_FY_2016_Statistical_Report_MCL_333.26426_and_Program_Information_Section_507_546675_7.pdf
yep, marijuana works for pain.

 

3. liver toxicity

many prescriptions can cause liver toxicity. marijuana does not have this side effect , even being on long term marijuana use at extremely high dosages. there were some badly designed biased research studies that pointed at marijuana causing liver fibrosis, but if you look at the study participants, they were all heavy alcohol drinkers. we know that alcohol kills your liver. stay away from alcohol!

4. 4 benadryll a night? wow!

5. does marijuana kill brain cells?

no, it does not.  in fact, thc and other cannabinoids in the cannabis (aka marijuana) plant are known to PROTECT BRAIN CELLS. The US govt owns a PATENT on using cannabinoids from marijuana to treat brain injury!

http://www.google.com/patents/US6630507
 

Quote

The cannabinoids are found to have particular application as neuroprotectants, for example in limiting neurological damage following ischemic insults, such as stroke and trauma, or in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and HIV dementia.

The present invention is believed to be particularly beneficial in the treatment of oxidative associated diseases of the CNS, because of the ability of the cannabinoids to cross the blood brain barrier and exert their antioxidant effects in the brain. In particular embodiments, the pharmaceutical composition of the present invention is used for preventing, arresting, or treating neurological damage in Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and HIV dementia; autoimmune neurodegeneration of the type that can occur in encephalitis, and hypoxic or anoxic neuronal damage that can result from apnea, respiratory arrest or cardiac arrest, and anoxia caused by drowning, brain surgery or trauma (such as concussion or spinal cord shock).

As used herein, a “cannabinoid” is a chemical compound (such as cannabinol, THC or cannabidiol) that is found in the plant species Cannabis sativa (marijuana).

 

 

if anyone is wondering about the side effects of marijuana, the minnesota dept of health did a survey of 1500 patients

 

Adverse Side Effects: At this point, the safety profile of the medical
cannabis products available through the Minnesota program seems quite
favorable. Approximately 20-25% of enrolled patients report negative
physical or mental side effects of some kind, with the majority –
around 60% - reporting only one and 90% reporting three or fewer. The
vast majority of adverse side effects, around 90%, are mild to
moderate in severity. An assessment of the 30 patients reporting
severe side effects, meaning “interrupts usual daily activities,”
found no apparent pattern of patient age, medical condition, or type
of medical cannabis used. The most common adverse side effects are dry
mouth, drowsiness, and fatigue. Fortunately, up to the present no
serious adverse events (life threatening or requiring hospitalization)
have been reported.

http://www.health.state.mn.us/topics/cannabis/about/firstyearreport.html 

 

[GregS]

My experience is that eating the stuff works best for insomnia. Preparing butter for cooking, using an oz. of cannabis,  preferably an indica, in a pound of butter, and using it for baking is great. A Kush variety can't be beat. Eat it a couple of hours before bedtime. Sweet dreams.

The most common adverse and dangerous side effect of cannabis is missing you expressway exit. Again. Oh well.

Edited November 27, 2017 by GregS

[Bialonar]

Wait, you should try more legal options for dealing with insomnia. I have nothing against marijuana and sometimes even use it myself for relaxation, but I do not think that this is a real way out. The reason for restless sleep can be anything: stress, hormonal changes, bad habits, neurological or mental diseases, emotional overstrain, etc. Of course, these are serious reasons that should not be postponed, but solved as soon as possible, if necessary, seeking help from specialists. But it happens that it is we who prevent ourselves from falling asleep, or rather, our daily habits or the conditions of "living". Since 2018, I have insomnia. As far as I know, it's an anxiety disorder without depression.I tried many things, but nothing helped. In general, in the last two years, the condition has deteriorated significantly, and I was able to cope with it only 6 months ago. I decided to try to buy a heavy blanket https://sommio.co.uk/ , according to reviews, it helped to fight insomnia and stress. I am extremely glad that I made this decision because it was my salvation . I hope that my experience was useful for you!

Edited March 29, 2021 by Bialonar