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MEDICAL MARIJUANA SAVED ME AFTER FORCED OPIOID TAPERING

February 9, 2024 Pain News Network

By Christine Kucera

I can tell you outright that medical marijuana saved my life!  

I am an intractable pain patient in Massachusetts who was harmed when the chief
medical officer at my well-known health institution decided to implement
mandatory opioid policies for all doctors and patients, based on the CDC’s 2016
opioid guideline. I was tapered to 90 MME (morphine milligram equivalent), which
was a third of the well-managed opioid regimen I was on for over 30 years.  

I am not opioid naive, don't have adverse reactions to opioids (other than some
don't work on me), and I wasn't misusing or even at risk of overdose. But that
didn't matter to the CMO. He forced my pain management provider to taper all his
patients on opioids or risking losing his position. Messed up, right?  

Medical marijuana was a last resort for me. Unlike opioids, I'm extremely
sensitive to marijuana, and need to be able to think and talk. As the taper
continued, my ability to cope with unmanageable, agonizing pain went bye-bye. I
couldn't sit, stand, lay down or sleep without the pain being unbearable. I was
literally being tortured to death.  

I became severely ill, my health destabilized, and I was hospitalized numerous
times. I became depressed and suicidal, reaching out to everyone for help as
hopelessness set in. Thoughts about transitioning to death were my constant
companion. 

I had a choice: fight with what's available or give up. I decided to fight and
applied for a state medical marijuana license. Once approved, I immediately went
to a dispensary and the experimentation began.  

Everyone will have different experiences with cannabis. Just like opioids, it
depends how your body metabolizes it. I had more than a few negative
experiences, but refused to give up. It took me 2 years of experimentation to
figure out the right dose, strain (sativa, indica, hybrid) and preparation
(flower, edibles, tinctures, topical).  

After a lot of trial-and-error, I found my goldilocks zone. It was micro dosing
a 1:1 tincture (equal parts THC and CBD) and applying a 1:1 cream. That regime
saved my life!  


START SLOWLY 

Some important things I learned along the way:  

For cannabis naive persons or sensitives, like myself, the 1:1 tincture,
topicals and edibles are best, because you control the dosing, schedule, and
preparation used. You can slowly increase the dose to achieve optimal effect,
allowing you to gradually build tolerance without unwanted side effects.  

There are many types of tinctures. I do not recommend jumping straight to an
indica or sativa tincture without building a tolerance first. The key is to
start with a couple drops (<2.5ml under the tongue). As your body adjusts
slowly, increase the dose to 3ml, 4ml and 5ml to build up tolerance and achieve
an optimal effect.  

The same goes for edibles. Cut them in half or even a third to start with. It
can take up to 2 hours for edibles to work, so don't take more or you may
experience unwanted side effects. I could successfully microdose edibles 2-4
times daily, depending on need.  

Topicals are amazing and work! I prefer the ointment over creams and gels, but
the costs can add up. You can make your own inexpensive topical by mixing a
tincture with a favorite ointment or cream.  

For first time users, I don’t recommend smoking marijuana flower or buds until
you've first built-up tolerance with a tincture. Smoking is a much faster mode
of action and it can be difficult to manage the unwanted side effects.  

If you're willing to experiment, I recommend smoking at night at home when you
have no responsibilities. I found that was best. Start slowly with one very
small hit, it doesn't take much. Wait approximately 15-20 minutes before
deciding to inhale a second or third hit. The side effects can be bad if you
smoke too much, especially if you haven't built up tolerance.  

Always research the side effects and talk with staff at the dispensary. They can
help with selecting flower or edibles that have pain, sleep, and mood helping
properties. 

If you live in a state where medical marijuana is legal, get a license or card
to protect yourself from discrimination, pain management contracts, and urine
drug tests. I informed my providers and gave them a copy of my license to put in
my medical health records.  

Before you use marijuana, be sure to talk with your prescribing provider, as you
don't want to unintentionally breach your pain contract. If you smoke at home,
landlords may also be an obstacle. 

The war on drugs propaganda is only meant to illicit fear. Educate yourself
about the benefits of marijuana. It's not a gateway drug. Utilized responsibly,
with the right strain, dose and preparation, marijuana can help reduce pain,
inflammation and anxiety. It is absolutely worth trying.   

Lastly, don't give up! 

Christine Kucera lives with psoriatic arthritis, spondyloarthropy, spondylitis,
polyarthritis, sacroiliitis, degenerative joint disease, dermatomyositis, mixed
connective tissue disease, spinal radiculopathy, hypoparathyroidism, rare
endocrine tumors, psoriasis, endometriosis stage IV, pelvic adhesive disease,
and other painful conditions. 

Prior to becoming disabled, Christine was a healthcare research systems
developer and analyst for federally funded CMS, AHRQ, and NIH grants and
programs. 

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