Madri-Gal
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Wishing you the best, @deep_meditation
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Wishing you the best, @deep_meditation
A Cancer Survivor’s Guide to Using Cannabis to Cope With Chemotherapy
A medical marijuana regimen can help cancer patients manage the negative effects of chemotherapy.cannabisnow.com
Combining Cannabis With Chemo And Radiation. Is It Possible?
Many patients have heard that cannabis can help navigate the side effects of chemotherapy. Most hear from friends or relatives that it can help. They are willing to try almost anything to help deal with the nausea, pain, and insomnia. But patients who are already immuno-compromised and going through chemo have a lot of questions. And their doctors seem to have more questions than answers themselves.
In my years of experience and interactions with oncologists, we have had only positive results for our patients. We do advise patients to let their oncologist know that they are using medical cannabis during chemo/radiation. We prefer to work with the oncologist, so they are aware of what products the patients are using, and what effects to expect.
Most oncologists are very hesitant to let patients smoke. Especially if the patient has a lung cancer or other lung conditions. However, I have also spoken to oncologists who feel that lung cancer patients should smoke because the cannabinoids would be absorbed directly at the site they are needed. —-This difference of opinions can be due to experience with patients using cannabis, level of cannabinoid education, and the legality of cannabis in that state.
Cannabis is a bronchodilator. This means that it expands the lungs and does not constrict them. Vaporizing flower is a much healthier delivery method than smoking. The flower after being vaped still has cannabinoids remaining and could then also be used to make edibles. When smoking you can burn off 50-60% of the medication along with inhaling the combusted materials.
Inhaling is not the only way that cannabis can be consumed. There are many other options for patients that may be easier to dose, and more comfortable for the patients to use. There are different types of products that can be used orally or sublingually. Sublingually is when the patient lets the medication absorb under the tongue. This typically gives a little faster onset of effects than edibles (ingestibles) and not as long. Edibles (anything swallowed) can take much longer for the onset of effects and longer duration of effects. The problem with these dosing forms are that we need to be very careful. If the dose is too much, it can be a long bumpy ride you are not prepared to be on. A combination of delivery methods can be best for overall results.
Many patients who are new to cannabis are concerned with “getting high”. “Getting high” from cannabis is a side effect of the THC content in cannabis. There are plenty of ways to consume cannabis that can help prevent this side effect. There are also many different cannabinoids that can be beneficial in treating nausea, pain, and insomnia. Cannabinoids such as CBD, CBN, CBG and THCa are great examples. Of these cannabinoids, CBN has the most side effects (drowsiness, sedation, and very mildly psychoactive) and should primarily be used at night. CBD and THCa are great for daytime use for nausea, vomiting, inflammation, muscle spasms, and anxiety.
Cannabis can be an overwhelming medication to use in conjunction with other medications when going through a very tough time mentally and physically. There is a lot of new information to digest. I will leave you with a few good pointers for patients who are new to cannabis.
- Start low and go slow.
- You can always use more, you CANNOT use less.
- Do not use too many different products, or delivery methods. It is important for you to know what is working, and what isn’t. Along with what delivery methods and products you prefer.
- Cannabis has the safest drug profile of any medication. There has never been a documented case of overdose from cannabis itself that has caused death or serious harm.
- Make sure your doctors are aware that you are using medical cannabis. They may not agree, but they should at least know. We do not want them to think something else is what is actually helping, when it may not be.
Here are five ways cancer patients may use cannabis or CBD oil to alleviate symptoms during cancer treatment:There have been some early clinical trials of cannabinoids in treating cancer in humans and more studies are planned. While the studies so far have shown that cannabinoids can be safe in treating cancer, they do not show that they help control or cure the disease.
Nausea: The American Cancer Society cites a study where individuals felt relief from symptoms of nausea and vomiting during treatment. In the study, individuals felt that smoking cannabis helped ease episodes of vomiting and nausea brought on by chemotherapy.As patients take more opioids for pain, the resulting constipation can cause more pain and the cycle begins anew. That is not an issue with marijuana.
Cannabis is awesome for neuropathic pain and discomfort.Study Indicates Cannabis May Alleviate Neuropathic Pain Caused By Chemotherapy
A recently published Israeli study shows that chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy may be effectively treated with cannabis.
Chemotherapy patients experiencing neuropathic pain may find relief from cannabis, according to a new study published last month.
The study, which was published in last month’s issue of the journal Therapeutic Advances in Medical Oncology, comes via a team of Tel Aviv-based researchers who examined a cohort of 513 patients who were taking oxaliplatin for gastrointestinal issues. Oxaliplatin, the researchers said, “is a platinum-based chemotherapy widely used for the treatment of gastrointestinal (GI) malignancies.” According to the Mayo Clinic, it is used “along with other medicines (eg, fluorouracil, leucovorin) to treat advanced cancer of the colon or rectum,” while also being “used to treat severe colon cancer in patients who have had a surgery.”
The Israeli research team said that chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy is “a well-known toxicity associated with the treatment of oxaliplatin,” which “has a strong impact on the quality of life of cancer patients.”
“Acute oxaliplatin-induced neuropathy is evident in up to 90% of oxaliplatin-treated patients, and continued exposure may lead to severe chronic neuropathy in approximately 31%,” they said.
The Method and Results of the Study
For the study, the researchers treated 248 of the patients in the cohort with cannabis, with the remaining 265 serving as the control group. The cohort was made up of 250 females and 263 males, according to the researchers, and all were diagnosed with gastrointestinal malignancies.
“The rate of neuropathy was reduced among patients treated with cannabis and oxaliplatin,” the researchers wrote in their conclusion. “This reduction was more significant in patients who received cannabis prior to treatment with oxaliplatin, suggesting a protective effect. A large prospective trial is planned.”
“Oxaliplatin-induced neurotoxicity is a profound adverse effect which, according to the results of our investigation, may be mitigated and prevented by cannabis treatment,” they added.
The researchers highlighted the strength of the study, saying it was owed to the “reliability of the data on cannabis use, since all of the participating patients received cannabis by regulated licensure.”
“It was possible to follow the dates, dosages, and indications of cannabis treatment by reviewing the patients’ cannabis approval documentation,” they said. “Additionally, the data were retrieved from a large and high-quality tertiary care center database that includes medical records of patients with various GI malignancies and several treating physicians over a period of more than 2 years.”
They continued: “The main limitation of this trial is that the comparison of cannabis use was not quantitative but qualitative: it was not possible to compare the amount of licensed cannabis or the types and indications for its use since these parameters were not specified. Also, neuropathy assessment was retrospective and relied on the doctors’ records of patients’ complaints and physical examinations.”
The effectiveness of cannabis treatment on cancer patients has long been understood, but its ubiquity has increased considerably with the adoption of new marijuana laws both in the United States and elsewhere. A study late last year found that one-third of cancer patients in Canada, where medical marijuana has been legal since 2001 and where recreational pot use was legalized in 2018, use marijuana.
So happy to hear that the surgery was a success and that, overall, things seem positive for you. And how cool that your palliative team isn't dismissing your cannabis usage. You know better than anyone what works for you and what doesn't in that respect. And I'm glad that you are able to have ready access to the things you want.My recent operation was a success. Post-surgical recovery is going ok. This was a massive and life-altering surgery. I’ll never walk again. I won’t go into the boring details. Palliative team made no judgements about cannabis and even told me to continue working with my MMJ doc. The MMJ doc is not in favor of edibles in my case due to the unpredictability of them. I have plenty of concentrates on hand but plan to buy a good number of India, cbd, and cbn tinctures.
Congratulations on living so sorry for the loss of your mobility........... hell of a price?My recent operation was a success. Post-surgical recovery is going ok. This was a massive and life-altering surgery. I’ll never walk again. I won’t go into the boring details. Palliative team made no judgements about cannabis and even told me to continue working with my MMJ doc. The MMJ doc is not in favor of edibles in my case due to the unpredictability of them. I have plenty of concentrates on hand but plan to buy a good number of India, cbd, and cbn tinctures.
Thank you. I am in the stage of both hating this and being depressed to scouting out some areas that might be fun to visit once I’ve healed. I think that’s a reasonably good place to be at this point less than a week after surgery.So happy to hear that the surgery was a success and that, overall, things seem positive for you. And how cool that your palliative team isn't dismissing your cannabis usage. You know better than anyone what works for you and what doesn't in that respect. And I'm glad that you are able to have ready access to the things you want.
Sure is, this was the most disabling surgery I’ve had but as things change we just have to adapt.Congratulations on living so sorry for the loss of your mobility........... hell of a price?
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