Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group Only in Canada

Hello everyone,

Seems we have a new pot dealer in town, the Canadian goverment. Way to go
Canada!!! Now to find a doc that has the gut's to sign the forms. That would be
a real trick. As far as I'm concerned this harmless weed should never have been
outlawed in the first place. Works wonders for back spasms.

What were they thinking in 1923 anyway? It's HIGH time they woke up and smelt
the sweet leaf. Hip Hip Hooray!!!

I'd be interested in your views on this subject. You now know mine. Yippy!!!

Brad

Hi Brad,

Maybe I should consider moving to Canada

Take care,
Sinta

Brad,

As a recreational drug, some people I know are evidence that chronic use can destroy more than a few brain cells. On the other hand, there is no doubt it has medicinal value and should not be denied to those who need it. I think Canada is moving in the right direction on this issue.

Keep kickin' AS

Jim

Hi!

I am not a smoker although I did try it in my teen years but couldn't handle the side effects (those damn paranoid episodes) and I agree with Jim that there is proof that overuse can certainly damage a few brain cells.

Although I do strongly agree that it certainly has medicinal values that should definetly be explored. Someone very close to me has been HIV positive for around Twenty yrs. He is a heavy smoker and Drinks way to much and yet he still amazes the specialists as he is still around, yet statistically he should have given in to AIDS long ago!!!
(I personally reckon that he has just pickled his blood with alcohol and will now live forever as a walking human preservative)

I think like all things medicinal and natural there are good and bad effects.

Let the research begin!!!!

Hey Brad, I'd like to add things I've heard, without really commenting on my position either way. Y'see, I'm spending a little bit of time in palliative care, and this is a hot topic there, as I'm sure you can well imagine.

You mention that you just need to find a doc with the guts to sign the forms. Off of the top of my head, I can think of 3 reasons that they might be reluctant to do so, none of which have to do with 'guts' per se. Firstly, the Canadian Medical Association and many of the provincial organisations do not advocate the use of marijuana. There are definitely drugs derived from marijuana that are indicated for some symptoms that they'd rather physicians prescribe rather than marijuana itself. Secondly, the paperwork to make a person eligible is monsterous (20+ pages), and some argue that this has been done as a disincentive to actually have anyone using it. Thirdly, there isnt a lot of good evidence to suggest that the pain control is any better than moderate dosing with opioids.

That being said, there are other indications for using cannabanoid medications. The most commonly known are for anti-nausea and appetite stimulation. There is some really promising research looking into its applications for neuropathic pain, neuroprotective properties, and as antiinflammatories among other things.

As Canada moves toward decriminalising marijuana, I think there will be less pressure to provide it medicinally. However, that might also reduce the need for continued research, which would be disappointing, considering these newer findings.

Anyhow, that's what I've been hearing.
Jeanna

Kindness in words creates confidence
Kindness in thinking creates profoundness
Kindness in giving creates love
~ Tao Te Ching

Hey Jeanna,
I've never heard it called apetite stimulation. I believe in non-medical circles it's called "the munchies"

I never got on with it too well myself, likely because I was such a big drinker and mixing them is not clever. Let's just say it's value as an anti-nausea compound is less effective after 6 pints

I didn't find it a particularly usefull pain killer myself, but I suppose we all respond differently. I didn't, however, have muscles spasms like Brad. Maybe it's more useful as a muscle relaxant?

I think the latest from the UK is that while it's still technically illegal, the police have been instructed not to bother users, only pushers. This allows them to prosecute when they want to as it's still technically illegal. Sneaky stuff really.

As far as it's use as medication goes, in the UK they're manufacturing drugs from it by taking the feel-good factor out of it first

One thing, I know it doesn't have to be smoked, but....
"smoking is bad for your health, and creates additional problems for people with ankylosing spondylitis. It's also a risk factor for the development of cavitary lesions in your lungs, a complication of ankylosing spondylitis. And depending on the severity of your condition, ankylosing spondylitis can affect the mobility of your rib cage. Damaging your lungs by smoking can compromise your ability to breathe." Quote from Mayo Clinic


  Loz

The next best thing to playing and winning is playing and losing {Never give up}

Jeanna, great post! Thanks.

All I can say is that pot is better at relaxing my muscles so I can sleep at night than the muscle relaxant my dr. gave me. Not only that, but I wake up with a relatively clear head in the morning, as opposed to being completely stoned for the first five hours of my day, as I am on the muscle relaxants. I can't walk a straight line, focus or think clearly if I've taken one of those things the night before.

The pain killing properties, for me anyway, are a little inconsistent. When I'm in a super horrific flare, I sometimes feel like it's enhanced my ability to feel pain, at the same time as it relaxes me. Most of the time, tho, I do find that I don't hurt after I've smoked. My ribs become looser, my thorasics lose their stranglehold, and my lower back eases. Of course, that's just my experience with it.

I checked out the criteria for getting authorized as a medical user over on the Health Canada site. Basically, your doctor has to prove that you've not responded to any other, very aggressive, treatments. Which means that someone like me, who's considered to have a 'mild' case of AS, is not likely to be approved.

What it comes down to is using it properly. You don't need to get stoned out of your mind on it to get the helpful properties. I remember one of our members here telling me that he'd been experimenting with different strains of pot to find one with the correct THC levels to deal with the pain and muscle relaxant needs, but won't blast your brains. He felt that you don't need super (what we like to call 'wheelchair' as it makes you glued to your chair) pot to achieve that. I would agree with that, as I've found that beyond a certain level, my pain is actually enhanced instead of eased. Besides which, wheelchair pot, because it makes you incapable of movement, is bad for people with AS, who must keep moving.

Hugs,



Kat

Hello again,

Sorry to hear bout your down time Strutsy, hope you get well soon. But WOW did you
ever nail this one on the head. I am continuosly amazed by the neverending amount
of propaganda surrounding this plant, and your objectivity is truly refreshing.

It is most unfortunate that this action by health canada was not out of compassion.
Rather it is delay tactic by our government to a court order while it appeals this
ruling. They blew 10 million on this program in four years, without a single seed being
given to the most ill persons in need. In march they suddenly cut off all funding to
research without explaination, then stated a few days ago, no research in the world
has been done to show pot has any medical value whatsoever. I swear I could see the health minister's nose grow as she said this.

Anyway when they were ordered by the courts to supply these poor souls, They let them suffer for another six months and waited until the 11th hour to act.
You are also quite right that they threw this on the lap of doctors knowing full well that they would be very reluctant to hand this stuff out without proper research on it.
So I do agree it is unfair that I should question a doctors bravery to do so.

Hot topic, you bet. Kills brains cells? Duh... I should be brain dead by now.
Maybe I'll stop when I'm just plain stupid. LOL
Thanks to you all for responding.

Yours Truly : Brad

Hi all
I dont know how most people stand on medical marijuana
but heres my story
I was at a point in life(about a year ago) my AS felt like it was killing me, depression was ruining my life.
I just didnt care about anything any more. I had smoked pot at previous points in my life
but i wasnt at this time because I thought it would make me sicker
then my friend suggested smoking some pot to alleiviate some of my symptoms
I tried it again and it made me feel great! after about a week of smoking(a couple times a day) I felt great! my pain was minimal, my deep depression was lifting.I even started to go out and see my friends again. Bottom line=Pot gave me my life back
without all the side effects of traditional meds
a year later I still smoke daily and feel pot has helped me more than anything else

Thats my story and I'm stickin' to it
Jason

Oh Brad. I didnt mean to be misleading . I'm not in palliative care as a patient, I'm spending time there as a medical student. Thank you so much for wishing me well though, that was very kind.

There's much to reply to here, but I am actually under the weather (in a very generic AS sense only though ). I'll swing by later when I'm feeling a bit more like posting if that's OK.

Sorry again,
Jeanna

Kindness in words creates confidence
Kindness in thinking creates profoundness
Kindness in giving creates love
~ Tao Te Ching