cannabis and Lupus
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Hi Pollianna,
I don't know of any controlled double blind studies done on the interaction of Plaquenil and cannabis. Even if there were no two bodies react exactly the same. Before taking any drug, herbs or natural remedies I recommend you always speak with your doctor first.
There are a few reasons that came to mind as to why I would suggest you not try it on your own. The first being that in most places it is illegal. That aside, unless you are getting medical grade from your doctor you have no idea what else has been cut into the mixture. Even if the cannabis is compatible the other components may not be. Also the other components might actually cause a flare.
The smoke is also a concern. It is definitely not good for the lungs. The Canadian government found that the smoke from cannabis was actually more toxic than tobacco smoke. Besides being toxic the smoke could put you at a higher risk for lung infections.
Clots can also be an issue for some Lupus patients. In doing some quick research I found mixed reviews as to if it increased clotting or not.
You and your doctor would have to discuss if the benefits would outweigh the risks.
Take care,
Lazylegs
I don't know of any controlled double blind studies done on the interaction of Plaquenil and cannabis. Even if there were no two bodies react exactly the same. Before taking any drug, herbs or natural remedies I recommend you always speak with your doctor first.
There are a few reasons that came to mind as to why I would suggest you not try it on your own. The first being that in most places it is illegal. That aside, unless you are getting medical grade from your doctor you have no idea what else has been cut into the mixture. Even if the cannabis is compatible the other components may not be. Also the other components might actually cause a flare.
The smoke is also a concern. It is definitely not good for the lungs. The Canadian government found that the smoke from cannabis was actually more toxic than tobacco smoke. Besides being toxic the smoke could put you at a higher risk for lung infections.
Clots can also be an issue for some Lupus patients. In doing some quick research I found mixed reviews as to if it increased clotting or not.
You and your doctor would have to discuss if the benefits would outweigh the risks.
Take care,
Lazylegs
Pollianna, There was a medical trial in Plymouth a year or two back. I daresay the Pain Clinic at Derryford Hospital may be able to give you information on exactly how they organised it. I am not sure if it included Lupus patients.
I have never tried Cannabis, for Pain Relief or anything else. This is not because I am a Saint, but is my choice. I feel it is probably pretty dangerous with APS, also having had Neuro flares, I would not do anything to jeopardise my mental well being. Where I live, despite it being very picturesque, there is a huge drug problem. I have heard of cannabis being adulterated with Ajax cleaner, clippings from conifer shrubs and all sorts of things.
I can fully understand anybody being in pain and desperate but there are generally some pretty good painkillers available legally.
My opinion may sound very negative, but in my experience you do gain much more respect and help from the Docs. if you do things the right way.
Just my opinion, and of course there are the legal aspects to consider.
Hope you are well at the moment. So far today I am okay but it is early.
x Lola
I have never tried Cannabis, for Pain Relief or anything else. This is not because I am a Saint, but is my choice. I feel it is probably pretty dangerous with APS, also having had Neuro flares, I would not do anything to jeopardise my mental well being. Where I live, despite it being very picturesque, there is a huge drug problem. I have heard of cannabis being adulterated with Ajax cleaner, clippings from conifer shrubs and all sorts of things.
I can fully understand anybody being in pain and desperate but there are generally some pretty good painkillers available legally.
My opinion may sound very negative, but in my experience you do gain much more respect and help from the Docs. if you do things the right way.
Just my opinion, and of course there are the legal aspects to consider.
Hope you are well at the moment. So far today I am okay but it is early.
x Lola
Hello Pollyanna
It is a very good question since it is now available in (spray form) on the NHS for certain conditions. It is not given out easily as far as I can see.
There is a chap in my village with MS who got so fed up of waiting to be accepted to try prescribed cannabis that his brother bought him some resin to smoke. In his case, aside from the obvious concerns about using black market drugs, that was not a great idea because he is liable to drop things and sometimes has a very bad tremour. My concern was he might burn himself or cause a fire through the act of smoking. And what a shame to have to smoke when he is actually a non-smoker.
It did take a long time to sort out. He had to go through his consultant and he was eventually given it on prescription.
He told me it has helped his muscle spasms and he feels a little more relaxed, but other than that it has not delivered the help he was hoping for, which is a shame, but at least he was helped to explore an avenue he was interested in to help himself to feel better.
Perhaps if you did a Google search on something like 'The effectiveness of prescription cannabis' or 'The availabiity of prescription cannabis' you might find something to help your curiosity?
Obviously, if it is prescribed for you, it would only be done so after reveiwing its safety when combined with your other prescribed medication, so it would be the safest bet. It may be that there has not yet been enough research into its drug interactions outside of those prescribed for the conditions it is currently prescribed.
Good luck with your research.
It is a very good question since it is now available in (spray form) on the NHS for certain conditions. It is not given out easily as far as I can see.
There is a chap in my village with MS who got so fed up of waiting to be accepted to try prescribed cannabis that his brother bought him some resin to smoke. In his case, aside from the obvious concerns about using black market drugs, that was not a great idea because he is liable to drop things and sometimes has a very bad tremour. My concern was he might burn himself or cause a fire through the act of smoking. And what a shame to have to smoke when he is actually a non-smoker.
It did take a long time to sort out. He had to go through his consultant and he was eventually given it on prescription.
He told me it has helped his muscle spasms and he feels a little more relaxed, but other than that it has not delivered the help he was hoping for, which is a shame, but at least he was helped to explore an avenue he was interested in to help himself to feel better.
Perhaps if you did a Google search on something like 'The effectiveness of prescription cannabis' or 'The availabiity of prescription cannabis' you might find something to help your curiosity?
Obviously, if it is prescribed for you, it would only be done so after reveiwing its safety when combined with your other prescribed medication, so it would be the safest bet. It may be that there has not yet been enough research into its drug interactions outside of those prescribed for the conditions it is currently prescribed.
Good luck with your research.
Hi Alwin
I tried it three times about 10 years ago and it made me completely paranoid.
Other than that I have never tried taking any 'drugs' as Im a scardy cat and hate not feeling in control.
My friend who has MS told me it made her feel sick.
She dosnt smoke.
A friend of a friend in Canada makes cookies out of it for the pain.
Other than that I personally would avoid it like the plague unless there are special circumstances and then I want some advice if I needed it for medical reasons long term.
I also used to get clinical depression so another reason yet again to avoid it like the plague,
Nicky
I tried it three times about 10 years ago and it made me completely paranoid.
Other than that I have never tried taking any 'drugs' as Im a scardy cat and hate not feeling in control.
My friend who has MS told me it made her feel sick.
She dosnt smoke.
A friend of a friend in Canada makes cookies out of it for the pain.
Other than that I personally would avoid it like the plague unless there are special circumstances and then I want some advice if I needed it for medical reasons long term.
I also used to get clinical depression so another reason yet again to avoid it like the plague,
Nicky
excellent questions
As for legality, current status does commend one to caution. It's important to remember that legality is not morality, however. Anyway, if I understand correctly, physician-prescribed marijuana is legal in 12 US states.
As for smoking, we all know it's bad for your health. If you're going to take cannabis there are non-burning options: vaporization, ingestion (baked goods, tinctures, etc.).
As for drug interactions: Of course check with a doctor. Also, inform yourself with your own research. I recommend googling "plaquenil cannabis".
I wish you well.
I strongly encourage you and all here who have responded to research online. Googling for "lupus cannabis" should be a good start. Here's something from the first result (lupus.webmd.com/news/20030415/cannabis-may-suppress-immune-system):pollianna;536972 said:
Exciting news, but of course we should be careful -- so far it's only speculation. Though the article is from 2003. Maybe there's been progress made in research.
As for legality, current status does commend one to caution. It's important to remember that legality is not morality, however. Anyway, if I understand correctly, physician-prescribed marijuana is legal in 12 US states.
As for smoking, we all know it's bad for your health. If you're going to take cannabis there are non-burning options: vaporization, ingestion (baked goods, tinctures, etc.).
As for drug interactions: Of course check with a doctor. Also, inform yourself with your own research. I recommend googling "plaquenil cannabis".
I wish you well.
Yes extremely careful I'd say because that study was very small (29 participants) and wasn't conducted on Lupus patients anyway
No-one knows exactly what goes wrong in the immune system of a Lupus patient at this stage, so it's very speculative.
love
Lily
No-one knows exactly what goes wrong in the immune system of a Lupus patient at this stage, so it's very speculative.
love
Lily
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Can i just say that i worry about the effect this substance can have on the mind. i have seen many fit young people turn into, insecure, volitile humans very quickly. With a common symptom of lupus or other autoimmune being depression i feel this alone could and should put you off!
nettyxxxx
nettyxxxx
Hi all
Please, please do not take my post as encouragement to try any drug without a doctor's input and a prescription.
I thought I had made it clear in my response that I think it is an interesting question, but if tried, it should be done through the medical system. I am sorry that I did not make this clear enough because it is very important.
It is dangerous and fool hardy to take any drug, in my opinion, without it being prescribed. It is wise to ask your doctor about drugs interactions with over the counter medication too, in my opinion.
However, I see nothing wrong with reading up on a subject to get a basic understanding before going to your doctor to ask to try a new drug he has not already prescribed.
In all fairness, I could also have mentioned I do have friends whose nephew became very mentally ill very quickly after a short period of regularly smoking cannabis. I am told he is unlikely to recover.
The point is, if a person is interested to know about this subject, it is now possible to get this type of medication on the NHS for some conditions deemed appropriate so this is the best way to go.
Drugs bought on the black market are not only illegal, but more importantly, unsafe. You simply do not know what is in them or how strong they are. It is not something i would consider and I would be upset to think anybody I knew had felt the need to take the risk.
Take care all.
Please, please do not take my post as encouragement to try any drug without a doctor's input and a prescription.
I thought I had made it clear in my response that I think it is an interesting question, but if tried, it should be done through the medical system. I am sorry that I did not make this clear enough because it is very important.
It is dangerous and fool hardy to take any drug, in my opinion, without it being prescribed. It is wise to ask your doctor about drugs interactions with over the counter medication too, in my opinion.
However, I see nothing wrong with reading up on a subject to get a basic understanding before going to your doctor to ask to try a new drug he has not already prescribed.
In all fairness, I could also have mentioned I do have friends whose nephew became very mentally ill very quickly after a short period of regularly smoking cannabis. I am told he is unlikely to recover.
The point is, if a person is interested to know about this subject, it is now possible to get this type of medication on the NHS for some conditions deemed appropriate so this is the best way to go.
Drugs bought on the black market are not only illegal, but more importantly, unsafe. You simply do not know what is in them or how strong they are. It is not something i would consider and I would be upset to think anybody I knew had felt the need to take the risk.
Take care all.
If I was using cannabis( marijuana) I would not be saying so in public ( and risking having it immortalised on Google) where anybody who had it in for me might see it.
Buying it on the street would really worry me and I doubt our milkman would deliver :hehe: after the recent court case ! I'd worry about exactly what I was getting for one thing. I'd also be very worried about possible side effects on my mental health, ( increased paranoia ? ), interactions with my anti depressant and distortions of judgement when driving. Of course driving under the influence of any pain killing drugs is a serious business.
As for interactions with Plaquenil, who can say. They can hardly do studies of it. I am taking two antimalarials one of which has an especially stimulating effect on the CNS and can lower the seizure threshold in susceptible people. The GP would not prescribe Champix for me in combination with the anti malarials since that can lower seizure threshold too.
I suggest looking up Marinol, one of the medicinal forms on some reliable medicine site like rx.list.
Take care
Clare
Buying it on the street would really worry me and I doubt our milkman would deliver :hehe: after the recent court case ! I'd worry about exactly what I was getting for one thing. I'd also be very worried about possible side effects on my mental health, ( increased paranoia ? ), interactions with my anti depressant and distortions of judgement when driving. Of course driving under the influence of any pain killing drugs is a serious business.
As for interactions with Plaquenil, who can say. They can hardly do studies of it. I am taking two antimalarials one of which has an especially stimulating effect on the CNS and can lower the seizure threshold in susceptible people. The GP would not prescribe Champix for me in combination with the anti malarials since that can lower seizure threshold too.
I suggest looking up Marinol, one of the medicinal forms on some reliable medicine site like rx.list.
Take care
Clare
Odd made a very good point that legaility and morality are not the same thing.
For myself I would never take Cannabis even though I have been in desperate pain in the past. (now controlled pretty well).
I really believe good Pain Relief is the key, we all deserve it.
I am also concerned that APS may cause further complications with Cannabis.
Believe me , I would never inflict my views on anyone else, but I would just like to say that I (and others here) have had serious CNS flares with auditory and visual hallucinations, manic activity , fits etc. Until this happened I was not aware of how frightening brain matters can be. I would say to anyone please do not take your mental stability for granted.
Some of the things that happened to me, I was in St. Thomas' London at the time, I was seeing the London Eye going round and thought I could see bodies spreadeagled on the front of each carriage, I thought Big Ben was under my bed as I could hear it all the time not just when it was really chiming, at one stage I had to be sedated because I wanted to throw myself of the bed all the time. I could go on but maybe you get the idea.
Sorry for such a strong post, but it is how I feel.
x Lola
For myself I would never take Cannabis even though I have been in desperate pain in the past. (now controlled pretty well).
I really believe good Pain Relief is the key, we all deserve it.
I am also concerned that APS may cause further complications with Cannabis.
Believe me , I would never inflict my views on anyone else, but I would just like to say that I (and others here) have had serious CNS flares with auditory and visual hallucinations, manic activity , fits etc. Until this happened I was not aware of how frightening brain matters can be. I would say to anyone please do not take your mental stability for granted.
Some of the things that happened to me, I was in St. Thomas' London at the time, I was seeing the London Eye going round and thought I could see bodies spreadeagled on the front of each carriage, I thought Big Ben was under my bed as I could hear it all the time not just when it was really chiming, at one stage I had to be sedated because I wanted to throw myself of the bed all the time. I could go on but maybe you get the idea.
Sorry for such a strong post, but it is how I feel.
x Lola
pollanna,
I have read this a couple time not sure what to say as in the usa it is really illegal. I would not want to even try this as just the smell of it gives me a migraine. My boss often calls me in just to watch the halls to see if I get a headache for a guest using. I do know that with some diseases it has it's medical uses. I am not sure there has been any studies done to see if there is any benefit to using it with lupus. I know native american indians used it (or a form of it) to see there visions, and though I do have indian blood in me would rather not have visions lol. Ok well that is my imput not sure it helped any at all. If you find that it helps please let us know or find information to disclaim or support either way.
I have read this a couple time not sure what to say as in the usa it is really illegal. I would not want to even try this as just the smell of it gives me a migraine. My boss often calls me in just to watch the halls to see if I get a headache for a guest using. I do know that with some diseases it has it's medical uses. I am not sure there has been any studies done to see if there is any benefit to using it with lupus. I know native american indians used it (or a form of it) to see there visions, and though I do have indian blood in me would rather not have visions lol. Ok well that is my imput not sure it helped any at all. If you find that it helps please let us know or find information to disclaim or support either way.
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