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Medical marijuana may have benefits for GI symptoms, review finds
A systematic review of data on the effects of marijuana on GI function finds "the clinical benefit of marijuana or its constituent phytocannabinoids for digestive disorders is unclear but it appears to have some benefits for gastrointestinal symptoms," according to Mark Gerich, M.D., of the University of Colorado. The analysis of five randomized controlled trials published in The American Journal of Gastroenterology identified the two compounds of clinical interest in marijuana, 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), which affect cannabinoid receptors. These receptors are believed to "promote an inhibitory effect on motility and secretory function via reduced acetylcholine release."
The majority of patients with Crohn’s disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis reported that marijuana improved disease-related symptoms including poor appetite, nausea and abdominal pain. Research data indicated that more than half of patients who do not use marijuana would consider it if it were more widely legalized, according to the review. Study data also indicated that CD patients who smoke medical marijuana experienced improvement in symptoms, overall well-being and steroid use, with one RCT of 21 patients who smoked twice daily having significant improvement in terms of the CD Activity Index.
I want it to be true but I've found that smoking it irritates my stomach, makes my nose ache and does nothing much for my braig fog! However, that's when trying it with tabacco. Perhaps pureness is the future
I must admit that I'm rather jealous of our friends across the pond's green revolution. Can't see it happening any time soon in drab ol' Britain.
Zizzle,
I went to Colorado on vacation in August so while I was there I thought I would investigate the possibility of medical marijuana. I am still struggling with diet( been on very limited diet for almost 2 years and no luck) and meds don't really work. I'm frustrated, my GI doc is frustrated, my GP is frustrated so I thought I'd check it out. I called the medical mj office and they were very helpful and knowledgeable. First of all if you are not a resident forget getting medical mj. BUT she said I could get recreational. I told her I really was not interested in getting high and I don't like smoke. She said I was in luck. For colitis problems they recommend CBD, cannabidiol. CBD is the other ingredient other than THC. THC is what gets you high. CBD helps with pain and gut motility issues among other things. She recommended a patch by Mary's Medicinals that just has CBD and no THC. Sooooooooo I drove to another town where they sold recreational and got some of the patches. They were pricey, $13.00 a piece and last 12 hours each. I tried them for a week and maybe I could tell that they helped some. Of course they are illegal in Texas so I couldn't bring them back home. I just wanted to know if they would be a miracle drug help. I would say they are not at least for me. If I didn't mind smoking she said I could get one of the smokables (or edibles) that are high in CBD. I knew almost nothing about mj when I went up there but found out that there are many different strains and each kind does something different. Some will make you sleepy, some wake you up and some are considered hybrids. It was an interesting experiment but I don't think I will buy property in Colorado just so I can become a resident to buy medical mj. If you are a resident the price is about 20% that of recreational. Of course you have to get a prescription from a doctor and of course they can get you in touch with one who probably will write the script. Then you have to get a red card which is $15.00/year. I heard it can be difficult to jump through those hoops getting the red card. AND if you are a resident you can legally grow your own. 6 plants per person. That is what I learned on my vacation this summer in Colorado!
JamesEcuador wrote:I want it to be true but I've found that smoking it irritates my stomach, makes my nose ache and does nothing much for my braig fog! However, that's when trying it with tabacco. Perhaps pureness is the future
I must admit that I'm rather jealous of our friends across the pond's green revolution. Can't see it happening any time soon in drab ol' Britain.
There are other ways to consume the product especially if you are simply looking for the medicinal benefits of cannabidiol.
If you go to http://highdosecbd.com you will find capsules, tinctures, vape oils, and crystals... take your pick :)
Well, I live right down the road from the street in Denver (and by default, probably all of Colorado) that has a Marijuana dispensary like every 2 blocks!!! I HATE POT SMOKE WITH A PASSION, so smoking the stuff is off the table, but they do make all sorts of drinks/edibles, etc that you can buy according to my friends that partake in that sort of thing (I never have personally). It's funny this came up today as I drove down Broadway for miles coming home from Denver to the 'burbs earlier this afternoon, and I was sort of chuckling to myself how many pot dispensaries there are.
If someone told me that this stuff would actually help me I would be the first to try it out!!! Not that I do any research on the topic, but no one on this board has even mentioned using it to help diarrhea, have they?? Not that I remember anyway.
Anyone, anyone?? Cost isn't really an issue since I don't spend money on anything anymore anyway....
Laine
"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are"-Teddy Roosevelt
There are a few members who are trying some of the compounds that are supposed to help IBD patients. These versions are mostly promoted to relieve pain. So far I guess the jury's still out, because I've received PMs confirming that a few members are trying it, but I don't recall anyone writing to tell me that they've found what they were looking for, or that they've had any successes. But maybe they're just stoned and they're unable to write.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Laine
i am yet to see anyone (MC based or other major gut issue based) get LONG term benefit from things like this.
One thing I am aware of, i know that smoking marijiana increases metals such as copper and cadmium in the body, so where it may ingredients that provide benefit in some ways, it has other ingredients that can cause issues. not sure if this applies to oils and other medical based preparations.
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
Hey, smoking ANYTHING is a bad idea as far as I am concerned. It would have to be pretty well studied before I would try any of this stuff guys!! And ya Tex, maybe they are so MELLOW they can't type anymore!!!
Laine
"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are"-Teddy Roosevelt
HockeyMom wrote:Hey, smoking ANYTHING is a bad idea as far as I am concerned. It would have to be pretty well studied before I would try any of this stuff guys!! And ya Tex, maybe they are so MELLOW they can't type anymore!!!
Laine
you don't need to smoke or even vape... you may consume capsules and even tinctures... there are many options
Yes, it's available in pastries of various types and you can probably even find it in energy bars and dog food. But so far it doesn't seem to provide much benefit toward stopping or preventing MC symptoms. However, it can help suppress pain symptoms.
Here's a link to the October 1, 2016 issue of the Microscopic Colitis Foundation Newsletter. The lead article is about the status of medical use of marijuana. Any progress is being held hostage by the naiveté of congress as they allow the pharmaceutical companies to figure out a way to synthesize it and price useable compounds out of reach for most people.
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Hi guys!
Thought I would share I'm in a clinical trial for a new drug, Anabasum, which is synthetic, non-psychoactive THC. I take 20 mgs twice a day for Dermatomyositis skin rashes, but it's actually helped the MC more than my skin. Not dramatically, but I realized how much it helped when I had to get off the drug for a month (after being on it for 8 weeks). Within a few days, the D was much worse, urgent, and I was MUCH MORE reactive to everything I ate. The only normans I've had in many years have been while on this drug, so I'm a believer, but I have had to continue to combine it with GF/DF/SF mostly grain free diet, and probiotics (Megaspore, fermented drinks and veggies). Although I've had to reduce the probiotics to every other day, now that motility is slower (I was getting gassy from the Megaspore).
I read somewhere that THC actually helps seal leaky gut? Can't recall where.
My latest addition to the regimen is systemic enzymes by Pure Encapsulations. They are supposed to help control inflammation and mop up toxins and immune complexes in the blood. It's been 2 days, so no results yet. But trying to take on an empty stomach between meals is proving difficult as I tend to graze all day. The THC makes me very hungry for fatty, salty/sweet food. I've gained 5 lbs over 5 months!
I'm also frequently drowsy...I can nap anywhere, anytime! Non-psychoactive THC is all the side effects and none of the fun! But is also makes me very calm and cures all anxiety, so I can see how many people might benefit from it.
So I had my first visit with a new Dr today. He's one of our internal medicine Dr's at my hospital but is very functional and progressive/sort of holistic in his practice. I took in all my blood work, Enterolab results and despite my thyroid numbers he thinks I'm hypothyroid. Very interesting, going to have alot more bloodwork done for things that have never been checked.
We talked about CBD oil. He uses it for different patient groups for different reasons. He says obviously there isn't much research published yet..I told him we'd been discussing it some on this board, not CBD oil specifically, but just the whole topic in general. He was wondering what the experience of this group was. He's a very interesting guy.
He also said looking at my lab values that a topical estrogen cream would probably help out. I felt it was the best visit I've had with any practitioner about my MC.
So, just wondering about CBD oil in particular folks...
My first day back at work (off for 3 weeks ) went fine...
Laine
"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are"-Teddy Roosevelt
Pleased that you have a 'proactive' and functional doctor - and that he is delving into the areas of thyroid and hormones etc.
as Tex mentioned above, if anyone has tried the CBD oil, we do not have feedback as to whether it worked or not.
maybe do a search on CBD (using search function) and maybe PM members that were using it or going to try it to see what happened etc.
with the rules in the USA (and rest of the globe for that matter) as to what states it can be legally used in, and what medical conditions it can be prescribed for, I am wondering if people are cautious about discussing use of CBD oil publically.
my other concern is that in MC world, those with ongoing MC issues tend to have other issues at play (Thyroid, hormones, other AI issues, nutrient imbalances, methylation issues etc) so where something like CBD oil might work really good for one person, and not so well for another, may not be an accurate assessment of will it help MC (does that make sense?)
this also applies to many other things like digestive enzymes, gut healing products etc.
glad the first day back at work went ok, that is good news.
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
Though no personal experience yet, I have recently been looking into this. THC can help with D and IBD symptoms. It slows motility, as Zizzle mentioned. CBD oil is anti-inflammatory, but it will prob not do anything on it's own for MC. CBD will work best for IBD's with THC, and it also helps to modulate some of the negatives of the THC. There isn't much out there in the way of large studies, but there are some smaller ones with good results in reducing IBD symptoms. There are many other ways to take it other than smoking, and if you choose to smoke it, vaping is much easier on your lungs, and is supposed to take most of the harmful stuff out. I don't know how effective edibles will be with absorption issues, so if you try that and it doesn't work, you may want to try another way. CBD oil from hemp is legal in every state. As I understand it, the type that comes from marijuana is supposed to be better as it has many more cannabinoids, but is only available in states with legal recreational, or if you have a state medical card. Israel is on the forefront of medical marijuana research.
