Medical marijuana! It works…sometimes, maybe, it depends.

This is just my experience, I am not going to detail every little bit because I have tried many methods and I am now comfortable in saying how it helped me specifically. Maybe this will help you, or give you some idea of how it works if you have similar conditions to mine.

I got my medical marijuana card last year and since then I have tried quite a bit to help control my seizures, cramps from endometriosis and tremors. Here’s the deal,  I realized pretty quickly (about 2 months) that this wasn’t my HailMarySavingGrace medication. It was just ok. I tried CBD pills and drops at first. All different doses and types and mixes etc, and what happened was I  struggled to find the dose my body could tolerate and still feel functional because I get very sleepy and unproductive when I have too much. And too little was pointless.

It didn’t do much, my seizure frequency didn’t change much, my sleep did not improve either and I wasn’t finding a consistent happy medium. So, I tried a high CBD strain flower, and oh crap I went on a trip. Nothing crazy, but the end result was me hugging myself and watching Star Trek. I clearly did not dose properly. Still, no change on the seizure front. I’m a little disappointed, but I will keep trying new methods and give new products a fair shot. I tried a lot of different brands and doses, so please don’t leave a comment with recommendations, I’ve tried it.

 

 

I found another high CBD strain called Pennywise and I noticed something awesome about it. If I took one teeny tiny puff it would take away my nausea for hours at a time! Hallelujah! I was so amazed I actually looked up at my boyfriend and said “Holy Fuck”. I wasn’t about to puke and skip another meal, I was ready to eat and felt relatively normal. MAGIC?

Nausea is the main reason I use medical marijuana now. I save it for severe nausea days because I have other remedies I still prefer.   The only method that works is smoking or vaping it in one puff doses. I am the person that no matter what, I get goofy on marijuana. I have a difficult time being a “normal” human, so it’s not something I am comfortable doing before work or school. And it definitely makes me paranoid. 

As for endometriosis pain , there is a bath soak and balm that work very well. In conjunction with the ibuprofen I usually take these get me through a really bad night. I did an experiment too! I used a regular bath soak with some lovely essential oils and felt some relief. Then I compared it to using just the THC soak, and there was a measurable difference in how I felt and my pain level. I had to sleep right away, but worth it. The THC balm is also some kind of magic because I have never felt my muscles relax with anything else. It’s not super effective just on it’s own, but after the bath soak and applying this on my lower back and abdomen it enhanced the pain relief for longer. I found that I slept longer without waking up in pain and having to take more ibuprofen. This gets my seal of approval for that for sure as well as those pesky IUD cramps that sneak up on you every once in a while.

My essential tremor, this gets a bit weird for me. I can’t tell if it makes it worse or better or if it does anything at all. I am still trying this one out, but so far my propranolol works just fine. Or a glass or two of wine if I need to use my super fine motor skills (aka plucking my eyebrows).

So lets do a recap:

Seizures – no noticeable change, it could just be my type of epilepsy/seizures. And this is just my experience. Just some bad bouts of being too sleepy or just way too high on accident.

Cramps – Hell yeah use that THC bath soak and balm!

Nausea – Frickin’ miracle – Pennywise flower ( a high CBD strain) or vape. One puff at a time. This is great for all kinds of nausea; nervous, meds, hungover etc. It works.

Tremor – Meh. Wine works.

 

I have to say, If you are considering medical marijuana as an option please speak with your doctor first. Don’t just start without them knowing. Marijuana is not for everyone, and you should know if it’s right for you before you try. Never take the risk of trying it until you know for sure that you are a good candidate for it. I know there are a lot of compelling videos and articles everywhere, be safe and be aware of what you are putting in your body.

Never stop or start taking any medication without speaking with your doctor first. 

 

Questions, curious, got a story to share? You can contact me through e-mail kate@epileptea.com.