Fibromyalgia help

[Catateo]

My partner has been suffering from fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition, for many years now. For a while he thought he had it mostly under control but in the last year or so his pain levels have gotten a lot worse and I'm getting very worried about him.

He sees a doctor every few months about it but there's only so much that the doctor can do, nothing has really significantly helped, especially considering how expensive non-PBS prescriptions and supplements can be versus how much they actually help him manage his pain, and there is little left that we haven't tried. Recently I've been thinking about trying to get him some marijuana as we've heard of a few people with fibromyalgia who've used it to help lessen pain and also help with things like sleeping problems and upset stomachs.

Because of his illness my partner has been isolated for years, and I'm from overseas myself so apart from a few family members (who wouldn't be too keen on this idea) we have no friends or contacts that could help us with how to get some marijuana. I don't know where else to turn and I'm hoping that you guys could give me some tips about what we should do.

 

We live in southeast Queensland

[Ford Fairlane]

There is a town in the northern nsw hinterland that is famous for cannabis

 

you might be able to go there and get some to see if it works for him. If so you should start your own grow

[Skunkxxx]

lyrica is also good,good smoke helps with this drug.i have used them together and works good.

[Sir PsychoHashy]

Hi Cat, welcome to OS.  I have also been diagnosed with FM, along with chronic fatigue syndrome.  I have heard of a lot of people getting good pain relief from cannabis, but I suspect this varies from person to person, and strain to strain.  In my case I have yet to experience noticable pain relief as a direct result of smoking weed, for any pain including FM.  However, as long as I don't smoke too much, I do find that it is very helpful in relaxing my muscles which I find helps with pace of recovery and lowering pain levels in the long term, if that makes sense.

 

If your hubby is interested in trying cannabis medically, initially you will need to get whatever you can buy illegally.  If he finds it beneficial I would recommend researching a few strains that are supposed to be helpful with pain relief, and muscle/joint conditions, and importing some seeds and growing your own, as unless you can find an exceptional dealer you will have no idea, or control over, what strains you can  buy.  This is pretty much the stage I am currently at.  I haven't made any final decisions on what strains I will be looking to grow next season yet, but a couple that are on my "of medical interest" list are: AK47, white widow, white russian, blueberry, and jack herer.  I would probably opt for indica dominant as being the best bet, as they give more of a body stone.  I will also be trying alternative forms of administration such as tinctures and eating after I harvest my current grow to see if they provide better medical relief.

 

Hope you find this helpful.  If you go down this road, retain your membership to this site, there is a lot of info and helpful people here.

[The Stoned Jester]

Heya Catateo, Welcome aboard hope you enjoy your stay.

 

I too have been diagnosed with Fibro and Joint Hypermobility Syndrome - those two together really cause me a lot of pain, most of the regular meds dont do squat.

i smoke cannabis cause I think i helps me in my own way, takes my mind off the pain - i don't like taking man made pills and shit it screws with my stomach (with ibs too doesn't help)

 

But yeah Dr Dave pretty much sums it up, grow your own, get indica / strain known for medical goodness, consider other forms of consumption im pretty sure some indica cookies will get you baked way better then smoking it.

stick round OS and get all the info you need, remember never openly ask for hookups / deals here it's not what the site is for.

peace

[merl1n]

Hi Cat,

I use cannabis as part of my pain management regime and although my pain is not fibro related you may find it beneficial, especially as the pharma hasn't worked. It is HIGHLY unlikely you'll find a medical practitioner that will condone the use of canna for any medical condition and therefore it is a case of experimenting with whatever works for your partner. Many years ago, 10-15years, I disclosed to the medicos that I used canna. Last month I had major brain surgery, In my medical file it stated that I am an illicit drug user. My advice is to be very careful about who you tell about using cannabis. For me, I couldn't care less what the medicos think. All those years ago they told me they had 'fixed' my problem. They hadn't at all.  I had been complaining that something wasn't right. They told me my problem was all in my head, which it turned out was correct, but they were talking psychological not physical. It took years and the fact that I collapsed for them to review my situation.

My personal advice is if it works then use it, I had these medicos asking me about pain on a scale of 1 to 10, my response was 15. They wouldnt accept this as an answer. Pain is very individual and if you haven't been there then no scale can explain it. I put it to one of the dr's that it feels like somebody shooting a bolt from the back of my head out through my eyeball, this prick said 'ohh it can't be that bad' WTF. I told him that I'll go put a pair of steel caps on and kick him in the head and then he can tell me what it feels like. 'there's no need to be that rude' he said. People can only relate to the worst pain they have ever felt and if their pain has never been at that level they have no idea.

Now I go to the dr's for referrals, follow ups and scripts for the pharma drugs. But I do not disclose my canna use. I manage my pain my way. Canna, for me, does not relieve my pain but it stops the pain I'm in from being the centre of my thoughts, yes I am in pain but I can function, I can work. Without the canna, I'm almost bed bound.

 

Again ,as I said, if it works for your partner, then use it. But be careful who you disclose it to as many medicos will point the finger at canna use as being the problem as canna has not been medically approved.

 

Merl1n

Edited February 16, 2013 by merl1n

[kablahblahblah]

Cannabis is great for some symptoms of Fibromyalgia and I hope you find what you need. I know someone who has it and we've been taking the steps to find other compounds which may have value.

 

My friend is trialing noopept (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noopept) for their Fibromyalgia and has had some pretty good results. There seems to be less brain fog, and having a clear mind makes pain and other things easier to deal with. Dosage is 10mg x 2 times a day, sublingual if they can stand the taste. Results (other than the initial feelings) can present themselves in about a week. Have a month off noopept after 3 months on, there should be minimal decline in positive gains. Restart after a month break and continue the cycle. Other nootropics may be of interest. We are currently looking into piracetam, but the level of dosage is hard for them to remember to take, especially during a flare up. Noopept is avaliable on the internet within australia, http://www.axenic.us/opencart/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=421 is good. Their price is one of the bettter, if not the best in Aus.

 

 

Sub psychedelic to borderline psychedelic doses of psilocybin mushrooms have also proved useful to break through the pain, but use sparingly. Sublingual administration appears the most effective route. I hypothesise that if Fibromyalgia has symptoms of things like increased reaction/perception to/of stimuli and seemingly has something to do with brain chemistry/neurological abnormalities, then something that also creates an altered perception may make things worse or allieviate it (I actually dislike homeopathy, but some of the principals make sense). Thankfully in my friends case it allieviates the symptoms to a degree and makes the episodes somewhat easier to deal with. It is an unscientific practice and may even be placebo, but it helps my friend.

 

 

My friend is now down to the occasional pharmaceutical drug eg: diazepam and codeine. And they have not been admited to hospital for their Fibromyalgia in over a year, for the first time in about 5.

 

Fibromyalgia is a horrible disease. I wish anyone battling with it the best of luck.

Edited February 16, 2013 by kablahblahblah

[fnmedical]

As a male fibro sufferer I have to say that I've experienced a lot of positive results from smoking small doses.

 

I got hold of a Magic Flight Box and use it as a pain whistle. I fill it of a morning and as I feel the pain coming I take a hit. Depending on the strain that one chamber can last me a whole day and then before bed I fill the chamber and take the whole thing. 

 

Lyrica didn't work well for me as it played havoc with my emotions and the only prescription drugs that worked contained opioids which are far more dangerous.

 

I'm living in Northern NSW and am finding it VERY difficult to find someone that I trust to buy from while I'm waiting, so I know how it feels. If you're still around I would love to hear some results.

[Sir PsychoHashy]

As a male fibro sufferer I have to say that I've experienced a lot of positive results from smoking small doses.

 

I got hold of a Magic Flight Box and use it as a pain whistle. I fill it of a morning and as I feel the pain coming I take a hit. Depending on the strain that one chamber can last me a whole day and then before bed I fill the chamber and take the whole thing. 

 

Lyrica didn't work well for me as it played havoc with my emotions and the only prescription drugs that worked contained opioids which are far more dangerous.

 

I'm living in Northern NSW and am finding it VERY difficult to find someone that I trust to buy from while I'm waiting, so I know how it feels. If you're still around I would love to hear some results.

 

Couple of points that correlate with my FM and canna experiences there.  Firstly the smaller doses part, I find that sometimes if I get carried away the pain relief can actually stop and it's like it starts directing attention back to the pain and intensifies it a bit.

 

Secondly, the use of a vape.  I would have to say that since I started using a vaporiser, that the effect on pain reduction/distraction is much more noticable than smoking, also have found similar from edibles.  Not sure why a vape would make that difference, but I ain't arguing with it.  Also find it gives me a little more leeway on pushing the boundaries.

 

Yeah, it's pretty hard to find a reliable supplier of decent weed in inland northern NSW, I had been known to drive all the way to Nimbin looking for bush weed, but the quality up there can be variable unless you know the right people, I didn't.  Most of what gets around NW NSW seems to be PGR commercial shite, but sometimes you can find batches of good bush weed getting around.  I dread the day that I fuck up badly enough to end up with an empty stash and have to go back to buying, so I try to grow a little more than I need so I can build up enough to allow for a failed crop.  You really need to grow your own decent strains for medicinal use to avoid the crap and inconsistent results as well.

[merl1n]

...I dread the day that I fuck up badly enough to end up with an empty stash and have to go back to buying, so I try to grow a little more than I need so I can build up enough to allow for a failed crop.  You really need to grow your own decent strains for medicinal use to avoid the crap and inconsistent results as well.

I totally agree with this statement. It wasn't so much that I 'fucked up badly', but circumstances beyond my control prevailed, medically, and I have been 'taken out of commission'. It has only been the fact that I had built up my reserves prior that I haven't had to turn to the local pub dealer. I grow my medicine indoor, so I control everything and I don't need to go looking at pissy little bags or foils (..do they still have foils? ) and next grow I'll replenish some of my reserves

 

Merl1n

Edited November 10, 2014 by merl1n