{"componentChunkName":"component---common-build-question-tags-template-js","path":"/question-tag/back-pain/7","result":{"data":{"allQuestion":{"edges":[{"node":{"id":"Question_10840-markdown","title":"Best products for back pain and insomnia without the high?","slug":"best-products-for-back-pain-and-insomnia-without-the-high","content":"\"I'm completely new to this so I need help in finding something that will work for me. I have chronic back pain, insomnia and anxiety. I would love something that could help me more with the back pain and the insomnia...but without the high. I don't want to smoke it either, so I'm thinking a tincture, a cream or a vape, but i have no idea what to ask for. I used my medical card for the first time last weekend, and bought two vapes. One was 110mg of CBD and the other was 250mg of CBD. I was told to use the lower dose during the day and the higher one at night. But sadly, neither one has affected me at all. I have a very high tolerance to medicine in general. Could this be why? Energy drinks and caffeine don't touch me either. The reason I'm coming here for help is because I'm so new to this and did not realize that this was so expensive. The next time I go in to purchase something I'd like to have a better idea of what I need.\"\n_____________________\nI would use a high CBD tincture like 18:1 Care by Design plus a topical balm if needed. You can go slow with the topical balm and see how you feel after the tincture.\n\njrec\n_____________________\nThe high concentrate CBD oil, smoked in a vape pen, may help both the pain and insomnia, if taken nightly. \nThe back pain relief may be augmented (helped more) with a topical product of medical marijuana.\nDispensaries may offer samples of the topicals to experience which works best for you.\n\ndrraisen\n_____________________\nCBD alone for back pain might work but it might not. You may want to review our Educational blurb on the entourage affectBecause when you do CBD and it has a low dose of THC, you will not be high but the THC supports the effectiveness of the CBD so book doing CBD alone you will miss that extra support. The topical cannabis salve that is CBD dominant works well to block muscle spasms and pain especially in your back and it will not make you high because it does not go systemic so I would question why you wouldn't want any THC in your salve If it makes it more effective. You do need a recommendation for the CBD with the THC.\nYou can also purchase a vapor pen with high CBD and very low THC ratio that will not make you high but it will help you get out of pain. If you are sensitive to the THC then keep the THC level very low. You may also try THCA, or juicing green buds.\nIt is nice to live life pain-free. Often the missed connection between back pain and freedom from back pain is a deficiency of vitamin D. Ideally your blood level of vitamin D3 should be above 55 ng/ML for optimal pain relief. If you are brown skinned, over 50 years old, take proton pump inhibitors or have any gastric absorption problems, You are likely vitamin D3 deficient and your doctor should measure your levels and You should consider supplementing rather than ruining your skin trying to get enough vitamin D from the sun.\n\ndrolson\n_____________________\nHonestly what people have been saying about the entourage effect with cannabis is true.  Cannabinoids in themselves heightens the effectiveness of other medicines.  But to truly answer this question one has to know a bit about the sources of your pain, insomnia and anxiety, as these are dual symptoms that could come from physical accidents or mental depression.  The cure will be found in targeting the cause of the discomfort.  Generally with these symptoms a combination of talk therapy and medicine is most effective.  I would recommend a medicinal bar that I have actually created, it will give you a light buzz but as long as you stay in the recommended dose it will not get you very high.  Less than a Xanax or Wellbutrin.  Remember that cannabinoids increase the effectiveness of the mind's ability to make use of other medicine, so sometimes the best way to use cannabis compounds is to take them with a significantly lower dose of whatever else you used to take for this problem before.  I can assume you were medicating the pain before you moved to cannabis?  In case you don't find my product, the active ingredients are full indica flower and ashwagandha root. it is further supplemented with Gingko Bilbao, ginseng (and others in my energy bar) or in my anxiety bar there is also Kava.  These combinations I have found work the very best for pain, insomnia and anxiety.  My bar is called the e420 bar and my company is Whole Soul Holistic.\n\ne420bar\n_____________________\nEveryone's situation and CBD preferences are different. \n\nSince you prefer vaping, you might wish to try something stronger, Respira offers a 600mg option in a really popular grape-mint flavor: https://elixinol.com/product/cbd-vape-oil-600mg-respira-grape-mint/\n\nIf you're still not getting the results you want after you try it, feel free to reach to Dr. Philip Blair through our website, he can work with you to make serving size recommendations specific to your situation.\n\nelixinol\n_____________________\nIf cost is an issue, might I offer a very easy recipe for an infused oil/ topical with cannabis?  It should be much cheaper than purchasing one and in my experience, pt's who make their own topicals seem to get more pain relief (perhaps love is the secret ingredient?).  This recipe is very easy and all it requires is a slow cooker/ crock pot,  1 cup coconut oil (you can buy in bulk @ Costco),  15-17 grams of plant material (shake, flowers).  You combine all three for 6-8 hrs at 250 degrees. Apply to the back, combine w/ use of heat pack.  Don't forget to do myofascial release daily (I teach pts to do self massage using tennis/ racquet balls against a wall to provide pressure to localized myofascial points.  Don't forget to ask health insurance if they cover basic PT sessions or provide accupuncture sessions like Kaiser and other plans.  I hope this helps out!\n\ndrpark","image":null}},{"node":{"id":"Question_10824-markdown","title":"Product and dosage suggestions for high tolerance?","slug":"product-and-dosage-suggestions-for-high-tolerance","content":"\"I went to a dispensary over the weekend and got two vapes. One was 110mg (I believe) of CBD for my lower back pain and the other was a little stronger at 250 mg. The guy explained to me that it would help me with all of my symptoms (chronic lower back pain, insomnia, and anxiety). But after spending almost $100 on those, they aren't touching me at all. Now while I understand that I have to try different things to find out what works best for me, I also can't afford to keep \"testing\" products out. I don't have much money so I'm hoping i can find something within the first couple tries. Also, maybe I should have mentioned this to the dispensary, but my tolerance to meds in general is very high. I can take 1600 mg of Advil for my back pain before I start to feel the pain relief. So I'm starting to think now that maybe I have to apply that tolerance to marijuana as well? The guy at the dispensary was pretty adamant that I would notice a difference with the vape and that I would be able to sleep better, but honestly, it's not touching me. Any thoughts or recommendations on what I should do?\"\n_____________________\nTolerance is effected by many factors, including individual metabolism and frequency and duration of use. Rather than increasing your dose over time as your tolerance builds, it may be better to lower your tolerance by decreasing the dose and frequency of use.  Similarly, some patients take a \"drug holiday\" for several days or weeks to cleanse themselves of cannabis and \"reset\" their endocannabinoid receptors. \n\nEdibles, because they are longer acting, have to be taken less frequency than inhaled medicine and maintain cannabinoid levels at a more constant levels. This may help prevent the development of tolerance as compared to frequent, high-dose spikes of vaporized cannabis.\n\ndredmunds\n_____________________\nFor long term users, I advise patients to abstain from cannabis use for 48 hours then to resume at about 1/3 the dose they were using and titrate up to the effective dose. It sounds as if your case may be a little different.  I would recommend trying a tincture sublingually. You lose quite a bit of medicine to the atmosphere with inhalation and as Dr Edmunds stated, the effects are short lived. True edibles (cookies, etc) lose quite a bit of medicine to the digestive process and renders the cannabis to be more psychoactive. With tinctures (chocolates and lozenges act more like tincture in that they melt and stay in your mouth longer), the medicine is absorbed through the small capillaries in the oromucosa of the mouth and very little is \"lost\".  The drops are placed under the tongue and should be held there for 60 -90 secs before swallowing. It takes about 20 mins to observe the effects. So you have to titrate your dose by adding a drop or two every 20 mins or so until your pain is relieved - then add up the number of drops you've used and that's your dose for the next time. When used properly, the effect of tinctures can last 5-6 hrs. I would also suggest using a variety that has both THC and CBD. While they are individually good pain relievers, together they synergize each other's pain relieving effects. The CBD will mitigate the psychoactivity of THC. Also... acetaminophen potentiates the pain relieving effects of THC so try taking a dose at the same time you use the cannabis. A 1:1 THC:CBD strains that is particularly good for pain and very mentally relaxing is MediHaze. If too much psychoactivity, try a strain with a 1:2 ratio.\n\ndrfrye\n_____________________\nI'm sorry to hear that you're having a tough time with your back; is the pain causing your insomnia? \n\nHere's the thing; not all pain patients respond to CBD alone. You may need to have a more balanced product with some THC included to get a good response. I've worked with many, many pain patients who only get partial relief from CBD. Patients tend not to need much THC to get a lot of relief; even at lower doses it can make a big difference. I've found that small amounts of THC are especially helpful for nerve pain, so if you have sciatica or shooting pains down your legs, it's certainly worth trying.\n\nIt's important to remember to avoid Sativa sources of THC since it can make anxiety worse.\n\nIf THC during the day isn't an option, you may get relief from a topical. Topicals will not make you feel high, but they work very well for pain. Two of the best that I've tried are made by Daddy Bones, as well as Salvation made by a collective in California called WAMM.\n\nAnother possibility is that even though that vape has 250mg of CBD in it, how much are you getting with each puff? Are you absorbing it efficiently? It could be that the dose you are getting is too small to help you. Also, vaped cannabis usually provides relief for a few hours at a time; you might want to look into capsules or tinctures for longer lasting relief. \n\nThe Capsule Cooperative carries a variety of CBD capsules, but we also offer a 1:1 CBD/THC capsule that's great for pain. Try a week of 10/10 or 20/20 at night, and a 20mg CBD capsule during the day; you might find that upping your CBD dosage and including some THC works a lot better than vaping.\n\nI hear that high doses of NSAIDS aren't touching your pain, but tolerance there doesn't necessarily mean that you have a tolerance to cannabis. CBD works on similar pathways, but there's still enough of a difference that Motrin tolerance shouldn't translate over to CBD tolerance. When you find the right kind of cannabis, you may be pleasantly surprised by how little cannabis you need to make a big difference in your pain.\n\nartemiscrow\n_____________________\nI think the ideas from Dr.'s Frye and Edmunds are excellent as are the thoughts from @artemiscrow.   Since you've already purchased the 2 CBD vape cartridges, I might suggest that you keep both of them and when you've been able to save enough, buy a cartridge that predominantly THC (in low or medium dose) or tincture that is mainly THC.  To take advantage of the en\\tourage effect seen w/ co-administration of diff. cannabinoid combos like CBD and THC together, I would then suggest taking a puff of either CBD vaporizer and within minutes also administer a small dose of THC via vape or tincture so you effectively combine the effect of these two different cannabinoids.  \"Drug Holidays\"/ short term abstaining from med cann is also a good idea periodically imho.  I hope this helps!\n\ndrpark","image":null}},{"node":{"id":"Question_10679-markdown","title":"i have extreme back pain, how can i obtain cannabis oil/liquid for the area affected by the  pain?","slug":"i-have-extreme-back-pain-how-can-i-obtain-cannabis-oil-liquid-for-the-area-affected-by-the-pain","content":"\n_____________________\nIf this is a new condition, it is important to be evaluated by orthopedics to determine if you have a reparable injury. Many patients with chronic back pain have found medicines high in CBD to be helpful for comforting pain and, while relatively low in THC, less psychoactive - allowing them to be more functional.  There are a variety of topical medicines, such as lotions and salves containing cannabis, that may decrease inflammation and provide localized pain relief.  These are carried at several dispensaries throughout the state.  You may want to call ahead to confirm that your dispensary carries one or more of these products.  \n\ndredmunds","image":null}},{"node":{"id":"Question_10662-markdown","title":"plantars fasciitis. enable me to get a reccomendation?","slug":"plantars-fasciitis-enable-me-to-get-a-reccomendation","content":"\"foot, heel, leg, and lower back pain. already had the surgeries to almost no avail. have dealt with this problem for years now\"\n_____________________\nUnfortunately, plantar fasciitis and the other bone problems you're describing may actually indicate that you may be rapidly aging. You must examine what you're doing with your diet and exercise plan because it sounds like you were building up a lot of inflammatory cells and this is typically from eating too many Omega 6 and Omega 9 foods in your diet causing inflammation and that is why we typically give large doses of omega-3 is to counter the inflammation along with high CBD low/THC cannabis to stop inflammatory cells. Try alkalinizing your tissue by eating vegetables, fruit and legumes and for two weeks eliminate all prepared foods, white foods, dairy, meats, sugar and simple carbohydrates in order to adequately change the pH in your tissue reducing pain signals. Support your body with vitamin D3 and high CBD cannabis to improve your overall health. Do not take extra calcium unless you have been proven to be deficient because extra calcium calcify's the blood vessels, heart valves and muscles, tissue you don't want calcified because it leads to more medical complications. In order to put the dietary calcium obtain from greens and seaweed into the bones it is necessary to have a healthy vitamin D blood level above 50 ng/ML. You may want to look up the exercises for plantar fasciitis and apply topical cannabis salve to your low back and the bottom of your feet before you start the stretching exercises and remember isometric stretches work well to reduce your pain. If you are over 60 years old you may want to talk with me about how to support a failing hypothalamus/pituitary since plantar fasciitis is often the first sign of this aging process. Do try the things I have suggested and if you aren't significantly improved within six weeks consider contacting me.\n\ndrolson","image":null}},{"node":{"id":"Question_10636-markdown","title":"What role do terpenes play in helping with pain relief?   ","slug":"what-role-do-terpenes-play-in-helping-with-pain-relief","content":"\"I use cannabis for back pain. Should I be only concerned about THC and CBD, or should I be looking for plants with the right terpenes as well? If so, which ones? Thanks for your help!\"\n_____________________\nIf the variety of cannabis you are using isn't addressing your pain, first make sure that both CBD and THC are present. They work against pain together better than either one does alone: 2+2= > 4. Also make sure you are not using too much. THC is most effective against pain at low to moderate doses and is very ineffective against pain at high doses. You might look at the terpenes associated with pain relief, including muscle relaxation, and decreasing  inflammation. All of these modalities play a role in causing and perpetuating pain. Caryophyllene (black pepper, cloves, oregano, rosemary, cinanamon, basil) is a pain reliever, muscle relaxant, and anti-inflammatory;  linalool  (lavender, citrus fruits, coriander, bay leaves) is a pain reliever; pinene is an anti-inflammatory and pain reliever; myrcene     (mango, bay leaves, hops, thyme, lemongrass) is analgesic and anti-inflammatory and humulene (hops) is a potent anti-inflammatory.  Don't limit yourself to the terpenes in cannabis, but also consider incorporating these terpenes into your diet and aromatherapy as well. \n\ndrfrye\n_____________________\nCleaning houses for a large part of my life has led to back pain for me. I recently started adding the Lime OG terpene from https://www.true-blue.co/products/lime-og-terpenes to my vaporizer and I do feel a difference. \n\n\nAng","image":null}},{"node":{"id":"Question_10564-markdown","title":"Should I be drinking more water than usual if I'm using marijuana regularly?","slug":"should-i-be-drinking-more-water-than-usual-if-im-using-marijuana-regularly","content":"\"I use marijuana for back pain, but I have also read that dehydration can also cause back pain. I was wondering if you need to drink more water than normal if you are using cannabis?\"\n_____________________\nThis is a 2 part question. Yes dehydration can cause back pain. The vertebrae in the back are cushioned by a disc that is filled with a gelatinous substance that is composed mainly of water Over time this water get pushed out and needs to be replaced. Drinking an adequate amount of water helps to restore the shape of the disc and prevent the discs from going out of alignment and causing back pain.\n\nThe dry mouth that you get when using cannabis in any form is possibly caused this way. Since the salivary gland have both CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors and since cannabis contains them, it can inhibit the production of saliva. So drinking water while using cannabis can help to prevent \"cottonmouth\".\n\nPerry Solomon, MD","image":null}},{"node":{"id":"Question_10558-markdown","title":"Can I use cannabis as a replacement for Vicodin?","slug":"can-i-use-cannabis-as-a-replacement-for-vicodin","content":"\"I suffer from chronic back pain and have been using vicodin. However, my doctor has stated that I need to end my reliance on this drug, and I am looking for a replacement. Advill and others don't provide the relief I am looking for. What cannabis products might be a good choice for me?\"\n_____________________\nCannabis has had more and more positive feedback in people trying to cut down or eliminate their opioid use. Every day in the United States about 44 people die as result of opioid overdoses. There has never been a reported death from cannabis use. Donald Abrams, MD, a professor of medicine at University of California, San Francisco, has studied the effects of medical marijuana on pain since the mid-1990s. In 2011, he published a small study of 21 patients that found that the addition of marijuana to a twice-daily opioid regimen led to a 25 percent reduction in pain. It suggests cannabis could allow pain patients to lower their opioid dosage and still get pain relief.\n\nIt seems that patients can get short term pain relief from cannabis that contains only 1.3 percent tetrahydrocannabinol (or THC), the ingredient that gives marijuana its psychotropic effects. Pot used for recreational purposes has 6 to 12 percent THC, but can go as high as 20 percent. A  higher concentration of cannabidiol (CBD) mixed with a little THC seems to be the best bet for decreasing opioid use. There is one called “20:1,” named for its ratio of CBD to THC. \n\nThe fastest way to obtain relief is by smoking or vaping the cannabis product. Tinctures or capsules are effective as well as using an edible that can last the longest.\n\n\n\nPerry Solomon, MD\n_____________________\nThe short answer is, yes!\n\nI have had many patients decrease their reliance on opioids such as Vicodin, Percocet and oxycodone for pain relief by substituting often large quantities of opioids with medicinal cannabis. I strongly urge this be done under close medical supervision, guided by a physician familiar with both opioid pain medication and cannabis use. \n\nFor a longtime I struggled with my chronic pain patients for whom Tylenol and Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen and Naprosyn didn’t offer enough pain relief. It seemed like the next step was opioids and there was very little in between to offer patients. These days I spend less time transitioning patients off their opioids and more time convincing them to try cannabis first. Using cannabis, many of my patients have avoided the whole opioid epidemic. \n\nThe choice of cannabis product for your back pain should be tailored to your individual pain relief needs. It will depend on whether your pain is constant or intermittent. Whether your pain is predominant throughout the day or whether it affects your sleep as well. It will depend on your personal situation such as your need to drive or work. \n\nVicodin is a short-term opioid that relieves pain for hours at a time. As such, it often needs to be dosed several times a day. The equivalent short term method for pain relief with cannabis could be inhalation such as vaporizing or using a vape pen. Pain relief starts within 5-10 minutes usually but only lasts 2-4 hours. \n\nOther methods of cannabis provide longer coverage of pain relief and you may find topicals, tinctures and edibles more useful. I rarely find one cannabis product fits all and often different products at different times works best. Also, it is important to understand that everyone reacts differently to cannabis products.\n\nIf you are new to cannabis use, I would recommend trying a topical CBD cream or lotion directly on the skin over you back initially, as there is no high associated with CBD topicals with perhaps time release patches being the theoretical exception. I would then likely recommend a 20:1 CBD:THC tincture in addition. If your pain was preventing sleep, I might introduce a different product such as a 1:1 THC:CBD tincture for night time pain relief and sleep enhancement.\n\n\ndrbluto\n_____________________\nIt's so frustrating when you can't get a good nights sleep! Many factors come into play but if it is your back that's keeping you awake at night that's fairly easy to resolve.\nIf you have been doing Sativa in the evening, to go to sleep you need to add CBD (Oral spray tincture works well to stop the brain chatter) but if you are doing Indica and you suffer with brain chatters the same technique works because you tend to sleep much better when your CBD and THC are in a one-to-one or equal balance. I also suggest that you may want to do a CBD dominant topical salve rubbed into your back just before bedtime to keep you out of pain and muscle spasm through the night. If you wake up in the night you can vaporize off a 1:1 vapor pen to go back to sleep. If your sleep problems are actually from an accumulation of stress and anxiety throughout the day please, consider using the low-dose CBD (an 8:1, CVD: THC should work well and does not make you high) a couple of times during the day to keep yourself calm and even with your emotions and you will actually sleep better.  Some people just don't sleep well with high THC so please be aware of that and you may need to balance with CBD. Good luck, a good night sleep is worth making some changes.\n\ndrolson\n_____________________\nLimiting your exposure to opiate medications is a great way to improve your overall health and limit the risks that come with this class of medications. Many patients experience side effects such as nausea, constipation, drowsiness, and poor appetite not to mention the long-term risks of abuse and addiction.\n\nThere are several options for pain control depending on the specific underlying cause of your pain. You may consider non-steroidal pain medications like ibuprofen, naproxen, and meloxicam. Local pain treatment with a lidocaine patch or voltaren gel is also an option with lower risk of side effects. Of course, there are non-pharmaceutical options, which is likely the reason for your question on this site.\n\nThe same principles that apply to traditional medications apply to cannabis. A topical cannabis-infused product is recommended as the first approach to pain control. This could include a cannabis-infused patch, lotion, balm, or ointment applied directly to the skin or massaged into the skin. Higher CBD content products tend to work well for this since there is an anti-inflammatory property associated with CBD.\n\nPain can also be treated with as needed vaporized cannabis products. Vaporizers work well for immediate relief since they take 5 minutes or less to feel the effect. Again, a higher CBD product is preferred due to its anti-inflammatory properties. THC can be effective but tends to be more of a way to distract from pain as opposed to treating the inflammation associated with pain. You own trial and error is important when treating pain. Just remember to use as little as needed for relief without overdoing it.\n\nFinally, don't forget about conservative pain management using physical therapy, massage therapy, heat and cold packs, and acupuncture which can be very effective for certain individuals depending on the underlying cause of the pain.\n\nsankmd\n_____________________\nFibromyalgia affects a large number of Americans, and medical marijuana can be an effective alternative to traditional pharmaceutical products.  Generally, a balanced product with both THC and CBD is a good choice for chronic pain, while avoiding excess side effects.  Products that are ingested/swallowed have a longer duration of action, so you can experience a gradual, steady pain relief effect.  There are a few articles on fibro in our Health & Wellness section that you can check out for more details, including some recommended strains.  Best of luck to you in finding improved pain relief!\n\ndrbultman\n_____________________\nThis question is a real challenge because I have different answers for different parts of the body and do you want to be awake or asleep? \nI love the topical CBD dominant salve for most all pain in my body and so far I have enjoyed many brands but my favorite is Canna Care because it is very effective at relieving pain especially the ~2:1 ratio. \nFor vaporizing, I think it is hard to beat AC/DC because it is fast and effective and it does not leave me with any psychoactive effect and no anxiety as it quickly relieves the pain. \nI personally tend to avoid edibles due to the carbs and the edibles are so regional, any recommendation would be of little benefit but I am certain another doctor might be able to give advise on edibles. \nI like a variety of tinctures but I tend to like to spray the tincture in my mouth or hold it under my tongue so that makes the strong alcoholic tinctures too hot for me but the alcohol extracted tinctures are still excellent products. \nWe have many fine products on our website so please, explore the products.\n\ndrolson\n_____________________\nConsider CBD for pain since it works well and usually very little if any side effects as long as the THC is low. Once the ratio of CBD to THC is more than 8 parts CBD to 1 part THC, it is unlikely you would notice any psychoactive effect.  If you are in pain and you want to go to sleep try a 4:1 CBD dominant or even a 2:1 or 1:1 but you will notice the psychoactive effect before you go to sleep. It will take some experimenting, go low and slow and you will find your perfect dose but do not be afraid, cannabis tends to be much more gentle than pharmaceutical narcotics or benzodiazepines.\n\ndrolson\n_____________________\nPain is one of the most common uses for medical marijuana.  Whether it's inflammation, headaches, neuropathic pain, muscle soreness, spinal injury, fibromyalgia or cramps, people have seen varying degrees of success with cannabis.\n\nwendynp\n_____________________\nI believe the best relief for severe back pain are the CBD topical salves in a 2:1 ratio, applied every hours during your waking hours to keep the pain in remission, take a high CBD oral spray or tincture in addition so you are treating yourself inside and outside And within one week you should have a profound reduction in your pain level. If you are still experiencing pain within one week please, be sure to have your vitamin D blood level checked and take vitamin D3 in order to get your blood level above 55 MG/ML for optimum pain relief.\nStay well hydrated and pay attention to your posture. If your posture is poor, the nerves can't call you on the phone to scream, \"Get off me!\" and you will experience pain. \nYou must do everything to get better or except the fact that you're not going to get better until you do everything. The body likes to be healthy and well and wants to be healthy and well and now you have the tools to get healthy and well. You cannot get enough sunshine to make enough vitamin D to correct your problem.\n\ndrolson\n_____________________\nMany good answers here, and I'd just like to mention that there is clear published medical science demonstrating that cannabis improves the pain relieving effects of opioids.  This has allowed many people to use cannabis to reduce their Vicodin dosage while maintaining adequate pain relief. \n\ndrelkind\n_____________________\nWhether it's Vicodin, Percocet or another opioid, cannabis typically works well as an alternative to these pain killers. Marijuana can either reduce opioid use or eliminate it altogether.\n\nHere's an excerpt from the above video: \n\nPamela: Dr. Solomon I love this next question because it's so timely with what's going on in the news today. Can cannabis be replaced by Vicodin?\n\nDr. Solomon:  We certainly hope so and more and more studies are showing that it absolutely can. Dr. Donald Abrams, a professor of medicine at UCSF has shown in a study that people who had been using Vicodin showed a 25% decrease in their Vicodin use when they started using cannabis to replace it. It's just remarkable how many people are seeing that the side effects of cannabis are so little compared to the side effects of Vicodin and as you know the new demands by the government are saying that people can't even get Vicodin for their chronic pain.\n\nPamela: Yeah so it's so hard to get and people are also recognizing [they] don't want to be on opioids anymore [they] want an alternative.\n\nDr. Solomon: And the dangers of opioids are huge, with suicides, overdoses, etc. As a matter of fact the 24 in the country now that have legalized medical cannabis have shown a 25-30% decrease in the opioid overdoses that occur, causing death. \n\nPamela: And my own personal story, I know that I was able to replace Vicodin with cannabis in my own pain management, so personally I do believe that it works.\n\nDanielle Lim ","image":null}}]}},"pageContext":{"limit":12,"skip":72,"numPages":7,"currentPage":7,"id":4983,"name":"Back Pain","slug":"back-pain","country":"US"}},"staticQueryHashes":["3949754563","4179947113","4202924991"]}