{"componentChunkName":"component---common-build-question-tags-template-js","path":"/question-tag/opioids/3","result":{"data":{"allQuestion":{"edges":[{"node":{"id":"Question_11270-markdown","title":"Willis / Ekbom Disease","slug":"willis-ekbom-disease","content":"\"If I am \"lucky\" I manage to sleep 2 or 3 hours a night; at times I sleep one night in three. Willis / Ekbom Disease presented when I was about 6 years old, and the symptoms have progressed to the point where I must move my legs constantly every time I lay down, and if I stop the sensations are so utterly torturous that I cannot keep my legs and feet at rest for more than a few seconds. In the past I have found that only an opioid helps me sleep, but I wish to avoid that route--- it's far too dangerous to grow dependent on an opioid to sleep.\n\nIs there any evidence that cannabis can help ease my suffering? At times I have contemplated killing myself because the lack of sleep, and the hellish torture of always having to move my feet and legs, becomes far greater than I can endure.\"\n_____________________\nYes cannabis can give you relief from your symptoms and help you achieve a good nights rest. I have spoken with many patients who have used cannabis to successfully treat restless leg syndrome (Willis/Ekbom Disease) and the insomnia that it causes. Often these patients have been suffering for many years and have tried a variety of medicines and therapies. I would reccomend an indica dominant strain, either vaporized or as a sublingual tincture. You may also want to find a strain high in CBN, which is quite sedating. Experiment with different strains and methods of consumption. Topicals massaged directly onto your legs might also provide relief. \n\nandrewvanmd\n_____________________\nSince I have studied nutrition for 45 years, It's really important to understand that restless leg syndrome maybe a sign that your homocysteine is too high. In some people a high homocysteine is anything over eight if you have a predisposition to heart disease or cancer and that is revealed in your genetic chart but your doctor can also do a test for MTHFR (methyltetrahydrofolatereductase). If you are either heterozygous or homozygous for MTHFR, it would be wise to greatly increase your CBD cannabis intake and add methylated B vitamins, morning and evening since this would likely take care of your restless legs syndrome. Your body can't call you on the telephone and say,\"We need more B vitamins to detoxify the body\" but it can give you restless leg syndrome until somebody recognizes that it is a toxicity that needs to be addressed. You may need more assimilated zinc and eating sprouted, organic quinoa could help greatly as well as additional vitamin B6 (P5P). Good luck, since this is a problem that shouldn't be covered up but you may need a functional medicine doctor to help you resolve the problem completely well still being able to enjoy your cannabis because cannabis does provide extra methyl groups that helps your body detoxify.\n\ndrolson\n_____________________\nHi there. I too have RLS  I use a 500 mg of  HEMP OIL RSHO dose, before retiring.  No restless leg syndrome occurs...Has got me off Valium  pills to dose off..Tiger Lily...9-28-16\n.,\n\ntigerlily","image":null}},{"node":{"id":"Question_10798-markdown","title":"My mom wants to get of of the opioid meds, but she doesn't wan't to replace it with THC","slug":"my-mom-wants-to-get-of-of-the-opioid-meds-but-she-doesnt-want-to-replace-it-with-thc","content":"\"My mom had chronic pain due to nerve damage. She currently uses CBD and is working to stop using opioids. It's not going as well as we hoped it would, but is there something she can use to get off the opioids and not replace it with THC?\"\n_____________________\nActually, in one study, patients were tested and they voted the most effective pain reliever was a \n4:1, CBD : THC oral spray. If a nerve is in the process of dying or if it's being restored, it screams because your body can't call you on the telephone, it has to communicate internally. \nWhat happened to the nerve?\nWhen I started taking super high CBD, low THC tincture regularly, twice daily, I had a nerve reawakening after 30 years of hypersensitivity on the skin and numbness all around from a nerve being severed, but nothing brought it back until I use CBD. The 28 : 1, CBD to THC is not psychoactive but the THC does augment the function of the CBD cannabis.\nIn order to effectively control pain, the pain cycle must be broken with regular medication use otherwise we actually imprint the nerves to keep firing the pain signal and the pain will not stop even though the body may not be experiencing pain. \nCBD cannabis with low THC appears to be safer then all non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.\nMaybe showing your mother the information on our website will be helpful to get her away from opioids and I honor your willingness to help her, be proud of yourself.\n\ndrolson\n_____________________\nI highly recommend your mom go to a medical detox. Getting off of pain killers is not easy on your own. I was on pain killers, of 1 kind or another for 16 years. I tried to stop taking them on my own Many times. I'd always end up in the ER because of it. The only way, @ least for me, was a Medical Detox facility. It was the best thing I'd done for myself (& my family!) in 16 years!\n\njanetp\n_____________________\nHello there, \n\nI hope this finds you well! \n\nI'd like to state i'm not a doctor; I own a delivery service in Marin County, California and I'm proud to say I have helped dozen's of people off opiates and onto cannabis - I think that everyone's body is different and it will take some experimenting on how much / which strains / methods you use of cannabis but yes you will most likely be very successful switching / detoxing from opiates and onto cannabis. \n\nI hope this was helpful! \n- Nurit w/ ONA\n\nnurit\n_____________________\nYes, in my experience. Orally and topically CBD has been helpful for all patients. If it does not remove all of the pain it will make the opioids more effective at lower doses.\n\ndrblair\n_____________________\nHello! We believe that one of the greatest potentials for treatment with cannabis is to help patients who are suffering from opiate addiction. Cannabis can help treat chronic pain as well as helping to alleviate opiate withdrawal symptoms. Even those individuals who are not addicted but who seek to avoid the use of unnecessary opiates can find treatment alternatives with cannabis. For more information and a video on this subject, \nBest of luck!\n\ndrjacquelynlew","image":null}},{"node":{"id":"Question_10655-markdown","title":"I'm having open heart surgery soon and I want to reduce my use of opioids post surgery. Is the use of cannabis safe?","slug":"im-having-open-heart-surgery-soon-and-i-want-to-reduce-my-use-of-opioids-post-surgery-is-the-use-of-cannabis-safe","content":"\"if OK, is smoking or vaping OK?\"\n_____________________\n\nI think that's an excellent idea. Studies have shown that cannabis use with opioids can decrease your opioid use up to 25%.. However, there are several things to consider. After your surgery for several week, your medications may be changed, added or discontinued by your cardiologist or surgeon. These changes can affect your blood pressure and heart rate, so both should be stable before starting cannabis since it can sometimes cause changes in both. \n\nDuring this time you might need to take some narcotics that the surgeon has prescribed. Everyone's reaction to the chest wall pain after open-heart surgery is different and you may find that your pain is minimal by the time your medications, blood pressure, and heart rate are stabilized. \n\nWhen all is stable I would suggest speaking with the surgeon and cardiologist to tell them that you would like to take cannabis for pain, if in fact, it is still there, to decrease your use of narcotics. Cardiac surgery patients usually begin cardiac rehabilitation 2-4 weeks after uncomplicated cardiac surgery, but this depends on your physical condition prior to surgery and other factors such as any difficulties during or after surgery.\n\nWhen cardiac rehab does begin you may experience chest wall pain from the deeper breathing that you get from the exercise program to strengthen the heart muscle that you get from rehabilitation. It is this chest wall discomfort or pain that you might need to use cannabis for if anti-inflammatories do not work (which sometimes is all that is needed at this point).\n \nNow to finally answer your question. Since its usually the chest incision that causes the most discomfort after open hear surgery (verses minimally invasive cardiac surgery that can be performed if possible), I would avoid both smoking and vaping cannabis. The reason being, though both give the fastest effect, is that they both can cause irritation to your lungs if your not used to inhaling them, which can cause coughing. This of course can be painful with a fresh chest wall incision.\n\nI would tend to use a tincture that can start to take effect within 15-30 minutes. A capsule is another option. I would tend to avoid edibles, except perhaps in the evening for sleep, only for the reason that the effect can take 1-2 hours and you would like pain relief faster then that.\n\nSpeaking of cardiac rehab, it has been shown to significantly decrease your chances of another cardiac event and I would highly recommendation beginning it as soon as possible after your surgery. If you need cannabis to help tolerate it instead of narcotics, then go for it!\n\nPerry Solomon, MD\n_____________________\n\nI love Dr Solomon's answer and would add that the problem I have met is when the patient has a stent and has to be on blood thinners for that reason or for other heart reasons, then the cannabis does add to thinning the blood and the dose of blood thinner may need to be adjusted to accommodate the cannabis. \n\nMany doctors will tell you to stop the cannabis but because it has such profound pain relief without the addiction risk of narcotics I would encourage that you pursue talking with your doctor about your choices rather than their choices. \n\nOne of the major reasons for conflict in medicine is when doctors forced their choices on patients, and the patient suffers a bad outcome, then the patient is angry and takes action against the doctor. Sometimes it's up to the patient to teach the doctor to learn to listen. Good luck, we all want to be seen and heard, so be well centered and express your wishes with kindness but you can be firm and repetitive in order to be heard.\n\nDr Olson\n_____________________\n\nI agree, but do think the short-term opiates have their place in the immediate post-operative period. THC is not the best for acute pain and CBD works best for inflammatory and neuropathic pain.  \n\nCBD competes for metabolic enzymes at the cytochrome P450 level so one must be cautious when using it with medications (Coumadin) that rely on those enzymes for metabolism. So if high CBD strains are used, be sure to dose it at least a couple of hours apart from your other medication - most especially Coumadin.  \n\nDr Frye","image":{"childImageSharp":{"fluid":{"base64":"data:image/png;base64,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","aspectRatio":1.3986013986013985,"src":"/static/e9742025f013a85d88df5ed454ad08ea/ce37b/ab725c6fff57b15e1ccefc184a6267a8.png","srcSet":"/static/e9742025f013a85d88df5ed454ad08ea/69585/ab725c6fff57b15e1ccefc184a6267a8.png 200w,\n/static/e9742025f013a85d88df5ed454ad08ea/497c6/ab725c6fff57b15e1ccefc184a6267a8.png 400w,\n/static/e9742025f013a85d88df5ed454ad08ea/ce37b/ab725c6fff57b15e1ccefc184a6267a8.png 591w","srcWebp":"/static/e9742025f013a85d88df5ed454ad08ea/81574/ab725c6fff57b15e1ccefc184a6267a8.webp","srcSetWebp":"/static/e9742025f013a85d88df5ed454ad08ea/61e93/ab725c6fff57b15e1ccefc184a6267a8.webp 200w,\n/static/e9742025f013a85d88df5ed454ad08ea/1f5c5/ab725c6fff57b15e1ccefc184a6267a8.webp 400w,\n/static/e9742025f013a85d88df5ed454ad08ea/81574/ab725c6fff57b15e1ccefc184a6267a8.webp 591w","sizes":"(max-width: 591px) 100vw, 591px"}}}}},{"node":{"id":"Question_10644-markdown","title":"Curious what HelloMD docs think about NFL and their dismissal of player's using marijuana for medical conditions?","slug":"curious-what-hellomd-docs-think-about-nfl-and-their-dismissal-of-players-using-marijuana-for-medical-conditions","content":"\"There is so much media on NFL and how they penalize players if they're caught using weed. It seems they would rather have them addicted to opiates. What do you guys think about their stance? Also, there is all the talk about traumatic brain injury from repeated concussions and whether marijuana helps the players with that. I think NFL players are a national treasure and should be treated well and be allowed to use their weed if they want.\"\n_____________________\nFrankly I think it's ridiculous. More and more players are admitted to using cannabis to help with the pain and inflammation that their bodies take on the field. it seems that the NFL would rather have their players addicted to opioids then use cannabis. Since there is a possibility it can also help to decrease the chance of brain injury from concussions, it should be allowed. Here are some palyers who have spoken up.\n\nFormer NFL running back Ricky Williams says he believes marijuana has medical benefits and can help ease the physical pain that comes with playing the game of football. It seems they would rather have their players addicted to opioids.\n\nWilliams tested positive for marijuana multiple times during his NFL career. He said that the workload took a toll on his body, and seemed to indicate that the league did little to help him with that. So he admitted that he turned to marijuana.\n\nBefore that he said the doctors he would go to gave him prescriptions for narcotics and anti-inflammatories and tell him to \"be tough\". \n\nFormer Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon reportedly called medical marijuana a “godsend,” and credited it with helping him kick an addiction to painkillers.\n\nMcMahon, 56, led the Bears to the Super Bowl XX crown in 1985, but he’s dealt with serious memory issues, headaches, and other issues since walking away from the game. In 2012, he was reportedly diagnosed with dementia.\n\nMcMahon applied for a medical marijuana card in Arizona and told the Chicago Tribune that he’s been using the drug since then and smokes three times a day.\n\n“This medical marijuana has been a godsend. It relieves me of the pain -- or thinking about it, anyway,\" he told the Tribune.\n\nHe believes the number of NFL players who use marijuana has grown significantly. He's not alone. \n\nCurrent players say marijuana use in the sport is extensive, with many using the drug to deal with the ramifications of head trauma. One player said in an interview he believes smoking marijuana helped prevent him from attempting suicide. \n\nAnimal studies have found that CBD has a neuroprotective effect on brain cells. When CBD was administered to pigs with brain injuries, CBD brought electrical activity close to normal levels and reduced amounts of stress on the brain. Mice who were administered CBD had fewer brain cells die from brain injury, when compared to mice that didn't have CBD.\n\nWake up NFL!\n\nPerry Solomon, MD","image":null}},{"node":{"id":"Question_10560-markdown","title":"Are there any strains known to be effective in reducing withdrawal symptoms...when trying to reduce opioid intake?","slug":"are-there-any-strains-known-to-be-effective-in-reducing-withdrawal-symptoms-when-trying-to-reduce-opioid-intake","content":"\n_____________________\nThia questions relates to a previous question relating to cannabis helping decrease vicodin use. Part of the answer is this:\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. A 1:1 THC/CBD ratio might be best if the pain is effecting your sleep as well.\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\nPerry Solomon, MD\n_____________________\nSymptoms of opioids withdrawal include nausea , muscle cramps, anxiety, depression, agitation, opioids cravings ( https://americanaddictioncenters.org/withdrawal-timelines-treatments/opiate )\n Although there are a number of opioid replacement therapies and maintenance medications to help ease the severity of opioid withdrawal symptoms and aid in relapse prevention; however,  these medications are not risk free nor are they successful for all patients.  Cannabis has a good potential to help with these symptoms with no or minimal side effects .   The endocannabinoid and opioidergic systems interact in many different ways. CB1 receptors and mu opioid receptors  are distributed in many of the same areas in the brain, and they have cross-sensitization of their pharmacology (Wiese & Wilson-Poe).   CB1 agonists readily alleviate somatic withdrawal symptoms such as escape jumps, diarrhea, weight loss, and paw tremors, and  reduce the rewarding properties of opioids and prevents reinstatement of drug seeking  (Wiese & Wilson-Poe).\nSo, how in practice Cannabis can be use to help with the symptoms. CBD dominant oral product (oil) can promote long lasting \"plateaou\" effect, while inhaling medical cannabis with higher concentration of THC 1:1 ratio need to be used with crawing and breakthrough symptoms. \n Wiese, B., & Wilson-Poe, A. R. (2018). Emerging Evidence for Cannabis' Role in Opioid Use Disorder. Cannabis and cannabinoid research, 3(1), 179–189. doi:10.1089/can.2018.0022 \n\nkrabell14","image":null}}]}},"pageContext":{"limit":12,"skip":24,"numPages":3,"currentPage":3,"id":5590,"name":"Opioids","slug":"opioids","country":"US"}},"staticQueryHashes":["3949754563","4179947113","4202924991"]}