Multiple Disorders

[Lionheart]

Five European countries, Canada, and fifteen US states have legalized Medical Cannabis if prescribed for nausea, pain, and alleviation of symptoms surrounding chronic illness (such as PTSD). We are well on the way methinks.

Wishing you the best with your healing,
LH

 

[olaja]

Hi, newbie here. I did not know Dr. Phil said "We are only as sick as our secrets." I like that thought, and thank the poster Mercy for sharing it! That said, my body has quite a lot going on, and I really believe that all the disease in me is expression of unhealed trauma.

Peace.

 

[Nighthawk]

Well it amazes me how I miss threads like this one. I live with multiple disorders. I too smoke the wacky to help.

((((((((((((Hugs to all of you))))))))))))))

 

[Shellbell]

I have Chronic PTSD from complex and muliple trauma, along with Severe Depression, Chronic Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Chronic Insomnia, some 'women's health issues' and if I went to the 'right' Pyschiatrist, I have no doubt I would have DID NOS as I fit the diagnostic criterion.

Having chronic & daily pain, along with chronic lack of sleep, along with severe PTSD is incredibly debilitating and many people here have far worse physical pain issues than me to deal with.

Having any of these illnesses is a daily uphill struggle, combinations of them can be so much worse.

Big hugs from me too ((((((hugs))))))).

 

[The Albatross]

I have PTSD, situational depression, ADD/ADHD, food and environmental allergies, Celiac's disease, osteopenia, unexplained infertility, stage 3 chronic kidney disease, vaginismus (pelvic floor pain and spasams that cause painful intercourse), TMJ, tinnitus, allergic dermatitis in my ears... and some other things that escape me at the moment.

I had though C1 on my brain stem and a reversed cervical curve from a car accident and it corrected with chiropractic. I also had "pre diabetes" and I corrected that with diet and nutrition. I had allergic blephartis and have resolved that with eye care/drops. I was almost diagnosed with COPD at 40... and beat that as well, with exercise --- substituting volume for efficiency. I don't even have asthma now. I also was considered an alcoholic, but beat that.

Most all of my issues are considered "chronic" and there is no apparent cure. Except clean living and daily self care as best as I can muster. It has been an uphill battle for many years now.

 

[Lady of Longbourn]

PTSD, bipolar type 2 ( with rapid cycling I believe) and some general anxiety.

 

[Girl3]

Girl3, Ya know, If I am not mistaken, they make the drug digitalis for heart patients from foxglove, so what would be the big difference if they made a medicine from marijuana that treated PTSD? If it is a relatively safe medicine compared to what is out there now, I am all for it. :)

Prior to the creation of the FDA, drugs were made and sold without any regulations. Morphine and cocaine were common ingredients in many of the drugs, which lead people to addictions, overdosing, and not to mention not really treating the underlying illness. Digitoxin, the medication made originally from foxglove, would never make it to market in this day and age because the blood levels that treat disease are extremely close to the levels that poison. The research required to bring a drug to market requires randomized controlled trials - usually with double blinding (neither the patient nor the doc know what the patient is getting until the study ends.) The drug companies have to prove that the drug actually does something more than placebo, and that the benefits do not outweigh the risks. There are people working on that not only in the US but elsewhere.

The problem with smoking pot at this juncture goes beyond legal issues. Impurities can cause toxic or severe allergic problems. Myeloid-derived supressor cells [MDSCs] basically allow cancers and infections to run rampant, and cannabinoids trigger the massive increase in MDSCs. So while suppression of the immune system in autoimmune diseases where the body is attacking itself is a good thing, the increase in cells that promote cancer is not.

The cannabinoid receptors of the body come in different types: CB1, CB2. CB1 is primarily the brain and the peripheral nerves and is in charge of the calm feeling and decreased pain associated with marijuana. CB2 receptors are immune system modulators, that suppress the immune system. So in certain diseases - like rheumatoid arthritis, Lupus, Grave's disease, MS, etc - the suppression of the immune system by CB activation could be beneficial.

One of the studies I participated in was directed at attaching a radio-active anti-CB1 receptor ligand to all the CB1 receptors in the brain for a very brief period (2.5 hours). [As you can imagine, the effect of anti-CB1 was in of itself, triggering.] The finger-print of those receptors is different in the PTSD brain than in the non-PTSD brain. The next step will be using a synthetic drug that binds only to CB1 receptors, and see the effect on a wider range of PTSD patients. The work so far has only been in very small groups of patients. There are several of these CB1 receptor agonists in the works - one of which is 1000 times more potent than any pot you can find.

CB1 receptors are also in the heart, and may help those with congestive heart failure.

The upshot is that while individuals may be helped by smoing pot, the FDA is in charge of making certain that benefits outweigh risks in large populations. Even the medical pot, the THC compounds, stimulate both CB1 and CB2 receptors - so there are implications in long-term health issues even with those. I have to hold out for the pharmacology companies to finalize a CB1 receptor activator that has a short enough half-life and low-enough potency that I can work. You don't want your anesthesiologist stoned.:O_o:

 

[Girl3]

clean living and daily self care as best as I can muster. It has been an uphill battle for many years now.

You are battling superbly - your view is from the soaring perspective.:)

 

[Lionheart]

You don't want your anesthesiologist stoned.:O_o:

I agree!!! :) There is definitely a time and place for getting stoned and it is not when you are driving a car, providing anesthesia or doing other such things that require a clear and sober mind...(common sense dictates in these situations).

I can only speak from my experiences, as I am clearly not as educated as you are on the subject... I have used marijuana to calm and relax me on and off for the past 38 years. I have never been addicted to it in any sense and have not suffered any ill effects except for the temporary loss of short term memory...(again, common sense dictates and I do not advocate for the use of Marijuana on any level for people under the age of 21, as a certain level of maturity is needed for reasonably responsible use).

The reason there is not more studies conducted is that mj remains illegal on a federal level and more research is needed. However, the FDA once approved the use of thalidomide, then recalled the drug after it was found to be harmful, (causing me several birth defects), so I am not without reservations about the FDA, especially while mj remains categorized as a drug that is supposedly as harmful and addicting as cocaine or heroin. I think it is obvious that this is not the case. I also think it needs to be reclassified to allow for further research.

I am not about to say that consuming mj is without risks. Further testing and formulation of more appropriate cannabinoid medicines is definitely needed, especially in the case of treating PTSD and I hope to see more of it in the near future.

I struggle with Chronic Fatigue Lymphadenopathy Syndrome (also known as myalgic ecephalomyelitis), and to date, there is no FDA-approved medication for the treatment of CFS/ME. While we wait for the government to end the prohibition of marijuana, research and approve more appropriate medications, millions of people continue to suffer without medical help. In the final analysis, I do not view red eyes, laughter, or the "munchies" as particularly toxic, and if I decide to partake of marijuana and stare at the fireplace for 2 hours I feel that is my civil liberty.;)

All joking aside, I appreciate your input and respect others decision to use or to not use this highly controversial substance.

 

[Girl3]

Thalidomide was a terrible tragedy - and shows the limitations of rat research. Rats don't get birth defects from thalidomide, whereas primates do. But testing every drug on primates prior to marketing isn't possible. So they have better means now using cellular models - but it still isn't perfect. Thalidomide is back for treating multiple myeloma (a cancer that primarily strikes the elderly.)

Lionheart - I'm not condemning anyone's use of marijuana, and certainly not yours. I'm just alerting folks to the idea that while things may work (be they licit or illicit), no drug or substance is without it's own set of side-effects. And we PTSDers are vulnerable to self-medicating. Our lack of trust in others combines with our desire for feeling better, no matter how transiently - leads us to trying drugs or substances. The unfortunate downside is that sometimes we get hurt terribly in the process.

Using pot in the safety of your home is very different than some young woman who is out at a party, smokes some, and gets used sexually because between the weed and some wine, she loses all control. I do wish they would loosen the diagnostic criteria for the use of medical cannabinoids. The sleep induced by itself would be terrifically healing I would think.

I'm not trying to be the shaming mother.Rather, I am that kind teacher - the one or few you had in your life that made a difference - who simply says, there are dangers in nearly everything. We need to choose wisely for ourselves. I have made choices in my life based on short-term needs that had irrevocably terrible impact on my life.

 

[Lionheart]

Lionheart - I'm not condemning anyone's use of marijuana, and certainly not yours. I'm just alerting folks to the idea that while things may work (be they licit or illicit), no drug or substance is without it's own set of side-effects. And we PTSDers are vulnerable to self-medicating. Our lack of trust in others combines with our desire for feeling better, no matter how transiently - leads us to trying drugs or substances. The unfortunate downside is that sometimes we get hurt terribly in the process.

Girl3,

You are quite right!!! I did not mean to sound so defensive of my choice to use marijuana, as a matter of fact, I had considered editing and re-writing my post or perhaps deleting it entirely as I was feeling a little reactive about the subject.

I want you to know that I appreciate what you are saying, as I was once addicted to alcohol. Self-medicating with drugs of any type is a serious issue, especially for those of us with PTSD/multiple disorders and we would all do well to educate ourselves as you have. I of all people should know that self-medicating is something we are often vulnerable to and I apologize if I have offended you in any way.

best wishes,
Lion

 

[goingonhope]

Awfully discouraged today.

Just as I found relief (about 3wks. ago) from one very possible condition, another one has started acting up and is causing much pain. I'd been told that I have chronic degenerative disc disease, if so then this might explain some of that pain. However, tommorrow I have an unexpected appt. with my psychiatrist which he scheduled this evening after I'd panicked from debilitating anxiety partly due to abrupt intense pain I found myself unexpectedly in this week.

He said on the phone that he'd like to prescribe Cymbalta. Not knowing anything about it, I searched it on my computer and it did come up in the book, "Living With Chronic Pain." I'm unable to focus well enough tonight to read much there tonight, but at least I understand that he is not necessarily convinced that I should have this med for depression, when if it were not for unusual stressors, spells of sky-high anxiety and chronic reoccurring pain that I'd not be confronted with possible unmanageable depressions.

I am however now concerned that he know what type of pain I am currently suffering. If it is then true that Cymbalta can relieve pain from stenosis and chronic deg. disc. disease (perhaps the same thing), then perhaps.

If however he believes that I may need it for my neuropathic pain then he also needs to be informed that the recent Valproic Acid prescribed for possible seizures, neuropathic pain and insomnia has indeed decreased such neuro-pain significantly.

As for spells of my sky-high anxiety maybe someday, somebody medically again will give a sh't to how great of loss and suffering those such spells induce.