[USA] Has medical cannabis reduced your prescription opioid use?

Tronica

Executive Director
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The Inflexxion research organisation makes an annual donation to help keep the Bluelight community running. Bluelight and Inflexxion have worked collaboratively on research surveys for 6 years now. We have published a paper together in the peer-reviewed journal Substance Use and Misuse. We review Inflexxion's surveys internally before their launch. We are proud of our ongoing collaboration with Inflexxion and we look forward to another successful survey in 2015.

But, we can only do that if you are prepared to contribute. While this decision should be entirely your own, Bluelight recommends you take the time to consider participating.

COMPLETE SURVEY on prescription opioid use, including how medical cannabis might have changed your prescription opioid use

This survey is:
- open to members of the Bluelight community who reside in the USA, including people who just read our content, regardless of your drug use status
- open to those aged 18 and over
- anonymous - no IP addresses collected, no identifying information asked
- 10-20 minutes long
- approved by a university ethics committee

Please do not use your browser’s ‘back’ and ‘forward’ buttons to move through the survey. Use the ’next’ button at the bottom of the survey page to advance forward in the survey. You will not be able to go back to previous questions.

We welcome comments on any aspects of these survey below. We will ensure that any concerns are brought to the attention of the Inflexxion research team.
 
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Medical cannabis? What is medical, though? I know more about analgesia, anxiolysis, sedation, hypnosis, nervous excitation via drugs like amphetamine, and quite a bit more than any doctor I have ever met. It may sound arrogant or cocksure, but I have studied all of it since I was 12 - my mother died of cancer after seven years of opioid addiction and transient use of other psychoactive agents; my father, even very divorced from her, developed the same issue of opioid addiction when I was 10. My mother was about 25 when it began; my father about 29 or 30 when it began. I have lived this life. My great uncles are chronic alcoholics, as well as another uncle. My grandmother, though not addicted as I once thought, has had a long history with using barbiturates and then benzodiazepines along side. Now, my grandmother does suffer great head pain and frighteningly alarming symptoms with certain headaches; she also suffers a ton of anxiety and is plagued with musculoskeletal tension of the upper back and through the neck - she has tension and migraine headaches. So, yes, she has been a user, but not a true addict, at all. And, both of my biological grandfathers had serious problems with alcoholism, though I never lived that - only heard about it, like my four to five, maybe more, biological great-grandparents were rather serious alcoholics, yet at least one managed to sober up for good.

I apologize for the rant, but cannabis is not a big deal, whether you get it from your guy, your buddy, your own plant, a legal dispensary (recreational and medical, included), whether you have an MMJ card - it doesn't fucking matter. If you can and are open to replace, in whole or in part, your use of drugs to use more cannabis and less addictive agents (e.g. opioids, benzodiazepines, barbiturates, alcohol, other sedative-hypnotics, amphetamines, methylphenidates, cocaine, other stimulants of the like nature, etc.), then smoke up! I mean, when I was fifteen, I first saw a psychiatrist for anxiety and nervous discomfort and general neurotic features - the first visit I was given clonazepam to be taken daily, alprazolam to be taken PRN, and an SSRI, to be taken chronically. That is, really and truly FUCKED UP! I have to speak out, for if I'd had a supply of cannabis products to use ad lib, I would have likely felt 10 x better with 30 % or so of the previous anxiety compared to the ~ 70 % + that remained. I would not have acted so erratically due to sudden and marked disinhibition which led me to become labile, histrionic, and unpredictable, really. I ended up with a protracted nervous exhaustion due to so much anxiety, pressure, discomfort in the extreme, pain, self-injury, self-destruction, etc. It was, truly, a fucked up couple years thereafter, all the while my dose of benzo's was steadily increasing, leading to, what is NOW, a VERY strong hold that benzo's lord over me every fucking day. Do I like them? Yes. I wish I could taper, not too fast but not too slow, become abstinent completely from benzo's for a minimum of a couple months - maybe a year or two? But, then they do work great for certain things. For example, a panic attack, which is hell on earth, can be squashed by 0.5 mg alprazolam in a benzo-naïve person and on a fairly empty stomach, you will feel some calm within 15 minutes, and may reach total recovery to no anxiety in 45 minutes. I want the option to take any drug, but I will tell you that addiction to these types of drugs (not cannabis, of course) can and will rip you a new one; it ripped me several, in fact. To conclude this paragraph, if that psychiatrist were to give me 1/4 oz. of a more indica-based strain and 1/4 oz. of a more sativa-based strain, and ask to follow up in a week, continuing such a therapy, I honestly feel that I could have UNDERSTOOD others and myself better to get to the base of all my neuroses by actual introspective self-therapy MUCH enhanced by the cannabis. I could have made it through, not just surviving, but thriving, even! How society has oppressed me, and if you think about it, the oppression is fairly direct as in 'no, you may not, at all, so throw money at Big Pharma, and take a bunch of uppers, downers, analgesics, etc.' It infuriates me, to the fucking core - I made myself into a wreck as more pills were tried, many retained, and now I have a dependence issue, maybe even with some addictive features, to substances at-large.

So, who really cares where your weed comes from or by what criteria you judge it medicinal in its use? It is a helpful, mind-expanding and mind-opening drug (yes, it is, still a drug IMO), and some strains can make you super-productive, while others tend to sedate, while others tend to produce a dreamier and more thought-provoking high. I used to see it as a shitty drug, way back when, but I am totally on the other end of the spectrum, now - smoke as you please; it will be therapeutic, even if you are physically well and mentally well, it will cause betterment.

BUT, getting down to it, the survey, itself, was seemingly flawed - very specific and excluding other pertinent information regarding the topic advertised. I mean, what the hell is 'medical' - do you even know what the difference between medical, clinical, therapeutic, medicinal, recreational, social, and all the other terms we so assign the way we use it. Guess what? Anyone who uses weed, and I fully encourage it, uses weed - the effects do not vary all that much, whether pain is present or not, and pain is so subjective! No one knows your pain but you. Self-medicating with weed can be a great help to you and your contributions to society; just don't let it suck you into the couch for months on end. It is an imperfect, but perfectly gorgeous drug, in all respects. Again, it is a drug! There is nothing wrong with that; there are different types of drugs. I don't think caffeine and MDMA are exactly the same, nor should be treated as the same, for there is an inherent difference in their essences - just an example.

But, yes, frankly, a horrible survey, I am sorry to report - not thorough, not involved, not simple either, just shitty - sorry, but I am not; it is the truth.
 
Is this survey really worth such longwinded indignation?
 
I discontinued my opioid prescriptions and switched to cannabis. It has been over a year now and I still crave pills occasionally but weed has kept me maintained. So I felt compelled to create an account and take this survey and now I am craving Opana.
Fuck you survey.
 
I discontinued my opioid prescriptions and switched to cannabis. It has been over a year now and I still crave pills occasionally but weed has kept me maintained. So I felt compelled to create an account and take this survey and now I am craving Opana.

ditto
 
Bear in mind that the purpose of a survey is not always to collect a broad range of information on a given subject. This would indeed be a horrible survey if the goal were to gain a well-rounded general understanding of the reasons why drug users use opioids in combination with marijuana and/or benzodiazepines, but it is probably gathering data for a much more specific purpose than that. Based on the questions asked, I would imagine that it's something aimed at studying the efficacy and safety of medical marijuana, treated like any other prescription medication, in combination with two other very commonly prescribed, very commonly non-medically (ab)used, classes of drugs. A good friend of mine's mother in California has been on opioids for years due to chronic back pain from an old injury, and recently switched to CBD-heavy cannabis extracts. She uses them in conjunction with other medications, she did not use any form of cannabis before, and she still doesn't use it to get high. This survey seems aimed at distinguishing between people like her and people like me or, I'm guessing, you, who self-medicate with cannabis in a similar manner but live in jurisdictions where we can't get formal approval to do so from any medical professional. Our experiences may be just as valuable if the goal is to learn about the perceived medical benefits of cannabis for opioid/benzo users, but if the goal is to publish some sort of formal research on medical marijuana, including us in the data set means the results get blown off by the powers that be as "recreational drug users say smoking weed makes their pills work better."
 
Wow so I am a strong advocate of incorporating THC into ones maitenence program. I am on 1/2 of 1mg suboxone. Started @ 8. Dr said no one is doing as well as me at my clinic. I am on lowest dose there. I've been smoking everyday basically for the entire duration (3 years). If I have good oil or buds then I am perfectly content. Don't want to use n have no need to. When I have shitty oil/nugs or none at all that's when my cravings n thoughts really hit. I do seriously believe that if I had an endless supply of good then I would not have to worry about relapsing.
 
perscription oxycontin and oxycodone as well as THC oil use... REspond if I can be of help. private message or a reply or both..not too familiar with forums
 
I am Canadian and can't take the survey but I am off a bunch of medicine but not opioids, also I don't have to take certain medicines. I am diabetic and keep my glucose in really good check. I am also a bit OCD and ADD. I also have a pretty high pressure job as an I.T. Manager for a large financial institution.
I have had lots of anxiety and trouble sleeping forever so living in Vancouver with over 100 clinics I thought I am going to try it and see if it helps. My wife wasn't too happy about it but once I started, no more restless legs and keeping her up all night. Anxiety is better, no more propranolol, Ativan and I don't have to take meds for restless leg.
I went to my naturopath and he gave me the OK and when I went to my doctor he asked me why I didn't come to him in the first place. Their biggest concern was that I wasn't buying off the street.
I am mostly smoking indica and messing around with budder and shatter. I find Budder and Shatter really mess with my throat though. I smoke just before bed, also when my wife is in bed or at work.
She doesnt care if I smoke before bed but doesn't want me turning into a pothead. I am 58 and found my sex drive really picked up, she doesnt mind that LOL.
I purchased a Pax2 Vaporizer and find it works pretty good and once I get used to it I will use it as much as possible.
 
The Multiverse again....

Now, my grandmother does suffer great head pain and frighteningly alarming symptoms with certain headaches; she also suffers a ton of anxiety and is plagued with musculoskeletal tension of the upper back and through the neck - she has tension and migraine headaches.

Odd. This is the exact symptom set I have been having for nearly 2 years now. Sometimes it literally drops me where I'm standing. Any ideas as to what's going on with her that causes this?

Also - After reading your entire post, I have decided you might be me in a slightly different universe. Very sympatico, even the family histories are the same. I nearly could have written your post verbatim and it would almost all been true.
 
I'm in the same situation. Well somewhat similar. I take Subutex, but 16mg a day. I'd like to get off of it ASAP, since I've been taking it consistently since 2004. I don't think any amount of cannabis would prevent the violent withdraw associated with opioid addiction. I could be wrong, but I've searched high and low for strains that might fill some of those receptor sites up, and never even come close to finding one. That's odd, because it works so much better on physical pain than narcs do, for myself anyways. I'm a bit freaked out that you're only taking .5 milligrams, and I'm taking 32 times the amount you are!!! Is it even possible to taper off of this stuff? The only difference is that mine doesn't contain the Naloxone component. Is there an equivalency chart for buprenorphine somewhere? What's .5 or 16mg even comparable to?
 
I had a hip replacement 2 years ago. At about the 1 year mark I started having hip pain again with the replaced hip. I suspected a recurring bacterial infection after having some dental work done. I would take some raw garlic, and the pain would go away for a few weeks. Then it would return again. That happened 3 times. Then I ordered some CBD oil (from industrial hemp). It contained .3% THC. Not only did it eliminate the pain, my hip started to feel more "solid" and less fragile - like a natural joint, and I had better range of motion, and I was sleeping much better. The company that supplied the CBD oil then changed the formula, lowering the THC to 1% (apparently to comply with legal requirements). The oil was no longer as effective. I started to wake up during the night again and the hip doesn't feel as good any more. I'm waiting for medical marijuana in my state. I hope it happens soon.
 
I just read that "taking 16mg of Subutex a day is equivalent to taking 426mg of oxycodone"
 
I have reduced my opioid down to two to three pills a day. I could reduce it further if my employer would allow the consumption of cannabis during the day. It is funny how people think that cannabis is so bad that I am allowed to use it after work, but not during. They prefer the opioid use during work , because it is "prescribed" and the cannabis is "recommended".
 
Orbitalhedgehog knowing what I know now I wouldn't have even let them put me on 8mg to start I would have chosen 4mg....& they wanted to start me on 16 too & I fought for 8 because less really is more w/ subs...& when I started on 8 I was only taking 4mg...until they had me come in everyday & take full 8 in front of them cuz my levels were too low...then I was stuck on the 8mg dose for a while & keep in mind I started on subs after a 1-3 bundle a day habit on the east coast (10-30 bags)....& 4mg was enough until they fucked me havin to come in n take the 8 in front of them...of course they want u on as much medicine as possible...16mg sucks but shouldn't b too too worried...ask the clinic the rate they have ppl taper at & do it like twice as slow lol...pretty sure my place was telling me to lower too quick so I'd get sick thus resulting in me being discouraged lowering anymore for months at a time...soon as I stopped listening to doc n lowering at my own pace I've been basically w/d free....but w/ docs advice going from 8 to 4 I was sick everytime, now from 4mg - .5mg I haven't been sick once....besides last week when I tried Cple days at .25mg & was hitting ppl up for opiates, not really sick but still obv the subs just held me over for a few years n did nothing to help my addict brain lol

Hope you see this n can shed some light on ur situation hedge, any questions plz feel free to ask
 
Interesting post from romiir
I enjoyed taking time to check the links and even looked for a little more to read about.

The survey did seem to be looking for very specific info that I doubt will be beneficial to myself. (I am not saying that's the only reason to take one but it does help to get people involved) Hopefully it does someone, somewhere, some form of good. Honestly though, it really wasn't that bad. Only took 6 minutes to complete.
 
oh yes, it helps chronic pain, related symptoms, augments & may replace Opioids

Yes....it has reduced & controlled my pain med use & stopped increasing use via tolerance. I find shatter, with just 1 good hit will, after about 10-15 minutes, kick in & gives amazing effects of comforting relief to my body’s pain. Accessing a dispensary allows the added factor of matching the strain to the symptoms for best results. Yes, in my case Opioid pain meds would still have been needed, but the correct strain helps hugely. That "hit" will help: Neck, severe headaches and shoulder including nerve pain (high radial nerve branch damage) is clearly assisted as well as other severe body pain. Also, that anti-nausea affect is a big component for me, as nausea/vomit exacerbates pain in various ways for me & the relief of this symptom helps in turn reduce pain greatly. And when you are vomiting, to be able to inhale or tincture means you're not up-chucking your meds: a simple matter relating to effectiveness. After all that, nice to have something to assist appetite. %)

No doubt, the correct strain, *thanks dispensaries*, makes even more of a difference by directing one to cannabis that gives maximum effect in treating pain & other possible related problems that make the experience of pain or recovery from an episode of pain itself more successful. How fortunate we are to have seen change, in some places.

I wish I had been given better targeted cannabis therapy early on that may have avoided as great a degree addiction to Opioids. I likely would’ve still had to take some measure of pain killers but had I been aware how effective in all the ways cannabis helps chronic pain issues, & it’s hope for my task of detox to the degree I can, would’ve been an easier road years ago, & I may have sought out all this with more confidence had my dispensary even existed at the time of my 1st injury. Thank nature for cannabis. May it never become big biz.

**
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Cannabis & Amitriptilyne: Although it's typically not viewed as a "pain killer" it is a major selling point of Aventyl is helping chronic pain, sleep, anxiety & as I've taken it upon myself to "take back my pharmacological life” & control after 2 severe accidents: I can say cannabis is now key in helping get & keep off amitriptilyne, a tricyclic anti-depressant that has harsh, long lasting set of physical withdrawal effects (depending on the length of time you took it & at what dose) despite my careful tapering & research. This was surprising, as I was told it was safe, & that no Withdrawal ever, at all should be feared! I can assure anyone, after 18 years of use, the body dearly expects it & cries for months for it. Forums are helping me to understand my experience is not unique whatsoever.
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Getting off it - after the final over 10 months (really a few years) of careful tapering after 18 years, it began 2 nights after stopping: no sleep. 3-5 nights, sick feeling, with pain, insomnia & general unwell feeling. 2 weeks, dizziness turned to loss of balance, tripping, falling, total disorientation, sweating chills, weight loss, vomiting - this was when I knew what was taking place: I was having withdrawal. Then 4 weeks I was having severe flu like symptoms lasting days, repeating is cycles. Cannabis, helped the sickness, loss of appetite & weight loss, vomiting, pains & hope that there is another way.
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Sure, enough my long-time Dr (childhood clinic) although surprised at the strength of these effects, but was even more so at the persistence of these symptoms, as he knows I do not easily complain. He signed my cannabis docs (likely the 1st he ever did) something that floored me. Having in under 4 months cut my clonazepam in 1/2 in the spring of this year with some issues with anxiety, but not withdrawal, its stunning how quickly these TV Docs will insist people into these anti-d meds.
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Bear with moi: Just to finish up, in case this applies to someone, 3.5 months later, I still get regular "flu" which can last a few days with sweats, chills, vomiting & gaining back much weight, only cannabis has helped w/the 3-5lbs I’ve regained. The biggest issue: a general lethargy, I have not slept a decent night since Sept. I have not increased my Ativan or few Valium I still allow, except as when most needed. Thank nature for plant helpers that can not only assist spiritual healing & exploration, but play a real role in medical care physically.
 
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