Medical Marijuana and Endometriosis

[illusiondelusion3]

Hi,

I'm 20 years old and in May I was diagnosed with endometriosis. From what the doctors tell me, I have it pretty bad. If you don't know what endometriosis is - here's the wiki..http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endometriosis

WARNING: the pictures aren't so nice..

To sum it up, however, around the time of my cycle I get painful cramps, headaches, backaches, you name it. Even to the point where I've thrown up.
I'm on birth control which is supposed to lessen the symptoms and slow down the disease, but it hasn't worked. My gyn then suggested I come in for monthy shots of a drug called Lupron. It sounds like the scariest thing ever! It basically throws your body into a medically induced menopause. I'm only 20 and it is NOT something I even want to try at all. The last time, I was fortunate enough to get some oxys, but the dr.s are all so stingy with it and I only got 10. I'm hanging onto the last 3 for my next time, being that they won't prescribe it to me again.

Unfortunately the state I live in doesn't have medical marijuana yet, but if it does in the future, is it something a Dr. would considering prescribing it for?

 

[SDforever420]

It all depends on the doctor. States new to medical marijuana tend to prescribe it rarely. But you have a legit medical condition so im sure you could get it. I wouldnt have that as your only option for helpin your pain tho. If i were you i would try talkin to a new doctor. One that will give you something to help your pain.

 

[psychomimetic]

^Real talk. If your doctor isn't properly treating your pain you should find a new doctor who will. You shouldn't need to deal with chronic pain simply because your doctor is worried about people abusing meds.

That being said, oxy is addictive and what not so it's best not to solely rely on it for pain treatment, and instead only use it when the pain is so bad that pot/ibuprofen/acetaminophen/D-phenylalanine (I highly recommend D-Phenylalanine) etc. won't make it manageable.

What state do you live in? Marijuana might help with the pain, but it won't help with the cause of the pain (as far as I know), so I'd recommend seeking out treatments both for the illness and the pain caused by it. Whether or not you could get marijuana recommended depends on what the state allows it to be recommended for and what your doctor thinks. But I'd say it's pretty probable that if you had access to medical, you could get it for chronic pain.

The wiki link has a list of treatments on it. If I were you I'd talk to your doctor about some of the treatments there that aren't as unpleasant as the one your doctor wants to try. After reading through the list and checking on several of the meds, it sounds like all the available treatments will probably result in some unpleasant side effects, but you should still do one. You can always switch meds until you find one that works for you. Good luck!

 

[illusiondelusion3]

Thanks so much for your help so far. I haven't tried D-Phenylalanine but I'll definitely look into it. Right now I take Naproxen 500 for pain, but I usually take that 6 or 7x a day if the pain is that bad. I don't like doing this because I know NSAIDS definitely increase the risk of internal stomach bleeding. What I mean is, I'd rather take 2 oxys than 7 Naproxens.

You're right though, if I were relying on oxy all of the time to treat my pain, that is definitely a mix for addiction.
I live in NY currently, and I don't know if medical marijuana is looking into being legalized here yet. Thanks for your suggestions and I'm currently looking into finding a new doctor.

 

[psychomimetic]

D-Phenylalanine is subtle, basically what it does is inhibit the degradation of endorphins. I've never had chronic pain, but I've heard good things about D-Phenylalanine, and I take it myself for other reasons.

If the D-Phenyalanine on its own is too subtle (which is very possible), then you could try mixing it with 2/3 or even 1/2 of the normal dose of oxy that would work for you. The Phenylalanine will enhance the pain-killing and other effects of the oxy. Make sure you get D and not L-Phenyalanine. L-Phenylalanine is less subtle, but it doesn't change endorphins. Oddly enough, D-Phenylalanine is kinda similar to opiates and L-Phenyalanine is kinda similar to amphetamines in how they make you feel.

I use the brand Doctor's Best D-Phenyalanine (60 x 500 mg pills per bottle). I buy it online and it's the cheapest brand I've been able to find.

If you're taking that quantity of NSAIDs you should be concerned about your liver health as well. There are supplements you can take for your liver, but I'm not very familiar with them.

As for medical marijuana, I'm not sure about it being looked at in New York, but it's not legal in Texas either and I smoke daily. It's much safer to smoke weed then to take that many NSAIDS or oxy or whatever. And very good marijuana is available in New York for sure. But I understand if you don't want to risk involvement in the black market.

Here's some info I found on the state of medical marijuana in New York- http://www.mpp.org/states/new-york/

Looks like it might happen in the near future. You should write your senator, etc. to support it if you want it.

 

[illusiondelusion3]

D-Phenylalanine is subtle, basically what it does is inhibit the degradation of endorphins. I've never had chronic pain, but I've heard good things about D-Phenylalanine, and I take it myself for other reasons.

If the D-Phenyalanine on its own is too subtle (which is very possible), then you could try mixing it with 2/3 or even 1/2 of the normal dose of oxy that would work for you. The Phenylalanine will enhance the pain-killing and other effects of the oxy. Make sure you get D and not L-Phenyalanine. L-Phenylalanine is less subtle, but it doesn't change endorphins. Oddly enough, D-Phenylalanine is kinda similar to opiates and L-Phenyalanine is kinda similar to amphetamines in how they make you feel.

I use the brand Doctor's Best D-Phenyalanine (60 x 500 mg pills per bottle). I buy it online and it's the cheapest brand I've been able to find.

If you're taking that quantity of NSAIDs you should be concerned about your liver health as well. There are supplements you can take for your liver, but I'm not very familiar with them.

As for medical marijuana, I'm not sure about it being looked at in New York, but it's not legal in Texas either and I smoke daily. It's much safer to smoke weed then to take that many NSAIDS or oxy or whatever. And very good marijuana is available in New York for sure. But I understand if you don't want to risk involvement in the black market.

Here's some info I found on the state of medical marijuana in New York- http://www.mpp.org/states/new-york/

Looks like it might happen in the near future. You should write your senator, etc. to support it if you want it.

Thanks for all the information and help! Appreciate it a lot. My Dr. was very unreasonable this past month with everything and unfortunately would not give me another oxy prescription. He said the only way he could help me is if I took the shot for Lupron (the menopause inducing one)...which I was completely against. I ended up having to go to a different Dr. and thankfully getting Tylenol 3s, which took the edge off, but not as well as the oxy worked. Ah well, back to the drawing board I guess. I'll try your suggestion this month.

 

[psychomimetic]

I'm glad to help. You have a right to not be in pain, it's a shame that you have to choose between breaking a law and being relieved of pain without opiates. If I were you, I'd smoke pot anyway, but that's just me.

You definitely did the right thing by finding a new doctor. Part of your doctor's job is to relieve your pain, and if you doctor isn't doing that you should find a doctor that will. There are pain management doctors who basically specialize in helping you be pain free. If you aren't seeking treatment for your condition other then the pain associated with it, I recommend you see one of these doctors instead of a general physician. Once again, good luck!