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Given Choice, Patients Will Choose Cannabis Over Prescribed Opioids

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191–200 of 223 posts

Re: Given Choice, Patients Will Choose Cannabis Over Prescribed Opioids

#191

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But surely most opioid pain treatments will have less side effects than pot? Although, I suppose the side effects of pot are considered desirable by many.

No, most opioid pain treatments have far more severe side effects than pot, and they tend to have a high risk of serious addiction that limits their dosage.

>most opioid pain treatments have far more severe side effects than pot

What are those? Beyond the physical addiction, which shouldn't be much of an issue with proper dosage.

Re: Given Choice, Patients Will Choose Cannabis Over Prescribed Opioids

#192
post #144

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While I understand your sentiment, unmitigated access to treatment modalities is generally not a good thing. People, often children with no real informed consent, die every year because they forsake science-based medicine for quackery. The efficacy and safety of a treatment are not something we want left to personal anecdote.

The efficacy and safety of the treatments are not the issue. The issue is when government uses the threat of violence to prevent people from accessing substances that cause no harm to others. I agree that people should not use it as treatment without seeking help, but there are far more dangerous substances you can buy over the counter. E.g. acetaminophen/paracetamol causes a range of deaths via liver failure every y…

It makes you wonder what The Goverment's agenda is, does it not? I mean, either you base you actions on science or you base it on something other than science. It's a shame politics so often lead to uninformed decisions. To me, these days, politics seems like a grown-up version of the high-school game you used to play when you wanted to become popular. But of course, the real issue here money. Everyone wants it. Need it. Live for it.

I call shenanigans on society.

Re: Given Choice, Patients Will Choose Cannabis Over Prescribed Opioids

#193
post #93
post #28

I get kidney stones pretty often (6 times in the last 8 years). I vomit from the pain, convulse on the floor, lose all sense of self as I just struggle to survive the sensation. It is intense. Usually I have to go to the emergency room for IV opioids. Then they give you some to take home after you pass the peak of the pain. Last time it happened to me, I went home at around 6pm after going into the hospital that morn…

Have you tried riding rollercoasters with kidney stones? Apparently some people did a study and found that it can be effective at passing kidney stones. Was in news last year https://www.ems1.com/medical-clinical/articles/129734048-Stu... They also said it's good as preventative measure (dislodging before they get too big).

That's interesting.

I would bet rollercoasters could be as or more effective as tylenol for milder pain too, at least while you're distracted and pumped full of endorphins.

Re: Given Choice, Patients Will Choose Cannabis Over Prescribed Opioids

#195
post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I also have gout. Weed does help somewhat during intense flare-ups. However, NSAIDs inhibit cannabis reuptake (or something), so you can't effectively use both weed and an NSAID. And given the choice between the two, NSAIDs are much more effective for me.

Given the incredibly low toxicity of cannabis, "more cannabis" should be a working strategy here. 2x, 5x, 20x the dose until you get past the new threshold caused by NSAIDs?

You can only get so high. After a while more cannabis won't have an effect.

Re: Given Choice, Patients Will Choose Cannabis Over Prescribed Opioids

#196

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why can't we let people have freedom, but instead propose forcing sick people to mount a lobbying effort?

What do you mean ?

> let the persons in need organize and spread the knowledge

That's lobbying. In todays world, lobbying is a dispicable act, at least if you are into science or if you like stuff that has been proven by scientific measures. In today's world, lobbying VETOes science.

Re: Given Choice, Patients Will Choose Cannabis Over Prescribed Opioids

#197
post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Treating chronic pain has less to do with pain relief and more to do with mental health. Sometimes people just want to forget or feel different for a while. Also, opiates suck!

Where'd you get this idea? Any citations? Your comment reads condescending to me: "my pain is all in my head." But it's not, and treating my mental heath is treating the symptoms and not the cause. The best thing for my mental health would be an end to my physical pain.

As someone who personally suffers from chronic pain. Trust me, it's not condescending at all.

Re: Given Choice, Patients Will Choose Cannabis Over Prescribed Opioids

#198
post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you tried riding rollercoasters with kidney stones? Apparently some people did a study and found that it can be effective at passing kidney stones. Was in news last year https://www.ems1.com/medical-clinical/articles/129734048-Stu... They also said it's good as preventative measure (dislodging before they get too big).

I would think a trampoline would work even better.

Why?

Re: Given Choice, Patients Will Choose Cannabis Over Prescribed Opioids

#199
post #156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

LSD cannot be patented, so Big Pharma cannot make money on it - they'd have to compete on price, which would lead to really slim margins. If LSD is kept illegal, they can sell patented "alternatives" at huge margins.

As much as I believe that psychedelic experiences should be available to those who seek them, and pro rec mj, LSD can't be legalized. Enough dumbasses out there will drink a vial and then try to drive their car to the moon. Penalties should be much less extreme though. Maybe designated psychedelic theme parks where it's legal and quality controlled with no access to motor vehicles? (with music too?)

[deleted]

Re: Given Choice, Patients Will Choose Cannabis Over Prescribed Opioids

#200

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think the economics are comparable at all. Given that cannabis is literally an invasive weed, getting started is really easy and takes very little (horizontal) space. A past neighbor in Northern California just randomly stuck a few seeds from a dispensary in the middle of her backyard garden, did a little research on how to take care of it, and four months later had more cannabis than the entire block could s…

I think you really underestimate how lazy some people (like me) area. I live in New York, have no access to a garden, and the only room that gets much light in my apartment is my bedroom. Even if cannabis were legal, I would never bother to grow my own, because the plants smell quite strongly. I also enjoy trying a wide variety strains, which wouldn't work out so well if I was cultivating only a few plants.

I think you underestimate how poor poor people are. Poor people also need pain relief. They also need to get high. Most non-poor people get high on opiates or alcohol. That's expensive. Growing a plant, in relative terms, is not.
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