need a primer on pot

[msmything]

I'm still in the'exploring my options' phase, and I know this topic has been discussed at length in the past, but I never felt the need to pay attention before.
I started Neurontin on the 15th to help with intractable pain, it's not helping, and it's scary.
Without actually saying the word, the Doc suggested I try 'natures secret' for spasticity and pain relief.
This is truly comical. I tried pot in my teens, and hated it. But ya know our perspectives change as we get older.
I haven't acquired any yet, but am seriously considering this as my next step.
What I need is a how to. Smoke? tea? how do you assess 'strength' of the product so as not to overdo.
How do you hide the smell?
Will I be able to function? or do I need to use it only when there is couch time..
Who do I ask these questions to? My kids? nuh uh..(they're 23 and 24.)
Please give me input, help me make this decision, I can't take the pain anymore.

[Cojack]

where do you live? there's several options for ingestion...smoking is immediate relief, but a bit of a drag on your lungs,they do have things called vaporizers that alleviate some of the smoke... hash oil slightly heated in olive oil is good...just start off with a very small quantity and experiment...however i think it takes 1-2 hours to experience relief... this works great for pain & symptom relief..and i believe it heightens your sensory system...stretching is apparently a great by product...it's a personal trial and error gig....as they say with most drugs..don't operate heavy machinery..til you know how it affects you... depending on what country you live in there's compassion clubs...where i've heard they even have sub lingual tablets which could spare the digestive tract....so where you live is of importance... good luck

[Cojack]

p.s. another good reason to try and secure it from a legalize club is they apparently have to abide by health protocols such as non pesticide growing etc....since trying to avoid collateral toxins is important...

co jack

[Loobie]

Well you came to the right place! Smoking it does give immediate relief and is really the only good way to pinpoint your "dosage". You need to know there is no quality control better than yourself. Many times I just need one 'hit' if it's real good stuff. But that's the beauty of smoking vs. ingestion. Take one hit and let it stew for about 5 minutes. If you need more, take one more and so on. When you ingest, it takes a while and you can over do it by not waiting long enough. It's awesome for the following for me:

dizziness - it's the only thing for me for that
pain - especially nerve pain. It literally goes right away. Not so good for soreness or anything like that, but when you're experiencing pain from spasticity or nerve pain, there is nothing better.
spasticity - probably the same mechanism that makes it work for vertigo.
lack of appetite - can you say munchies

At any rate, the vaporizers are awesome, but when you're out and about you can't drag that dude around. If you're intersted, google Vapir and it will hook you up.

Cojack is right about finding a medical MJ club if you live in one of the states. If you don't, I'd recommend growing it yourself.

[Lars]

Good advice from Cojack and Loobie. Hopefully you are in a Med MJ state, it really lowers the stress level when you're legal. I totally agree with Loobie and I think we have both gone completely through the prescription drug list with no good results. Nothing comes close for pain and spasticity for me. My big issue is that I really don't like to go through the day "stoned" I have been experimenting with oral MJ. Dry, send through the coffee grinder, spread on a baking sheet, heat at 225 for 8-10 minutes, place into capsules (you can get them from your Pharmacy). It seems to help with the physical issues and not "burden" the thought process so much. Try to google the THC Foundation. Cannibas is seemingly doing some other/good unexpected things in clinical trial. Take a look!
Good Luck,
Lars

[jimmylegs]

welllll i'm not really going to contribute the right thing here, but please do read the recent threads on neurontin and nutrient depletion... for spasticity try magnesium, and what kind of neuropathic pain are you suffering?

[chrishasms]

I would listen and agree with Lew "Lungs" Loobie! LOL

[msmything]

You guys are alot of fun!!
Loobie, I'm really kind of surprized that you find relief fron dizziness, I would have thought the opposite. Dizziness is a huge issue for me.
Relief from spasticity sounds a dream. I've never been at a loss for appetite, though a few pounds wouldn't hurt either.

The nerve pain is fairly indescribable MS legs, it's not exactly shooting, but not really ache either, I get exhausted fighting thru it. I take magnesium daily, my nutritional profile is sound.

Cojack, where do you live? I think I gotta move there!!!

[jimmylegs]

how much mag and b-complex do you get in a day? hope you feel better soon...

[Loobie]

I know what you are saying about dizziness. It's absolutely a miracle drug for that. It's the #1 symptom reliever for that for me by a long shot. My dizziness is life altering and I'm almost always dizzy to some degree. I 'force feed' myself a lot, especially at lunch time, because I get so dizzy. I'm like Lars in that I can't do it all day. As a matter of fact I don't do it during the day at all. I won't smoke before 8:00 pm. In the last two years it has had one bad side effect. It saps some of my leg strength. Not enough to where I can't walk, but it's noticeable. Also, you can't be stoned at work and I don't like being high when I have to function (except in the bedroom; it helps with that too), so it's become a night time thing for me.

Even before it started to zap my legs, I still wouldn't do it in the morning. For some reason pot really builds up in you if you smoke it all day and you need to up the dosage; a lot. But 24 hour breaks seem to be enough to where I really only hit it a couple of times and I'm good. I really miss being able to do it all day on the weekends though. Not because I just like being high. I could be pain free all day on the weekends, and the best part was being able to just chow down on some food, even if I would have normally been spinning from activity. I miss that, but am glad I can still do it in the evening. If you get some, you will be so pleased at what it does for dizziness. I have had to completely quit drinking. Even one glass of wine makes me so dizzy I can't stand it. So obviously pot and alcohol have 180 degree different effects on your vestibulars.

At any rate, don't be scared if you really want to look into this. I had not smoked for a long time when I took it up again. It was fun for a while to enjoy the buzz but truthfully now I use it like medicine. Don't get me wrong, you still feel euphoric, I just think there's no more novelty left for that part of it for me anymore. I just know it kicks serious ass for neuropathic pain and dizziness. Another thing I had really no idea of since I had quit when I was about 20 years old. You just have no idea how many people smoke pot. It ain't just for hippies anymore! Good luck, and let me know if you are having problems getting your hands on any.

[msmything]

I have the same response to alcohol, talk about a fall down drunk...I haven't had a drink in years.
I have had enough disruption in my thought processes that I can't imagine trying to work while'high', it would however be ever so nice to have a pain free time to look forward to at the end of the day
(happy hour anyone?)
Also, one of my spastic trigger points is my neck, there are 2 large cervical lesions that make it difficult to not feel and look as if I'm shrugging all day. needless to say it is very difficult to fall asleep with my shoulders in my ears.
This is sounding more and more as if it's something I'll try.
I don't know where to get some..I put a feeler out to a neighbor who knows those sort of people LOL. Also the hospital system here that is my hospital's competition sponsors an MS support group. Maybe I could go there and look for people that seem pain free!!!!!
Ms legs, I don't know my mgs, I'm at work now, the bottles are home. Does 200 mg of mag sound right?

[Artifishual]

this is a funny thread. lots of good advice and God bless you JL for your persistence. i am with Lew on this one. do a trial and effect experiment till your accustomed to the mj. once you have done it a awhile you will build a tolerance so you'll have to smoke more. it does offer some relief and if nothing else other than a sweet escape. that along makes it worth while. as i was told by someone on here "without it life would be a recurring nightmare" that one for me hits home. i bet your kids know more about pot than what you think! LOL good luck and have a kind day

[jimmylegs]

heya ms. mything ;) if u get home and find that 200mg is in fact your daily dose, try taking more. what kind of mag is it? oxide? citrate? either way try to bump up to at least 400mg, and if your pills are the citrate form go for 600mg. do you take vit d3 by the way? don't take all of your daily mag at the same time as the d3. split up the mag - some with calcium d3 and zinc, and some on its own.

[Loobie]

Just a side note on Mag. JL, please help here if you have anything to add. Ass you know const. is one of my biggies. Well I finally got some natural calm and I guess it's just fine. It makes my bowels flip flop and growl like I have diarhea, but it doesn't produce the desired effect! I got to the point where I took 3 tsp. full for two days straight and it made me the absolute gassiest person I've ever met.....and it was horrid, AND it still didn't produce the effect. I think I'm going to have to go to a gastroent..blah blah..ologist to look for something else. I'm eating like a rabbit, drinking tons of water, and I still struggle. Maybe my motility is slowed down beyond repair. Geez I hope not.

Sorry to hijack, I'll go away now on this sidebar. JL, PM me on mag!!

[robbie]

same as what everyone else said, it works