Medical cannabis patient seeking advice on a few things

[MrMedicated]

Hello everyone.
I am a 42 year old Aussie veteran and a medical cannabis patient. I was involved in an armoured personnel carrier crash in my 20's and had both shoulders ripped from their sockets. I have had chronic pain in both shoulders since and also between my shoulder blades due to one shoulder now sitting 3 inches lower than the other which is essentially scolliating my upper spine. I also have a prolapsed disk in my lower back from another defence incident. I have also been diagnosed with PTSD, anxiety and anxiety related IBS.

I have smoked a bit of black market weed over the years on and off since getting out to help with the pain and my GP has prescribed me 30mg codeine tablets for a long time and told me to take 2 in the morning and 2 in the evening and 1-2 at lunchtime as needed. He also had me on another drug called orphendrine. I find the side effects of these drugs absolutely horrible and recently stopped taking them after feeling like I was borderline ODing on them a few times and I'm now solely using medical cannabis which I have sourced from a friend.

I have had claims in with veteran affairs for over a year now however due to a backlog of I believe 43,000 claims I'm not expecting any kind of real support anytime soon. Working is a struggle due to the pain but I currently have no choice. My specialist wants to do keyhole surgery on both my shoulders to maybe improve them however I will need to take 6 weeks leave without pay for each shoulder and currently no financial support from DVA, so I've just got to wait out until my claims are processed which could still take years and make do the best I can to manage the pain but also not lose my job or my drivers license.

At the moment I go to work all day and by mid afternoon the pain in my shoulders and upper back is severe and I'm really struggling. However when I get home in the afternoon I am now medicating with a Volcano Hybrid vaporiser I recently purchased which works fantastically at switching off the pain minus the side effects of opiate painkillers. I try to vape no later in the evening than 630pm which gives me 12 hours before I have to drive the following morning.

I was recently prescribed 2 X 15g Biocann Grapes and Cream flower for the evening and Cannrix CBD 2000MG liquid CBD which I'm to take in the morning and evening and can drive on. It was apparently sent today in the mail.

My questions are has anyone tried this combination? particularly the CBD? I have no doubt that the Grapes and Cream with 26% THC will do the same job that the black market Liberty Haze has been doing for me but I'm curious if the CBD will do much during the day while I'm at work.

Vaping flower before work is not an option as if I lose my license I lose my job. Not to mention I live 30 mins drive out in the bush with no public transport. Curious to hear how anyone in a similar situation has managed this?

Also what the general consensus about the timeframe after medicating with flower vaped until when you can drive? Where can I get the same saliva test the cops use so I can at least test myself a few times to get a rough idea about timeframes for me to pass a roadside test.

Also the meds I outlined above cost me $740 and I have 6 repeats for the next 6 months. Is this a good price or am I being ripped off? I was told by the prescriber I needed to get my meds through Dukasa Pharmacy which I did yesterday. As a prescribed medical patient am I allowed to shop around at other pharmacies for a better price? I can't see myself affording this every month and intend to supplement this with either my own home grown or other underground sources if need be.

Thankyou for taking the time to read this and I'm keen to hear what others thoughts are on my situation and if you are in a similar circumstance.

Cheers

MrMedicated

 

[HGO]

this site has lots of info on what is available for mc patients and the likely effects of each product

Australias Trusted Cannabis Resource - Reviews and product lists for Cannatrek, Medcan, Medreleaf, Sativite, Cultiva, Entoura, LGP, Tasmanian Botanics, ANTG and other brands. Learn about CBD oil and THC oil and products like cannabis oil, flower, edi

A community of patients with lists and reviews of legal medical canna products and prices. Discover canna doctors, canna clinics and canna products. Read patient experiences and reviews, compare medical/medicinal canna products to become an informed patient. Find a prescriber or doctor and...

cannareviewsau.co

 

[MrMedicated]

Cheers for the link HGO. I'll sign up tonight and check it out.

 

[Porky]

Hello everyone.
I am a 42 year old Aussie veteran and a medical cannabis patient. I was involved in an armoured personnel carrier crash in my 20's and had both shoulders ripped from their sockets. I have had chronic pain in both shoulders since and also between my shoulder blades due to one shoulder now sitting 3 inches lower than the other which is essentially scolliating my upper spine. I also have a prolapsed disk in my lower back from another defence incident. I have also been diagnosed with PTSD, anxiety and anxiety related IBS.

I have smoked a bit of black market weed over the years on and off since getting out to help with the pain and my GP has prescribed me 30mg codeine tablets for a long time and told me to take 2 in the morning and 2 in the evening and 1-2 at lunchtime as needed. He also had me on another drug called orphendrine. I find the side effects of these drugs absolutely horrible and recently stopped taking them after feeling like I was borderline ODing on them a few times and I'm now solely using medical cannabis which I have sourced from a friend.

I have had claims in with veteran affairs for over a year now however due to a backlog of I believe 43,000 claims I'm not expecting any kind of real support anytime soon. Working is a struggle due to the pain but I currently have no choice. My specialist wants to do keyhole surgery on both my shoulders to maybe improve them however I will need to take 6 weeks leave without pay for each shoulder and currently no financial support from DVA, so I've just got to wait out until my claims are processed which could still take years and make do the best I can to manage the pain but also not lose my job or my drivers license.

At the moment I go to work all day and by mid afternoon the pain in my shoulders and upper back is severe and I'm really struggling. However when I get home in the afternoon I am now medicating with a Volcano Hybrid vaporiser I recently purchased which works fantastically at switching off the pain minus the side effects of opiate painkillers. I try to vape no later in the evening than 630pm which gives me 12 hours before I have to drive the following morning.

I was recently prescribed 2 X 15g Biocann Grapes and Cream flower for the evening and Cannrix CBD 2000MG liquid CBD which I'm to take in the morning and evening and can drive on. It was apparently sent today in the mail.

My questions are has anyone tried this combination? particularly the CBD? I have no doubt that the Grapes and Cream with 26% THC will do the same job that the black market Liberty Haze has been doing for me but I'm curious if the CBD will do much during the day while I'm at work.

Vaping flower before work is not an option as if I lose my license I lose my job. Not to mention I live 30 mins drive out in the bush with no public transport. Curious to hear how anyone in a similar situation has managed this?

Also what the general consensus about the timeframe after medicating with flower vaped until when you can drive? Where can I get the same saliva test the cops use so I can at least test myself a few times to get a rough idea about timeframes for me to pass a roadside test.

Also the meds I outlined above cost me $740 and I have 6 repeats for the next 6 months. Is this a good price or am I being ripped off? I was told by the prescriber I needed to get my meds through Dukasa Pharmacy which I did yesterday. As a prescribed medical patient am I allowed to shop around at other pharmacies for a better price? I can't see myself affording this every month and intend to supplement this with either my own home grown or other underground sources if need be.

Thankyou for taking the time to read this and I'm keen to hear what others thoughts are on my situation and if you are in a similar circumstance.

Cheers

MrMedicated

All medical cannabis is a rip off mate!!
If your in a position to grow your own I would suggest that!
Otherwise its top dollar for medical weed which in some cases is very good but I've seen some crap too!
There is several threads on here about it which should help you!
I'm going in November to get my first shoulder reconstructed and my other next year so I know what's it like pain wise yours sounds worse than mine and I don't think getting stoned will be much relief for you unfortunately mate. Might dull it a little bit but probably won't do much more but will cost ya heaps!!

 

[MrMedicated]

All medical cannabis is a rip off mate!!
If your in a position to grow your own I would suggest that!
Otherwise its top dollar for medical weed which in some cases is very good but I've seen some crap too!
There is several threads on here about it which should help you!
I'm going in November to get my first shoulder reconstructed and my other next year so I know what's it like pain wise yours sounds worse than mine and I don't think getting stoned will be much relief for you unfortunately mate. Might dull it a little bit but probably won't do much more but will cost ya heaps!!

Cheers for the reply Porky. Sorry to hear about your shoulders mate. I hope you can get them sorted. Mine are pretty shot. Specialist reckons if the keyhole surgery doesn’t work they can maybe cut my biceps off and attach them to a different location in my shoulder which sounds like heaps of fun. Haa yeah over 400 would have to be the most expensive ounce I’ve ever bought. I guess one part of it all is I didn’t mention I’m also subject to drug testing at work however having a legit prescription means it would be difficult for them to give me the sac if I did test positive at work. I have done some of my own personal grows over the last 15 or so years and I think that’s what I’ll mainly use to medicate. As far as codeine vs cannabis for pain relief personally I have found that over the years I have needed more and more codeine to get the same level of pain relief to the point now where it barely works. It’s only been in the last 6 months that I have really taken med cannabis seriously for pain relief and I’ve gotta say I feel it is more effective for me than the codeine without any of the negative side effects. It won’t necessarily shut it off completely and I’m still often very aware of the pain after medicating with weed. I think to a large degree it also helps me put up with the pain mentally. It’s also helps with my anxiety and insomnia too. I’m hoping the high dose CBD also helps with the anxiety and insomnia too. Cheers mate.

 

[Porky]

Cheers for the reply Porky. Sorry to hear about your shoulders mate. I hope you can get them sorted. Mine are pretty shot. Specialist reckons if the keyhole surgery doesn’t work they can maybe cut my biceps off and attach them to a different location in my shoulder which sounds like heaps of fun. Haa yeah over 400 would have to be the most expensive ounce I’ve ever bought. I guess one part of it all is I didn’t mention I’m also subject to drug testing at work however having a legit prescription means it would be difficult for them to give me the sac if I did test positive at work. I have done some of my own personal grows over the last 15 or so years and I think that’s what I’ll mainly use to medicate. As far as codeine vs cannabis for pain relief personally I have found that over the years I have needed more and more codeine to get the same level of pain relief to the point now where it barely works. It’s only been in the last 6 months that I have really taken med cannabis seriously for pain relief and I’ve gotta say I feel it is more effective for me than the codeine without any of the negative side effects. It won’t necessarily shut it off completely and I’m still often very aware of the pain after medicating with weed. I think to a large degree it also helps me put up with the pain mentally. It’s also helps with my anxiety and insomnia too. I’m hoping the high dose CBD also helps with the anxiety and insomnia too. Cheers mate.

Yeah fuck that's lost worse than mine just popping in and out!!
Mate if weed works use it for sure! Codeine based meds have caused a lot of problems over the years!
My brother in law was medically discharged from the Navy and given far more opiates than he should of and developed an addiction! He's all good now but could of ended up much worse!!
There was an article about FIFO workers who have a medical prescription testing positive and they were sacked by Fortiscue even though it was prescription so check what your works policy is before ya show up stoned!

 

[Indy]

Yep, the legalities of MC have still got to be sorted with a lot of Industries like that, and it's only seem to come to a head just recently (from what i've gathered). Insurance sector is another one nutting through it as well. Until that's sorted, many MC patients will be punted throughout various parts of our society.

 

[MrMedicated]

Yeah the codeine is just poison in my mind. One of my physios who’s also a pain specialist explained to me that the codeine binds to the pain receptors to numb the pain but the consequence of that is that it triggers the body to produce more pain receptors so over time you actually need a higher and higher dose to achieve pain relief. My GP who has tried to talk me out of medicinal cannabis wants me to take the equivalent amount of codeine that’s in 12 pannadein fortes per day and this other stuff called orphenadrine which gives me a headache and it doesn’t really even work anymore. He also said that I might need to consider stronger opiates like endone. I’m not going there, don’t care what he says.

 

[Dotts]

CBD won't get you stoned...

No THC, so won't show up on any tests...

I agree with Porky, fuck buying medical canna and start to growyour own!

Much much cheaper and easy az mate!

Plenty of folk round these parts to help you out with ya gardening!

 

[Mellow oldfark]

G'day Mr medicated, your in the right place .
With regard to CBD in the mix I think is fantastic ,but what I've read is the amounts you may need and the amount prescribed may not be sufficient.not to mention the cost ,which is pretty horrendous in itself.
There are others on here who will help you that have practical experience with CBD.and others here to give good advice on self sufficiency. There are kind and caring people here.
Welcome Mr Medicated.

 

[Porky]

Yeah the codeine is just poison in my mind. One of my physios who’s also a pain specialist explained to me that the codeine binds to the pain receptors to numb the pain but the consequence of that is that it triggers the body to produce more pain receptors so over time you actually need a higher and higher dose to achieve pain relief. My GP who has tried to talk me out of medicinal cannabis wants me to take the equivalent amount of codeine that’s in 12 pannadein fortes per day and this other stuff called orphenadrine which gives me a headache and it doesn’t really even work anymore. He also said that I might need to consider stronger opiates like endone. I’m not going there, don’t care what he says.

Your GP is a fuckwit!!
Find another one who's not trying to poison you to death!!

 

[Madmick]

I tend to agree , older doctors are stuck in there ways

There are lots of other pain killers that your specialist should have discussed with you

Unfortunately MC alone isnt the wonder drug , but it can certainly help

Without going into my ailments, opiates can he taken using different delivery methods

MC just won't cut it for me , I get Norspan opiate patches , 20mlg every hr for 7 days then you need to put a new 1 on

I been on this for 6yrs now , works well

I combine this with MC 25 % oil when needed , 55% hash for those really bad nights

Lately I just been using the patch's and some of my home grown

The old I can't give you that because it's addictive, my opinion is that I'm not going to get better just gradually worse so whi gives a fuck how addictive it is my concerns are 1 doesn't it work because living in continuous agony isnt living
2 the side affects aren't health or life threatening if used correctly

Fucking pannadol , like giving lollies out , they'll never cut it

 

[Sedge]

Welcome to TSE Mr Medicated

 

[MrMedicated]

Yeah fuck that's lost worse than mine just popping in and out!!
Mate if weed works use it for sure! Codeine based meds have caused a lot of problems over the years!
My brother in law was medically discharged from the Navy and given far more opiates than he should of and developed an addiction! He's all good now but could of ended up much worse!!
There was an article about FIFO workers who have a medical prescription testing positive and they were sacked by Fortiscue even though it was prescription so check what your works policy is before ya show up stoned!

Sorry to hear about your bro Porky, I'm glad he's all good now. Sounds like typical defence medical back in the day. I'm an ex grunt. They used to hand out pannadeine fortes like lollies back then.
At my work now if you test positive for THC you get sent home and have to do alcohol and drug counselling and then you can come back to work. I think 3 strikes and your out though. I can't imagine though that they would send me to alcohol and drug counselling though for something I'm prescribed to take. I know they don't for people on codeine so long as they have a script. I've gotta look up their alcohol and drug policy again.

 

[MrMedicated]

Welcome to TSE Mr Medicated

Cheers Sedge

 

[MrMedicated]

I tend to agree , older doctors are stuck in there ways

There are lots of other pain killers that your specialist should have discussed with you

Unfortunately MC alone isnt the wonder drug , but it can certainly help

Without going into my ailments, opiates can he taken using different delivery methods

MC just won't cut it for me , I get Norspan opiate patches , 20mlg every hr for 7 days then you need to put a new 1 on

I been on this for 6yrs now , works well

I combine this with MC 25 % oil when needed , 55% hash for those really bad nights

Lately I just been using the patch's and some of my home grown

The old I can't give you that because it's addictive, my opinion is that I'm not going to get better just gradually worse so whi gives a fuck how addictive it is my concerns are 1 doesn't it work because living in continuous agony isnt living
2 the side affects aren't health or life threatening if used correctly

Fucking pannadol , like giving lollies out , they'll never cut it

Thats no good Madmick. Im glad that the patches are working for you with the oil and hash. I've never been told about them, I'll have to write that down and ask if things get worse. Cheers for the reply mate.

 

[MrMedicated]

Your GP is a fuckwit!!
Find another one who's not trying to poison you to death!!

Haha, I'm sure he means well but at the end of the day its my body and my life. From what I gather a lot of GPs don't want to prescribe it because they don't know how or its a bunch of paperwork with the TGA.

 

[thefullspectrum]

Welcome Mr M. Sounds like you've been dealing with pain for 15 odd years so presume if you were gunna get addicted to painkillers it probably would have happened by now. CBD is not effective for pain imo, but I found if you have enough of it (oil) you feel relaxed enough to not be focusing on the pain as much if that makes sense. THC though yes!

It was a slippery slope in my pain management from a fucked neck. It started very innocently with Panadeine forte. Then moved up to the Endone then before I knew it Im abusing oxycontin and are a total fucking mess with worse pain than at the start. To this day Im fucked how easily the doc was prescribing me. Pretty sure they've safeguarded the system since.

Many people can take these meds safely and responsibly and are a vital part of their life to be comfortable. Its the minority, due to whatever reasons, begin to abuse them...

It took a miserable 2 years+ of opiate replacement therapy (thats a trap in itself) to get clean and another 2 years for my body to fully rid itself of its opiate side affects. Got me fucked how I didn't lose everything.

I manage my pain a bit differently nowadays and smoke a lot of pot. Far better of the 2 evils.

But admittedly I roll the dice every day with driving.

 

[MrMedicated]

Welcome Mr M. Sounds like you've been dealing with pain for 15 odd years so presume if you were gunna get addicted to painkillers it probably would have happened by now. CBD is not effective for pain imo, but I found if you have enough of it (oil) you feel relaxed enough to not be focusing on the pain as much if that makes sense. THC though yes!

It was a slippery slope in my pain management from a fucked neck. It started very innocently with Panadeine forte. Then moved up to the Endone then before I knew it Im abusing oxycontin and are a total fucking mess with worse pain than at the start. To this day Im fucked how easily the doc was prescribing me. Pretty sure they've safeguarded the system since.

Many people can take these meds safely and responsibly and are a vital part of their life to be comfortable. Its the minority, due to whatever reasons, begin to abuse them...

It took a miserable 2 years+ of opiate replacement therapy (thats a trap in itself) to get clean and another 2 years for my body to fully rid itself of its opiate side affects. Got me fucked how I didn't lose everything.

I manage my pain a bit differently nowadays and smoke a lot of pot. Far better of the 2 evils.

But admittedly I roll the dice every day with driving.

Yeah yeah, I'm hearing all of that mate. especially the driving.

 

[Merl1n]

I'm getting 'some' of mine via medical access via Cannabis Access Clinics https://caclinics.com.au/ They can do a phone consult for the application. My canna dr is in NSW. I get my meds from a Vic chemist and I'm in SA.

Yes, it's expensive BUT (and for me the biggest +) I've been able to cut my opiates back heaps. I haven't been able to eliminate them from my diet, but cutting back is good. Like FullSpectrum, I like them too much (or my body does), Forte to endone to patches and I was still getting breakthrough pain. I had to get off them, I was spiralling down. Canna helped me do this. I still take forte daily, but at nothing like max dose.

For me, I didn't get any benefit from the CBD oil. The THC oil worked but took time to work through my system. I have a brain tumour that's been operated on a few times and my mate 'Pain' has setup permanent residence in my skull. When I need pain relief I need it now, not in a couple of hours. Medical digestble oils can't give that, they take time to be processed by the liver. Inhalation can give me that 'Now' and I find I need the THC. I've got a few flowers to choose from, so I can 'mix'n'match' to my needs.
Again, for me, I don't consider medical canna flower (Bud) to be a 'painkiller', but it diverts my mind from the incessant pain. The pain's still there, it's just not front and centre of every waking thought.