MMJ and Nerve Pain

I was diagnosed with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome in my left arm about 6 years ago and have since underwent 5 surgeries. First they removed muscle and scar tissue in my brachial plexus (near the collarbone), a few months later they removed my first rib (same incision), next it was a carpal tunnel release, followed by an ulnar nerve transposition and most recently a guyon's canal release.

Today I had a Nerve Conductive Study as well as Electromyography - both of which sucked. The electromyography was extremely uncomfortable. They poked me with a really small needle in various places in my arm and neck, then they would wiggle the needle around as I would make specific motions in my arm. It totally gave me the willies! They confirmed that I have nerve damage stemming from my t1 and/or c6 vertebrae.

I've tried just about every pharmaceutical under the sun: muscle relaxers, anti-convulsants, anti-depressants, and all of the narcotics. Nothing provides relief like MMJ does. I recently moved to St. Louis from California so I no longer have safe access to meds. My surgeon recommended medical marijuana, alas it's not legal here.

Does anyone else here suffer from nerve damage or nerve pain? Do you find relief using anything else or is MMJ the ticket?

Cymbalta (duloxetine hydrochloride) and Neurontin (Gabapentin) are 2 tools I have in my box. Gaba is old school and kind of an amazing drug. The nature of pain is so personal that I wont even hazard a guess, you'll just have to research and see if one looks like it might be a good fit for you, if so get your wellness team involved.

http://www.rxlist.com/cymbalta-drug.htm
http://www.rxlist.com/neurontin-drug.htm

It sucks man, dabs and high temp vaping are the only thing keeping my nerve damage at bay so I can work and support a young family. If you can source high CBD strains I'd try them out, wish I could find some down here.

I have localized nerve pain from 8 of the 9 scars I have. Lidoderm patches are the best thing I've found for them, better than MMJ even but at the expense of waiting 1-2hrs for it to start working. 12 on, 12 off, I can use them pretty much on that schedule for the rest of my life with no real side effects (as long as I stay on the schedule.) They're a blessing for the pain, but my insurance doesn't cover them so it's $8 a pop.

I use Lidoderm patches for pain too. I am starting to get nerve pain where the RA is in my spine, and experiencing more numbness in that general area as of late as well. Have you ever accidentally left a patch on for more than 12 hours? I have, and got a horrible red rash. If I didn't have insurance, it would cost me over $300.00 for a box of 30 patches. They aren't cheap, that's for sure. Using my insurance, I pay $50.00 a box. I like to use the patches in conjunction with MJ for maximum pain relief, with no real side effects, like you said.

I had a night where I fell asleep with one on, as soon as I woke up I was freaking out! I found it 15 seconds later... by my foot... from my shoulder... must have rolled around a lot in my sleep and taken it off. They're not too sticky for the places where you bend a lot, for my back/sides it's easy enough but I need the sticky medical bandage tape stuff to keep it in place if I'm using it on my knees or shoulders. I set down just under $160 for 20. Does it suck? Yeah. That's out of pocket for me, but I'm glad I at least have the money for it and the prescription to take in.

I'm gonna have to seek out these patches. Rx only?

I used to get this great MMJ topical gel in LA that had lidocaine in the mix. If any of y'all have safe access I'd recommend it. It was great to keep at work!

Yes, Lidocaine patches are RX only.

Have you tired lyrica? It's kinda expensive though.. What about Nucynta. Havent tried it yet but its indicated for nueropathy I believe.

Lyrica and Nucyncta are both brand name only, so they'll be more expensive. Lyrica is pregablin, nucyncta is tapentadol, an opioid similar to tramadol (with SNRI stuff as well.) If you have localized nerve pain I would give Lidoderm a shot first. You don't have to use it everyday for it to "build up"

This is very true and I tried Lyrica first, then moved on to Gabapentin. Its an amazing, old school drug, that just seems to help in these types of situations(the sleep regulation is nice too btw). I told my sister, who is housebound with MS, years ago about Gaba and she didn't listen. Now all of a sudden her "new" doctor is really getting her amped about it and she is trying to tell ME about it and I'm like sis . . . I told you about this stuff when I started taking it 5 years ago . . .

You couldn't pay me to take Lyrica. EVERYONE I know that has taken it (and that's 5 completely different people/personalities), have been plunged into depression at some point during their cycle of the meds. My wife has Fibromyalgia and tried Lyrica. She was miserable and pretty much slept the entire time. My mother has been on it, for some time and it wasn't until after 3 months of bugging her, did I finally get her to talk about it with her doctor. He switched her to something else.

Just a lot of bad mojo around that drug. I think its one of those, we're going to find out 10-20 years down the road, has done some serious damage.

FYI on both Neurontin - They do help some people. But some doctors do not know how to dose them correctly for pain. I almost died from the MD prescribing too large a Neurontin dose, and know two patients who had the same experience - all three cases cardiac edema.

I've been in nerve pain from failed back surgery syndrome and bone spurs since 1998, stenosis and disk degenerative disease since '96. I've reached a point where the narcotics only make me sick to my stomach. The only things that work for pain anymore for me are lidoderm (but that only works for a relatively small area, not for nerve pain in an entire limb or a whole part of the torso) and sometimes mj. That's after almost two decades though. And acupuncture if you have a good acupuncturist - mine literally went back to China
Some people also have success with electrical neurostimulation, but the effectiveness of that can wear off. I had the implant for that put in, but it stopped helping at all after ~18 months. Now the implant itself hurts. But I know some patients who got long-term relief from that.

I also found that vaping does help my pain better than combusting, even when coughing is controlled for, though eating mj has never done anything for my pain. I hove odd neurochemistry though - can't take most anti-depressants, have sulpha and weird food allergies, as do some of my siblings. I even have a sister who is actually allergic to THC, very rare, she's been in studies about it.

This write is a big help to me! I'm on Neurontin for nerve pain too. It got rid of the burning pain but not holding back the nerve pain disabling my legs. Primary doc administered cordisone shots in my knees and I landed in ER with an allergic reaction. What a mess! After 2 shots of morphine, at least I was a happy mess. Docs have yet to figure out what's going on with me. Whatever it is, it's on a FAST track. Neuro-surgeon suspects MS. As best I know, brain blockers (like Neurontin) and steriods are all docs have to fight Autoimmune. A friend told me to try cannibus because it calms the central nervous system and supresses the immune system. I do need both. Figured it was worth a shot. I haven't been a smoker to get high, so I have no clue what I'm doing. Rookie on fire! LOL!!! Was hoping I could vape 1 hit 3 to 4 times a day. Do temp settings on the vape make a difference in strength? Guy that sold me the vape said I should try to get best grade I can afford in my budget. There's another lesson I need to learn. Any and all advice welcome. Thanks!! :-)

Yes, temperature can definitely influence the experience. What kind of vaporizer did you get?

I'm just getting started with MMJ. I sure hope it works! I did get some releif with same drugs as you but not enough. When docs tried cordisone and it didn't work that set off the warning bell. From all the research I've done, steriods are their ACE in the hole. I need to get my central nervous system calmed down pronto. Did a lot of research on MMJ. It naturally calms the central nervous system and supresses the immune system. I need both. Also learned that MMJ robs the system of magnisium so it's good idea to get a supplement for that because that's the bodies natural support to calm the central nervous system. As for getting your meds, I would ask one of your friends in CA to get a perscription (if they don't have one) and buy for you and ship it to you UPS. I have a friend that did that for an out of State friend in your same situation and never had a problem. I've read and researched till my eyes were bleeding and sounds like you've taken everything docs have in their arsenal. Way I see it, taking charge and do what you know works is the right thing to do. It's your health, not their's. I'm on a mission to see if I can save my legs before it's too late. Wish me luck.

I wouldn't recommend shipping a federally illegal drug over state lines. By the way, UPS (as well as FedEx and more I'm sure) doesn't need a warrant to open packages. USPS does.

You know, your write jogged my memory it was mail not UPS. Boy, I gotta be careful that what I say. I need to know what I'm talking about or make sure I get my info right. Sorry, my bad.

My ex-wife has MS - that plus my health ended the marriage - and gets more help from mmj than from cortisone.
Temp mhkes a big dif, but i vary with variety of herb. Thats one reason variable temp is important.

I have fibro, and chronic myofascia pain...

Besides MMJ, which I think has been helping a lot with the pain levels, and allows me to get some sleep (I spent years on very marginal sleep), I have also eliminated grains/gluten from my food choices, and I think that has helped as well. But for the sleep issues, and the random "phantom" pain, MMJ works well.

I have found nerve pain being helped with MMJ depends widely on the strain being used. I'm not sure what specific compounds (I suspect THCV and CBD) are responsible for this aid in nerve pain but I have had very good luck with high CBD strains with at least a 1:1 ratio of CBD to THC. There is a company called cbdcrew who design all their strains with this ratio and I can't say enough about their seeds.

The strains they make don't have that typical high THC head rush but they seem much more helpful for those using pot medicinally.

Temperature used while vaporizing is the most important factor in the experience. I have vaped the same herb on different temps (I go from 180C to 212C depending on strain) and had COMPLETELY different experiences and medicinal benefits. I would suggest upping your temps to at least 200C on your vaporizer providing it doesn't irritate your lungs too much as most of the other beneficial cannabinoids are released higher in the temp range.

Right now I'm using a sample (a friends perscription). I don't know which strain, she said it's the one more calming. She's trying to help me decide if cannibus is going to be a good therapy. I'm so grateful vaporizers are the new thing! I'm not a smoker and have smoked a little cannibus at parties but my condition is giving me fake asthma. I would prefer not having to deal with being high..not my thing. My is responding to a spastic condition. fancy name for it is Paraneoplastic Syndromes of the nervous system. Streching and excercise would be helpful but doctors have yet to find what is making me so ill and weak. When I increase activity in any way, I struggle with flu symptoms and lose all my stamina. They found a mass outside my spine in an area that could mess up my body in the region I'm fussing about. Right now I have a radiologist swearin it's benign. I'm going to wait and see what the Mayo Clinic determines from the blood tests my doctor ordered. There is such a thing as cancer hiding in cells and why my typical blood tests may be testing normal. Nothing they have tried in their arsenal has worked so I figure what the heck, give MMJ a try and see if it lends any help in taming the tiger. How about you, what kind of nerve pain do you have? Do doctors know it's origin?

I was using MJ recreationally for about 15 years and one day I woke up with sharp pains going down both of my legs like the sciatic nerve syndrome and could barely walk sometimes. Nobody knew what was my problem so was never prescribed anything really, other than referrals to Chiro and Acupuncture. The chiro did help quite a bit during that time but I discovered that smoking MJ and taking a lot of Advil was helping deal with this pain, especially at night when I was tired.

After 8 years of excruciating and growing pain, I went for an MRI and was finally diagnosed with a rare form of spinal cord tumor that was the size of a banana, located from L2 to L5. They then removed about 80% of the benign tumor and the pain was reduced by 75% like the next day!

Since then, I manage my pain exclusively with MMJ and a healthy lifestyle. Vaporizing as a better body effect and will help but will never take my pain away - I am managing. Good edibles are the best to go through a day once you find your good MMJ ratio but you need A LOT of cannabis. Oil is very (too much?) sedative but difficult to get/produce.

For me, MMJ helps me cope with my condition and allows me to push further the day I will have to use Neurontin and the likes but it does not take away the pain entirely, it helps me deal with it.

I'd say that staying fit and having a healthy lifestyle is what is helping me the most. It is winter right now in Canada and I am not as active and my pain is much less tolerable. During the rest of the year I cycle to go to work (yeah, I work too) and do about 100Km per week and I vaporize every morning before leaving and I feel great. I also eat very well and do not use alcohol at all (never did actually).

I am a canadian federal MMJ exemptee and I am currently allowed to have my own garden and was able to find the right strains for me (I use 4). This allows me to make my own by-products and use MMJ in many different ways, type of strain for the time of the day, etc. It currently costs me less than 1$/gram to grow my own, outdoors with natural sunlight, 100% organic and using no ferts.

Unfortunately, our canadian government has decided to remove our right to grow, and as of March 2014 I will have to buy my MMJ from commercial growers who will fix their own prices and choose their own strains. I will not be able to afford what I need at 8$+/gram, so I will have to decide how I go about this next year (pain killers or not?). Cannabis by-products will NOT be available and are not part of the scope. Only the dried flowers will be available.

Of the 26,000 canadian exemptees, 80% are currently growing their own medical cannabis. That's a lot of people to put in prisons if we continue to grow after march 2014.


As we get closer to this fatal date, I am getting more anxious, worried an scared. I feel like I'm loosing grip on the control of my life, my health and my liberty. Ultimately, everyone around me will also suffer from the consequences of the proposed new rules for MMJ in Canada (now called the 'MMPR').

It's so sad, I am proud of what I was able to accomplish while using cannabis for my ailments for the last 15 years. I know a lot of people of have cut down on their pills using cannabis.

I don't know about how your program works up there, but here in California with my recommendation I'm allowed to grow 12 cannabis plants, provided that exactly half (6) of them aren't mature, and the other 6 are. So I can keep 6 flowering and 6 growing, cycling one set to the other and stay with a constant supply. Can you grow with your rec. or do you only get it from approved centers? The only thing stopping me from undertaking that is that I can't grow at the request of my parents, so I'm "stuck" hitting collectives whenever I run low. I haven't found someone I trust enough to grow my stuff yet...

I only got into the program in 2010. Before that, I was buying from the black market with a steady supply from one single guy the last couple years, very reliable and always quality stuff - until he decided to move on to other ventures...

Dispensaries or 'Compassion clubs' are illegal but tolerated in B.-C. and in Ontario, were most of the MMAR licences are generated. There are even vapor lounges in Toronto.

Some will sell online only and will post-ship to your door. I tried it a couple times, it works but is not cheap and risky. You also have to disclose a lot of personal information to 'get in' that could be a deterrent for a lot of people.

When I first got into the program I was allowed to grow 49 indoor plants and found another patient that knew someone that could grow for me. I got mixed results, not to say 'got scr*wed', and eventually I parted my way.

I then met a M.S. patient through MMJ groups on FB that lives minutes away with an 100+ acres land. We are now growing for ourselves and also taking care of two other patient's garden for a total of 111 plants (love this number!). I have the biggest scripts of all four, and 57 of those ladies are mine

Now, the government is allowing us to grow for one last year, and those who grow outdoor like me will harvest in sept-oct 2013. I am usually entitled to store the equivalent of 1.5 year supply of meds but the government expects me (and all other patients) to throw away what we have left in March 2014. And they have not specified how we should go about that either. This is a crime against the ill and suffering canadians.

I apologize to the OP if I'm polluting this thread, but I wanted to give a proper answer to the question above.

Cheers,
M.