Some people have very strong opinions on what does and doesn’t work based on their own experiences, but for better or worse cannabis works differently for different people and it is not necessarily more effective if you use more or use it more often. To get the best results you have to experiment.
I will say though, I’ve been using it for 4 1/2 years for back problems including pretty severe muscle spasms, and after surgery to screw a bone in my hand back together I switched back from oxycodone to cannabis within a few days because cannabis did much more for my back and also helped with my hand.
At least low doses of both can also be taken together with seemingly better results than low doses of either alone, but I never mixed them.
https://www.leafly.com/news/health/how-opioids-marijuana-work-together-for-pain-relief
What worked for me in the past was a heavy daily dose of edibles and vapor before bed, but lately (possibly just due to my own changes in when and how I use it) I’ve had trouble taking such large doses without anxiety, so what works best for me now is to start with edibles and supplemental CBD (if they’re not already high in CBD) followed after a while by vaporized flower, preferably also with some CBD. From there I can do anything pretty comfortably as long as I don’t try to really push the limits.
For most people that specific regimen is probably not even necessary, I just have pre-existing anxiety issues and it’s possible to amplify them.
Cannabis has been the single most effective thing I’ve ever taken (when I do it right) at dealing with everything that’s wrong with me - including anxiety, and the side effects have been much less bad than most of the prescription drugs I’ve had.
Those side effects are basically potentially increased anxiety if I do things wrong (“set and setting” can matter too), possibly dry mouth especially if I do it right before bed, maybe some dizziness or unsteadiness for a while if I have a pretty large dose, but if I can just lay down and go with it the closed-eye visuals and other effects can be fun and the rest doesn’t matter if I don’t have to do anything. I haven’t taken enough to get there in a while though and I can still get the pain relief I need.
I wish I had a list of great strain recommendations, but the best I can offer is heavy Indica like Granddaddy Purple and/or high CBD strains, all combined with good whole plant extract edibles (not pure THC extracts unless I combine them with CBD myself). I also have 1:1 CBD:THC topicals that help me.
For me they’re all important, but if I had to choose one for dealing with pain long term, edibles or tinctures would be the way to go. Vaporizing works a lot faster though, so combining them is best for me, and good topicals really can help too.
Oh, and concentrates can deliver a lot to you quickly, so they may be more effective than flower for you. I’m just slowly getting into them myself. It’s easy for me to overdo it with a dab that has to be used up quickly, but using a Dynacoil or other on-demand concentrate method I can get a comfortable dose. I just haven’t done it enough to really compare the medicinal effects to flower yet.
I hope that helps you find what works for you; good luck!
, this is also my experience!
)thankfully ,not every day in pain, for me summertime is almost painfree
, but when it get's colder ,and windier ouch......
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