I don't want to get high!!

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geshep

Joined
Sep 6, 2011
Messages
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I've had Crohn's for over 20 years. I've been fortunate to have avoided surgery so far, but if something doesn't change it will be in the not-so-distant future.

I've gotten pancreatitis from the immuno-modulators; no effect from remicade, cimzia, and humira; no effect from sulfasalazine; currently on Pentasa (again) but don't know if I'll see any benefit. There are numerous others that either had ill effects or none at all. I take prednizone for flares, but only an 8 week therapy, because I'm also prone to steroid psychosis.

I've been taking 100,000 IU betacarotene daily, based on a study from the '90s in Utah - it seems to at least lessen the effect.

My dilemma? I'm also a recovered drug addict/alcoholic and have been clean for 25 years. I have heard much of the benefits of MJ; I have far more faith in naturals than pharmaceuticals, but I don't want the intoxication that comes with smoking. MJ leaves me slow and stupid and I really don't want to go there.

Is there a way to get the benefit without the buzz? Thanks.
 
THC is supposed to be the compound that causes the buzz while other cannabinoids do the pain/nausea-relief. You can find strains of marijuana that cause less of a buzz. I think synthetic marinol doesn't give you a buzz, but I've never tried it and don't plan to.

Since you're a recovered addict I don't really know what to say. I don't think you'll ever be able to get rid of the buzz factor with marijuana, not completely. You haven't mentioned painkillers at all. Are you on any of them? If so, do you handle those effects alright or do they ping you a little?
 
Well MJ is a good natural treatment . You can smoke , vape , or do edibles . They all get you high but you will build a tolerance to the high it's something you get used to after awile . With having had other addictions what are you worried about , mj leading you back to those ? MJ isn't no where near as addictive as painkillers hell nicotine is more addictive .
 
Thanks for the feedback...Carrie630, you posed a good question; I do keep some narcotic pain killers on hand. I usually wait until the pain level gets pretty intolerable, then wait until bedtime to take them so I don't have to be in the fog. My understanding about the MJ is that use needs to be more regular to get the benefit. I guess I'm just having a bit of conflict over the thought of mood altering stuff.

kingofqueen...you make a good point...I'm still strung out on nicotine. I guess I am worried about dropping the mindset of the whole "recovery" part. I don't want to find myself back to manufacturing reasons to take more drugs. Bottom line: I'm probably just trying to manufacture a mindf**k.

Make it a good day.
 
You've got it on your mind as a potential complication which is obviously a good thing. Do you have anyone in your life who will tell you if you seem to be slipping?

I'm a chronic user, it helps me a lot. If you didn't specify being recovered I'd have just said go for it. I don't believe MJ is addictive. I can and have stopped for over a month at a time due to necessity. It just makes me sicker and need to take more pills. I have a friend who is recovered, and she has apparently smoked some without any issues (ie: wanting to do more or wanting to drink or anything). Just keep an eye on yourself, have someone who knows, go slow. The fact that you have narcotics on hand and don't pop them like candy shows you have restraint and are in control, just keep your control. :) good luck
 
Thanks Carrie. As a matter of fact, after the last post I was actually talking to a friend about that very thing. And, he's a big enough A$$h**e to be brutally honest...lucky me. I think I'm going to talk to the doc and see about a MM card and see how it plays out. I appreciate the feedback.
 
The effectiveness of marijuana can vary a lot. I've heard some people notice the benefits for hours, some for days. You won't know until you try it. It's not physically addictive, but there's always the psychological aspect. Having a friend keep you in check is a great plan if you're worried. Good luck.
 
Thanks, effdee. If it can work out and not transform me into an unsightly growth on the recliner, it'll be worth the try.
 
I never liked to feeling f being high when I was younger. When I started it as a therapy I would use a heavy indica strain before going to bed. Indica produces a body buzz, so it really just makes you tired and uncoordinated.

Even now that I am used to it I rarely smoke it unless i'm going to bed. It puts you to sleep and you don't need to sit through being high.
 
Thanks, vonfunk. I've been hearing the same thing from a couple of crohnies I know around here. I have to take pain meds for the AS and I use the same practice of just doing it at night. I'm probably going to give it a try that way and see what happens.
Appreciate your response.
 
I have only been addicted to caffeine and paxil in my time, caffeine is easy to kick and paxil is like attempting to quite heroine. If I choose, I can quite both cold turkey but paxil is a nightmare and may or may not be dangerous because I have heard you should not quite it cold turkey but I am still alive. I am back on paxil but not because I can't kick it, because I actually have anxiety problems. Anyways, I can smoke marijuana heavily for a long time and then simply stop using it and it causes me no problems at all, I really do not believe marijuana is addictive at all..

Like someone said before, you build up a tolerance to marijuana highs but you never build up a tolerance to the medicinal effects. It is great. And the painkillers? If you mess with those things (super scary to me) then I don't see what you are worried about with pot. Just because you can legally get painkillers does not make them safe at all!
 
Thanks, billyjoel. That's pretty much the message I'm getting when I talk to people about this. I'm going to bring this up to my doc at my next appointment and see where I go from here. Have a great day.
 
I know you have several answers, but I just wanted to chime in with my experience in case it helps: I've had both marinol and marijuana. You're not going to avoid the buzz with a pill, and marinol makes me feel worse than the real thing. (With anxiety!) It's harder to control the dosage, and it takes about an hour before to take effect for me, orally, which isn't good for fast nausea relief. (Especially if you can't keep stuff down.)

For MJ, you can minimize the buzz by only taking as much as necessary with a pinch hitter, if you smoke it. (I have to program for my job, so I can't be stupid 24/7.) And you do build up a tolerance to the side effects as others have mentioned. Plus, a small snack seems to help too. :) Also it doesn't seem to have the same addictive power as things like narcotics, which you will likely find appealing. But, I've never had a major addiction problem either, and I don't want to give you bad advice.

There are marijuana / illness related forums out there with people that have gone through some serious drug addictions. You may want to talk to them first to get an idea of what you may have to go through. (I don't want to advertise any and offend anyone, but they exist if you find the ones focused on medical treatment.)

But when MJ isn't saving me from massive waves of nausea, it makes me feel like I have a normal stomach, which is something I wish on everyone with Crohn's.
 
Thanks, Kittypants. I looked into the marinol, but found that it is primarily THC and lacks the canabanoids that interact with the receptors in the gut. I've heard it's good for cancer patients, but not much use for crohnies. I think I will check out som of the other forums and see what I can find about other recovering drunks and druggies have to say about it. Have a great day!
 
Hi Geshep,

I've been clean for 23 years and it has been a very difficult decision for me to make. I've been on Vicodin for the last 11 years, and some would say that I relapsed back then and still in relapse. I never bought that crap, because unless someone felt what I felt, how could they really make that judgement. Chronic pain can truly change anyone's mind about taking narcotics, even in the program. Sure they might live through an operation without painkillers, as crazy as that sounds, but chronic pain, day after day, year after year is completely different.

Last weekend, I finally decided to try MM, the high was terrible, I didn't like it at all. I think I smoked too much, too fast, but it did take away my pain instantly, way better than Vicodin or Tramadol. I hate the way those feel, but that never stopped me. The fact that I hated the high feeling from the MM is a good indication that I no longer like to get high in any way, like I did a couple of decades ago. Also I'm not the same person that I was 23 years ago, which I'm sure you're not either. The steps change us from the inside out. The reasons that you got high way back then, is completely different then why you would do it now. Just saying!

I'm encouraged that there is something natural that will take away my pain, so I am for it, and I don't care what anybody says about it in the program. I've been battling people's judgements and opinions of my Vicodin usage for years, and that didn't stop me, so this won't stop me either.

It's a personal decision, but I'm here to tell you that you are not relapsing if you're doing it for medical reasons. That's just my opinion.

I hope I've been able to give you some encouragement. Good luck with your decision.
 
Much thanks, snowchic. I will be looking at 26 years sober and clean on Nov 15. I've talked to other people in the recovery community and their consensus is the same as yours. I know that it will have some negative social implications if the use of MM becomes common knowledge; I have not had to run and hide from anything for a long time, so that necessity will be distasteful. Like you, I've had an ongoing Rx for pain meds for years. (I also have Ankylosing Spondylitis) I tend to let the pain get over the edge before I take them.

I guess I'll have to get used to the fact that the world doesn't need another martyr, huh?

Thanks for your time and thoughts.
 
You're welcome Geshep! Congrats on 26 years, I just celebrated 23. The thing with pain, for me at least, is my body freaks out if it get's too bad. My blood pressure goes through the roof when I'm in pain, so I can't let that happen. Even doctors have told me to take pain meds before it gets to that point, but I'm just like you. I don't want to abuse it, never liked downers anyway, but I still wait until I'm on the edge. It's not wise, but it's that program state of mind that does it to me.

Btw, be careful who you talk to about it. You know as well as I do that there are a lot of drama driven people in the rooms, and they will start roomers. That happened to me just mentioning to one person what I was thinking about doing. Next thing I knew I supposedly did it right in front of this person. The program can be helpful in so many ways, but it can also be hurtful confiding in the wrong person. Just saying!

Nope, no more martyrs needed, lol!
 
I learned a long time ago to be very discreet about what I say around the tables. I believe the program is perfect, but in order to get in, people have to be very imperfect. It's good, though, to have a trusted few who I can be completely candid with.

Congrats on your 23. Isn't it great to witness miracles on a daily basis?
 
Totally, and I agree with you 100%. Thanks for the congrats, also.

Keep us posted on how the MM works for ya.
 
I've been addicted to painkillers and went through treatment. I have like 3 full Vicodin bottles, tramadol, etc and nothing works as good as mmj. If I had to choose between surgery and marijuana there is no debate. To each his own.
 
Cannabis has side effects like any substance. The mental fog for me is greater on Vicodin. The pain relief is greater than Vicodin. The withdrawals can't be compared. As a daily cannabis user for years, if I go out of the country and run out of cannabis, I forget about it entirely in about 3 days. There is barely noticeable physical or mental withdrawal. Nothing even close to nicotine, opiate, or even caffeine withdrawal. The "high" is nothing like the euphoria of opiates or the addiction to opiates. Not even comparable.
 
Geshep,

Warning for fellow multiple year abstinence users. It is way more powerful and potent that it was in the 80's, so take it slow. I mean one hit will do it the first time and not a long drawn out hit, just a short puff. That way you won't have to get as high as I did my first time. I wish someone would've told me, because I took like 5 hits and I absolutely hated that high. Now I take one and wait a few minutes to see if the pain is gone, if it is, I stop there. If it's not quite gone, I'll take one more short hit and that has worked great for me. Good luck!
 
Some of my last memories of MJ from my partying days was what we lovingly called "ditch weed." Minor buzz with major sore throat. Thanks for the heads up...somebody might have had to scrape me off the floor with a spoon.
 
Anyone from on this thread still active? Iv just posted in treatment about oils vs smoking, but not sure if many comment on the issue as of late. I also don't want to get high! I hate not feeling like myself, but crohns has ground me down. Would appreciate if anyone could hop on my thread and give me your thoughts. How long until you become tolerant ect. I'd much appreciate it. 😊
 
Irene3 said:
I also don't want to get high!
Click to expand...


I am pretty sure that you cannot get high on medical-grade marijuana.

Proper medical-grade grown for the purpose of pain relief and prescribed by your doctor......is different from the recreational stuff you buy on the street corner.
 
That's not what everyone here has written. If it has thc, which is needed to properly heal crohns, not just relieve symptoms, people everywhere Iv read talk about the high. But I'm hoping that it will be as though Iv had nothing in no time. Since I'm only having a small amount. I originally wanted to work up to a joint, as the people in an Israeli study with crohns, were given 2 joints a day, for 8 weeks. 50% complete remission. The other 50% showed remarkable improvement. I'm vaping a few puffs worth, so that's no where near 2 joints.
Also, there's no strains specifically grown and widely available here. However, Iv read that high levels of cbd/thc are the bottom line key to healing. Which is in every plant. Just varied levels in each strain. That's one of the wonderful things about this plant....it's not about what is marketed ... ALL plants naturally have these healing properties. I'm very hopeful this will help my crohns. 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻
 

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