New to Crohns - Marinol

[clevername]

Hello everyone. This is my first post, so let me just say hello.

Last month I was diagnosed by my G.I. with Crohn's' Disease. I have been in terrible stomach pain for over 2 months now. I am on Prednisone, Asacol, and Robinul currently. I am a 20 year old male, currently in college. (Taking a break due to the pain.)

I have no appetite, I only eat because I know I need to. I can hardly sleep and sweat severely when I do (I think due to the Prednisone) and so far the pain I am in is not really subsiding. I am on a low residue, low fat diet. I am very depressed and find it hard to even go outside anymore. I was used to a very active lifestyle which has now disappeared.

So now that we are caught up, here is what I am asking:

I have had several people suggest (including a nurse) using Marijuana as treatment, and I have done my research and I feel it's an option I should explore. However, it is illegal in my state (Florida). While I honestly don't care much for the law and I care more about my health, I do hope to not have marijuana affect me getting a job, or me joining the US Navy as I plan to at some point. Let me also state, I have never used any form of marijuana so I am not sure how it will affect me personally.

So my idea is to try Marinol, which is from what I understand, totally legal in my state and basically a pill form of THC. If I have a prescription, I can not be penalized for having THC in my system.

Questions:
Does anyone have much experience with this drug? Is it as effective as actual marijuana? (I heard it was not, because it lacks certain chemicals) Also, how do I go about discussing getting a prescription from my doctor? How well did it help your symptoms overall? Does it do just as well a job as Prednisone does with inflammation?

If worse came to worse, I could possibly get a prescription, and if Marinol is not as effective as actual pot, I could still at least have THC in my system and not be penalized because I have a prescription, therefor allowing me to medicate myself with actual marijuana.

Any info, experience, or advice you have on the subject is greatly appreciated! Thanks.

 

[Nytefyre]

No experience with marinol. I have heard the same things as you, and a quick internet search seems to convey the same information.

Welcome to the forum, by the way!

There are many other drugs and other treatments besides marinol and mary jane. There's Pentasa, Imuran, 6mp, methotrexate, remicade, humira, ustekinumab, cimzia, probiotics, blah, blah, blah.

My point is that if you don't want to jeopardize a career with the US Navy try the other meds first.

However, for me, mary jane is a life saver!

Good luck in your search, and I hope you get some relief from your pain!

 

[ThatBeerGuy]

Well having Crohn's itself can hold you back from the Navy ( not saying its impossible to get in ) but Crohn's is on the Nord list. No matter what if there is THC in your system even if you have a script for it can hold you back from a job ( It is up to the employer if they want to hire you, and legally can discriminate since it is not federally legal ) This also means the Navy will not take you with THC in your system. Here is some info on Marinol http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0000403/

 

[scifi-enthusiast]

Does anyone have any tips on how to get your doctor to prescribe marinol to you?

The reason why I ask is that I wanna try marinol before I make the jump to biologics. Especially since I'm having another flare up on 2.5mg of pred. I read that it has helped some people with the inflammation and pain.

Oh yea, and the Splanchnic nerve block for my adhesion pain didn't work at all.

 

[juicy24]

The army told me since I had Crohns I couldnt join. That was for everything, army, navy, marines, etc. I asked why and they said cuz I couldnt be able to do everything espeically durning a flare up.

 

[ThatBeerGuy]

New info for marinol, I happened to get my hands on some the other day. Well I took 2 pills and it did nothing at all. Nothing for the pain, didnt make me want to eat nothing. It might have other effects for you.

 

[Tsem]

I wanted to join the AirForce like my parents and grandparents before me but was denied due to Crohns same as Juicy

 

[ifeelsick]

I haven't heard of Marinol, but will definitely ask my doctor about it. I also currently reside in Florida. Though I soon plan on moving back to Cali, where I would most certainly get a cannabis card.

As far as the military is concerned, I'm sad to say it's probably a no-go. It was my dream to be a Navy SEAL and EOD specialist. Before my condition got as bad as it is now, I went to a recruiter to enlist, who told me not to list any medical conditions on the paperwork that weren't currently bothering me. I have never been diagnosed, and I was doing okay at the time, so I didn't list my digestive issues. I took my ASVAB, and got a nearly perfect score. I then proceeded through the SEAL physical qualification test and passed on my first try(which I was told is quite rare). The Spec-Ops recruiter was tickled pink about me, and said I was going to make an amazing SEAL. Then, before I even got to go to MEPS, I got a call. You see, my dad was in the military and I had been seeing military doctors for most of my life at that point. Even when I wasn't, my insurance was through the military, meaning they had access to all my medical records. Once they reviewed them and saw I had been having chronic diarrhea and such my whole life, they told me I was disqualified. He told me IBS and IBD are both disqualifying conditions. He even went on to tell me that a lot of people are sent home at the MEPS facility if they make too many trips to the bathroom while waiting for their physical exam.

But hey, it's worth a shot. Everyone is different, and perhaps you could make it through. I'm not the kind of person to discourage someone from going after their dreams. Just know that having IBD is a huge roadblock to overcome when trying to join the military. As far as the marinol goes, as long as it's out of your system when they do the drug test, you have nothing to worry about. I know plenty of people who have done a lot worse drugs on a recreational basis, and had no problem enlisting in the Navy. Although, if they check your medical records like they did to me, they might not like seeing that you were being treated with THC...even with a prescription from a doctor.

 

[kingofqueen]

Do what I did move to a med state ! Marionol is an excuse for the government to make money off of Cannabis .

 

[ThatBeerGuy]

king of queens if you are in a med state than you might find included in the price of your meds is tax's trust me they are there. Marinol is a way for the pharm. company's to make a buck

 

[KatieeJ]

Just an FYI, Marinol is on long term back order (at least in Canada) and has been for a while. There is a drug called Cesamet here though, it's nalibone and is an 'artificial' cannabinoid. I think it's used to treat fibromyalgia, may be worth looking into?

 

[Carrie630]

well, I see other people have brought it up so I'm not the first to mention it, but crohn's is a definite no on military service as are a variety of other incurable diseases.

I've never tried marinol although I seem to remember a thread on here somewhere where someone was talking about their experiences with it. It's synthetic THC, and THC is only one of the many cannabinoids present in marijuana which is why it has limited effectiveness when measured against actual marijuana. It does come with side effects.

Someone mentioned using a script for marinol as an excuse for why a drug test is positive: It used to be that they couldn't tell the difference but new techniques are being used now that can distinguish marinol from marijuana. These techniques are not widely used at this time, but its something to keep in mind.

To the person who was asking about getting a marinol prescription: just try asking your doctor? If you are actively being treated by them, it's not out of left field to ask. It is one of the potential treatments after all. I know we all feel weird asking doctors for painkillers, muscle relaxants, stimulants, etc, because we're afraid of the "drug seeker" label, but I'd expect any of my doctors to at least consider the request if I asked for it. They know me, and they know what I go through. It's not the same as going to the doctor you see once a year and asking for it - for instance, I wouldn't ask my GP because he isn't the one treating me.

 

[TimsMom]

My son's pediatric GI put him on it for his constant nausea. It really helps low level nausea. When his nausea gets real bad, he takes zofran too. He swears by it for nausea but it doesn't do much for pain. We were desparate to find something for his ongoing nausea so I asked his pediatrician about it and he was about to get a script and then my son ended up in the hospital and his GI gave him the script. Yes it is in his blood if he were tested but we don't care, it gives him some relief so that is all that matters. He is 18 now but he got it when he was 17.

 

[JohnnyRottenAppleseed]

I acquired about 6 doses of Marinol and found it inferior to plant based cannabis since Marinol contains no CBD. The CBD is what you want to battle inflammation. I guess the Marinol would at least stimulate appetite in theory but won't have the. Emerita of a high CBD strain.

 

[PennyLou]

My son takes Marinol for his chronic pancreatitis. He says that it does not help as well. He doesn't have any immediate relief from it, however, since he started on that treatment his hospital visits have dramaticly decreased. He doesnt get the euphoric feeling or the munchies or anything like that but numbers dont lie... before the treatment with marinol he was in the hospital every 2 months.. now it has been twice this year!! I do think that marinol has a place for helping inflamitory diseases... He would rather have the real deal, being that it helps with many other things also... but being that we live in a state that does not allow MM, he at least is getting the benefit of it being an anti-inflamitory drug that works very well for him in that respect. Doctors are very leary of handing out that prescription though... His GP will not prescribe it.. he has to get it from his specialist. Hope this is helpful

 

[Redbeard]

I wanted to join the AirForce like my parents and grandparents before me but was denied due to Crohns same as Juicy

I was an officer in the Navy before diagnosis... Afterwards I was moved into inactive reserve until my time was up. I doubt they'll take anyone they know has Crohns if they can shelve a lieutenant on active duty.

I don't know if a doc can get you marinol with Crohns. The Feds made sure to restrict it to a very limited number of conditions and I'm pretty sure CD is not on the list. Ive tried it and found it to be a very strong high and very long to take effect... Not as good as the real deal. It snuck up on me hard, I had to go lay down... Not what I would want happening with my meds. I would rather know how high I'll be when I finish taking it so I can act/plan accordingly.

 

[marcus455]

marijuana for crohns

Hello Mario,
I have never tried the pill of thc but have smoked pot to help with my symtoms and i can tell you from personal experience that the real thing helped my stomach cramps and gave me a appetite. I have been in remission for the last 4 years and the only problems i do have are the damn side effects from the remicade. I have been living with crohns for 30 years now bud and its not the end of the world. you will have ups and downs as you continue to live with crohns but try to be positive in your outlook, you are not alone. I did see you were thinking of joining the navy and unless you know something i dont crohns is a diquallifing factor for enlistment. I was given a honorable discharge from the USAF because of my crohns after serving four years and the rerason why was you must be world wide qualified to serve in any branch of the military. Good luck.

 

[JohnnyRottenAppleseed]

My son takes Marinol for his chronic pancreatitis. He says that it does not help as well. He doesn't have any immediate relief from it, however, since he started on that treatment his hospital visits have dramaticly decreased. He doesnt get the euphoric feeling or the munchies or anything like that but numbers dont lie... before the treatment with marinol he was in the hospital every 2 months.. now it has been twice this year!! I do think that marinol has a place for helping inflamitory diseases... He would rather have the real deal, being that it helps with many other things also... but being that we live in a state that does not allow MM, he at least is getting the benefit of it being an anti-inflamitory drug that works very well for him in that respect. Doctors are very leary of handing out that prescription though... His GP will not prescribe it.. he has to get it from his specialist. Hope this is helpful[/



I didn't know THC was antiInflammatory. The whole plant is for sure. If you can't get anything else I'm sure Marinol is better than nothing. At least
You get the appetite stimulant, antidepressant, and analgesic benefits from Marinol.

 

[Macgavock]

I am so confused. I too thought that High CBD fought inflammation and THC fought nassau but could also mess with your mind in medium to high doses. I'd love to hear from other users using marinal for inflammation. Does it cause or help get a person to remission?