Kristin Kucera
I can honestly say that medical marijuana saved my life!
I am an intractable pain patient who was affected in 2019 when the Chief Medical Officer of the prominent medical institution where I work decided to mandate a system-wide opioid policy for all physicians and patients based on CDC opioid guidelines.
I am not new to opioids, I have no side effects from them (some don't work), I don't misuse them, and I'm not even at risk for overdosing. But that didn't matter to the CMO. He forced my pain management doctor to gradually taper off all of his patients on opioids or risk losing his job.
I have since been tapered down to 90 MME (milligrams of morphine equivalent), which is one-third of the opioid therapy I have been successfully managing for over 30 years. Awful situation, right?
For me, medical marijuana/cannabis was a last resort. Unlike opioids, I am highly sensitive to marijuana and need to be able to think and talk. As I tapered off, I lost my ability to tolerate the excruciating pain. I could not sit, stand, lie or sleep without being in excruciating pain. I was literally being tortured to death.
I became very ill, my health was unstable, I was hospitalized many times. Feeling increasingly hopeless, I became depressed and suicidal, I begged anyone for help. The thought of passing into death was always with me.
I had a choice: fight with what was available or give in to despair. I didn't give up hope and decided to try medical marijuana. After speaking with my health care provider, I applied for a Massachusetts medical marijuana license. Once approved, I went to a dispensary and the experimentation began.
Everyone's experience with cannabis is different. Like opioids, it depends on how it is metabolized in the body. I had a few bad experiences, but I didn't give up. It took me two years of experimentation to find the right dose, strain (sativa, indica, hybrid), and preparation method (flower, edibles, tinctures, topicals).
After a lot of trial and error, I discovered what works best for me: microdosing a 1:1 tincture (equal amounts of THC and CBD) and applying a 1:1 cream – this method saved my life!
Key to success: Start slow
The key things I learned along the way were:
For inexperienced patients using cannabis for the first time, we recommend starting with a few drops of the tincture (0.25-0.5 ml sublingually) every 6-8 hours. It may take 2 hours or more to feel the full effects. Do not take additional tinctures too soon or you may experience compounding effects and undesirable side effects.
Allow your body to get used to increasing your dose, amount, or frequency before doing so. The titration period varies from person to person and can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. The only way to find out what works for you is to try it.
I recommend gradually increasing your dose by 0.25ml (0.5ml, 0.75ml, 1ml, etc.) over a few days to weeks until you achieve optimal results. I personally use less than 0.25ml during the day and less than 0.5ml at night. During my experimentation with the 1:1 tincture, I increased it to every 3 days.
There are many types of tinctures available, and I wouldn't recommend jumping straight into a full-strain indica or sativa tincture without building up a tolerance.
The same goes for edibles. Try cutting them in half or even in thirds to start with. Edibles can take up to 2 hours to start working, so don't take more than that or you may experience unwanted side effects. I was able to microdose edibles 2-4 times a day as needed.
Topicals work wonders. I prefer ointments over creams and gels, but they can be costly. You can make your own inexpensive topicals by mixing a tincture into your favorite ointment or cream.
First-time users are advised not to smoke marijuana flower or buds until they have built up a tolerance with 1:1 tinctures or edibles, as smoking is much faster acting and unwanted side effects can be difficult to manage.
If you want to experiment, I would recommend smoking at home at night when you have no responsibilities. I have found this to be the best way. Start slowly with a small amount at first. It doesn't take much time. Wait about 15-20 minutes before deciding to smoke for the second or third time. Smoking too much can lead to bad side effects, especially if you don't have a good tolerance.
Always research side effects and speak to the dispensary staff, who can help you choose flowers or edibles with properties that improve pain, sleep, and mood.
If you live in a state where medical marijuana is legal, get a license or card to protect yourself from discrimination, pain management contracts, and urine drug tests. I told my medical provider and gave him a copy of my license to put in my medical record.
Always check with your prescribing doctor before using marijuana to avoid unintentionally violating your painkiller contract. Your landlord may also be an obstacle if you smoke at home.
Drug war propaganda only stokes fear. Educate yourself on the benefits of marijuana. Marijuana is not a gateway drug. When used responsibly with the right strain, dose, and preparation, marijuana can help reduce pain, inflammation, and anxiety. It's definitely worth a try.
Finally, don't give up!
Kristin Kucera lives with psoriatic arthritis, spondyloarthropathy, spondylitis, polyarthritis, sacroiliitis, osteoarthritis, dermatomyositis, mixed connective tissue disease, spinal radiculopathy, hypoparathyroidism, rare endocrine tumors, psoriasis, endometriosis stage IV, pelvic adhesions, and other painful conditions.
Prior to becoming disabled, Christine was a Healthcare Research Systems Developer and Analyst for federally funded CMS, AHRQ, and NIH grants and programs.
