marijuana

Here you can share your experiences with substances that are ingested, inhaled, or otherwise consumed for the purpose of relieving RLS, other than prescription medications. For example, herbal remedies, nutritional supplements, diet, kratom, and marijuana (for now) should be discussed here. Tell others of successes, failures, side effects, and any known research on these substances. [Posts on these subjects created prior to 2009 are in the Physical Treatments forum.]

Important: Posts and information in this section are based on personal experiences and recommendations; they should not be considered a substitute for the advice of a healthcare provider.
Dennis
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Sep 07, 2007 3:01 am

Marujuana WORKS

Post by Dennis »

:) I am 46 yrs old and have suffered from this as long as i can remember, when i was a kidd about 8 or 9 i remember sleeping on my stomach and raising my leggs and letting them fall back down on the bed, strange but it helped. Now i use Marijuana and IT WORKS GREAT, before i go to sleep i smoke 2 or 3 hits and my entire body , especially my leggs feel completely relaxed and and I LOVE IT. I also suffer from lower back pain. I also take a hot hot shower before bed and that REALLY HELPS too.
I have alsways felt the need to sleep with weight on my leggs , so I have many blankets on my bed. This is what i do and it sucks when travling, that is a whole story onto it self. RLS who knew that it had a name and others had it too, i just that it was normal.

Dennis
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Sep 07, 2007 3:01 am

Re: marijuana

Post by Dennis »

the side effects of Marijuana for me does not compare sleepless night. Everyone is different and you will have to decide if the side effects are worth it or if your RLS is managable to live with.


Flying_Jim wrote:
vinton wrote:I cant take mirapex or any of that med type so I'm thinking of marijuana. Here in canada its legal for medical purposes but available in pills. I've never tried it but some friends cultivate it and without any addditives. So what is your opinion on this?

Thanks


Like you I have trouble with mirapex. I take 0.75 mg of Mirepex every night, but I endure 2 to 3 hours of nausea in the morning. I've tried to go off Mirapex several times for 4 days at a crack. During those four days I was not able to lie down or sit down. I was falling asleep on my feet and crashing into walls. Like you, I live in Canada and am considering whether are not marijuana would help me. Like several of the people on this site I am worried about the effects of smoking marijuana. I would be interested in anything anyone can add.

fenris
Posts: 24
Joined: Sun Sep 02, 2007 4:53 pm

Post by fenris »

It occurs to me that if marijuana doesn't help with RLS, it might be worth considering for the side effect of nausea that comes with some drugs. It can be surprisingly good for this, and it might not interfere with the DAs like conventional anti-nausea medications can.

On the other hand, I've found that a cup of ginger tea can work wonders, too. :wink:

fenris

Sojourner
Posts: 1657
Joined: Tue Dec 05, 2006 5:56 am
Location: USA

Post by Sojourner »

Still wanna know how I can get some hands on the product for a test drive!
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shizwak
Posts: 14
Joined: Fri Sep 28, 2007 7:12 pm

personaly

Post by shizwak »

i have taken marijuana a few times in the past 4 months for this rls. but i didnt want to include it in my list of thing i tried and sound like a drug addict. however it works. very well. but its expensive and illegal. i stopped using it in hopes of gettin insurance and trying ambien. but now i hear all these crazy side effects. i hop in my car as it is when i cant sleep. imagine if i sleep drove? so scary to think about. but to settle the score here it DID work for me. and if its worth the risk to you try it. but its expensive. my .02

shizwak
Posts: 14
Joined: Fri Sep 28, 2007 7:12 pm

note

Post by shizwak »

i am currently no longer using this it just seems wrong. but to each his/her own.

Sojourner
Posts: 1657
Joined: Tue Dec 05, 2006 5:56 am
Location: USA

Post by Sojourner »

What's it currently selling for?
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SquirmingSusan
Posts: 3028
Joined: Sun Nov 12, 2006 4:08 am
Location: Minnesota
Contact:

Post by SquirmingSusan »

I'm thinking when I gave it a shot last spring, it was $20-25 for half an ounce. Which seemed like quite a bit of greenery. Mark, if you're serious just ask around. Supposedly about 10% of the population indulges. You shouldn't have to look too far.

Sadly it didn't work for my RLS. I still think it would be much less of a hassle to take a couple hits of mj at night, and not have to see the doctor all the time to get my methadone.

Do you have medical marijuana in Michigan? In Minnesota, it passed the Senate during the last legislative session, but they didn't get it to a vote in the House.

California has a quite liberal med marijuana policy. You could probably see Dr. B, and have him write you a prescription so you could try it. Or take a trip to Amsterdam. It's a nice place to visit.

If you're serious about trying it, you just have to start asking around. I just told people that I have a neurological condition that often responds well to treatment with mj. Someone will have some or will be able to hook you up. It's everywhere.
Susan

Sojourner
Posts: 1657
Joined: Tue Dec 05, 2006 5:56 am
Location: USA

Post by Sojourner »

No medical MJ in Michigan. However, Ann Arbor has one of the most leanient penalties (civil infraction + fine) in the state and perhaps nation.
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psychick
Posts: 40
Joined: Wed Sep 26, 2007 6:00 pm
Location: Midwest

Post by psychick »

This post was interesting to me...esp since the side effects of MJ are potentially much less than the side effects of some of the other drugs prescribed for RLS. I haven't smoked pot in well over a decade, but I have several friends who do, so access wouldn't be difficult for me. My question is: has anyone thought about procuring seeds and just growing a couple of plants (either in their garden or in a closet) for their own personal use? That way no need to worry about being busted in an illegal transaction...and I tell you, most of my neighbors would have no idea if I grew it behind our garage and certainly no one would know if I set up a closet as a little grow station. Just an idea.

I'm pretty far from trying it myself - I need to work with my doctors for awhile to see if there are legal solutions (just diagnosed 2 weeks ago), and my sinus issues would preclude smoking anything except as a last resort, but from what I understand MJ is a very prolific weed and is very hardy and easy to grow. And to the people who tell you it's illegal, feel free to point out that speeding is too and people do that all the time!

fenris
Posts: 24
Joined: Sun Sep 02, 2007 4:53 pm

Post by fenris »

I've tried at least one in just about every class of drugs they use for RLS, and had some really nasty side effects. One made my feet swell so big I couldn't fit them in my shoes, another made me so depressed I could scarcely see the point in getting out of bed in the morning, a third made me so irritable I got into a fight with my wife - and then I had a seizure. Requip made me hallucinate, and Mirapex has turned me into a nonstop eating machine who can't sleep more than 3 hours a night. All of them have made me feel loopy pretty much all day - and most of them made me feel really icky.

My options are dwindling for prescription medications- opiates, or benzos. Opiates will almost certainly make me depressed over time - they have before. With benzos I'll probably be sedated all day like I am on Ambien.

I don't think I've got much choice at this juncture, even if marijuana was illegal in my state, which it isn't. I know marijuana works, and I know the side effects are managable for me. I can't see any reason, aside from its appreciable stigma, not to manage my PLMS and RLS with cannabis.

If someone has another suggestion, I'm happy to hear it, but I'm really beginning to believe that cannabis is my best option right now.

fenris

Sojourner
Posts: 1657
Joined: Tue Dec 05, 2006 5:56 am
Location: USA

Post by Sojourner »

fenris, thought mj was illegal in every state though I know you are talking about medical mj which the feds don't seem to be anxious about prosecuting anyone for anyway. But, I do wonder if it will make the docs weary. I'm sure it would or will be on my list after going through the usual potpourri. Have no experience with it though. Confess to not having read all your posts but have you tried neurontin or ultram? Sorry if this is a re-hash (no pun intented). Hope others will have some better advice for you. Best of luck.
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fenris
Posts: 24
Joined: Sun Sep 02, 2007 4:53 pm

Post by fenris »

Hello Mark -

I did use Neurontin at one point for chronic pain - at a dose that worked I was too loopy to drive, and my feet got really huge. I haven't tried Tramadol, but I've had a lot of different opiates after a back injury and surgery, and didn't react well to them either.

While marijuana is illegal under federal law, ten states (may be more now) have made provisions for medical use - I'm fortunate enough to live in one of those states. As you said, medical marijuana is different, and the DEA isn't really interested in those of us who have a legitimate medical need for the stuff. I have about five qualifying conditions, so legitimate medical need won't ever be in question.

Doctors are another problem, but that's been true for me with the whole RLS thing from the beginning. One attraction for me of using marijuana is that I'm not going to have to talk anyone into writing me yet another prescription for something expensive that either doesn't work or makes me feel so wierd I feel like I need someone to lead me around by the hand.

--edited to add...

I had a nice visit with the doctor today, who said, given all the different drugs I've tried, she didn't really have anything else to offer me. If I hadn't had something to offer myself I'd be feeling pretty crazed right now.

fenris

fenris
Posts: 24
Joined: Sun Sep 02, 2007 4:53 pm

Post by fenris »

So, it's been a week or so that I've been taking one or two canna-cookies at night before bed. I've been waking up once to do the obligatory bathroom break, and I will wake up if my partner snores or the dog starts fidgeting. The big difference is that I can fall back asleep relatively easily, and in the morning when the alarm goes off I feel a lot more rested. Not as rested as before the whole RLS thing started, but a lot better than I have been. I'll feel a bit woozy when I first wake up, but after I have a cup of coffee and take the dog for his morning walk, I feel pretty much okay.

So far so good....

fenris

Aff
Posts: 37
Joined: Thu Feb 15, 2007 5:45 pm
Location: UK

Post by Aff »

i know how people feel about the illegality of MJ and this is the general problem in offering advice.

but when you hear the stories of fenris and the side effects experienced, the same simply cannot be said of MJ, especially in the small quantities it takes to get the legs pacified.

i'm actually surprised this hasn't descended into a debate on MJ screwing the brain cells yet, because here in the UK they have gone 'reefer mad' again and it is very depressing as you sit isolated with your rls (no big thing to people) considering MJ (a big thing to some).

but the reality is, as fenris has shown, it gets you to sleep. waking up can be a struggle but it takes less than ten minutes to start your day with fresh air and coffee.

the same cannot be said for sleeping pills, big-foot pills, etc.

my current regime is to have a night with MJ and a night without or maybe a herbal sleeping tablet, maybe nothing.

keep testing yourself, do not depend on MJ wholely.

a few nights bad sleep (maybe) with a few more nights good gives you something to look forward to.

you may be surprised that once you do this on occasion you may get through a night without MJ and then you may experiment with no drugs, thus one day you never know, will lead to a drug free life.

respect MJ for what it is and i'm sure we'll all be fine

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