Medical Marijuana

[NatWest]

Hi crazy joe, good to hear from you again. Glad you are getting more sleep and the herbs, etc. are helping. I know, it's too bad herbs and supplements are not regulated. I've read that some actually contain a very small amount of what they claim to be. I think certain brands can be trusted to be better quality than others for sure, unless you're growing your own and know exactly what you're getting.

Good luck!

[yawny]

Thanks NatWest, but cooking mj is not an option for me. My neighbors wouldn't tolerate the smell and would get us kicked us out.

Hi Steve,

I'm wondering if you might be able to do your cooking/baking in a rentable commercial kitchen, or a place that teaches cooking classes? The process does make a noticeable smell so at home I open the windows and run a fan. I've even cooked cannabutter outdoors on my grill burner. No comments from the neighbors yet. So far I've made blondies (no chocolate...super bummer) that I precut and freeze. I also use a food scale (with a bit of parchment to keep it clean) that helps keep dosing consistent. Also, I plan to make NatWest's oil recipe soon. Anyway, just a thought for those who can't cook at home. I wish for everyone to have all available options.

[Rustsmith]

I haven't provided an update on my experience for a while, so here goes.

During January and February I have been traveling quite a bit, which means that I have had to go on and off of my edibles quite frequently. What I have found is that there is an almost 1:1 relationship between when I use a 100% THC product and the hours of sleep that I get. When I eat a THC candy before bedtime, I get 6.5-7 hrs of uninterrupted sleep. When I cannot us the THC, I get 4.5-5 hrs of interrupted sleep. That is a solid reason to stay home!

I also find that after using for about a week, I begin to have a very mild hangover type headache when I get up in the morning and still feel a bit stoned. However, a cup of coffee and an aspirin seems to fix me up.

[Polar Bear]

""""I also find that after using for about a week, I begin to have a very mild hangover type headache when I get up in the morning and still feel a bit stoned.""""

Rustsmith - does this mean that if you woke up during the night (having eaten your candy) you would be stoned?
i.e. unable to drive. Not a much different position I guess from having had a few drinks.

[Rustsmith]

That is correct. I find that when I wake up to go to the bathroom that I have to be careful with walking both ways to keep from bumping into to many things, which would wake my wife up and potentially hurt my shins. I have no idea how many drinks it would take to cause the same effect because I never drink that much.

I should also note that I am only using one half the "normal" dose.

[NatWest]

Hi Rustsmith,

I'm happy to hear that you are sleeping well.

Sorry to hear about the issues you are having. I had similar experiences using edibles, minus the headaches. My first thought when I read your post was that possibly some other ingredient in the edibles might be causing the headaches, or possibly it might be the variety of mj that was used.

I stopped using edibles back in December because they just seemed too unpredictable, and I didn't like that out of control, dizzy feeling in the middle of the night. Since I've been using the cooking oil in a dropper I have not had that experience. If I recall, you said you could not make the cooking oil where you are because of the odor it creates? I'm wondering if there's any available for purchase where you are. In my year and a half of experimenting, this is the best treatment I've found, and it's, at least for me, without side effects. Though there probably would be if I took too much! It's also a lot cheaper. I was spending more than $100/month, now I spend about $54 for a 3+ month supply of oil.

Like you, I have also found that equal, or even higher, levels of THC definitely help me sleep more soundly.

Thanks for the update!

[Rustsmith]

Natwest, please don't think that the morning THC headaches are causing me any problems. In addition to RLS I also experience migraine headaches. Before I started using gabapentin to manage my migraines (and help with insomnia), my neurologist asked me to rate the pain on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being excruciating pain. I told her my headaches were 8's, so painful that I wished to die but knew that I wouldn't because that would make the pain go away. By comparison, the morning THC headaches are maybe a 1.5. That isn't even enough of a distraction to stop me from doing creative work because I can concentrate past the sensations in my head.

You remembered correctly that cooking my own tincture is not an option. The problem is the bylaws for the condo that I live in, which I am working to change. In my county there are basically four different options for edibles, cookies and candies that are essentially 100% THC, ethanol based tinctures that are 50-50 THC/CBD and 100% CBD pills. Compared to the prices you quoted it looks like my candies are a steal. I am paying $20 for 20 5mg THC candies, which means it is costing me $1/day for the THC that is providing 3 hrs extra sleep each night. My wife has started using the tincture for her MS and it might be helping her but did little for me. I also keep a supply of the CBD pills because they help when my RLS triggers anxiety attacks. Unfortunately, the CBD is much more expensive at ~$100 for 20 pills. Thankfully, one bottle of pills should last me for several months.

So my challenge right now is simply getting a "decent" nights sleep because I will be traveling outside of Colorado for the next two weeks. Then w will need to decidd whether to show up well rested for the appointment with my new doctor when I get back or should I go in sleep deprived by staying off of the THC for the few days between my return home and my appointment.

[NatWest]

Hi Steve, thanks for clarifying. I'm glad the mj is not causing headaches for you. And thanks for the breakdowns on what the mj costs in CO. Prior to cooking my oil, I was using tinctures at $25 for a little bottle, vapor pen cartridges at $40 a cartridge, and buying 1/8 gram of weed at $30 to make about 18 cookies. That was about a 2 week supply for all but the cartridge, which lasts about 6 weeks.

I think getting a good night's sleep is one of the most important things we can do for ourselves, so I am very happy to hear that that part is working out for you. I get migraines, too, but I figured out what was causing them about 20 years ago, and for the most part am able to avoid it, so seldom need to take my prescription, maybe once or twice a year. So I do understand that part, too. I've heard they can be treated with mj, but haven't yet looked into that.

Thanks for the updates. Hope your traveling goes well! Peggy

[pinkynose]

Hi Guys!
I've been trying to read through the posts I've missed and as always have come across some great stuff!

Peggy, I love your recipe for mj oil! I want to try that but I'm not sure how to cover up the smell... Florida still hasn't progressed much on that or any other front. I have been working on the latest campaign and hopefully it will pass this election. (Ruthsmith it seems that you did move to a more friendly state. If so I am very happy for you.)

My neuropathy is pretty much in check, or rather I am learning how to deal with it, but now my secondary RLS symptom has taken it's place. It seems that when I had burning and all the SFN symptoms my RLS behaved much better. It's always something, right?

I will try to check in more often. I do check my PM's regularly.
Carol

[NatWest]

Hi pinknose,

Great to hear from you again. Yes, covering up the smell is sometimes a dilemma. I'm fortunate that it's legal here, and that I can do it in the garage, so it doesn't impose itself into the house, at least not too much. But I've heard lately some places where neighbors complain about the smell of the plants themselves! I have heard that Florida will be voting in the somewhat near/distant future to legalize recreational mj. So kudos to you for working to make that happen. Thanks for checking in, and yes, it's always something, you're right there! I think that is the hallmark of RLS. Peggy

[ViewsAskew]

The smell is why there are SO many "anti-smell" products for sale at all the MG growing supply websites. I grow other plants and am often looking for things to us - trays, soil, fertilizer, etc. I am always astonished by the number of fans, scented products, and other supplies used to remove smell!

[NatWest]

Thanks for the info, I'm sure that will be helpful to those of us who would like to eliminate that problem!

[ViewsAskew]

There are incredible products available, from the inexpensive to the incredibly expensive! Greners is just one of hundreds of websites that sell growing supplies - look at ALL the ventilation products they have: http://www.greners.com/i/fans-ventilation-filters.html

[stjohnh]

...
I am pretty sure that my doctor was just as, if not more, concerned about the 3.5 to 4 hrs of sleep that I had been getting prior to the introduction of bedtime marijuana a few months ago. She was therefore quite explicit that I am to try to get at least 7.5 hrs of sleep each night and that I should remain ... 5 mg of THC candy each night before bedtime. ...

Steve,

Sorry for the fork, but a couple of days ago I visited a MM shop and purchased several samples of MM candy. A mostly cbd type, an approx 1:1 CBD-THC type, and a mostly THC type. The thing is, the lowest dose sold was 25mg. Should I split these into much smaller pieces, or are you taking much less than the usual dose? I have not tried any yet.

Blessings,
Holland

[Rustsmith]

When I first visited Colorado, the product that I purchased was a 100 mg pack of 10 THC chocolates because they did not carry any CBD products at that time. So my first exposure was a single 10 mg dose of THC. I found that at that level, when I woke up in the middle of the night I had a hard time walking to the bathroom, presumably because I was so stoned. But I was felt fine the next morning. Once I got here, the products that I purchased all came as 100mg packs, but in 20 5mg doses both as THC, 50/50 and straight CBD. I started out using a 5 mg candy and have not seen the need to go higher.

But, then again I am a 5'10" 140lb male athlete with very little fat, so as I stated earlier today, it probably does not take as much for me due to my size as it would most other adults. The store last summer said that 10mg was the "starter" dose that they recommend for visitors who are not regular users. Based upon my experience, I would expect 25mg to be too much for a beginner.

Also, I believe that you have already mentioned the other thing to keep in mind, which is the fact that edibles are sort of a time delayed form of marijuana as compared to either of the inhaled versions. So you need to factor in another hour or two to the length of time that it will be effective. I still wake up at 3 to 4AM, so at 25mg I would still not be able to walk down the hall to my office and I would be afraid of what I might type if I could.