Two of the things that people who suffer from Pancreatitis have to deal with are Pain and Nausea – which also happens to be two of the things that proponents of Medical Marijuana say it can help.
They also claim that is safer to use than prescription medicines.
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No one can argue that Medical Marijuana is gaining acceptance in the U.S. and around the world as a treatment option for people who can’t, or don’t want to use pharmaceuticals to treat their conditions.
More and more States are approving its use for medical and recreational purposes.
Chronic Pancreatitis and especially Acute Pancreatitis can be extremely painful and many of us rely on various types of Opiates to relieve that pain.
It’s also a fact that most prescription painkillers are highly addictive and especially ones like Percocet, Vicodin, Hydrocodone, and Oxycodone that are being prescribed for both Chronic and Acute Pancreatitis.
Dangers of Opiates
Here are some disturbing facts;
The number of prescriptions written for these Opiates in the last decade has soared by almost 300%.
Every year these meds kill more than 17,000 people through overdoses and for every person who dies from an overdose 30 more are admitted to hospitals because of other complications.
This has resulted in Doctors becoming more reluctant to write scripts for these powerful Opiates as the FDA has started to look more closely at their use – and misuse.
Concerns are rising about these meds and even an FDA Advisory Committee recommended that action be taken to make their use safer.
Safer Meds
Even the so called safer meds like acetaminophen that are found in Tylenol and in various generic forms can be dangerous if too much is taken.
Used in hundreds of over the counter and prescription meds acetaminophen treats pain and fever. Combined with other meds it can treat things like allergies, coughs, colds, flu’s, and sleeplessness.
In its prescription form acetaminophen is found with other active ingredients that treats moderate to severe pain.
But nearly 80,000 people a year are treated in emergency rooms when they use too much of it and it’s now the most common cause of liver damage in the U.S.
Making this even more confusing is the fact that over the counter medicine with acetaminophen have widely different ideas of how much is safe with some recommending 1000mg per day with others saying that up to 4,000mg is a safe daily dose.
Lets Be Clear
No one is suggesting a ban on these meds and there is no doubt that most people that take them are using them responsibly and safely.
I take some of these meds when I need to because of the pain from Pancreatitis.
But Doctors are going to continue to be concerned about prescribing these pain meds and will be reluctant to do so unless they feel that you are in true need of them.
And some Doctors, especially those that don’t know you, will likely stop prescribing to any other than the worst cases.
This does not bode well for those of us who have Pancreatitis and are just trying to make the pain go away.
As I see it, the biggest problem with Marijuana and Pancreatitis is that there are no studies that have been done to see if it is safe or beneficial.
Plus, there is the perception by many that the use of marijuana is just to get high. And those that want to make its use legal are more concerned about getting that high than any potential medical benefits.
How Marijuana Became Illegal
Indeed the Federal Government still considers Marijuana as a Schedule 1 Substance. You’d think that they would have valid studies that proved their position that Marijuana has “no accepted medicinal use and a high potential for abuse.”
It was on August 14, 1970, that the Assistant Secretary of Health, Dr. Roger O. Egeberg penned a letter in which he recommending that marijuana, be classified as a schedule 1 substance.
It’s remained that way for 45 years and you’d think it was after careful research that Marijuana was classified that way.
But when you read the letter Egeberg wrote you find something totally different.
“Since there is still a considerable void in our knowledge of the plant and effects of the active drug contained in it, our recommendation is that marijuana be retained within schedule 1 at least until the completion of certain studies now underway to resolve the issue.”
So it was because of what wasn’t known rather than what was known that caused Marijuana to become illegal.
Anecdotal Facts
What gets lost a lot of times is the number of people that claim just the opposite, that using Marijuana is beneficial.
These people claim that Marijuana helps them with a whole host of illnesses and side effects from prescription medicines.
There are some individual reports that seem to indicate that excessive use of Marijuana can lead to Pancreatitis.
But in an article by Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, he estimates that even when there are studies of Marijuana, they are dramatically biased against the positive aspects.
He estimates that only about 6% of more than 2000 current studies are looking for any benefits from Marijuana. The rest are focused on problems with using it.
Then, as if this isn’t confusing enough there was a study that found that Marijuana can make an attack of Acute Pancreatitis worse in its early stages but help later. Find that study here.
So what are the conclusions here? Is Marijuana helpful for treating Pancreatitis or not?
Right now I guess that it boils down to who you want to believe.
There just isn’t enough hard facts or studies to indicate that Marijuana and Pancreatitis can be a good thing or a bad thing.
But there are a couple of things that can be learned here about Marijuana and Pancreatitis.
First – Is that excessive use of Marijuana could be a problem so – everything in moderation.
Second – We already know about the dangers of prescription drugs and that a number of different ones are known to cause Pancreatitis.
Three – That there is a lot of anecdotal information from people and Doctors that Marijuana helps with pain and nausea – two things that are a big problem for people who suffer from Pancreatitis.
So My Conclusion on Marijuana and Pancreatitis
People who believe that Marijuana is good are going to continue to believe so until, and maybe even after, studies show clear evidence that Marijuana and Pancreatitis is a good thing or a bad thing.
And like I always say – if you do decide to try Marijuana for your symptoms of Pancreatitis – always do so in moderation, and make sure that you discuss it with your Doctor.
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I have hereditary pancreatitis and I have found vaped cannabis to be very useful during attacks. For me at least, coconut oil and coconut in general is a definite trigger, so I switched to ghee when I make edibles, which is rare. I also have glycerine tincture that I use to sweeten my teas that really helps to calm my stomach, reduce pain and reduce nausea. While some people leave bud solids in their edibles, don't do that if you have pancreatitis - it is very hard to digest if you have low acids or need to eat a fiber diet, trust me. Strain it all out, give it to a friend who can digest it. I would love for real medical research regarding cannabis and pancreatitis, it would be helpful to so many people.
I've heard it both ways - that cannabis helps and that it doesn't. Glad to hear that it is working for you.
I have had Chronic Acute Pancreatitis for 37yrs! At first the Drs. gave me Demerol for pain & druperidol for nausea during an attack. I have found that even though these attacks come on very quickly, there is a small window in which If I vape or smoke it will stop the attack instantly! If it doesn't work in time I use 400 mcg. of fentanyl otd undermy tongue! That will usually stop the attack. Now there are times when even that is not enough, then I have to call ambulance & go to ER. Fentanyl is a very dangerous drug, it is about 50 times as strong as heroin, so I don't use more than that initial dose w/o being in hospital under care of Dr.! ER directions from pain management Dr are 2-4 mgs Dilaudid iv push, 8mg Zofran iv push, 30mg Ketamine iv push! Immediate releif, but side effect are rough.Almost. LSD like, but after throwing up & severe pain for more than 6hrs, you don't care, the pain has stopped! After care is NPO 1-2 days, slowly start w/liquids,soup, then when u feel up to it slowly start solids! Hopfully then ur back home eat right( high protein low fat diet) take creon a pancreatic enzyme(my dose is 6000 units b4 every meal) & start all over again! After 37yrs my labs don't even show elevated lipaise or amylase any more, the Drs just know me because im in there so often! They just follow pain mngmt orders! Now every once in a while you'll get an ER doc that thinks ur just there to get drugs! That can get ugly because ur in so much pain, then u have a Dr that accusing u of being a drug addict! Be calm ad u can, don't raize ur voice, ask for charge nurse or Dr & try to explain to them. If they don't help ask forthe director or the ER, keep movin up the chain! I know its horribly difficult, but im telling u this from personal experience! Pancreatitis is a horrible desease, its painful, & people just don't understand, even Drs! don't know that much about it! You need to find a good gastroentronologist! & good luck ! Stress is also a huge factor! Stress, diet two most important things to live longest!