Cannibas & PsA
I hope this isn't too controversial a topic but it's something I've been really wanting to ask others with PsA. And that's about medical marijuana.
For starters, my family lives in Colorado and I live in a state (Ohio) where weed has been decriminalized. Basically, if you get caught with anything that's not a mass quantity, it's a parking ticket. So I've experimented with it as a means of dealing with my pain. But here's the problem ...
I've found that when I do the edibles (I don't smoke) that the pain goes away for a few hours but I wake up the next morning more swollen and more stiff than I would have had I not ingested the cannabis. I've tried researching this online but I can only find articles on marijuana HELPING with inflammation and none of it making it worse.
Because it's been illegal for so long I don't think it's really been studied. But I wonder if this is something unique to people with PsA? Or if it's just me? Cannabis, for me at least, isn't a solution for my pain because the day after effects are to make my inflammation much, much worse.
Has anyone else experienced this?
Oh, and while on this subject, you know what COMPLETELY takes my pain away? Adderall.
My son has a prescription and I've tried it a couple of times when facing long, difficult work days and, for about 24 to 36 hours my pain and inflammation are reduced to nothing. I've no idea why but Adderall works better to tackle my pain than any NSIAD ever did.
There's a study being done at Ohio State Wexner Medical Center (I wrote an ad on this study) about how nicotine is an anti-inflammatory. I'm not saying this to encourage ANYONE to take up smoking. Please don't. But I think there may be a link between stimulants and the reduction of inflammation.
This is interesting. As cannabis use in Canada is soon to be legal in Canada I am considering it for pain relief with my PSA. You may want to try smoking as opposed to edibles, there may be a non-cannabis ingredient that is triggering your flare?
Luke, shout out from a fellow Canuck! Hope it's not too cold where you are (let's be real though, it's cold everywhere)
-Victoria
Hi Victoria. It's -16 right now I think the whole country and parts of the states are in a deep freeze. Stay warm everyone!
