Columns Fall Down, Get Up Again- a Column by John Connor On the Healing Powers of THC On the Healing Powers of THC by John Connor | November 5, 2021 Share this article: Share article via email Copy article link I have to admit, Iāve wheeled down the THC path a few times before. Yes, I know itās very difficult to stay on the path when under the influence. Luckily, I’ve solved this problem by only imbibing in bed. I say imbibing, because for me, smoking the stuff is impossible. In fact, I couldnāt even roll a joint in my able-bodied heyday, much less now with only one functioning hand. So, I only use cannabis oil, which is a treat when added to a half cup of coffee spiked with a smidgen of dark rum. Luverly. In truth, I havenāt traversed this particular yellow brick road for six months. I was having terrible trigeminal neuralgia attacks at the time, and cannabis oil sent me crashing off the path headlong into a tree. Iāve been keeping my distance ever since. Then, last weekend, I started up again. I immediately noticed that my claw of a right hand was far more relaxed than usual. Iām currently allowed to take a 5 mg diazepam capsule every second night, and I’m on a high dose of gabapentin (at 2,700 mg a day), but that wasn’t sufficient to quell the neurogenic pain in my right arm. Recommended Reading October 15, 2021 News by Marisa Wexler, MS #ECTRIMS2021 ā Sativex Eases MS Patients’ Spasticity, Spasms in Trials The diazepam eventually stopped my arm from going into spasms, but if I take anymore, my doctor has warned me that Iād be flirting with dementia. Actually, the way he put it, weād be stepping out! But it wipes out what little physical power I still have. THC does nothing of the sort, and unlike alcohol, it doesn’t cause me a hangover. I’ve even managed to go a couple of nights without taking diazepam because of it. So, what’s not to like? Here’s what I can do with my right hand after taking THC, in the form of cannabis oil. (Photo by John Connor) This is what my right hand can do after I take diazepam, a benzodiazepine. (Photo by John Connor) This is my right “claw” if I’ve taken no medication. (Photo by John Connor) OK, Iām well aware that marijuana is no panacea, as fellow Multiple Sclerosis News Today columnist Ed Tobias pointed out in a thoughtful column earlier this year titled “Using Cannabis to Treat Your MS? A Word of Caution.” As this is my column, I can only cite my own reactions to THC. I stress THC, because ā again from my own experience ā I found that CBD had no effect on my spasticity, not even a placebo effect. I tried it for months and concluded that it might have other benefits, but not in this area. For me, CBD turned out to be expensive, and worse, it was no fun! Anyhoo, anything that can help the muscles in my right arm and hand relax a bit is great. As I noted in a previous column, “Introducing My āMS Popeye-Spinach Hypothesis,'” the constant tensing up of my right arm has built up a terrific bicep. Yet while it might look good, it is completely useless because my arm can’t straighten. And I canāt even, in American terms, flip the bird. Even more upsetting, here in the U.K., our more complex “V sign” is now beyond impossible! *** Note:Ā Multiple Sclerosis News TodayĀ is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those ofĀ Multiple Sclerosis News Today or its parent company, BioNews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to multiple sclerosis. Print This Page About the Author John Connor In the ā80s, John Connor created the first regular column about the burgeoning London stand-up scene. In 1990 he wrote a book about its effect on the Edinburgh Festival: āComics: A Decade of Comedy at the Assembly Rooms.ā That year he also devised and ran a live topical stand-up team show at The London Comedy Store, The Edge (It was destroyed in 2020!). In 2009 John was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS, which cut short his main job as a TV casting director for āBlack Books,ā āMy Family,ā et al. Now, John writes āFall Down Get Up Again,ā an irreverent journey with MS. Tags medical marijuana, pain, spasticity, THC Comments Broughton Leanne Ć also found CBD was not helpful for my trigeminal neuralgia. My husband uses it daily for back pain and finds it helps. I am concerned about the long term use of THC on my cognitive abilties (I do have cog fog as they say). I use gabapentin for my TN pain, and if really bad, dilantin in between those doses. These drugs totally stone me, i can hardly walk (with a rollator) to the loo. Reply John Connor Hi Broughton, I take modafinil [https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/narcolepsy/treatment/] for the fog. Have for years now - no wisps at all. The amount of drugs we take - I'm nae worried about it affecting my ability. Always been negligible. Cheers John Reply Martin Cane Try Nattokinase for Trigeminal Neuralgia, it's been a lifesaver for me. Reply John Connor Hi Martin, Curious how a natural remedy that maybe promising for cardiovascular disease [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6043915/] help with TG? Cheers John Reply Mark Genco Hi John, An interesting post. You seem to be in a similar position to me on your fun journey! Can I ask, where would you accidently on purpose acquire the aforementioned oil? The CBD oil does nothing for me me except cost a lot! Cheers...Mark Reply John Connor Hi Mark AH. I can't. Sorry mate. Reply Leave a comment Fill in the required fields to post. Your email address will not be published. Your Name Your Email Your Comment Post Comment
April 18, 2024 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister Learning how to write a ‘SOAP’ note feels different after an MS diagnosis
April 18, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS AAN 2024: Sustained myelin, nerve cell gains with long-term CNM-Au8
April 18, 2024 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD AAN 2024: Ocrevus benefits Black, Hispanic patients same as whites