It is becoming much more common for patients older than 75 coming into my office to discuss using medical marijuana. This demographic of patient is not what most people think of when they think about medical marijuana. But I have seen an explosion in the number of elderly patients using it to improve the quality of their life. I recently visited Laguna Woods retirement community (formerly Leisure World Laguna Woods) during a medical marijuana conference. The turn out was spectacular and patients were eager to learn more. READ ON:

Yesterday in Long Beach I evaluated a 52 year old man who wanted to use medical marijuana for chronic low back pain. He fractured the 4th and 5th Lumbar vertebra in his back 10 years ago on a construction site and has been under the care of a “pain specialist” ever since. WHEN HE SHOWED ME THE PRESCRIPTION THAT HIS PAIN DOCTOR GAVE HIM FOR THE MONTHS OF SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER I JUST ABOUT FELL OUT OF MY CHAIR.

540 80MG OXYCONTIN with instructions to take 9 PER DAY!!!! He has been taking 9 per day for the last year. READ ON….

I can’t tell you how many times in the last month when speaking to both my parents where I’ve hung up the phone and said “My Nana/Granny should be using medical marijuana to be more comfortable.” Both of my grandmothers are still alive but both suffer from severe pain secondary to arthritis and degenerative disc disease. One takes morphine 4 times per day and the other is on methadone and a fentanyl patch. Both have horrible constipation and nausea secondary to their pain medications and both have a hard time getting rest at night. I AM SURE THAT MANY OF YOU READING THIS CAN RELATE.

Last week I had a patient who suffered from Transverse Myelitis come in for a medical marijuana recommendation. She was the first patient that I have taken care of with this problem. However today I had a 61 year old women who came in with a 10 year history of Transverse Myelitis and she complained of a burning pain in her left leg that makes it extremely difficult for her to sleep. She also has complete numbness to pressure in that leg. It wasn’t until recently, after her sons begged her to try, that she found cannabis not only reduces the pain but allows her to sleep through the night! Amazing.

As medical director for Medical Cannabis of Southern California (MCSoCal) I regularly evaluate patients with chronic pain for a medical marijuana recommendation. (approximately 65% of the patients I see are for pain) The question that many patients ask is: How does marijuana reduce pain? Although cannabinoids (medically active ingredients in marijuana) effects on pain have been studied there is a lot of research left to do. My goal of this post is to break down “barney-style” how cannabis reduces pain. I am not going to bore you with the specific scientific details as you will most likely fall asleep like I often do reading typical double-blind placebo studies!

An important study just came out in the periodical “Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes” which demonstrated an increased risk of fatal and non-fatal heart attack and stroke for healthy patients who routinely use NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as motrin, ibuprofen, diclofenac, voltaren, celebrex, naprosyn, aleve etc. to treat pain. This is a very important study and you those patients who routinely pop motrins or take dicofenac to treat pain need to read. Marijuana has for many years been found to have potent anti-inflammatory effects without any of the increased risks associated with commonly prescribed NSAID’s.

Today I evaluated a 54 y/o HIV+ male who suffered from diabetic peripheral neuropathy for medical marijuana as an alternative to Lyrica (pregabalin) He reported that he had developed the diabetes as a result of treatment with protease inhibitors for his HIV. He has been experiencing numbness and tingling in both his feet for the past 6 months as a result of the neuropathy (pain originating from damage to the nerves themselves). He stated that he wanted to stop taking the Lyrica because of a 50 lb weight gain associated with the medication (weight gain is a common side effect).

As medical director of Medical Cannabis of Southern California I often meet patients who are combat veterans and are in need of help. One of the blessings in my life was the opportunity to serve along side the Marines of 1st Battalion 4th Marines in Iraq from January-September 2003. I witnessed combat from the front lines and experienced the buffet of emotions that our troops go through on a daily basis. Now that I am honorably discharged I can openly discuss the benefits of using cannabis to take care of:

This past week I have had 5 patients who have completely eliminated their dependence on pain pills after receiving their recommendation to use marijuana (cannabis) legally. The improvement to their overall quality of life has been dramatic. No more nausea, constipation and the feeling of being dependent on a drug.

Today I had the opportunity to evaluate a patient who just had surgery to repair a fractured left wrist (radius) as a result of a motor cycle accident. Typically patients that suffer from post operative pain get prescribed opiate narcotics such as vicodin, oxycontin and percocet. The problem with that is that many patients can’t take those medications because of the side effects. As a result more and more patients are turning to cannabis to control their pain. This patient was medicating once before he went to bed each day since the surgery. He has not had to take one percocet that he was prescribed by his orthopedic surgeon. In addition he has been sleeping “great” which is a plus when trying to recover from surgery.