Today I took care of a 58 year old women who suffered from Sjogrens Syndrome and Rheumatoid Arthritis who had tried medical marijuana recently and found relief of her symptoms. Her arthritis mostly affected her hands and shoulders and required multiple drugs for pain management. She had been on Bextra then Vioxx then Celebrex but had to stop all of them because of kidney disease. She was at her “wits end” and wanted an alternative to help her get some relief and sleep throughout the night.

As medical director of Medical Cannabis of Southern California I often evaluate patients who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis and SLE (lupus). Both are characterized by extreme chronic joint pain. Today I evaluated a 54 year female who had been taking plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) to limit the joint inflammation. Unfortunately she is experiencing some unwanted side effects and has been using cannabis to help relieve them.

As medical director for Medical Cannabis of Southern California I often evaluate patients who suffer from arthritis. Many patients are unaware of the significant anti-inflammatory properties that cannabinoids (the medically active ingredients in the plant) have.