Cannabis came into the picture in my early 30s after years of pain management attempts following an SCI. Opiates and nerve pain meds like Lyrica somewhat dulled the pain but also dulled everything else, turning me into a near-zombie. Even at reduced doses, Lyrica messes with my thinking and lingers long after stopping. I honestly can not express strongly enough just how much high dosage, longer term drug based treatment of ongoing pain barely feels better than not managing it at all in terms of what it costs and it ultimately lead me to eventually cave and try medical cannabis.
Cannabis hasn’t eliminated the pain or worked as directly as opiates, despite what some insist. But alongside a lower Lyrica dose, it’s helped me be a person again. The pain is still there, but instead of dominating my thoughts, I can compartmentalize it and actually function, without losing the majority of my cognitive abilities when taking it. I’m 100% slower than before the injury and its usage, but I am outputting more, of a higher quality than before I introduced it into the mix using more traditional pain management methods.
It’s hard to explain to anyone who hasn’t lived with chronic pain the benefits it has brought me despite the downsides. And it does have downsides.
Given the benefits it has brought me, and not knowing the lived experiences of others, I feel I am not in a position to say whether or not the downsides or the positives weigh each other out for any other individual. I imagine like most drugs, its probably depdendent on the individual and circumstances I suppose.
Cannabis came into the picture in my early 30s after years of pain management attempts following an SCI. Opiates and nerve pain meds like Lyrica somewhat dulled the pain but also dulled everything else, turning me into a near-zombie. Even at reduced doses, Lyrica messes with my thinking and lingers long after stopping. I honestly can not express strongly enough just how much high dosage, longer term drug based treatment of ongoing pain barely feels better than not managing it at all in terms of what it costs and it ultimately lead me to eventually cave and try medical cannabis.
Cannabis hasn’t eliminated the pain or worked as directly as opiates, despite what some insist. But alongside a lower Lyrica dose, it’s helped me be a person again. The pain is still there, but instead of dominating my thoughts, I can compartmentalize it and actually function, without losing the majority of my cognitive abilities when taking it. I’m 100% slower than before the injury and its usage, but I am outputting more, of a higher quality than before I introduced it into the mix using more traditional pain management methods.
It’s hard to explain to anyone who hasn’t lived with chronic pain the benefits it has brought me despite the downsides. And it does have downsides.
Given the benefits it has brought me, and not knowing the lived experiences of others, I feel I am not in a position to say whether or not the downsides or the positives weigh each other out for any other individual. I imagine like most drugs, its probably depdendent on the individual and circumstances I suppose.