IBS sufferers!: Ulcerative Colitis, Chrons.

Hello,

Well I'm a ulcerative colitis sufferer and have had a mild flare up for about half a month, but it's gotten worse this last week. I'm currently taking Asacol 1.2g a day and 9mg of Entocort EC (weak steroid), and I smoke about twice a day. The weed helps weaken the massive cramps associated with UC, and gives me an apatite. My doctor is trying to keep off stronger steroids such as prednisone, but unfortunately I may have to take it. I was wondering for you fellow IBD suffers, if mixing cannabis with strong steroids is a good idea, considering the some of the major side effects of stronger steroids?
And also what kind of strains are best for IBDs? I'm currently self medicating with indica strains.

Thanks, peace, and wellness! :jointsmile:

Sounds interesting. I had to take medicine for gas pains, at my waist, as a young child. Would that be I.B.S.?

Well, cannabis and steroids, my guess, would be that, maybe, they effect your sexual function?

I've heard a lot of Crohn's patients like myself getting help from Grand Daddy Purple, I think a lot of the purple strains help us out, but I hear GDP being the most widely beneficial for Crohn's, and I would assume ulcerative colitis as well.

I haven't tried it yet though, the co-op I went to didn't have it but I got some Purple Urkle instead and it helps some, but not as much as some other stuff I've had which I didn't know what strand it is. Are you a medical marijuana patient?

As for drug interaction between the steroids, I wouldn't know anything about that. I would assume it is safe but I'm not a doctor. What does your doctor think about using marijuana for treatment?

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Originally Posted by beachguy in thongs

Sounds interesting. I had to take medicine for gas pains, at my waist, as a young child. Would that be I.B.S.?

Well, cannabis and steroids, my guess, would be that, maybe, they effect your sexual function?

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I.B.S stands for Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Ulcerative Colitis and Chrons disease are most common I.B.S. With U.C. your colon and lower digestive system is attacked by your own immune system causing the colon to become inflamed and causing ulcers and major cramping. Chrons attacks the upper digestive system and actually worse that U.C. because vomiting, nausea, and loss of apatite are more common symptoms than in U.C. Both diseases suck because they really limit your everyday life.

Yeah i was afraid of sexual side effects, although weed is an aphrodisiac. perhaps it's not a bad mix?

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Originally Posted by Nailhead

I've heard a lot of Crohn's patients like myself getting help from Grand Daddy Purple, I think a lot of the purple strains help us out, but I hear GDP being the most widely beneficial for Crohn's, and I would assume ulcerative colitis as well.

I haven't tried it yet though, the co-op I went to didn't have it but I got some Purple Urkle instead and it helps some, but not as much as some other stuff I've had which I didn't know what strand it is. Are you a medical marijuana patient?

As for drug interaction between the steroids, I wouldn't know anything about that. I would assume it is safe but I'm not a doctor. What does your doctor think about using marijuana for treatment?

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Currently I am not a Medical Marijuana patient (which sucks since I live in California). I've done my research about Cannabis and I.B.S, and I was amazed at how cannabis is beneficial to I.B.S. sufferers. I've been smoking about for three years now, and I honestly think that I would have had more flare ups in that time period of three years if I wasn't smoking weed. Anyway I'm guessing that Indica strains are the best way to go because of the stone effect, which probably numb the cramps and give me an apatite. I'm a little hesitant about trying sativa strains, but i'll give that a shot too.

Well I told my doctor that I am an occasional smoker, and that I've noticed that marijuana helps with the cramps. She agreed that marijuana is good for cramps and what not, but told me that as a doctor she could not condone smoking of any kind and suggested "as a doctor" not to smoke in general. But I am still self medicating with the weed alongside my prescription meds

Thanks for your response!

Hey im a UC suffer'er i guess you could call it and seriously man try to stay off prednisone if you can it wont kill you, but i've been reading up on the side affects just now after being on it for 4 years on and off and kinda scary. but you shouldn't have any problems with mixing weed and prednisone together we'll at least i've never had any problems but everyone reacts to drugs differently.
i've noticed weed does help with UC symptoms and am interested to hear anyone's imput on different strains relieving (sp?) symptoms.

Mrs. Rainey is a bit of an expert on this subject I would advise asking her what herb is best, I know her husband Jef of Jef Tek made or help make the strain afgani bullrider which they are reporting as very good but, Im sure they can ansewr your questions much better. Especialy on the IBS subject. This her is her site conntact her she will conntact you back their realy cool people who we need to support cause the US government is trying to bring them to the US and put them to prison for life. All becuse they support herb, go to myspace and checkout no extradition for the BC 3 they are on My page as well.:pimp: Welcome to MichelleRainey.com - Medical Cannabis Patients Advocate

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Originally Posted by THIRTEEN

Hey im a UC suffer'er i guess you could call it and seriously man try to stay off prednisone if you can it wont kill you

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I swear I read somewhere that in some very rare cases it can cause heart failure, but I can't find the site where I found that now and the sites that seem to be pretty trustworthy don't mention that, just irregular heart beat, which is what I had on my last try with Prednisone. It scared me, I thought I was going to have a heart attack, I don't know if I was just being paranoid or if I really was one of those rare people that could have died but either way it sent me home early from work to check in at urgent care and I'll never touch that sh*t again. So maybe it can't kill you, but shhh....I'm still using "What the doc gave me almost killed me" as my primary argument when my friends and family question my decision to go legal with medical marijuana ;)

Tree Burner, your doctor sounds more cool about the medical marijuana thing than mine was. Smoking isn't supposed to be good for UC or Crohn's but you should remind her that smoking isn't the only way to use marijuana, and also try to inform her of any studies showing that marijuana can help with your condition. She might not write you the recommendation you need to be legal, but doctors need to know about all the latest treatments for their patients, and if enough patients came to them talking about medical marijuana eventually some minds would start changing their tune.

This is a bit old, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to print this out and bring it in for your next visit to talk about.

And if you want to get legal, even if your doc says no, just get your records and find a doctor that will, ACC was quick and relatively easy to go through ;)

I have always had a "sensitive stomach" and suffer bouts of frequent diahrrea. I self-diagnosed myself as having IBS.

But I'm also fairly new to smoking weed. Everyone tells me it can really help with symptoms such as mine. And considering my stomach is bothering me today, I might just toke up.

Does smoking weed have a lasting effect of easing the IBS symptoms? Or is it just relief while high?

^In my short experience with medicating with marijuana to treat my Crohn's disease I've found that in general it seems to stabilize my digestive system even when I'm not high. Many times I get severe cramps after eating, and even when I'm sober if I medicate at least once a day I don't get those cramps, or if I do it's not nearly as bad.

Marijuana helps with inflamation in your digestive system, it doesn't just help when you are high, it helps 24/7. A few months ago I was having a really bad flare up, got some really good stuff and it seemed to end the flare up I was having. If I were you I would see a GI doctor, this isn't something you want to ignore. I almost waited too long myself before I saw a doctor, I got down to 115 pounds, was throwing up and would fill up on a soda for an entire day. You definitely want to get treated right away!

SORRY GUYS!! Chrons and U.C. are IBD's (Inflammatory Bowel Disease) and not IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). Totally different!! Sorry for the mistake and confusion guys!

Peace

Man, I feel bad for anybody with Irritable Bowel Syndrom or Chron's. Just having a bad bout of gas pain is horrible enough!


But I have learned many things about the digestive system, as I had really bad problems when I was a teenager due to stress and not knowing I had celiac disease. If you really want to go easy on your digestion and make it work effectively, make most of your diet fruits and vegatables. They are SO easy for your body to digest, and they help massively through nutrition and fibre. Keep in mind too that meat is very hard on the digestive system.

Also if you have irritable bowel, try cutting out wheat, a huge amount of people are allergic to it and get these symptoms not knowing what's causing it. Doctors are ignorant about celiac surprisingly often.

I would strongly recommend that anyone with colitis or Chron's get tested for celiac disease.

"It is not uncommon to get different kinds of colitis with celiac disease.The most common association is with microscopic colitis or lymphocytic colitis. " "Since Chron's can cause villous atrophy in the small intestine, it can mask or confuse the diagnosis...... celiac disease and Chron's disease can coexist - thus complicating the diagnosis."
Celiac Disease: A Hidden Epidemic
by Peter H. Green, Rory Jones, Rory Jones

Hahaha, oh Breukelen I had a feeling as soon as I mentioned the wheat your celiac senses would tingle:D:thumbsup:

Hey dude I have a form of colitis, dont know if it is Ulcerative colitis or microscopic colitis as my GI's can get anything straight

At my worse I was on 9 pills of asacol a day, those emema things which really suck, colazal, and entocort. The entocort helped but MJ is what helps the most. It acutally all started or I became symptomatic when I stopped smoking weed after I had been smoking everyday for about 3 years... just a bowl here and there but consistantly everyday. So I stopped because I was graduating college and didnt know what testing I would have done. anyways I got real sick and finally linked the weed to helping the mad D, cramps, gas etc.

I also follow a strict gluten free and dairy free diet which seems to help as well. I am sure you know that some goods my worsen your symtpoms while (caffine, chocolate, lots of sugar, high fructose corn syrup etc)

I live in AZ and really want them to pass the medical Mj here... but I dont see that happening anytime soon.

I also recommend that you get tested for celiac or just cut out all gluten and see if that helps. It help my symptoms about 3 weeks into the diet and now after 9 months I feel pretty damn good. I am really glad to know that people with the same problems (or similar problems) as my treat the same way. So us IBD and IBS and celiac pot smokers should all get together one weekend and chill with tons of gluten free and dairy free munchies!

I have crohn's Disease and What helps me is that I bought a vaporizer. I use it everyday Once when i wake up and once before I go to bed. I also save all of my Vape over. Me and my friend combined our vapeover and made blueberry muffins with it a couple days I ate 7 and couldn't eat anymore becuase I'm very small but I haven't had weed since i ate those and it's been 4 days now and I haven't had any problems. Usually if I don't smoke atleast once a day i get cramps. I'm currently Supposed to be taking azasan and I have remmicade treatments. I'm allergic to the azasan and the White mouse proteins in remmicade. I hate the remmicade becuase I go into convulsions after a dose of it. I've told my doctor but I don't think he cares. So i just vape weed.

I have had idiopathic colitis for most of my life. Since it's not common, the explanation is that it's simply an irritation of the lower digestive tract, rather than the ulcers and sores of ulcerative.

I've been taking 1.6 grams of Asacol daily since it came out of remission earlier this year. Between the original prescription and my colonoscopy, I was taking 2.4 grams daily.

My question is, will any sort of marijuana usage interact negatively with my medication? During the 2.4 time, I had smoked, and went through one remarkably unpleasant high, and haven't touched it since. Was that simply a bad high, or is there something else going on here?

Thank you in advance.

^It's ok, much better to bump an old thread than to start a completely new one, also makes it much easier for people searching through threads to get the answer they were looking for.

I'm certainly not a doctor, but I've never heard of marijuana having a bad reaction with other meds being taken. I'm sure its possible, but I just haven't heard about it. I haven't taken Asacol, but I have been taking Pentasa for years which is made by the same manufacturer and have never had any problems with using marijuana with the Pentasa.

I am guessing it is more likely you got either some strong weed you weren't used to, or really crappy quality. How often did you use cannabis before you had this reaction? What type of symptoms did you have? Was it just a bad high or did you have increased symptoms related to idiopathic colitis?

Well, I have no idea what it was I had smoked. I know that it was much, much more than I had ever smoked previously. I'd been an occasional smoker, probably less than 20 times. I believe the end total was near 5 bong rips, and at least that many bowl hits.

After the 3rd hit, I felt like I had fallen into water. Just that feeling like something more is pushing against your skin, especially in the ear area. I lost all track of time, and would space out immediately. My mind and my body felt as though a screen had been put between them. I was less aware of the world, but very aware of what was in my head. I moved like I was drunk.

As soon as I got home(Didn't drive, I'm smarter than that), I got in my bed. My head felt bizarre, and I couldn't control my thoughts. Also, in the back of my mind, I constantly saw some sort of design. As parts of it lit up, corresponding body parts also hurt. Finally, said body parts would be called, mentally, by names that made no sense, but felt more natural than any other possible name I could think of. Also, for some sort of reason, I could make myself throw up without any sort of physical stimulation. That helped me sober up a bit.

That's the best I could possibly describe it. I can't remember chunks, and it's almost indescribable to begin with. The symptoms were unrelated to my disease, but it just wasn't something I wanted to run out and experiment with again, without first gathering information.

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Originally Posted by Tree_Burner

I.B.S stands for Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Ulcerative Colitis and Chrons disease are most common I.B.S. With U.C. your colon and lower digestive system is attacked by your own immune system causing the colon to become inflamed and causing ulcers and major cramping. Chrons attacks the upper digestive system and actually worse that U.C. because vomiting, nausea, and loss of apatite are more common symptoms than in U.C. Both diseases suck because they really limit your everyday life.

Yeah i was afraid of sexual side effects, although weed is an aphrodisiac. perhaps it's not a bad mix?

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My Mom has colitis and a muscle disease on top of it and my friend has ulcerative colitis too.They both smoke to relieve it.But have you guys tried probiotics on top of it?They put back the healthy bacteria that can get stripped from your intestines and colon.I read about a guy who had severe chrones and that's what he used to help him.I buy it at the organic store.Kyolic garlic pills help too.More natural methods opposed to high doses of steroids.just a thought.....:jointsmile:

Commenting on drizzt. I used to take asascol until they changed it to the generic Azasan that i have stopped taking since it doesn't make me feel right when i do take it. I just smoke Weed everyday. And go to my Remmicade transfusions every 8 weeks. But your high sounds like my first time I ever got high i got that underwater feeling. But I liked it.

I won't bore you with the details but I have suffered with IBD (U.C) since I was diagnosed with it in 2001.

Back then I was a wreck and the Doc was scripting me off work for 2 weeks at a time. In one year I actually had 12 weeks sick. Most of it was stress related - I didn't even know at the time.

Now I work for myself, enjoy my herb and cope just fine.

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Originally Posted by Tree_Burner

Hello,

Well I'm a ulcerative colitis sufferer and have had a mild flare up for about half a month, but it's gotten worse this last week. I'm currently taking Asacol 1.2g a day and 9mg of Entocort EC (weak steroid), and I smoke about twice a day. The weed helps weaken the massive cramps associated with UC, and gives me an apatite. My doctor is trying to keep off stronger steroids such as prednisone, but unfortunately I may have to take it. I was wondering for you fellow IBD suffers, if mixing cannabis with strong steroids is a good idea, considering the some of the major side effects of stronger steroids?
And also what kind of strains are best for IBDs? I'm currently self medicating with indica strains.

Thanks, peace, and wellness! :jointsmile:

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Got the same thing here only I have Crohns Disease. Currently taking Sulfasalazine, Prednisone, and Protonix. I will say, the prdnisone (40mg a day) gives me the shakes. I smoke throughout the day usually everyday when my supply is there and it does calm the spasms in the intestines. It doesnt countereffect any of the meds I have, in fact when me and my doctor talked about this he laughed and said he already knew that it helped he just cant prescribe weed..LOL. As far as strains it all depends on your physical and mental. Indicas are great for the body buzz (pain numbing) but the sativas are good if you may be down due to your medical condition as IBD and Crohns can lead to depression and the sativa gives mor of a goofy high not so much for pain. I think its good to get a mix of both but maybe higher on the indica side. I say this because if your body feels better so does your mind. Oh yeah, I was taking Asacol some years back and eventually it just didnt work anymore...guess my body became immune to it. The bud is good for appetite as I know im hungry as a bitch when i smoke a joint and it also slows the spasms so that I can digest the food a little easier without all the spasms and gas.

Thanks for all the replies!

Anyway, I'm doing way better than when i wrote this post, but from time to time, i do get a flare up. I noticed that both strains are good for IBD's just like trynagethigh suggests. I am saving money to obtain a medical card. I wanted to stay away from it, but after much thinking I'm just gonna do it, mainly because getting weed has been a difficult task lately. I'm still taking the same meds, and have not been prescribed prednisone, which I'm glad for. I have an appointment with my G.I. doctor on tuesday, and will tell her how much cannabis has helped my condition, hopefully she'll be compassionate enough to write my a recommendation, if not, I'm going to have to go to a pot doc... It's great living in California, and the other 11 states that are smart and compassionate enough to allow the sick to obtain, use, and cultivate cannabis for medical purposes, as it was since well over 2,000 years ago!

Peace and wellness to all!

:jointsmile:

Glad to hear your feeling better Tree. I had a flare up last week too and it ended up being a small bacterial infection from something I ate probably and I ended up taking a couple days worth of Levaquin and I feel much better. lso have to watch your diet too, too much greasy foods and vegetables can really send you into a tailspin...LOL.

hi guys, i'm new to this board but i hope you'll all disregard my newbiness when considering my situation. this thread seemed like an appropriate spot to possibly find some help.

First, if I may, I'd like to describe in brief my CD history. I have had CD for about 5 years now, but only one year ago did I read that some IBD sufferers used cannabis for not only relief, but to keep their disease in remission. At this point in time, my symptoms were severe and other medications werenâ??t working (Entocort, Prednisone, 1st attempt at Asacol). Bad times, though still not as bad as some have it. So I started smoking a bit each day, several bowls worth, nothing crazy.

At first, the pot just helped me sleep and took away the nausea so I could eat. Several months in and I began to actually believe, though I still didnâ??t want to jump to conclusions. After 6-7 months I was feeling normal, not running to the bathroom at all, and eating produce again (a stricture prevented otherwise until then)! All this on about 2-3 bowls a day. Amazing!

All was well and, aside from a bad brownie experience, I had not had any negative reactions to the pot. Then, several months ago, I went off the Entocort I had been taking in tandem with the pot because it lowers bone density. Then I made a choice I canâ??t stop regretting: instead of just trying the pot on its own, I decided to be â??responsibleâ?� and give the Asacol another chance.

Two months later, I finally quit the Asacol because it and the pot together seemed to be wierding out my head. I would get constant cobwebs and headaches; it felt like the Asacol and pot were â??playing in the same areaâ?� of my brain, and not getting along at all. Thatâ??s the best way I can describe it anyway. So I went off the Asacol.

I thought that would solve the problem, since my doctor said that Asacol left the body in a day's time, but strangely enough, it didnâ??t. About four days after quitting the Asacol, the pot started giving me bad highs. I recall specifically: It was a Thursday when I went off the Asacol. I took a break from the pot just to try to clear my head of everything. Sunday I smoked again, and it was fine though the cobwebs from earlier were still there. Monday and Tuesday I smoked and got bad reactions, paranoia type stuff and pressure in the head. That Tuesday was about THREE WEEKS AGO, and I have been off all medications, everything, since then. The problem is, my head is still messed up. I have almost constant pressure in my head and have panic attacks all the time. I have had trouble swallowing at times, I even had an endoscopy done because I wasn't sure what was going on at that point. I slip easily into a bad trip like state, seemingly at random. I havenâ??t had any pot or alcohol or Asacol or anything in 3 weeks. I have noticed that stress is a major trigger for these panic attacks and trips, but they can also come on their own at totally random times.

Obviously this is a big problem not only because life is miserable when you canâ??t control your head, but because Iâ??m not on any medication and my CD symptoms are coming back. I'm sure you can appreciate the gravity of the situation.

So, all that said, my questions are:

1) Have any of you come across any interaction like this before? What about just with pot in general?

2) Is it possible for a regular smoker to experience this kind of reaction even after being off it for several weeks? I know that THC stays in your body fat for even months at a time for heavy smokers, but thatâ??s only a worry for drug testing, right? How could it be mentally affecting me right now?

Any advice is useful at this point, I really at least just want to know what is going on! Thanks very much, everyone!

So everyone that smokes for IBS smokes bud? Cause there was a while where I smoked alot of shwag and it was upsetting my stomach. I find that bud kinda helps with IBS type symptoms. But anyway my mom has serious IBS to the point where she cant really leave the house. She had her gall bladder out a couple years ago, started getting IBS symptoms and has been stuck with them since. However, shes opposed to marijuana and would most likely be opposed to using it as medication. But then again, I have seen her go through countless doctors and hospitals and procedures to find out why she has IBS. The quality of her life is being reduced and I think that it would be silly if a little bit of weed could turn all that around and possibly cure her. Anyone have any experience with this?

yes, apparantly there are CB1 and CB2 (cannabinoid) receptors in the lining of the gut. in this way pot not only helps relieve the pain associated with this disease, it actually reduces inflammation.

Crohn's Disease News & Articles

http://www.letfreedomgrow.com/cmu/rheumatoid.pdf (PDF)

there is more scientific and anecdotal evidence out there if you google it.

just keep in mind that pot is not for everyone.. in fact, atm it appears as if i may have to add myself to that list. :(

Just went to Medicann today to get an evaluation today. I have what's currently being diagnosed as a severe case of IBS-D, but I'm still doing tests and what not over at Stanford Medical. I have the worst sets of cramps and diarrhea that can happen at anytime, and no matter what I eat. Smoking indica strains completely stops my stomach cramps if done after I start to feel them, when none of the other 6 medications I've been on have. Also helps with the tremendous weight loss from skipping many meals due to feeling sick.

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Originally Posted by trey2s

I have what's currently being diagnosed as a severe case of IBS-D, but I'm still doing tests and what not over at Stanford Medical.

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i'm really sorry to hear that. what other medications have you been on, and how have they prescribed them to you before this diagnosis?

whatever happens, find what works for you and stick with it. every body is different.

Some of the medications were... lomotil, bentyl, amitriptyline, motilium. From 2 different doctors. Lomotil would work as an on-call kind of medicine, if I got hit with a set of cramps, I would take one and it would subside within 15 minutes, but it stopped working after about a month of using it. Bentyl and motilium did absolutely nothing for me. Amitriptyline was the most effective, because I took it daily instead of just when I got sick. It reduced the amount of attacks and the pain levels associated with it, but it also stopped working after about 3 weeks. I am still on the amitriptyline, and I am getting my dosage per day upped every month or so to see if it's the right amount. If I don't notice anything by my next appointment then I am going off of that drug. But for now, indicas calm my stomach during the day, and if I get a cramp attack I can just go smoke a strong indica like gd and it subsides.

yeah that's some serious stuff. i haven't been on any of that before, so i wonder where your IBD is localized. i'm sure you're dying to know exactly what is going on as well.

have you tried V8 Fusion? in periods where i don't have an appetite and/or can't eat solid foods, it is a life saver. it has both fruit and vegetable juice in it and seems to go down easier than regular V8.

i hope you find better times soon; i'm glad, at least, that the bud is helping you out. what people don't seem to realize is that weed is safer than most of the Rx drugs so easily prescribed for this problem.

keep up the good fight.

sorry for the massive almost a year bump but ive been wondering bout this so i thought id ask

i have UC and am now on Asacol 6 pills a day

1. How old do you have to be to get your medical card in California? (im 16 but thinkin bout movin when i grad)

2. My doc always asks if my fingers feel numb or tingly, they do but only when im high lol. im not sure if its a side effect or just the weed.

thanks :hippy:

also, i was on a high dose of prednisone for like 4 months and it was the worst 4 months of my life. it is a steroid so it can fuck with your emotions, i was seriously depressed and the acne didnt help lol. weed did though:rastasmoke: