Like a football player, I have a TBI caused by multiple concussions over a short period of time (about a year), and am only figuring it out much later (15 years), having received no treatment or therapy during or since injuries. My concussions were from domestic abuse.
So I researched what football players are doing. More contentious then than now, some were using cannabis. The intriguing part was that the theory was that even 15 years later, some of my symptoms are caused by inflammation still present in the brain. Cannabis helps with inflammation.
Has anyone tried it? Did it help any of your symptoms?
Hey Natasha
Yes, I have and yes in some ways it has helped but for some people with brain injuries it’s not a good idea. I have previously worked with some people with BI and the use of cannabis triggered some emotional turmoil for them. They could have periods of time with such clarity and have no issue when consuming cannabis, but by the same accord they could have periods when it triggered what was deemed to be a psychotic episode. So it can have such hugely differing effects.
Now in saying that, it has assisted me to reduce the amount of pharmaceutical concoctions within my dietary intake. I have been on all sorts of meds and then more meds to counteract the side effects of the original meds. I was up, I was down, I was a damn mess with all the meds I was being prescribed. Cannabis has assisted me to cutback on the pharmas. Now don’t get me wrong here, canna has not meant I’ve been able to eliminate the pharmas, not at all. But I’m certainly not taking them at the same rate as previous nor as recommended.
There are many strains of cannabis, each with their own levels of each cannabinoids and trying to find which strain may be of the best benefit to you can be a challenge. Also I have to say here cannabis has not been the wonder drug that some people may profess it to be. Has it helped ? Yes. But calling it the wonder drug would be a huge stretch of the truth. I still find I have the need for pharmaceuticals.
So that’s my opinion anyway.
So now that it’s legal it’s a much easier and more scientific process to see how the different options work for us as individuals. I’ve found that THC (smoked) will help my mood and mental stabilization significantly! Like I’ll go from ‘about to lose my shit’ to ‘thank goodness for my loving family’ and realizing how emotionally out of control, irrational and just plain mean I am as being moments ago. 2 puffs 3-4 times a day ( before meals).
I tried the 1:1 tincture and it gave me a ‘high’ that was not cool. Being out of my usual senses because of the concussion I want no part in intoxicating myself! It helped with pain throughout the body, helped a little with processing more than one interaction at a time, put me in a better mood, but did NOT prevent emotional outbursts and irrational anger bordering on rage. So a big no vote on that being utilized.
I tried the 1:1 edibles and it was a similar affect as tincture, but took forever to kick in.
So, any suggestions for anything else that might help. Joints are working great, but inconvenient for taking 2 puffs and then ashing it, yuck! Thinking vape pen if this is the only way to go. Thanks again and hope that assessment helps.
Legal? That depends on just where in the world you are. Many U.S. states, yes, it is legal but here in Australia… …not yet. I’m on a trial here but had to get all sorts of approvals from dr’s, state govt and the Federal govt to even be considered for the trial. The approval only lasts 3mths, then I have to reinvent the wheel all over again and the costs involved are large both for the approval and the medication itself. In fact I have heard of patients growing their own, then making their own tinctures/oils, which is illegal, but much more cost effective. The issue with this is that purity and strength cannot be assured.
For some individuals (me) who have been utilising an unregulated source, they can have a level of tolerance too. For ‘newbies’ to the whole THC/CBD scene the initial effects can vary vastly and some people can’t handle those effects. In this trial the measured dose sizes are small (1/2 ml morning and night) and by no means do I have a ‘stoned’ feeling. I know you state “I tried the 1:1 tincture and it gave me a ‘high’ that was not cool.” But 1:1 is equal parts CBD to THC but if the equal amounts are high dose then the intoxicating effect can be rather nasty. Also the process of how it is produced can also effect this. The pharma medication is a set ratio of 2 cannabinoids and not a ‘Whole plant’ medication, so instead of have only the two cannabinoids in the medication, whole plant has the whole range of cannabinoids. Each plant has it’s own varying levels of individual cannabinoids the effects of which can often be a little extreme for some people. By having a ‘standardized’ ratio and dosing regime can help minimise negative effects. Along with this is the way in which it is administered ie Oral vs inhalation. Inhalation gives an instant effect but lasts a short period, where orally it takes longer for the full effect to take place, but lasts longer. I have found however that the effect orally is vastly different from inhalation.
So far the assessment has been positive, let’s hope it continues.
I’m so glad you are able to utilize cannabis and more so that it is helping. I tried a THC only tincture last night and the onset was delayed but beneficial without smoking. I’m in the USA so it’s legal and has many options for imbibing.