Every tool we have to fight chronic illness is a win.
Chronic autoimmune and inflammatory diseases are beasts to manage. Having safe and affordable access to every potential tool for symptom and disease management helps us not only stay alive, but thrive. Many cannabinoids are being studied for anti-inflammatory properties and immune system regulation. Currently, research shows that many cannabinoids suppress cytokine production, and can help suppress disease activity in conditions like lupus, multiple sclerosis, ankylosing spondylitis, and rheumatoid arthritis. Cannabinoid based pharmaceuticals are being used in several countries for autoimmune symptom management. Unfortunately, the medical complex and patient communities are learning together. It’s important to set realistic expectations, connect with fellow patients, and educate ourselves because there is a vast difference in how adult recreational use and therapeutic applications look. While the actual cannabis is the same, how it’s used isn’t.
Autoimmuners need to consider things like pharmaceutical interactions, consistent access, and how cannabis can affect the other conditions we have. Many of us are medically complex with comorbidities like Dysautonomia, Ehlers-Danlos, or Epilepsy. A POTS patient would need to watch cardiac medications and watch for spikes and drops. Knowing inhaled forms of cannabis can temporarily raise blood pressure and heart rate while edible forms have been known to cause drops can help you decide whether cannabis is a treatment option.
This brochure can be printed and brought to your medical team to get the discussion started. It contains basic information and further reading for both you and your doctors. It’s not meant to be a comprehensive guide or medical advice. Hopefully these will be helpful as you start your individual journey.
SETTING EXPECTATIONS
Cannabis is not a cure for autoimmune diseases. Just like how every other therapies effect everyone differently, cannabis does to. There just isn’t a “cookie cutter” method to treat autoimmune diseases, so expect to experiment. Understand that cannabis has hundreds of components in infinite ratios, so even the same “strain” can have a very different make up each time it’s purchased. The more medically complex the situation, the more important it is to know how the basic components of cannabis work. Strains with dominant in a-pinene will behave differently than strains dominant in linalool. Cannabis is 100% trial and error and there is a learning curve.
There are a few hiccups when it comes to the medical community’s understanding and policies. Doctors are not as educated on the endocannabinoid system as we believe. Rarely has a physician had extensive training on the endocannabinoid system, and their familiarity with cannabis is most often confined to harm studies. Physicians tend to look for specific types of studies (American double-blind placebo studies) with an isolated cannabinoid. A federal research blockade makes these studies near impossible to conduct and they don’t come close to understanding cannabis as a whole. Isolated THC behaves differently than THC with all the other cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids. The biggest exchange of information is happening in the patient to patient level. This is why it’s important to connect with others so everyone can learn from their experiences. Don’t let this overwhelm you though. We are Autoimmuners and everything is literally ridiculous to figure out. Therapeutic cannabis is WAY easier than figuring out autoimmune soup.
Cannabis is still federally illegal and state policies are geared towards the needs of business, not the needs of the patient. Most state programs focus on tax money and avoiding federal enforcement. This means programs are personally invasive, artificially expensive, and over-regulated in the wrong ways. Several states require fingerprinting and background checks, numerous out-of-pocket physician visits, and dispensaries are so regulated it’s hard to turn a profit. Cannabis isn’t covered by insurance and can be an expensive therapy to maintain.
“Legal” doesn’t mean “legal”. Legalities vary from state to state. The federal status of cannabis as a Schedule I drug means any transportation across state lines –even “legal” state to “legal” state, is illegal. Some states have regulated adult-use recreational so any adult over the age of 21 can purchase cannabis when they arrive. Most states have regulated medical marijuana, but only for their residents who’ve registered for state programs. There are only a few states that offer reciprocity, so check actual state law before you go. Just know that having a card in Michigan doesn’t mean it’s good in Georgia or even Colorado.
It’s not a legal prescription even if it says “prescription”. Schedule I drugs cannot be legally prescribed, regardless of how your state law is worded. Physicians can recommend it but a medical cannabis recommendation does not carry any federal legal protections. Pain management doctors may not honor the cards and dismiss you from care. Landlords don’t have to allow it on their properties. Jobs can still fire you should they choose. Each of these vary according to state law, so be sure to do your research.
Disease Management
Preclinical studies suggest that many cannabinoids found in cannabis work on the same pathways as the pharmaceuticals we take and have valuable anti-inflammatory effects.
With treatment options so limited, Autoimmuners are turning to cannabis to help support biologics, DMARDS, and steroids. Patients are reporting increased activity tolerance, less fatigue, quicker recovery times after activities, and fewer symptoms.
No knows whether cannabis will work for you and again, this is totally trial and error. We suggest connecting with other Autoimmuners on social media, researching studies, and talking to your medical team if disease management is your goal.
Symptom Management
The majority of Autoimmuners use cannabis to manage disease symptoms. like pain, nausea, insomnia, and inflammation. Not everyone is able to become pharmaceutical free and the majority use cannabis alongside other treatment methods.
The cannabis plant has enough diversity that you can tailor it to meet specific symptom needs. Each cannabinoid, terpene, and flavonoid has different functions. Deep pain needs a different combination than fatigue which needs a different combination than nausea.
Just remember, cannabis may not help everything and that’s okay. Some will see great results, others okay results, and others no or even adverse results. All of that is valid.
Precautions
Cannabis acts on several types of receptors, not just ones in the endocannabinoid system. There are multiple ways cannabis can interact with other supplements and medications. While it’s best to ask your pharmacist about interactions, many haven’t been given in-depth information. Research is relatively new and the coursework required for pharmaceutical practice (or medical practice) isn’t comprehensive on the endocannabinoids and their function.
For this reason, we suggest giving a copy of this primer to your medical team. Unfortunately, when it comes to the therapeutic applications of cannabis, we are all learning together.
Advocates for Compassionate Therapy Now, LLC 