Patient Education ►
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Cannabis and Senior Citizens
Cannabinoids ( THC , CBD , etc .) can and sometimes do interact with certain pharmaceuticals . These drug interactions can sometimes be positive . For example , multiple studies have shown that cannabis significantly improves the effectiveness of opioids in pain management . 5 This allows the prescribing doctor to reduce ( often cutting by half ) the patient ’ s dosage , leading perhaps to eliminating pain med ( s ) altogether in favor of cannabis alone . However , there are certain “ red flag ” cases where the use of cannabis is cautioned against . If , for example , the patient is prescribed a blood thinner ( e . g ., warfarin ), the use of cannabis is cautioned against . 6 One should consult a cannabis-friendly doctor before combining prescription meds with cannabis . Competent pharmacists are often even more knowledgeable about drug interactions than are doctors .
Substituting Prescription Meds for Cannabis
Virtually all prescription meds come with so-called “ side effects .” In many cases , these side effects are potentially dangerous , all the more so for the elderly , whose physical vitality makes them especially susceptible to drug side effects . Many seniors have discovered that cannabis often does a far better job , with far fewer risks , in addressing their ailments than any prescription meds . Perhaps the best example of this is the treatment of pain ( chronic pain is the # 1 malady for which medical cannabis is used ). But pain management is just the tip of the iceberg in the list of medicinal benefits cannabis offers .
Cannabis offers relief and renewed hope for the suffering of millions of seniors .
References : 1 . Demographic trends among older cannabis users in the United States , 2006-13 , https :// pubmed . ncbi . nlm . nih . gov / 27767235 /
2 . https :// health . ucsd . edu / news / releases / Pages / 2020-10-07-studyfinds-older-adults-using-cannabis-to-treat-common-healthconditions . aspx
3 . https :// jamanetwork . com / journals / jamainternalmedicine / articleabstract / 2761271 4 . Ibid . UCSD study 5 . https :// www . ncbi . nlm . nih . gov / books / NBK573080 / 6 . https :// www . ncbi . nlm . nih . gov / pmc / articles / PMC7055953 /
Peter Kershaw is a Patient Caregiver , an organic cannabis cultivation consultant , and extraction consultant . Contact him at
pkershaw . email @ gmail . com or text to 417-230-4445 . As with all writers within these pages , if you ’ ve benefited from Peter ’ s articles , please let him and all writers know . They appreciate your thoughts .
Notice : The information contained herein is not intended as medical advice , diagnosis or treatment , but rather a sharing of knowledge and information based on research and experience . The content is for general informational purposes only .