Patients can take cannabis in different ways. In addition, dosage forms also differ. Which form of medicinal cannabis is used for successful therapy depends on the decision of the doctor.
Finished medicines
One of the possible routes of administration is to take medical cannabis in the form of finished medicines with the active ingredients nabilone or dronabinol. These drugs are called sativex or kanemes, and dronabinol. The latter, if necessary, are prepared by pharmacists individually.
Sativex is an oral spray for the treatment of patients with multiple sclerosis. Kanemes is a finished product with the active ingredient nabilone, which is used in patients with nausea and vomiting during chemotherapy, provided other drugs or treatment options are not effective. Dronabinol, on the other hand, is an active ingredient that is prescribed for both nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy and for weight loss and loss of appetite in HIV / AIDS patients.
Cannabis flowers and cannabis extracts
Before consuming cannabis in the form of flowers or extracts, it is important that the cannabinoids only show their effectiveness when heated. While the drugs are mostly taken orally or as a mouth spray, patients inhale the substance of the flowers and cannabis extracts.
Another option is to prepare the cannabis flowers as tea. However, this is due to disadvantages such as the poor solubility of the active ingredients of the cannabis flowers, which means that the content of the active ingredient is unclear. In addition, tea with flowers must be boiled for a long time so that the dose of the active ingredient really gets into the tea water.
Medical cannabis – how to get it?
The law on the legalization of medical cannabis does not yet impose any restrictions on diseases. This means that medical cannabis can be prescribed by healthcare professionals for any medical condition.
However, many doctors still refrain from prescription cannabis use and mostly confine themselves to diseases for which the beneficial effects of cannabis have been proven to date, or at least suggested based on research or research.
Who is it for?
There was no legal requirement to list individual indications for prescribing cannabis. As a rule, patients should be pretreated by a physician and undergo the usual treatment measures. It is officially impossible, for example, after a night or two due to sleep disturbances, to see a doctor and prescribe medical cannabis for the coming night. A diagnosed illness is required, which may be accompanied by cannabis treatment.
Accordingly, a basic prerequisite for obtaining medical cannabis is also a physician’s assessment of whether he sees therapeutic success through its use. Cannabis treatment can also be done if additional treatments are theoretically available that have not yet been used.
Which doctors prescribe medical cannabis?
The law governing the legal prescribing of medical cannabis does not provide for any special qualifications or requirements for prescribing doctors. In other words: it can be prescribed by any doctor, provided that he has a valid license. It is customary to first consult a family doctor or a specialist treating a patient.
How is medical cannabis prescribed?
The doctor must write a prescription. The maximum cannabis prescription is 100,000 mg (100 g) for 30 days. Since it was easier to handle, the maximum amount was set regardless of the individual cannabinoid content of the respective cannabis strain.
Cannabis flowers can be prescribed with 22 percent THC, the most powerful cannabinoid. If a doctor prescribes 100 grams of cannabis, the amount of THC can range from 100 to 22,000 mg. In addition to the quantity, the cannabis variety must also be specified. Several types can be written in a recipe at once. If there is a justified exception, the physician may deviate from the maximum amount by noting this on the prescription with an “A”. Accordingly, a prescription clause could be: “Bedrocan cannabis flower, 15 g, dosage as per written instructions.”
What are the side effects of medical cannabis?
In addition to positive effects on chronic diseases, complaints or symptoms, side effects can also occur, which are described below.
Anxiety
This is paradoxical: cannabis can both relieve and cause anxiety. Because a small amount of THC relieves anxiety, while a large amount of THC can cause anxiety in some people.
To prevent this from happening, a familiar environment, such as your own home, is important when using medical cannabis, especially if this is your first time. If you’re still unsure, it can be helpful to have someone you trust by your side.
In addition, the terpenes of black pepper and the medicinal plant lavender can counteract anxiety caused by cannabis use. In this context, you can chew black pepper or lavender essential oil within your four walls. Supplements with lavender or lavender tea are equally effective.
Dry mouth
THC works differently in the body. This is because the so-called endocannabinoid receptors are located in many places in the body that are affected by THC. In addition, endocannabinoid receptors are also found in the salivary glands, through which THC can influence the production of saliva. For the most part, this means that saliva production is reduced and the result is unpleasant dryness in the mouth and throat area.
Therefore, it is recommended that you drink enough or chew gum. They stimulate the production of saliva. Mouthwashes with slimy tea blends may also help.
Dry eyes
Because THC dilates the blood vessels in the eyes, it can cause redness. In addition, THC can cause the eyes to become less hydrated and then feel irritated and dry.
This is why it is also important here to drink enough fluids to reduce or prevent side effects altogether. Eye drops can also help relieve dry eyes. Ideally, they should be free of preservatives.
Dizziness and low blood pressure
Because THC affects the cardiovascular system, dizziness and low blood pressure are not unique. Caffeinated drinks or herbs such as Diacard may help.
In case of circulatory failure, it is also important to check your blood sugar levels, as they can fluctuate after using cannabis. Therefore, especially people who are not used to cannabis should pay attention to sugary foods or drinking sugary drinks. After 15 minutes, you should notice if your blood sugar has increased again.
Can you get addicted to cannabis?
Until now, cannabis addiction has not been identified as a result of medically supervised treatment, provided that therapy with cannabis-based drugs or cannabis itself was medically based and there were no contraindications. Contraindications are, for example, psychoses or severe personality disorders.
However, if treatment is suddenly stopped and therefore medicinal cannabis is taken, mild to moderate withdrawal symptoms may occur.