Read the Foundation’sofficial CBD Guidance for patients.
We recently connected with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patient and Arthritis Foundation volunteer Ron Lev to find out more about his personal experience with CBD. Ron was formally diagnosed with RA 27 years ago and currently leads an Arthritis Foundation Connect Group, providing support to other arthritis patients.
关节炎基金会:谢谢你今天花时间和我们聊天,罗恩。首先,你是否使用处方药物来控制你的类风湿性关节炎症状?
Ron:Yes, for overall management of my RA, I use rituximab.
ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION: I also see that you have used CBD to help with your pain. What made you decide to try CBD?
Ron:In one word — steroids. Pretty much since day one of my RA diagnosis I was put on prednisone, and for the following 23 years, was a real addict. Trying to quit steroids, I always ended up in pain. And we all know what harsh side-effects steroids have, especially when taken long-term.
我开始使用CBD油,同时使用类固醇,这样我就可以减少类固醇的摄入。我开始将强的松的剂量减半,然后分四节。第三周结束时,我觉得我不再需要类固醇了。四年过去了,我从未回头。对于我的风湿性关节炎的全面管理,我使用利妥昔单抗。
ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION: With the rise in awareness of CBD products, where did you find information on CBD?
Ron:一切都始于一个骗局。大约五年前,我在网上看到一则广告,要求我试用只付运费的CBD油瓶。我心想,见鬼,为什么不呢?我不知道,这是个骗局。我确实买了一瓶油,但也买了一个每月高达100美元的自动充电计划!Getting off their fraudulent scheme was tougher than terminating cable television, but I finally did it.
This sparked my interest in really researching the topic of CBD. I learned all about the hemp plant and the naturally occurring substances within it. I also learned that there were many more cannabinoids in addition to CBD and how all these interact with our bodies.
ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION: That must have been very frustrating. When you decided to start researching on your own, how did you decide what form and dosage of CBD to use?
Ron:有这么多的产品在那里(其中许多质量很低)和很少或没有监管的市场,我决定来源我自己的原材料,创造我自己的油混合。我知道,很冒险。
经过彻底的市场调查和一些可靠来源的建议,我找到了我的来源,详细说明了我的规格,并要求样品。我准备进行实验。我决定从低剂量开始,然后逐渐增加剂量。我开始每天两次服用1/2ml,一周后,我感觉很好,所以增加到每天两次1ml,然后增加到2ml。我没有出现任何副作用。一年后,当我感觉良好时,我开始减少剂量,从每天2ml减少到1.5ml。这对我很有效。
关节炎基金会:在你试验CBD是否对你有效的过程中,你和你的医生讨论过CBD吗?
Ron:在经历了这么长时间的风湿性关节炎后,我学会了采取积极主动的方法。我经常自己做研究和功课,然后向我的风湿病医生咨询我的想法和建议。
我和我的风湿病医生进行了坦诚而开放的交流,但我决定在讨论CBD之前先试用几个月,看看我的身体反应如何。我并不是说这对每个人都是正确的方法,因为这取决于你的关节炎类型、疾病活动度、其他药物等。当我告诉他我不需要类固醇时,他尊重我的决定,尽管他说他不能推荐CBD。
In the case of CBD, or rather hemp oil (and cannabis in general), most MDs will refrain from actively approving such treatments simply because they have to follow the traditional guidelines of medicine with recommendations supported by substantial clinical trials if not completely approved by the FDA.
ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION: Thinking back on the entirety of your experience with CBD, what advice would you give other RA patients about using CBD?
Ron:I think three things are very important to remember:
- Give it some time. People tend to expect an overnight miracle, and in the case of systemic diseases like RA, it just won’t happen. Cannabinoids need time to interact with our own endocannabinoid system and to interact with the relevant receptors within our cells. Give it time — it can take weeks, or even months to work. And, yes, it may not work at all. But if you won’t give it a fair chance, how would you know?
- Use trial and error. Like with any medication, there’s no “one-fits-all” formula. There’s a lot of trial and error involved both with dosage as well as with the substance itself. You might be lucky and find your perfect match on your first trial, but you might also have to go through a few other products to find the one that works for you.
- Don’t believe everything you read and hear. There are many people out there who are in the CBD space “for the ride” (Amazon is full of super cheap CBD products with specifications that don’t even make sense). Do your research and talk to others in your condition that found relief. There’s nothing like that patient-to-patient trust.
关节炎基金会:罗恩,谢谢你今天的时间和你分享你的故事。
To learn more about CBD, visit theArthritis Foundation’s website. Want to have your voice heard? Participate in acollaborativesurvey on medical cannabisfrom researchers at the University of Michigan, McGill University, the Arthritis Foundation and the Arthritis Society (Canada).