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.
ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION: Thank you for taking the time to chat with us today, Ron. First off, do you use prescribed medications to manage your RA symptoms?
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。
关节炎基金会:随着人们对CBD产品的关注,你在哪里找到CBD的信息?
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!摆脱他们的骗局比终止有线电视要困难得多,但我最终还是做到了。
这激发了我对真正研究CBD这个话题的兴趣。我学习了所有关于大麻植物和它内部自然发生的物质。我还了解到,除了CBD,还有很多大麻素,以及它们是如何与我们的身体相互作用的。
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。
After thorough market research and some recommendations from trusted sources, I found my source, detailed my specifications, and requested samples. I was ready to experiment. I decided to start low and gradually increase my dosage. I began with 1/2ml twice a day, and after a week, I felt fine, so went up to 1ml twice a day, then up to 2ml. I didn’t experience any side effects. After a year when I was feeling good, I begin to dose down, going to 1.5ml a day from 2ml. It worked well for me.
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。
I have honest and open communication with my rheumatologist but decided to try CBD for a few months to see how my body reacted before discussing it. I’m not saying this is the right approach for everyone, since it depends on your type of arthritis, disease activity, other medications, etc. When I shared with him that I didn’t need the steroids, he respected my decision, although he said he couldn’t recommend 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.人们倾向于期待一夜之间的奇迹,而对于风湿性关节炎这样的全身性疾病来说,这是不可能发生的。大麻素需要时间与我们自身的内源性大麻素系统相互作用,并与我们细胞内的相关受体相互作用。花点时间——这可能需要几周,甚至几个月的时间。是的,它可能根本不起作用。但如果你不给它一个公平的机会,你怎么知道?
- Use trial and error.就像任何药物一样,没有“万能”的配方。在剂量和药物本身方面都有很多的试验和错误。您可能很幸运,在第一次试用时就找到了最适合您的产品,但您可能还需要查看其他几款产品才能找到适合您的产品。
- Don’t believe everything you read and hear.有很多人在CBD的空间里“兜风”(亚马逊上到处都是超便宜的CBD产品,它们的规格甚至没有意义)。做些调查,并与与你情况相同的人交谈,找到了缓解。没有什么比病人对病人的信任更重要了。
ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION: Ron, thank you for your time today and for sharing your story.
To learn more about CBD, visit theArthritis Foundation’s website.想让别人听到你的声音吗?Participate in acollaborativesurvey on medical cannabisfrom researchers at the University of Michigan, McGill University, the Arthritis Foundation and the Arthritis Society (Canada).