How To Choose The Right Medical Marijuana Product

November 8, 2018 All Natural
Posted by All Natural on

If you’re new to cannabis-based medicine, trying to figure out the best medical cannabis product to treat your condition can be downright confusing. In some states, product names range from humorous to downright awful , but how does a patient determine what strain or product is best for them? Will Harlequin treat my inflammatory bowel disease? What is useful for chronic pain?

Most conventional pharmaceuticals that you may be familiar with are made up of a single active pharmaceutical ingredient, while marijuana is a highly complex plant with many dozens of active ingredients (known as cannabinoids and terpenes). This complexity is largely what enables cannabis to be so therapeutically versatile. Some might argue cannabis is Mother Nature’s medicine cabinet. But, cannabis’ myriad of natural ingredients — along with the dizzying varieties of strains and product names present challenges to most patients who are trying to find relief for their symptoms.

The fact is, there is no “one-size-fits-all” treatment. Because cannabis is natural and comprised of so many active ingredients, finding the best medical cannabis product and dosage for your particular condition often requires a bit of trial and error.

Step 1: Determine the Optimal Cannabis Chemical Profile Starting Point for Your Condition

Currently, the most important factor in finding the right treatment for your condition and the best way to ensure you are getting the same treatment every time is the ratio of the major cannabinoids THC (Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol). While Vireo products still contain the other cannabinoids in the plants, dosing is mainly focused on THC and CBD which are the most-studied cannabinoids for treating disease. THC is the only cannabinoid responsible for the intoxication (“high”) associated with cannabis. If you’re choosing a THC-dominant medical cannabis product, our pharmacists will help you choose a level of THC in our products that will minimize the risks of side effects including intoxication and the risk of inadvertent over-medication. Also, it’s helpful to know that CBD can potentially eliminate many of the side effects commonly experienced with THC.

When examining your options, consider your condition. High CBD medical cannabis products are best for epilepsy. THC dominant products, on the other hand, are preferred by patients with chronic pain or who are undergoing palliative cancer care to help with the symptoms of nausea, vomiting, and low appetite. Medical cannabis is remarkably nuanced (each patient can benefit from very different ratios and very different doses for very different conditions). Our experienced pharmacists are a tremendous resource to help you find that optimal dose, stay at that optimal dose, and avoid side effects and complications.

Of course, don’t ignore personal preferences and your unique physiology. Are you new to cannabis? If so, you may want to start with a medical cannabis product recommended by a Florida marijuana doctor that is higher in CBD and lower in THC, or at least more balanced. If you’re suffering from a condition that may be more responsive to THC, you can always work your way up over time. Medical cannabis is a unique medical treatment in that the body develops tolerance to side effects faster than it does to the therapeutic benefits says lakeland marijuana specialist.

To find medical cannabis products that match your optimal cannabinoid ratio (THC to CBD), don’t put much stock in imprecise strain classifications like indica, sativa, and hybrid. These groupings can be misleading as (contrary to popular perception) they have little to no correlation to how much THC or CBD is in a product. If you have previous experience with marijuana, be sure to share that with your medical cannabis pharmacist tampa marijuana doctors. Based on many factors, most important of them being your input, they can help you find your ideal treatment, which may include more that one ratio.

Step 2: Choose a Delivery Method That Best Suits Your Condition, Needs, and Comfort

Next, let’s talk for a moment about medical cannabis product delivery methods: In other words, how you’ll actually take your cannabis medicine.

Though some may previously have interfaced with cannabis by smoking it in “flower” form, that’s not an option because of the potential for inconsistencies in both dosage and product orlando marijuana doctors. And, of course, smoking is a lung irritant, which runs its own potential risks. 

Step 3: Prepare for a Bit of Trial and Error

While the complexity of cannabis means there’s no single medical cannabis product and intake method that’s best for every person and intake methods eliminate much of the trial-and-error typically associated with finding the right cannabis medicine says sarasota marijuana doctors. Nonetheless, as we mentioned before, everyone is different, and it may take a bit of trial-and-error to find the ideal cannabinoid ratio and intake method that works best for you. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t see as much relief as you might expect on the first go.

Whatever product and intake method you choose, we’d like to remind you of a simple phrase:

“Start low. Go slow.”

This means that we advise patients to start with a very low dose and wait enough time for the effects to take hold says fort lauderdale marijuana doctors. We understand that our patients are looking for immediate relief and we do our best to help them achieve that. However, it is preferred to underdose and increase until a patient feels the right effect, rather than rush ahead and cause both unwanted and unnecessary side effects. This safe approach to dosing is similar to many other traditional medications, and it will go a long way towards ensuring you get the safe, desired effects you’re looking for with cannabis medicine lake mary marijuana doctors. One of the most important aspects of medical cannabis when compared to other accepted treatments, especially those for pain, is that there has never been a record of a death caused by medical cannabis overdose.

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