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Can Medical Marijuana Help Treat Women In Menopause
Menopause is the time in your life when your periods stop due to a reduction or loss of ovarian reproductive function. Testosterone, progesterone, and estrogen are hormones in a woman’s ovaries.
When your body approaches menopause, it produces less estrogen. As a result, your body behaves differently. According to UPMC, common symptoms of menopause are irregular periods, vaginal dryness, chills, night sweats, and hot flashes.
However, some women may also experience weight gain, slow metabolic processes, mood changes, and sleep disruptions. Estrogen plays a crucial role in maintaining heart, bone, and brain functions during the reproductive years.
The hormonal production reduces when a woman approaches menopause. According to the National Institute on Aging, over one million American women experience menopause yearly.
Numerous treatment options exist to reduce symptoms of menopause. These include hormone therapy, vaginal estrogen, antidepressants, osteoporosis medication, Clonidine, and Gabapentin. However, these treatments can cause severe side effects.
For instance, hormone therapy can increase the risk of endometrial cancer, cause blood clots, and lead to stroke, gallstone, or gallbladder issues. Likewise, antidepressants can cause weight gain, nausea, and digestive and sleep problems.
According to the Journal of North American Menopause Society, medical marijuana or cannabis is a holistic treatment option for women approaching or experiencing menopause.
Not only is medical cannabis a nonhormone treatment, but it also reduces menopause symptoms without causing side effects. Today’s article will answer “can medical marijuana help treat women in menopause.” Read on!
Effects of Medical Marijuana on Menopause
Medical marijuana, also known as medical cannabis, comes from the cannabis plant’s seeds, flowers, and leaves. It contains chemicals called cannabinoids that act as drugs and interact with the human’s body endocannabinoid system.
Cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are the most familiar cannabinoids. According to medical marijuana doctors, the amount of CBD and THC in a cannabis product determines the effects of medical marijuana on a specific condition or illness.
Although hormone therapies can relieve menopausal symptoms, most women in the U.S, particularly in Florida, use natural, nonhormonal options, such as medical cannabis. Let us now discuss how medical marijuana can relieve different symptoms.
Alleviates Hot Flashes
Hot flashes are due to decreased estrogen levels in a woman’s body. Reduced estrogen levels cause the glands to produce higher amounts of other hormones, affecting the brain’s temperature regulation areas.
As a result, the temperature fluctuates or increases, causing hot flashes. According to Harvard Medical School, THC is a psychoactive compound in medical marijuana that can decrease a woman’s body temperature during menopause and alleviate hot flashes.
In addition, medical marijuana produces relaxation effects, reduces mood swings, and promotes better sleep. However, consulting experienced and qualified medical marijuana doctors in Florida is essential to determine the correct dose.
Reduces Inflammation
There is a solid connection between decreased estrogen and musculoskeletal disorders, including arthritis, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis. Reduced estrogen levels during medical marijuana can lead to degenerative joint disease.
CBD can reduce inflammation and decrease the risk of these diseases among women who experience menopause. A 2020 research study highlights that medical marijuana has excellent anti-inflammatory properties and can improve bone density and fight other inflammatory conditions, such as acne breakouts.
Improves Sleep
According to the Sleep Foundation, women experiencing menopause can suffer from sleep deprivation. It affects 47% of perimenopausal women and 60% of postmenopausal female individuals. These disorders include breathing problems during sleep, insomnia, and hot flashes.
Chronic sleep deprivation can increase the risk of hypertension, diabetes, heart attacks, and stroke among menopausal women. Common sleep deprivation symptoms are excessive daytime sleepiness, reduced concentration, and mood changes.
A 2020 research study shows that cannabis can induce a state of relaxation and promote sleep. THC in medical marijuana boosts sleep by triggering the endocannabinoid system and activating the CB1 receptors.
Not only do THC compounds reduce the period of sleep latency, but it also helps women sleep longer. THC can also restore cerebral activities and improve melatonin production.
Boosts Metabolism
Decreased estrogen levels during menopause are directly proportional to lower metabolic rates, affecting energy production. Common metabolic disorders a woman may experience during and after menopause can suffer from dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, impaired glucose tolerance, type-2 diabetes, and hyperinsulinemia.
Apply for a Florida Medical Marijuana Card
A 2018 research study highlights that medical marijuana interacts with cannabinoid receptors and improves food intake and metabolic processes. Medical marijuana doctors can prescribe the correct dose for menopausal women to increase metabolism and decrease energy storage.
Relieves Stress and Depression
A 2017 study shows that 90% of human illnesses are due to stress and depression. Another publication highlights that hormonal changes during menopause can negatively impact a woman’s physical and mental wellbeing, increasing the risk of stress, depression, and anxiety.
Some women may also experience irritability and anger. Estrogen maintains optimal cortisol levels in the body, but when you go through the menopausal period, estrogen levels decrease, meaning your body does not regulate high cortisol levels.
As a result, you experience stress, depression, or anxiety. Research at the University of Chicago found that low levels of THC, a psychoactive compound in medical marijuana, can decrease cortisol levels and indirectly promote serotonin production, allowing individuals to feel good and relaxed.
A 2017 research study states that a low dose of medical marijuana can reduce stress and anxiety. Another NIH study concludes that CBD has an excellent anxiolytic effect and activates the 5HT1A serotonin receptor, reducing anxiety levels and regulating mood.
Final Words
The menopausal transition affects over one million women in the United States. Each woman experiences different symptoms because the body begins to use energy differently, causing changes in fatty tissues, increasing weight, and deteriorating heart and bone health.
Menopause can also take a massive toll on your mental health, cause emotional changes, reduce energy levels, and trigger insomniac episodes. Therefore, finding experienced and qualified medical marijuana doctors is essential to get the right treatment plan tailored to your needs.
Contact us today for more information and to get pre qualified by an All Natural MD professional medical marijuana card doctor in Florida to discuss your problems and to schedule an appointment. (800) 250-6737.
Beginning Monday, August 29, 2022, the Medical Marijuana Use Registry (Registry) will be updated pursuant to section 381.986(4)(f), Florida Statutes (F.S.), which states, in part, “The department [of Health] shall quantify by rule a daily dose amount with equivalent dose amounts for each allowable form of marijuana dispensed by a medical marijuana treatment center. The department shall use the daily dose amount to calculate a 70-day supply.” In compliance with Florida law, the Department of Health has published Emergency Rule 64ER22-8, Dosing and Supply Limits for Medical Marijuana, to determine daily dose amounts and 70-day supply limits for approved routes of administration of marijuana (excluding low-THC cannabis).
The limits for medical marijuana in Florida are as follows:
- Edibles: 60 mg THC Daily Dose Amount – 4,200 mg THC Total 70 Day Supply Limit.
- Inhalation (e.g., vape/concentrates): 350 mg THC Daily Dose Amount – 24,500 mg THC Total 70 Day Supply Limit.
- Oral (e.g., capsules, tinctures): 200 mg THC Daily Dose Amount – 14,000 mg THC Total 70 Day Supply Limit.
- Sublingual (e.g., sublingual tinctures): 190 mg THC Daily Dose Amount – 13,300 mg THC Total 70 Day Supply Limit.
- Suppository (everyone’s favorite): 195 mg THC Daily Dose Amount – 13,650 mg THC Total 70 Day Supply Limit.
- Topical (e.g., creams/lotions): 150 mg THC Daily Dose Amount – 10,500 mg THC Total 70 Day Supply Limit.
- Medical Marijuana in a form of smoking: 2.025 grams/Daily – 2.5 oz / 35 Days – Can’t posses anymore than 4.0 oz total.
Now, these limits are based on an aggregate (total) 70-day supply limit of marijuana, other than marijuana in a form for smoking, all other routes shall not exceed 24,500 mg of THC Total.
Furthermore, pursuant to section 381.986(4)(f)1., F.S., a qualified physician may request an exception to the daily dose amount for their qualified patient by electronically submitting the “Request for Exception” form in the Registry. Upon receiving the information and documentation required by the form and determining the form is complete, the Office of Medical Marijuana Use (OMMU) will approve or disapprove the complete “Request for Exception” form within 14 calendar days. Prior to the form’s approval, a qualified patient will only be authorized to obtain the daily dose amounts determined by the Rule.
Each approved exception is valid for up to the duration of the qualified patient’s physician certification; therefore, a qualified physician will need to submit a new “Request for Exception” form with each new certification they create in which a daily dose amount exceeds the determined limits as set forth by the Florida medical marijuana program director.
Medical marijuana doctors in Florida who accept a qualified patient who has an existing certification with an approved exception request from their previous qualified physician, will have seven (7) calendar days to close the existing certification, including the approved exception request.
An active Florida medical marijuana physician certification issued before the effective date of Emergency Rule 64ER22-8 (August 29, 2022) that exceeds the daily dose amount defined by the Rule, and begins within 210 days of the effective date of the Rule, will be valid for the remainder of said physician certification(s). However, should a qualified physician make any modifications to an existing certification after the effective date of the Rule that would deem the certification in excess of the daily dose amount, the qualified physician must submit a “Request for Exception” form.
An instructional guide on how to submit the “Request for Exception” form in the Registry and other updated instructional guides are attached to this email. These guides can also be found on the OMMU’s website, here: https://KnowTheFactsMMJ.com/
If, after reviewing the Emergency Rule, you or your patients have any questions about this update, please let us know by emailing the OMMU at MedicalMarijuanaUse@FlHealth.
For more on how to qualify for medical marijuana in Florida, contact All Natural MD by phone (800) 250-6737. All Natural MD has locations for medical marijuana all over the State of Florida to better assist you.