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Karsten Asked August 2022

CBD gummies for elderly with pain. Any advice?

I have in the past reported about my neurotic, narcistic, demanding, unappreciative mother, but you will be happy to know that while that continues and I always wonder how long I can deal with it, this post is not about that.


 


She, like I am finding out from many that when you are in your nineties pain comes with the territory. A friend of hers has told me she just accepts it as part of life. My mom asked her pain doctor what causes this (in her world there always needs to be a reason and a cure) and the pain doc said it is caused by being lucky enough to have made 91 trips around the sun.


 


Anyway, my mom gripes and complains about everything so hard to know if her pain is as debilitating as she sounds, but let's assume it is.


 


She has had those cortisone type injections but they have had limited impact


 


My pot smoking brother has suggested she try CBD gummies, which if I understand correctly come OTC but not with THC and with THC with prescription. He says it would help not only with her pain but with her sleep problems.


 


Another issue with my mom she will read every disclaimer and possible side effect and after reading not take then.


 


But has anyone had any experience, good or bad, with CBD gummies and have any other info I might try to be aware of?


 


I did talk to her pain doc nurse who did not discourage the idea at all. I will wait till my mom actually sees her pain doc in mid Septemeber.

Jibberish Sep 2022
I tried CBD but to be honest i went for straight THC gummies for my mom with advanced RA arthritis she is bed bound and incontinent, the thc gummies "take the edge off her pain" and make her feel better

igloo572 Sep 2022
Any idea is it’s really pain? or is it more general anxiety, fretfullness, unhappy = pain going on so if she were to be able to chill it would help?

On CBD usage, I’ve found what’s available is very much dependent on your states laws and regulations on CBD. If you’re in CA, CO or WA States, it’s pretty much state of the art in clearly readable and defined packaging for ingredients and it’s regulated. Other states totally Wild West and lots of snake oil type of products.

if you can get legit products, there is one that is really nice general “chill” so less anxiety, less pain: GreenRevolution water based tincture, per dropper 6.25mg CBD, .3mg THC, .125mg CBN, dissolves instantly into any liquid. Personally I find it awesome, if pain flares add Tylenol PM at bedtime for solid sleep. GR makes abt 6 different tinctures. There are CBD & THC transdermal patches. Mary’s Medicinals makes patches, are the size of a smaller bandaid. I know couple of folks who think they are great on pinpointed hand & knee arthritis flare ups.

Ask her docs in a bit more depth next visit what their thoughts are on trying something for her.

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ravensdottir Sep 2022
My mom's pressure and heart rate dropped after using a TOPICAL CBD for her pinched nerve. CBD relaxes blood vessels, so it may multiply the effect of medications, especially blood thinners or blood pressure medication.

Like anything else, there are caveats so be sure of the source, the purity of the product, the fillers, etc. and see how it goes.

Llamalover47 Aug 2022
Karsten: Perhaps you should check with her physician on this issue.

KPWCSC Aug 2022
Attended a Parkinson’s symposium and the speaker was a doctor I regard highly. While he too did not say never, he did say it could create more problems. He said there are not strict standards in place by FDA yet for manufacturing standards so there may be inconsistencies from batch to batch. As always, the older we get our bodies response to any new chemical (natural or man made) may not be the same. As has been shared also, always check with her doctor and/or pharmacist for their opinion based on her medical history with them as well as adding it to her current medicine routine.

Note… the symposium was a few years back and things may have changed… but I still would never consider buying through internet sources.

ChoppedLiver Aug 2022
It all depends on the cause of your Mom's pain. If the pain is "in her head", then one really needs the THC more than the CDB. On the other hand, CBD has been known to help arthritis and certain other conditions. Read up on it on the web.

Before you read the rest of this, I am not in the medical field. I do not nor have any history of using marijuana (one of the unusual ones for my age). I do consider marijuana a drug and I have quite a few friends who use it (and a few friends who like mushrooms better).

CBD is mostly unregulated. That means that there are no federal labelling standards and there are no assurances that what is under the wrapper is really what it is. One is dependent upon the company's goodwill or people's recommendations or the web or written publications, for the information about CBD.

Because gummies are eaten, the time it takes for a drug to take effect is highly dependent upon the metabolism of the person. Older people generally have a lower metabolism. It takes 1.5 hours for my Mom to start to feel the effects of a prescription pain pill (I found that out in the rehab hospital where they only give you pain pills once you start having pain.)

My Mom has arthritis in her lower back, really bad arthritis. Cortisone shots provided no relief. I have friends who have various types of arthritis who regularly use CBD and it provides them with enough relief to take the edge off their various issues. However, they live in another state. I have another friend who has MS, and using pot helps him to get out of bed in the morning.

I found a reputable person (he only sells CBD derived from hemp), and he suggested I try the cream where my Mom hurt. He also said it was systemic, wait 2 weeks before a verdict. My Mom did not like the smell of the cream. In addition, there was nothing written that controlled the dosage. Predictably, it didn't help the pain.

He then suggested the oil drops however warned me that it was very bitter tasting. I have since found out that this is the most reliable way to get the CBD into your system.

I rejected the drops as my Mom has very sensitive taste buds, so we went to pills. He suggested I start with 25 mg 3 times a day (total of 75 mg). In about 3 days, my Mom started to feel the difference. After about 2 weeks, the pain was still there, so I changed one of the 25 mg for a 50 mg and about a week later, she claimed the pain nearly disappeared. During this time, for all of it, she was taking OTC Tylenol and Alleve where the the Tylenol dosage is higher than the recommended 2000 mg max. My friends in the other state all use CDB dosages higher than 100 mg for their issues. Some use CBD with THC and some use CBD without THC (but still derived from marijuana) and some use CBD derived from hemp (no THC).

As it turns out, I'm glad that we are using the pills. If she had smoked to get the CBD and got the THC also, I would not have been able to find a managed care facility for her. Having a bottle that actually has the mg of THC really helps because the doctor can actually identify the dosage. Now that her dementia has progressed, I cannot imagine putting drops under her tongue.

The downside is that the pills are quite expensive, and are still considered an illegal drug therefore not a medical expense that can be deducted on the tax return. The CBD derived from hemp, is considered an OTC drug, therefore also not deductible as a medical expense.

My BIL gave my sister some gummies with 500 mg of CBD and I don't know how much THC, and she said it helps her power through her daily exercise. Whereas she used to be in pain toward the middle of her 1 hour of intense exercise, she now has no pain. (Yes, that is 5 x the amount that I give to my Mom).

I do believe CBD is helping my Mom. However, it took a bit of trial and error. My Mom's pain doctor would not help me with dosages, however, he did verify that it would not interfere with my Mom's other medication
ChoppedLiver Aug 2022
Correction to post above: Having a bottle that actually has the mg of CBD and THC really helps because the doctor can actually identify the dosage and include it in her file.
infomom Aug 2022
My husband tried it for back pain. It was hard to find the appropriate dosage through the edibles. But the real problem was it caused instability and he started falling. We immediately stopped it.

JoAnn29 Aug 2022
If your Mom has a pain doctor than IMO her pain should be minimal. I think your discription of her problems is your answer and nothing is going to work. I would not give my Mom anything without her doctor knowing about it.

Windyridge Aug 2022
I’ve tried CBD pills and topical stuff for pain. Nothing. I have found that a small dose THC gummie 1.5 helps with sleep. Any more than 1.5 and I get too buzzed and am up all night watching weird cartoons in my head. I think the effects can differ greatly from person to person. Nothing helps my wife with her insomnia.

Livscare Aug 2022
I've tried them. I've tried from several companies without the THC. I've tried gummies, drops, and creams. Nothing helped me with my arthritis pain Too much money was wasted. To me it was just like having candy. They didn't help me.

Catskie62 Aug 2022
My mom tried CBD oil & it made her nervous and a tad kooky. She said it didn't help anyway. Turmeric curcumin w/Ginger is a good anti-inflammatory but does interfere with some meds

Island9445 Aug 2022
CBD does not always "play nice" with other medications that one may be taking, as per my mom's doctor. Please check with her doctor(s) before anyone decides to give it to her. One of my family members thought it would be a good idea to share her CBD with mom by blowing the smoke directly her way. Mom's doctor made it very clear NOT to do that due to interactions with current meds. Hope this is helpful to you.

MACinCT Aug 2022
IDK, I gave them to my dog to keep her calm because of her breathing... not for pain

golden23 Aug 2022
The latest research I read on it was that CBD doesn't help everyone but there is a small segment of users it does help. I suppose it's worth a try.

lealonnie1 Aug 2022
I gave my mother CBD gummies w/o THC and they had absolutely no effect whatsoever on her pain levels. I took them myself with the same outcome. CBD gummies WITH THC make a big difference, however. The THC is the component that helps with pain. No THC=no pain management effects, in my experience.

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