I was diagnosed with Discoid Lupus 9 years ago (2010). Due to a late diagnosis It had turned into Systemic Lupus (SLE). This is my story of how I changed from pharmaceutical prescribed drugs to nature's miracle plant, Cannabis.
For treatment, I was put on a course of medication to see if they would help me. Here is a list of prescribed drugs I was taking;
Naprosyn 500mg – anti-inflammation
Batmen prednicarbate crema – cream to stop itching
Ebatel Forte 20mg – Antihistamine (I had an allergic reaction to this)
Protopic 0.1% - cream for flare-ups
Zaldiar 37.5mg/325mg – Pain Killers
Adventan 1mg – cream for itchiness
Avéne – sunblock
Prednisona: Alonga 10mg
Pensa 5mg
I did not feel any helpful effects from my prescribed drugs, with the exception of the Pensa 5mg, which helped with the redness but caused issues with my stomach.
2 years after being diagnosed, I suffered a major flare up. As a result, I was taken to hospital. On arrival, they gave me some liquid paracetamol, which unfortunately didn't help with the pain. 20 minutes later they gave me a dose of Morphine to not much better effect. After 6 hours the pain became bearable and I was discharged with another long list of new medication to take.
They prescribed me the following medicine:
Omeprazol cinfamed 20mg – Stomach settlers
Palexia retard 50mg – Pain Killers
Myolastan 50mg (Tetrazepam) – helps skin reaction
After taking these tablets for a week, I noticed that my skin was reacting to the prescribed drugs in particular around my stomach and back, within days I was red all over my body and very itchy.
I was taken to the hospital to see the Dermatologist, who said I had had a bad reaction to the medicine. It was so bad that they classed it as "Erythema multiforme major" (Stevens-Johnson syndrome).
As a result, I had to use liquid Vaseline and apply it all over my skin. With my skin being sensitive to sunlight, I was not able to go outside without being fully covered up.
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I was like this for around 3 months. The doctors carried out an allergy test, to which I found out I was allergic to Tetrazepam.
3 months later the doctors decided that the medication I should be on was Thalidomide Celgene (50mg dosage). After being on the medication for 3 months I returned to the hospital to have more tests carried out. To my disbelief, the doctor informed me that my nerves had died from my knees down and that I might not have feeling in my lower legs for some time. They immediately stopped my prescription of Thalidomide Celgene to stop any further damage to my nerves.
I was then given another course of medication to help with my Lupus and nerve damage:
Becozyme C Forte – Nerve Damage
Dolpar – Pain Killers
Arcoxia 60mg – Anti-inflammatory
Dolquine 200mg – Skin reactions
Prednisona Cinfa 2.5mg – skin reactions
Ranitidina Cinfa 300mg – Stomach
Levofloxacino Cinfa 500mg – antibiotic
Again, like my frist prescription, I found only a few that really improved my day to day life. The antibiotic drug, Levofloxacino Cinfa helped with a cough that I had developed. The Ranitidina Cinfa for my skin helped over time and the painkillers, Dolpar helped dull the pain ever so slightly.
However, with all this medicine, which cost €135 a month, I was still in a lot of pain, which stopped me doing most things on a daily basis (even getting out of bed some days), and my skin was still flared.
On 30th October 2015, after hearing about the cannabis club on the island, I decided to come off all the medication and to give Medicinal Cannabis a go.
I started by vaping (heating cannabis to a temperature just under it's combustion threshold, creating a vapour) Cannabis 3 times a day. On the first morning following my first medical dosage of Cannabis, I got up without any trouble and thought I had died and gone to heaven, as I was in no pain for the first time in 20 years! I didn't feel "high", so I was able to just get on with my day.
As this worked so well for me, on the 21st November 2015, I started taking 15mg tablets of Cannabis oil extract mixed with sunflower oil. This helped with sleeping and the pain, which allowed me to start doing a little exercise to help my joints from aching and getting stiff.
I noticed that when I had my periods, I was still experiencing a lot of pain. I have had trouble with my periods since I started when I was 12 years old. So I started taking 7.5mg during the day to help get rid of the pain.
After a few months of doing this, my periods had become regular. Normal!!!
After 6 months of treatment using extracts from Cannabis, I took myself up to 25mg of Cannabis oil and sunflower oil. I also didn't need the 7.5mg during the day any more. I found that this took all the pain away, and my period had become regular and my skin was improving day by day.
I have now started dancing again, which I never thought I would do, because before being in that much pain, I didn't really do anything. I was unable to do anything with my two daughters for years of their life, not being able to pick up or carry my daughters when they were crying was heartbreaking for me.
Due to Cannabis oil, I am now able to do most things that normal healthy people can do. Without Cannabis, my life would be full of pain and medication.
For those who are experiencing similar problems and limitations to their prescribed medication, I can put my hand on my heart and say that you should at least have a consultation to see if Medical Cannabis could help with your illness. GratefulMeds offer a wide range of treatments and have appointments available from Monday to Saturday.