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Graves Disease

Discussion in 'Medical Marijuana Usage and Applications' started by orbweaver, Sep 1, 2014.

  1. Is anyone familiar with the interaction of marijuana and Graves' Disease? Bad for it, good for it, neutral? How does it interact with standard hyperthyroidism meds (tapazole, methimazole, beta blockers)? I had seemed to be in the burnout phase (I was on hypothyroid meds), I had to go off those, and now it seems like my thyroid is running high again. I've been using my indica mmj to help me handle some of the intolerable symptoms (such as insomnia, severe anxiety) until I get seen. The symptoms bother me the most at night.
     
    I'll get bloodwork on this next week and get on whatever meds I need to be on. Can I still use mmj if I'm on beta blockers? Or ideally, *instead* of beta blockers while I'm waiting for my thyroid meds to take effect? 
     
    I'm using mmj for chronic pain and stiffness following an auto accident, though I also use it for other issues as well (headaches, menstrual pain, the occasion that I have severe anxiety attacks). 
     
     

     
  2. I have a friend with Graves, and she finds a lot of relief, especially in lowering her blood pressure, with an indica heavy medicine. 
     
    Smoking helps, but edibles are the best relief for her, especially at night. If you can get, or make your own indica pills, you'll find a lot of relief!
     
    I would def recommend being honest with your doctor! If you can't be honest with your doctor, try a second opinion. But, if this does help, you don't want the doc thinking it was the other meds, exactly, you know? And if you can lower your dosage of the others, while supplementing with cannabis, they should be on board!  :)  
     
  3. I was wondering if anyone else on here had graves. I had ny thyroid obliterated but found out ill always have graves. Theres times where i have to smoke to keep my anxiety down, i also take anti-anxiety. Kpins. medicine because i live in texas but they only work for an hour or more. If i go without smoking i feel my graves disease craziness i had before but i usually keep at least a gram around to keep it safe. It sucks really bad because i live in such a strict state and ive had two juvenile drug paraphernalia tickets and one on my adult recod. I have a kid and im so nervous everytime i have to get weed cause i couldnt come home to my little girl. Sorry bout the rant. Legalize Texas.

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  4.  
    God damn. I'm so grateful to live in California. That's terrible. It should be legal everywhere!
     
  5. I agree.

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  6. #6 orbweaver, Sep 5, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 5, 2014
    When I get paid, I am actually going to try a high-CBD/low-THC strain instead of beta blockers and just use that until the methimazole kicks my thyroid levels down to a more tolerable level. I want to try vaping it before trying a CBD oil. Just had that kind of crazy experience with oral intake. Like, if it doesn't work out, you're stuck being sick all day. Ugh!
     
    I'm on a lightweight prescription sleep aid at the moment (I'd normally just use weed but I'm out of buds).
     
    The problem with me and beta blockers is that my baseline blood pressure is already low normal (I've had nurses ask me before, "how are you even standing up" - low is just my normal and always has been) and beta blockers freaking bottom me out. I end up sleeping all day and feeling really faint (almost fainting when standing up, etc). Beta blockers are as debilitating as the Graves itself is. 
     
    I was taking edibles and still have some of those left, but daaaaamn the last few times it hasn't been playing well with my system... racing heart, etc. I thought I was going to have a heart attack last time. :(
     
    I hate being hyperthyroid, I feel like I'm climbing the walls!!! 
     
  7. I totally know what you mean. Does it ever feel like you have like 5 people inside of you telling you to do different things? Its hard to explain. Ill feel like being around someone but at the same time wished i was alone. I can never make up my mind and if im not mentally prepared for something i flip shit.

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  8.  
     
    The cannabis doesn't affect your bp also? Lowering it; you don't feel faint when smoking or vaping? Just wondering, I'm always trying to remember there are times when cannabis isn't an option, and those with very low bp always seemed to be at the top of that list. 
     
    I love CBD, and it's good for anxiety. In edible form, it reacts completely differently than THC. In fact, if you have had too much THC, smoked or eaten, then following up with CBD will help mitigate those unpleasant feelings. Using it before can help remove the problem of overmedicating period! :D 
     
  9. It doesn't affect it to an uncomfortable level unless I take edibles. If I take edibles during a thyroid spike, I feel like my heart is going to explode. But I took a few tokes off the pipe for some pain this morning and yes it sped my heart up a little, but not to an uncomfortable rate. My low BP is also my "normal". But it means my tolerance for some meds (specifically beta blockers) is really, really low.
     
  10. Oh god, yeah. I really thought I was crazy for a long time; I was actually diagnosed with Graves Disease after checking myself into a psychiatric day program. I was actually getting worse in the program, not better, and started having physical symptoms. And that's when I actually got diagnosed.
     
  11. Yeah i was going nuts. I was taken to a govt. funded hospital by a police officer after i freaked out and was busting holes in the wall and the whole time im in the back of the cop car i was stupid enough to tell them we were growing weed (when we werent) and then that caused the cops to come to my house and that was my adult drug parphernalia ticket. It was fucking terrible. I was so insane. I still feel crazy sometimes

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  12.  
     God damn, that's terrible!! I've heard some crazy Graves stories. Mine made me act like I was manic. Sometimes I did confusing/out of character things when I was hyperthyroid. Mostly under control now... but when I'm hyper like I am now, I can tell when it's my thyroid acting up instead of just ordinary anxiety - because of physical symptoms like muscle pains, shortness of breath, being crazy hungry in the middle of the night, having trouble with hypoglycemia, et cetera. When I'm hyper, I'm hungry like crazy.
     
  13. #13 Galaxy420, Sep 6, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 6, 2014
    I just recently typed cannabinoid in you tube and watched the vids. it is amazing where they show how cannabis helps with all these symptoms in people and explains the bodies response to cannabis and the keys that fit. it literally can be explained with scientific fact and proof as to why and how it works.
     
  14. Oh, hey. Just to check in. I was feeling my thyroid symptoms today so I am using some higher CBD stuff right now (Jamaican Lion, about 7:5 ratio - not as low a CBD strain as, say, Charlotte's Web, but if I want less high after I get my vaporizer, I can just vape it at a higher temperature) instead of taking beta blockers. And so far, so good! A bit high at first but I chilled it for about half an hour and now I'm functional enough. 
     
  15. Hi wanted to ask question
    I have a very close friend who a few years ago went off the deep end
    He started acting crazy and delusional (seeing things really)
    He was getting very tired, angry and pains unexplained, he was recently told he has Graves
    My question after he is treated and on meds do you think he will return to the way he was?
    Or is the Graves just something else on top of the mental illness
    Thanks Looking to help the guy out
     
  16. #16 orbweaver, Sep 7, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2014
     
    If they actually get his thyroid levels under control, it should go back to normal... unless he had an underlying issue to begin with. but Graves' will exacerbate whatever is already there. I am already OCD and anxious and Graves just makes it off the hook. 
     
    In his case, he probably is severely hyperthyroid and SHOULD be on beta blockers, I would not advise him to substitute weed. Also, the specifics of me not using beta blockers may just be me because I am a fairly small person and have a low baseline blood pressure. I only do it because I've lived with GD for a long time (diagnosed in 2007) and can tell how severe my spikes are, and when it's just in the "annoying/sleepless" range, I'd rather medicate with some high-CBD weed than deal with the side effects of beta blockers. 
     
  17. #17 STIGGY, Sep 7, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2014
    Thanks 
    He has already had his thyroid irradiated and is on meds for that now,
    But he was having major panic attacks , hard time breathing, temper tantrums etc.......................
    Pain in his arms and parts of his body, 
    But the major change is anger    Major anger issues.......................
    Did you get these too?
    Thanks
     
  18. #18 orbweaver, Sep 7, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2014
     
    I had all of that except for the  anger issues. I've heard that some people do have temper issues. I mostly get anxiety. I get very VERY easily startled. And sometimes I do get some snappishness and frustration. I'd have freak-outs but they're not really directed at any person. I really suspect that the anger and anxiety or whatever is coming to the surface, are things that were already there, the Graves just makes it harder to control and normally we can talk ourselves through. I've done a lot of work on my anxiety and been through a lot of therapy and when I'm euthyroid, I'm fine. I've learned to talk myself through anxiety attacks via my experience of cognitive behavioral therapy. But when my thyroid's high, I have a much harder time working through it. 
     
    I have been reluctant to get irradiated because what I've seen is that a lot of people actually have a harder time controlling it once it's been irradiated, and mine is still controllable with medication. 
     
    He may not have the right med for thyroid replacement (hypo can cause mental issues too, and pain), or he may be on too high a dose (too high a dose also gives you hyperthyroid symptoms).
     
    I do notice this, though. I experience muscle pain when thyroid is high and joint pain when it's low.
     
  19. #19 orbweaver, Sep 8, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 8, 2014
    Here to report that 2nd day of using a high CBD strain (Jamaican Lion, about 9% CBD vs 6% THC) - about 1-2 puffs every 4-6 hours - has worked out very well, compared to beta blockers.
     
    I don't feel stoned/high at that low a dose of this specific stuff, just relaxed and social (I have to smoke half a joint of this stuff to feel really high), but I do feel a little burned out after about the second time during the day.
     
    I'm going to try out a mostly CBD, almost no THC strain (AC-DC, similar to Charlotte's Web) when I get paid and see if that's even better.
     
    The first smoke has me feeling slightly loopy for 20 to 45 minutes. But only slightly. I'm nice and calm for a few hours after that. It really REALLY nicely is helping my Graves symptoms. Note that this is only the high-CBD weed that is doing this.  
     
    Later in the day, I do feel a little tired and burned out. But it's nothing compared to what beta blockers had been doing to me. I bet I'll feel even better (less burned out maybe?) after I get my Da Buddha vaporizer. I do feel a little bit of the THC (feeling a little bit of that Sativa mental stimulation) for the first half hour after smoking, but since I do creative work, it's not an issue. 
     
    I feel compelled to point out that this solution isn't for everyone. Some people need to be on beta blockers to save their lives. For me, it was to help me cope with relatively mild symptoms (compared to severe thyroid spikes I've had) where the beta blockers themselves were just total overkill. 
     
    I have some trazodone to help me sleep, but honestly, I just like smoking weed at night a lot better. 
     
  20. Vaping now with my new Arizer Extreme Q! 
     
    Day: treating symptoms (anxiety, jitteriness, etc) with two pulls of high-CBD strain (Jamaican Lion, 9% CBD 6% THC) off of vape (about 1 pinch of weed - very small amount - there's usually a few more pulls left in it). Makes me a little bit high for about 20-40 minutes, so I will be buying some CBD dominant-very very low THC stuff and trying that tomorrow. Man, vaping really is efficient!!
     
    Pleased with results and with symptom relief. It's comparable to the symptom relief I have on beta blockers. I am having a little "high" when it isn't desired, but it's easier to deal with than the absolute bone crushing fatigue and brain fog I was getting from beta blockers. I will be trying with a very very low THC strain. I don't want to develop a tolerance to THC.
     
    Night: tonight's will be Skywalker OG. I've tried Hashberry and Larry OG so far and results were ehh. But I'm also still learning to use the vaporizer.
     

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