Has anyone tried Marijuana, either smoke or edibles. I stopped smoking last year and tried edibles. It really helps me sleep and reduces my frequency. I want to be cautious and careful for the long term use. Are there are any studies or personal experiences that show it's effectiveness to control/improve pouchitis or any bad reactions to the use.
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Yes I do. I take edibles before bed and they help me sleep amazing. It's only enough to get me a sleep though. I don't go crazy and get stoned out of my mind. I'll smoke once in a blue moon but it's not really my thing. I do notice though that it definitely reduces my frequency also. I don't judge. I see lots of people saying marijuana is bad then they take and oxy or something to get to sleep at night. When I first came home from surgery they had me on oxy and I decided then that was not the route I wanted to go.
I have chronic pouchitis that I developed early this year after 10 years of take down. I got on 3 weeks of Cipro, which got me in remission. Im being extra careful with experimenting now. I used to smoke & drink like crazy last 10 years.
Most people & data will not agree with me but since I stopped smoking last year, pouchitis came back. I really feel good otherwise since I stopped smoking & drinking. It’s that pouchitis is worrying me.
I would not recommend that, I would recommend biologics though.
@Former Member posted:I would not recommend that, I would recommend biologics though.
Vow! Biologics? Why. I’m fine just want to know if Marijuana is known to aggravate pouchitis or lead to inflammation of pouch.
im surprised there are not many users of weed on this forum.
I have had a good experience with thc helping to control my flare ups with pouchitis. I still have flare ups but they happen less and I don't get that urgency that usually comes with the pouchitis. The worst reaction I find is not realizing that I am flaring because of feeling fine otherwise.
Although cannabis isn’t by any means a substitute for conventional treatments for pouchitis, based on my own experience it can certainly address sleep issues and reduce frequency as it has done for @Adam21. Edibles have been more helpful for me than other delivery methods. My medical team is fine with this. (The suggestion to use a powerful class of pharmaceuticals like biologics is unhelpful and misses the point of this thread.) The one thing to be aware of is that cannabis can affect how your body responds to anesthesia, so use of cannabis should be ceased before medical procedures and definitely let the anesthesiologist know. Good luck @Adam21 and thanks for sharing your thoughts on this!
I have been using marijuana for years. I was taking 45 plus pills a days before my surgery and decided to give it a shot. Immediate results that gave me a break during my worst times and as a bonus also got an appetite back!. Since my takedown (2009) every time I would remove Remicade or Marijuana my symptoms got worse. It helps me immensely and is way better than funding tha Rx companies or putting far worse drugs in my system. Not for everybody but it works for me.
So here's the deal with cannabis and pouchitis. To keep it brief, at first it controls the flare ups and frequency until you start to realize why exactly that happens. Cannabis causes your overall digestion speed to slow down considerably which is a big problem with the pouch because it allows bacterial overgrowth to occur which then causes more flare ups. In fact anything that relaxes you ie. Weed, codeine, valium, chamomile tea, etc will also relax the bowel and lead to more flare ups. At first I thought I found a miracle solution with weed until a few years down the line when the flare ups got worse and I wasn't even a heavy user. Anyway that's my 2 cents on this...
I was on 30-40 pills a day and biologics and nothing worked so I had my colon removed and a new jpouch. During the last months before surgery it was the ONLY thing that allowed me to have a 2-4 hour break, it also gave me an appetite and helped me sleep. I am still having occasional issues (pouchitis landed me in the hospital for a week). One story I tell doubters is I was driving and thought I was going to have an accident. I would NEVER suggest this but it was crapping in a cornfield or this, I smoked a small amount and within minutes I had zero feeling of urgency. When I arrived at home 20 mins later I did not need to use the bathroom until about an hour later. It is not for everyone but to this day I swear by it for multiple reasons. I know these meds we are taking have far worse side effects. I still use it for sleep, appetite and general well being, but to each his own.
@Bill R posted:So here's the deal with cannabis and pouchitis. To keep it brief, at first it controls the flare ups and frequency until you start to realize why exactly that happens. Cannabis causes your overall digestion speed to slow down considerably which is a big problem with the pouch because it allows bacterial overgrowth to occur which then causes more flare ups. In fact anything that relaxes you ie. Weed, codeine, valium, chamomile tea, etc will also relax the bowel and lead to more flare ups. At first I thought I found a miracle solution with weed until a few years down the line when the flare ups got worse and I wasn't even a heavy user. Anyway that's my 2 cents on this...
I completely agree with what Bill R has posted. Marijuana or opium or any bowel slower isn't treating the underlying cause of the frequent BMs (which is inflammation). Bowel slowers, when used excessively, create less BMs but more bacteria in the J Pouch. Therefore one must strike a balance between slowing the bowels down and keeping the pouch bacteria and inflammation free which are completely separate (and conflicting) endeavors.
I am saying this as a regular user of marijuana sleep gummies. Use them judiciously. There is no reliable scientific evidence that apart from slowing down motility, marijuana does anything whatsoever to treat inflammation. Marijuana does somewhat relieve stress, but relieving stress isn't equivalent to becoming a viable treatment for active bowel inflammation caused by bad bacteria or bacterial overgrowth.
I have noticed that if I use marijuana products regularly I get an increase in inflammation when they have worn off. I think moderation is key. I have noticed no noticeable slowing down of the guts with it, though. Also, sometimes chamomile is listed as a laxative.
(I'm not yelling with the bold letters, I was just enjoy the formatting options which I had not noticed before.)
