i personally would look into trying xiafaxin if your gi guy could get you the medicine prior authed. not sure how your insurance is but my being a medicare receipient for primary care insurance i got xifaxin 550 mg 3 x a day approved on my silver script part d prescription drug plan.

the drug is an antiobiotic that is not systemically absorbed but strictly absorbed and works in the intestine/bowel/gut bypassing the system so no side effect.

the med treats my ibs-d and pouchitis, i became resistant to loperimide 2 mg capsules as i had been   takjing them 19 years.

i am finding the xifaxin antibiotic is working/helping. my freqeuency has abaded/lessoned to an extent, im not eating then rushing off to the toilet immedietently. and the diarrhea output lessoned to an extent.

now im waiting for the oral pentasa to get approved my my part d drug plan under my medicare primary insurance.  gi guy has me on questran for diahhrea too 2 packed a day, 12 hours apart.

i wouldnt mess with pot. its addictive as just like a cigerette. resin isnt even good for your lungs, and could probably cause lung issues, if not cancer.

personally i dont approve of marijauna.

get on some oral pills to treat your gi issues and/or find a new gi  doc guy who will listen and address your concerns. a gi guy who suggestion   drugs/pot to treat bowel issues is not a well rounded  dr in my opinion/and view.

just my 0.02$ of course you are free to do whatever you want.

i wish you all the best,

len

I agree with the person above! I do not approve of marijuana either. I believe its a form of evil ethically speaking and because of that, it definitely cannot be good for our bodies. People will defend it obviously but people usually defend evil all of the time. Weed has side effects that are not worth it. I would look into other things.

Keep your soul morally right

@Angieb posted:

My doctor is suggesting medical marijuana for my issues with the jpouch ie pain, frequency. Has anyone tried it and does it work for you?

Hi Angie

Was your GI doctor recommending you smoke marijuana or perhaps take it as an oil?

@Angieb posted:

My doctor is suggesting medical marijuana for my issues with the jpouch ie pain, frequency. Has anyone tried it and does it work for you?

It’s easy enough to try, and you should be able to tell pretty quickly whether it’s helping you, whether or not it has helped other folks here (some folks have reported benefit, though they may have completely different issues than you). It obviously has a pretty major side effect (intoxication) when it’s being used for pain + frequency. That can interfere with some important life activities, depending on what you’re hoping to accomplish, but perhaps you can find a dose that gets the balance right.

Do you know why you have pain and frequency? Solving the underlying problem tends to get the best results.

@Scott F posted:

Do you know why you have pain and frequency? Solving the underlying problem tends to get the best results.

This question highlights my biggest problem with medical marijuana being used to treat IBD, which is that it's just treating symptoms of the underlying problem (which is presumably inflammation that is not being well-controlled), and not the underlying problem itself, and possibly could mask a worsening of the problem.  Although a few people have claimed that marijuana has anti-inflammatory properties, I do not believe that there is any real science to support that claim.

Thank you all for your honest opinions. I will take this into consideration. Up until recently I’ve had nigh time incont dont know where that came from out the blue I”m afraid to sleep it doesn’t happen during the day. I did notice its happened the last 2 nights after taking pain meds tramadol but never affected me before so I “m lost

@Angieb posted:

Thank you all for your honest opinions. I will take this into consideration. Up until recently I’ve had nigh time incont dont know where that came from out the blue I”m afraid to sleep it doesn’t happen during the day. I did notice its happened the last 2 nights after taking pain meds tramadol but never affected me before so I “m lost

No problem! I hope you do not try any form of marijuana, its definitely a dark/evil thing. Some people will defend it obviously and some doctors will too, but we just have to remain strong and not give in to that. I hope you find other things that help you and make you better. Also, do not be afraid of second opinions, that often saves lives!

@Angieb posted:

Thank you all for your honest opinions. I will take this into consideration. Up until recently I’ve had nigh time incont dont know where that came from out the blue I”m afraid to sleep it doesn’t happen during the day. I did notice its happened the last 2 nights after taking pain meds tramadol but never affected me before so I “m lost

Angie, for many folks this is how pouchitis shows up. A couple of weeks of Cipro or Flagyl might fix that right up, if that’s what’s going on. Is it possible that your doctor doesn’t know enough about J-pouches?

I use it for chronic migraines, facial nerve pain from shingles. It definitely helps with pain and helps me sleep.  Couldn’t say if it does anything for my j pouch.

One more thing about medical marijuana, if you use a dry bud vaporizer, you are not dealing with resin that you get from smoking a pipe for joint. It is much safer for your lungs. I use a vaporizer that is medical grade. It is necessary for the pain that I and many others have. Please don’t call it evil, you have no idea what it’s like to live with migraines and nerve pain.

@Alaine posted:

One more thing about medical marijuana, if you use a dry bud vaporizer, you are not dealing with resin that you get from smoking a pipe for joint. It is much safer for your lungs. I use a vaporizer that is medical grade. It is necessary for the pain that I and many others have. Please don’t call it evil, you have no idea what it’s like to live with migraines and nerve pain.

I know what migraines and nerve pain are like; I know they are very painful. I am just not a supporter for marijuana due to ethical and physical reasons.  There are a lot of other options out there than going the unsafe route. If you choose to still do marijuana that is your choice and I respect it.

Marijuana IS safe... safer than most meds out there from big Pharma. Big Pharma is afraid of it because they cannot put a “drug label” on it, or profit from it ( it’s not proprietary), it is naturally occurring.

I can definitely attest to the benefits. I’ve been smoking and advocating marijuana for 28 years! It helps with pain, nausea and mood, and it’s just relaxing!

Scientific medicine has proven it has been a great added/alternative pain reliever, and is beneficial for many other symptoms. Many people with epilepsy, cancer and so many other diseases are finding relief. Who doesn’t believe this must be a living in the dark ages. Read the facts, read the history!

Evil? Huh? It’s a God created plant with so many versatile uses and medicinal uses.

Fact! You cannot overdose on marijuana. Side effects: Little to none. Maybe you eat a whole bag of Cheetos, maybe you laugh at something mundane and or silly, maybe you get a little lazy, oh well! What’s wrong with that? You’re not going to be crazy or addicted like when on hard illegal or even prescription drugs (A.K.A. PREDISONE!!!) or even prescribed painkillers.

To those non-believers, try it, it may change your life! Don’t knock it unless you’ve tried it. Don’t demean people that it works for. And most of all, don’t prevent or shame people that it helps. For many, this is a lifesaver.

@JPouch_2016 posted:

Marijuana IS safe... safer than most meds out there from big Pharma. Big Pharma is afraid of it because they cannot put a “drug label” on it, or profit from it ( it’s not proprietary), it is naturally occurring.

I can definitely attest to the benefits. I’ve been smoking and advocating marijuana for 28 years! It helps with pain, nausea and mood, and it’s just relaxing!

Scientific medicine has proven it has been a great added/alternative pain reliever, and is beneficial for many other symptoms. Many people with epilepsy, cancer and so many other diseases are finding relief. Who doesn’t believe this must be a living in the dark ages. Read the facts, read the history!

Evil? Huh? It’s a God created plant with so many versatile uses and medicinal uses.

Fact! You cannot overdose on marijuana. Side effects: Little to none. Maybe you eat a whole bag of Cheetos, maybe you laugh at something mundane and or silly, maybe you get a little lazy, oh well! What’s wrong with that? You’re not going to be crazy or addicted like when on hard illegal or even prescription drugs (A.K.A. PREDISONE!!!) or even prescribed painkillers.

To those non-believers, try it, it may change your life! Don’t knock it unless you’ve tried it. Don’t demean people that it works for. And most of all, don’t prevent or shame people that it helps. For many, this is a lifesaver.

You can overdose on marijuana, look it up dear   Marijuana can cause lung cancer and plenty of other things and it impairs your judgement among other things. God created that plant, you say? There are poisonous plants/fruits too that are life-threatening and even kill on the first bite; those plants were not made from God, or perhaps they were but they got poisoned and defiled from the enemy. I believe the tree in the garden of Eden was probably made from God or not too, but obviously the enemy made the tree and its fruit evil; look at the outcomes. The enemy does lots of things.

I definitely do like you but we just have to agree to disagree respectfully

I respectfully disagree completely with you, so don't take this personal, it's not an attack on you by any means. It's giving a difference of opinion, that's all!

In the history of the world NO ONE has OD'd and died on Marijuana! It is highly highly unlikely to OD on it – unless the person took in an enormous amount of in a very short time span, and still they wouldn't die from it.

The ONLY way someone has "OD'd" and died on pot is if they were on something else in which case weed would not be the core cause of the OD. Like I said before, have been doing weed, researching it, advocating for it for over 28 years, never ever have I read, seen or heard about someone dying from an OD on weed.

On lung cancer… if that is your worry, you don't have to smoke it! It comes in so many varieties of ways to ingest it. Eat it, swallow it in liquid form, I believe there is a pill, there are salves, lotions and so many more options!

If you believe in God, God created everything, the heavens and the Earth! Including the beautiful, lovely, medicinal Marijuana plant and also the said poisonous ones. Marijuana has so many uses beside medicine too! Rope, oil, paper, material, the list goes on and on and on!

Alcohol and other drugs are WAY worse than pot! You can OD on alcohol and drugs, become addicted, and become way more impaired than you'd ever be on Marijuana.

What other "things" Marijuana causes are you referring to? I'd be really interested to know.

To discourage others from using this alt method is a shame. So many people (including cancer patients, children, AIDs patients, and so many other people suffering, have found solace, peace and comfort when nothing else would work.

This is the reason, slowly but surely it is becoming legal!

With that said, I'm going to toke up!

@JPouch_2016 posted:

I respectfully disagree completely with you, so don't take this personal, it's not an attack on you by any means. It's giving a difference of opinion, that's all!

In the history of the world NO ONE has OD'd and died on Marijuana! It is highly highly unlikely to OD on it – unless the person took in an enormous amount of in a very short time span, and still they wouldn't die from it.

The ONLY way someone has "OD'd" and died on pot is if they were on something else in which case weed would not be the core cause of the OD. Like I said before, have been doing weed, researching it, advocating for it for over 28 years, never ever have I read, seen or heard about someone dying from an OD on weed.

On lung cancer… if that is your worry, you don't have to smoke it! It comes in so many varieties of ways to ingest it. Eat it, swallow it in liquid form, I believe there is a pill, there are salves, lotions and so many more options!

If you believe in God, God created everything, the heavens and the Earth! Including the beautiful, lovely, medicinal Marijuana plant and also the said poisonous ones. Marijuana has so many uses beside medicine too! Rope, oil, paper, material, the list goes on and on and on!

Alcohol and other drugs are WAY worse than pot! You can OD on alcohol and drugs, become addicted, and become way more impaired than you'd ever be on Marijuana.

What other "things" Marijuana causes are you referring to? I'd be really interested to know.

To discourage others from using this alt method is a shame. So many people (including cancer patients, children, AIDs patients, and so many other people suffering, have found solace, peace and comfort when nothing else would work.

This is the reason, slowly but surely it is becoming legal!

With that said, I'm going to toke up!

I do not see how worrying about someone or trying to get them to do better is a shame but anyway, I do not want to get all the way into this but anything that impairs judgement is morally wrong. There are studies that are for it and there are studies that are against it just like with everything else; The enemy has poisoned and will continue to poison stuff in the universe. Like I said in my other comment, if you all still choose to do Marijuana, that is your choice.  

Thank you for your opinion. It’s actually a great debate!
And all this is really is opinions, right!?

That being said if you do not smoke it, and it doesn’t contain THC, you cannot get “high”. Period.

Although I might be “morally” wrong according to you, I like the feeling. Like someone that likes a fine chianti or Merlot...I’m still a caring, kind, loving person that deserves respect and love. Does that make me a bad person?

I don’t do it in public, I don’t drive when doing it, I don’t do it around children or others that do not agree. I honestly keep it to myself, and try not to judge either way.

I actually really appreciate this discussion and totally respect your opinion!

like I said before, we can all have different opinions and thoughts, it’s great to discover our differences as well as our commonalities.

No hate, just love, I promise Please understand! It’s Just a discussion

@Alaine posted:

One more thing about medical marijuana, if you use a dry bud vaporizer, you are not dealing with resin that you get from smoking a pipe for joint. It is much safer for your lungs. I use a vaporizer that is medical grade. It is necessary for the pain that I and many others have. Please don’t call it evil, you have no idea what it’s like to live with migraines and nerve pain.

Have you tried Lyrica for your nerve pain??? 100mg-3x a day? I hear it works good for other people.

I am allergic to Lyrica, I have tried every available drug that I am able to take.

@Alaine posted:

I am allergic to Lyrica, I have tried every available drug that I am able to take.

Oh dear! I am sorry to hear that! I would suggest Naproxen but we are not suppose to take NSAIDS anyway. There are injections but Idk too much about them. I hope everything is okay for you now.

Unfortunately, I have several Serious chronic conditions, cancer, chronic kidney disease and several others. My UC was inherited. My j pouch saved my life, I was a pioneer back in the 1980’s.  I use my medical marijuana during the day when I’m desperate and at night so that I can sleep. I don’t think that most people that use it medically are abusing it, they are desperate.

@Alaine posted:

Unfortunately, I have several Serious chronic conditions, cancer, chronic kidney disease and several others. My UC was inherited. My j pouch saved my life, I was a pioneer back in the 1980’s.  I use my medical marijuana during the day when I’m desperate and at night so that I can sleep. I don’t think that most people that use it medically are abusing it, they are desperate.

Oh man!!! You are a trooper!!! I am so proud of you for not giving up

Hi Angie,

In the end it is up to you and anyone else looking into this. I use cannabis regularly to control the discomfort I feel caused by gas pains and general jpouch issues. I find that it can greatly decrease the number of times I would normally have bowel movements every day, this is due to just feeling less discomfort. I also use cannabis because I don't have an appetite most often and I cannot skip meals without some kind of weight loss.

There are certainly some pros and cons and I won't be arguing with anyone on here who certainly doesn't actually know what they are talking about. If you are actually interested I would suggest talking with a doctor that actually deals with cannabis patients and get their professional advice since they know more than we do.

Good luck and if you have any questions feel free to ask. I won't respond to this post if it gets stupid, so a pm might be best.

Absolutely Thank you Pouchlogic!

Just my opinion but I know lots of people who use marijuana in many forms for pain and anxiety. I don't personally use it but I would if I needed to. I would be way more comfortable using marijuana than some pharmacudical drug with tons of side effects. You gotta do what's best for you

@Former Member posted:

No problem! I hope you do not try any form of marijuana, its definitely a dark/evil thing. Some people will defend it obviously and some doctors will too, but we just have to remain strong and not give in to that. I hope you find other things that help you and make you better. Also, do not be afraid of second opinions, that often saves lives!

DARK AND EVIL? that is only your opinion. Marijuana does indeed have anti-inflammatory properties and can help you a lot possibly. There are many different strains that help different things, just need to find what works.

It is being approved for more and more medical conditions as well. It will soon be federally regulated and probably covered on most health insurance plans as we go on.

I don't think marijuana is "dark and evil." My sister uses the cannabis edibles to get to sleep and tells me she has good success with it. Whether it has anti inflammatory properties that can assist in treating inflammatory bowel disease is the subject of some debate, however. While this falls into the "nothing ventured, nothing gained" category of treatment, I certainly wouldn't rely on medical marijuana in lieu of more traditional treatments, especially for active bowel disease, whether it's pouchitis, UC or Crohn's, the distinctions between these disorders often blurring for purposes of treatment.

FYI this is the edible cannabis product my sister is using for her sleeping issues, which she recommends. She lives in California where marijuana is 100% legal so she doesn't need a scrip for it:

https://www.kivaconfections.co...avor/saigon-cinnamon

Fun debate here!  Personally I quit that stuff years ago until I got UC.  I was on about 40 pills a day at one point, you want to talk about evil?

Big Pharma is Evil.

The side effects of Prednisone alone (which I bet we ALL have had) took YEARS to get over. 

One day I had enough (pre-surgery) and decided to try MJ. My wife was none too happy about it either at the time.

What it gave me was 2-4 hours of peace in a 24/7 cycle of pain and discomfort. It gave me an appetite when my body was losing way too much weight.  It gave me a little time to relax and maybe less inflammation, but who knows.

Once I started feeling better I stopped.  That lasted about 3 weeks and I was right back to feeling very bad again.  This went on for years.  I had young kids at the time and felt VERY guilty so I kept trying to stop and every time I would go downhill. 

Flagyl/Cypro/ Predisone may be fantastic but long term use of any does not seem good either.

My wife eventually saw me go downhill one too many times and told me to cut the crap and just smoke it when I need it.  It helps me sleep and with my appetite.  Anytime I go on vaca where I can't do it I last about 3-5 days when I started feeling the effects.  I go out to eat and just look at my food like it is the enemy ready to make me feel like crap.  To be fair I do usually have a few drinks on vaca but that slows to a crawl or completely stops once I start going downhill.

So for years now I use it on a daily basis and still feel bad about it but I shouldn't, nobody should.  If it works for you it is not anyone else's business to tell you it is wrong.  Personally I think most Rx drugs are far more dangerous and alcohol is much worse as well.  I wish I didn't need it at all or anything else but as long as it is improving my quality of life as a whole I will continue. 

BTW nobody has every OD'd on weed unless it was laced with something else.  That can't happen when it is well regulated like in my state.  You know it is as safe as can possibly be.  I find the medical stuff to be too potent but I can pick any potency I want.  I hate that I have to use it but I also hated every other drug I took.  They are all DRUGS afterall aren't they?  Why is one better for you than the other when they ALL have side effects?

Anyway to each their own and whatever works for you is best.

Peace,

PSJ

I’m with you PSJ and these days I don’t hesitate to tell all my docs. I have yet to be told anything negative except to know where it’s coming from. In my case a retired RN grows it to help those in need and it’s legal here in Va.