Main » July 2004

July 29, 2004

Driving while medicated?

Driving while medicated on marijuana has always been a contentious issue on both sides of the debate.

Some claim that no one should ever drive with any marijuana in their system, even if that marijuana was consumed days or weeks prior. Others claim that medical marijuana users never get high, and that it's no problem for medical marijuana patients to drive while medicated.

The truth lies somewhere in between.

I have been forced into positions of having to drive while medicated on marijuana, and have found that my ability to drive depends upon several variables.

Is it true that medical marijuana users never get high? My answer is no. Sometimes, however, if one smokes continuously, and of the same strain, then it is possible that one does not feel high. When I was smoking up to an ounce per week, I often felt relaxed and tired, but not high. This would sometimes vary depending upon the time of day, the amount of food I've consumed, and the strain of marijuana. It became, at times, easy to smoke myself sober.

Now that I've reduced my intake to less than a quarter of an ounce per week, I will often feel high after a few puffs, and really high after one or two bowls from a pipe. Driving at that time, sometimes I will drive smoothly and carefully, and other times I'm nervous and uncertain. On the surface streets, during daylight, I drive better while a little buzzed. On freeways, especially at night due to poor night-vision, I drive a bit worse, slower, and perhaps overly cautious.

When I worked at the medical marijuana center, if we ever gave any patient some marijuana that did not make them high, they would either complain or return it. In any event, they would not like that strain, and would try to avoid it in the future.

Most patients smoke until they feel the high, and it is the high that helps them relax their stomach muscles and build up an appetite. Psychologically, at least, without the high, they felt the cannabis was not working.

Some people, especially those in favor of full legalization (we'll discuss those people in another post), will lie in order to push society towards amore favorable opinion of marijuana. Many of those whom I've heard state that they never get high, I have personally witnessed them being very high at times.

You might wonder what the times I've driven while medicated was like. In most cases, I was able to drive quite well. I drove more carefully, more at ease, and more aware of my surroundings. Other times I felt myself being too high, and was uncomfortable in the car, unsure in traffic congestion, and a little afraid that I would crash or be unable to make quick, decisive moves when confronted with a crisis. Luckily, I haven't had such a crisis while driving high, but it's not something I would enjoy discovering. After the high has somewhat dissipated, the marijuana has no adverse effects upon my driving.

In addition, even if I don't feel high, if a child runs out in front of me and I'm unable to stop in time, I will always wonder what effect the marijuana had on my reactions. I don't want to ever be in that position.

In short, it is best not to smoke while feeling high.

Posted by Kroeme at 12:23 PM | Comments (5)

July 26, 2004

Decisions, decisions, decisions...

Weekends are often difficult for me to properly manage my pills and marijuana. The pills, for example, should be taken 12 hours apart. During the week I eat breakfast and take my morning pills at around 6 a.m. This proves difficult on weekends as I'm not even up at that time. When I do get up, I'm not hungry.

For instance, on Saturday, after taking my dog to the park for an hour or two, I returned home, and, being tired, slept for an extra hour or two. Then I had to run into Hollywood for my volunteer project, so when I finally ate breakfast (aka lunch), it was already 2 p.m. I then had to decide if I should take my morning pills then, or skip it entirely. I opted to take it, which meant that when I ate dinner, which was around 8 p.m., it was only six hours since my morning pills.

I don't know what this will do to me. It probably won't hurt at all, but it's not recommended by my physician.

Another difficulty I have, not only on weekends, but every day of the week, is that I'm not hungry until I smoke, but it's usually before I smoke that I am questioned as to "what do you want for dinner?" How does one know this without being hungry? I'll usually guess, or else I'll smoke my medical marijuana first until I'm hungry, but this makes things difficult when I'm the only one able to drive to get the actual food. Although I think I drive fine when medicated with marijuana, it's not something I like to do. One solution is delivery. But, I'm tired of pizza, and very few places of any quality deliver in my area.

So, I just guess what I want to eat, go pick it up, then come home, smoke while my food gets cold, and then finally eat.

Posted by Kroeme at 12:32 PM | Comments (2)

July 23, 2004

Parkinsons, access and health

Lalo asks if medical marijuana can help Parkinson's Disease.

Many people with Parkinson's have resorted to marijuana for treatment of their disease's symptoms -- pain and spasticity.

Marijuana can help ease the painful feelings, help you relax and sleep, and relax your muscles to decrease the spasticity.

Getting medical marijuana is not as easy as some may think. First, you must discuss it with your physician, and if he/she is willing, they must put it in writing, either in a letter, or in your medical chart.

Next, one must get access to the drug. Your physician can not help you. Although he/she can legally discuss it with you and recommend or approve it for your use, they are not permitted, but law, to help you get it.

Some states that have approved medical marijuana have clubs or organizations for patients, such as Buyers' Clubs or patient co-ops. They will often put the patient through a qualifying process, and it may sometimes be a week or more before one gets approved as a member.

Even then, all may not be rosey. Marijuana is not cheap. In fact, the price of marijuana and the price of gold is about identical! Clubs and co-ops may offer you a slight discount, but not much, it often costs them quite a bit to obtain it, and maintain their facilities.

The trick for survival is often Spartan moderation. Smoke very little, and not very often, and it will certainly last a lot longer than if you roll huge fatties (big joints) to smoke. Also, the more you smoke, and the more often you smoke, the more of a resistance you will create. What may begin as a bowl full a day can easily grow into four or five pipes a day.

When I first started using marijuana medically, I had very little money to spend on it. I conserved my medicine, and an eighth of an ounce (3.5 grams) would last several weeks. Within a short time, I was up to an eighth of an ounce a week, and at one point, when I had the money, I could use sometimes as much as an ounce a week. This would include material for cooking as well as smoking, but $400 a week is really a lot of money.

I was smoking this much because, in part, I needed it. I was on some medications that were really making me sick a lot. The worst was one called Crixovan, which really upset my stomach. Eventually, my doctor and I decided to cut out my meds and let my body re-adjust itself. I was worried that I would not be able to quit or cut back on the marijuana, as I've heard all these horror stories about how addictive it could be.

I was ready to brace myself for some really difficult times, but I was pleased and surprised to discover that I had virtually not difficulties cutting out all marijuana use.

Now I'm back on the drug cocktails, and take about 20 pills a day. These are a better class of pills that before, and I have very little vomiting and nausea from it. The major problem is a loss of appetite. I'm rarely hungry, especially at night. This is when I smoke just a couple bowls of a pipe, and I'm ready to eat and good, healthy (somewhat) and hearty meal.

Note: I really should cut out all the fried foods, but I love them dearly!

Posted by Kroeme at 2:33 PM | Comments (40)

July 22, 2004

What it does...

This is my first blog entry for HealthDiaries, so please bear with me as my rusty fingers creak along in exercising their remembered dexterity.

I find it hard to believe that 2004 is over half complete, never realizing a decade ago that I would still be alive. It was 1991 that I was first diagnosed with HIV, which at the time I felt was a 2-year death sentence. I still remember sitting in my living room the day of my diagnosis, gazing around at things I thought I would soon miss - flowers, candles and even television then brought me near tears.

My doctors at the time felt that I should not start my drug therapy yet as my T-cells were too high, which permitted me to watch as they began their deadly descent over the next few years. It wasn't until late 1995 that I began my first handful of daily pills.

They call it a cocktail, although you don't drink it from a glass, and no one seems to toast the future as they down it with a group of friends. It's a cocktail one generally takes in the privacy of home, and rarely with exuberance. In fact, over time, this AIDS cocktail pretty much rules out one's consumption of the classic cocktail.

When you take a handful of pills a day, eventually your stomach begins to recoil at the very thought. In the beginning, some of my drugs insisted on being consumed on an empty stomach. Others want to be taken before a meal, and still others want to jump into a full stomach. Eventually, with the help of my doctors, I settled on a regimen where all my drugs required a full stomach.

This didn't happen until around the year 2000, so the first four years of my cocktail dosings were, I seem to think, cruel and unusual punishment.

A general nausea was constant. Sometimes, this became worse, and I would feel like vomiting. Then, worse yet, I would actually vomit. There were a few times I had to pull over to the side of the road so I could vomit, whereas once I was not able to pull over in time...so we won't discuss that episode.

Eventually, within a few months of initiating the drug cocktail, my appetite disappeared. After all, who wants to really eat under such conditions? The very thought of food made me retch.

My doctor told me to try tums and Pepto Bismal, but those did nothing to ease the nausea and discomfort. Next we tried compazine. I didn't know beforehand, but compazine gave me mini-seizures and ticks. Once I ended up in the hospital before discovering my allergy to the "zine" brand of narcotics.

It wasn't until March 1996 that I encountered a new alternative therapy that would help relieve the nausea and vomiting that ensued from my daily cocktails.

It was while meditating on the complexities of life, or some such mundane activity, that I met Mark in the waiting room of the local AIDS clinic. We were discussing our mutual bouts of nausea when he told me about "medical marijuana." I had never heard of such a thing, and I was sure it must be illegal, so when he asked me to give him a ride to the medical marijuana "Buyers' Club," I jumped on the chance to discover the truth of this strange new thing.

They permitted me entrance to the clinic so that I could learn about how I could become a member. I met several of the clinic staff, and one member, Jeffrey, with piercing blue eyes, explained how marijuana had helped him regain his sight. I remembered hearing something about marijuana and glaucoma years ago, but it was hazy, like a dream. Now this real person, in his mid-20's, was telling me how he had gone blind in his early teens, and at age 18, with the help of medical marijuana, his eye pressure had improved to such an extent that surgery was possible. He regained his sight, and now consumes marijuana daily in order to maintain proper eye pressure.

In a few days II returned with authorization from my physician to try marijuana therapy. I was quite nervous when leaving with my little baggie as I still was unsure why this was considered "legeal." Yet, I was anxious to feel normal again, and to be able to eat and take my medicine without fear.

Back home again, safe and secure in my little abode, I tried my first dose of "legal" marijuana. Within a few puffs, I felt some relief from the nausea, and after a few more, I was actually hungry again!

More will be explored in my next entry.

Posted by Kroeme at 1:21 PM | Comments (6)