Millions of Americans live with debilitating chronic pain every day of their lives. In fact, many admit to having chronic pain that interfered with daily living activities. With so few options, these people turn to long-term opioid use or start self-medicating with marijuana.
Even as more states legalize the medicinal use of marijuana, it is crucial to learn about marijuana abuse and understand the risks of self-medication. Learn more about the dangers and how you can get help at Serenity House Detox & Recovery Houston today by calling 866.516.8356.
Overview of Marijuana Use For Chronic Pain
Both marijuana and opioid painkillers have the potential for substance addiction and can lead to other undesirable side effects. While opioids are effective, opioid use opens the Pandora’s Box of opioid addiction. This use becomes a gateway for the use and abuse of more potent opioids.
Non-psychoactive marijuana seems like a better option, but there are risks, including marijuana abuse. Those who are self-medicating with marijuana to manage chronic pain may be aware of the risks, but they find themselves pushed to a corner.
On one side, opioids are effective against severe chronic pain. On the other, alternative therapies like acupuncture and chiropractic therapy are expensive and often not covered by health insurers.
Finally, they find non-psychoactive marijuana, which is legal in many states, reasonably effective, and may not need a doctor’s prescription to purchase. Marijuana begins to look less like a gateway drug and more like a highway out of pain into nirvana.
In the 1980s, expert research found non-psychoactive flavonoids in cannabis. These could reduce pain and inflammation 30 times more effectively than regular NSAIDs like aspirin. But this research didn’t advance for many years because of the strict laws surrounding cannabis use.
While cannaflavins (flavonoids from cannabis) are effective against pain, the production system, testing, and trials, etc. are still in infancy. Bioengineers are still working on ways to isolate helpful molecules and produce safe and effective painkillers. While progress is promising, there is a different problem.
The Risks of Self-Medicating with Marijuana
Self-medicating with marijuana is dangerous because, while cannabis can help treat various conditions, without guidance, you put yourself at risk. What’s more, in medical practice, certain drugs work for certain people based on a variety of factors, including:
- Age, gender, and race of the patient
- Physical and mental health status
- Other medications the patient is using
- Severity of symptoms
- Underlying medical conditions/allergies
These factors determine the drugs and dosages a doctor will use to prescribe specific treatments. Without a prescription, a person must rely on the one-size-fits-all solution, a medical marijuana seller recommends. They expose themselves to the risks of the drug without knowing whether the drug will actually work.
In addition, medical marijuana production procedures are in their infancy. Therefore, there is no standard procedure in terms of the concentration of the active ingredients in the products that are in the market. Unless a manufacturer decides to test its merchandise, you won’t know what else is in it.
Many people start self-medicating with medical marijuana and end up with substance abuse issues because the product may include psychoactive cannabis compounds. If you’re self-medicating to treat mental health conditions, especially, the psychoactive compounds can lead to dangerous outcomes, such as self-harm, psychosis, or physical health issues.
Call Serenity House Detox & Recovery HoustonToday
If you find yourself facing addiction after self-medicating with marijuana, you can find help at Serenity House Detox & Recovery Houston. The medical detox center can help clear the drugs from your system safely. Our dual diagnosis treatment center can treat any underlying mental health issues that led you to use marijuana. If you have chronic pain, you may benefit from our chiropractic care regimen or other interventions towards a pain-management regimen that won’t put you at risk. We also offer a variety of therapy programs, including:
Call Serenity House Detox & Recovery today at 866.516.8356, and let us help you get back to your best self.
