The whole idea of legalizing marijuana has been controversial to say the least. It’s a very back and forth subject and some people are for it and some are very against. And then there are the rest of the people that don’t understand all the information in order to have an informed opinion. There are pros and cons to medical marijuana as there is with everything else. Here are some of those pros and cons that medical marijuana doctors might want you to know before making any firm decisions.
Pain Management
The main reason for people needing to take marijuana is for pain management. It’s a temporary fix and when the effects wear off, the pain comes back but it’s a chance for a little relief when it seems like things can’t get any worse. The main problem with taking it for pain management is that it can become a constant way of living and you never really come off the high. It then can become difficult to live without it even once the pain has subsided. You would need to find a family doctor to help you break any addictions that may arise over the course of the pain management treatment.
Appetite Building
During chemotherapy and other types of diseases and conditions, patients can lose their appetite and being a dangerous slope of weight loss that can be so fast it’s dangerous to the patient’s health and well being. Medical marijuana doctors will sometimes prescribe cannabis in order to boost someone’s appetite and encourage them to eat something. The ‘munchies’ that people joke about after getting high are not just a myth. Smoking marijuana really can make a person want to eat a ton of snacks and random foods. The negative part of this is that it can make you crave unhealthy, sugary foods so it’s not the greatest diet. However, they are calories and when someone is sick and not eating, any calories are a good idea.
Helps Conditions
Different conditions can be treated by medical marijuana doctors who know what kind of symptoms can be helped by it. For example, epilepsy seizures can be controlled by marijuana as well as slowing Alzheimer’s symptoms. However, again, part of the problem is that when the treatment stops, the symptoms can return and it can be frustrating for the patient to have to return back to normal and they could get hooked to the treatment.
Decreases Anxiety
Anxiety and depression are real clinical issues that people go through and they should not underestimated. Medical marijuana doctors sometimes prescribe cannabis because the ingredient THD can calm someone’s nerves. It almost acts like a low dose sedative. The con for smoking marijuana for anxiety is that there needs to be a delicate balance in how much you take. Not enough won’t make much of a difference but too much can actually have the opposite affect and increase anxiety and make you paranoid.
If you decide that this is something that you want to do, it can be difficult to convince your regular doctor to sign off on a medical marijuana card. You may need to look around a little bit to find a medical marijuana doctor that will be able to help you out. Finding a doctor may not be the easiest thing to do but there will be someone who will be able to help you. You can either get a referral from a friend who is seeing a doctor and find out if they are taking new patients or you can ask your primary care physician to refer you to one, if they are comfortable doing that.
One main word of advice however, listen to your primary doctor. If they have reservations regarding this type of treatment then they probably have good reason. Be open to what they have to say and take their opinion into consideration before making your final decision. Even if you decide to go for it, having a well rounded source of information will be good for you. Everyone should know the pros and the cons of certain treatments before they try them out. Then you can make an informed decision.
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