Chris’ story: a veteran managing PTSD with medical cannabis

Can you tell us about your health and how things were before you started medical cannabis treatment?

I really suffered quite a lot with PTSD, and only discovered three or four years ago that I have ADHD. I had terrible anxiety, terrible sleeping problems, and my whole circadian rhythm was all over the place, which feeds into the other parts of your mental health. I was doing a bit of research, and it was actually one of my therapists who mentioned Releaf, because I'm not a big fan of taking pharmaceutical medication.

So I got in contact and went through the channels, and it changed my life, basically.

What was the hardest part of living with your symptoms before you signed up with Releaf?

Definitely the sleep deprivation, that was horrible. I also have complex PTSD, so it's not being aware of when a flashback or an anxiety attack might happen. The normal way of dealing with that is with quite powerful drugs, which obviously I did take, but they inhibit your life quite a lot. 

That's why I got in touch with Releaf and spoke to the specialists there. I am very nearly totally drug free now

Was there a moment you realised something had to change? 

Yes. It was trying the various medications they'd given me, and the ADHD medication just did not agree with me at all. So, they ended up prescribing me benzodiazepines, and at that point I thought, “that's enough, I need to find another form of treatment. Something that actually helps me” because those drugs were really inhibiting my whole life. 

There were certain things I just didn’t feel safe doing on drugs that powerful, so I knew I needed a change.

How did you find the sign-up process and first consultation?

The process was really, really good. I'll be honest, I was a bit sceptical about what it was all about, but once it started, with access to my medical records and the checks and everything, I felt more confident. 

The consultation was so professional, and so caring, really listening to what was going on. Then we started trying to find the right medication available from Releaf that would work for me.

What were the early days of treatment like?

I'm someone who inherently doesn't do a lot of smoking, so it was a little weird at first, and I had to get used to it. 

At first, I didn't really know what I was doing, so I came back and asked for a lot of advice, and got the best help ever. I joined at the newer stages of Releaf and was told there were new products rolling out. Now, through trial and error, I've got exactly the right stuff, and it works so well.

What does your treatment look like now?

I don't use the pastilles any more, I found it hard to keep one in my mouth, I'd just swallow it, so the oil is a big one for me. I use the oil, that’s a big one for me. And I've got the flower that I use, and I have a vape for when I go out and about, as it's very discreet. 

All my friends and family know about it, even my work colleagues, and that's the other thing, you might be a bit hesitant about telling people, but when you sit down and explain it, and show them the card, and explain that it's medical treatment, they're really accepting of it and think it's brilliant. Because, in my experience any way, the alternative is being a zombie all day, not being able to function in society normally, whereas now I'm absolutely fine. 

Have you faced any stigma as a medical cannabis patient?

No, I actually haven't had any stigma. I've had lots of questions, how does it affect you with driving, working, and so on, but I think if you sit down, and you're transparent, and show people what it does, they're really accepting. 

At work, I even got my manager to scan the QR code and read all about it, and he asked if there were any reasonable adjustments I needed. I said, “look, can we get the myth out of the way that I'm turning up stoned all the time?” Because that is not how my Releaf prescription affects me at all.  

And on driving, there's a very high level of your own discretion, I'm not going to go driving at 11 at night when I've had a dose of the oil and maybe a vape because that would be stupid. 

You've also got to be mindful that if you're going out drinking, the two can interact. But most people have just asked, “where do I sign up?” And I say, you do need to have a medical condition first, it's not just sign up and away you go.

Has treatment changed your quality of life day to day? Have others noticed?

Yeah. Social anxiety has calmed down a lot. Sleeping has become something I'd forgotten about and now can do. My day-to-day anxieties, I'm not saying they're completely cured, but they're completely different. People notice I'm a lot more outgoing and confident, back to somebody they knew 20-odd years ago.

Why did you want to share your story, and what would you tell others?

I wanted to share my story because there's this massive stigma and labelling. To be blunt, a lot of people think you're going to be walking down the street with a joint in your mouth. 

There's still the stigma of the law here, but you're given a card, and I've read a lot about how police forces and commissioners are coming to understand this. It's not a ticket to get off with things, absolutely not, you still have to be a law-abiding citizen. 

But once you get over that, taking it for medical and mental health reasons, I don't have a problem with it any more. I'm still discreet when I use it outside because friends and family know, but you don't want someone who doesn't know coming up and making it a negative conversation.

Looking ahead, what does the future hold now you are more in control of your symptoms?

It's started to get me out and about. I've just come back from the Cotswolds, I'd been down visiting Clarkson's Farm. It's given me a lot more confidence to do things on my own and tackle them, because I know if I feel a little episode coming on, I get little triggers, I can just have a puff on my vape, or if I'm at home, I vape some of the flower with my dry herb vaporiser. It's great. And having more than two hours' sleep is amazing.

I have been very impressed with the fact that Releaf is constantly bringing out new products, the gummies, the different oils. It's good to be with a company that's forward-thinking and caters for everybody, because it is a bit of trial and error at the beginning. 

Once you've had the consultation and got your prescription, you can try different things over different months and find what works, and there's always the ability to speak to a specialist. Even my GP has been asking how it's working, because they've noticed I'm coming off a lot of the medication without having any problems. You do get some medical professionals who are very for it, and some still a bit against it, but that'll take time. 

It's a plant, and it works.

If you would like to learn more about medical cannabis treatment options for the conditions mentioned in this Patient Story, please see medical cannabis for post-traumatic stress disorder.