Steven’s story: How medical cannabis helped battle PMR pain and walk freely

Can you tell me more about your overall health, and what led you to medical cannabis?

Sure. I was diagnosed a couple of years ago with something called PMR, or, polymyalgia rheumatica. I was in a lot of pain and was put on steroids - I've been on those for two years, and I’m also on the autism spectrum, and I've got ADHD. On top of that, I've also been diagnosed with fibromyalgia - so there's a lot of pain going on generally. 

Earlier this year I started to suffer from excruciating pain in my legs which was diagnosed as a gout-like condition - there was high urine levels in my bloodstream, and it was excruciatingly painful. I asked my GP about getting some help with the pain and with the fibromyalgia generally, and my GP suggested that I should think about medical marijuana. 

I think because of my autism and my ADHD I'd not really considered it before. It seemed that it was going to be really difficult and complicated - just the thought of going through that process was quite disconcerting for me, it was quite frightening…

I was a kind of medication that is not an opiate, but it's similar to an opiate. I didn't like taking that because it just made me feel odd. It made me feel woozy and when you're on it, there are certain limitations. If I'd taken the dose that they gave me, I wouldn't have been able to drive or do anything, so I didn't like that particularly. It also caused problems with my stomach, and it caused constipation, which was really a big problem for me…

And what made you sign up to Releaf?

I looked at the various options, and it seemed to me that Releaf were very professional, their web presence and website was good. I've also got several friends who are using medical marijuana and I spoke to them and one of them was on Releaf, and they said that it had been working for them, and it was good. So, that's what I went for.

I was very pleasantly surprised at how simple and straightforward it was really. My various conditions had put imaginary obstacles and imaginary problems in the way - but they didn't occur.

I was able to link Releaf up to my medical records using NHS Login and that just made everything very much easier because then they could see straight away that I was someone who would genuinely benefit from it.

I was amazed at how smooth and professional the whole thing was. It was just so easy even though I was nervous I was going to mess up, but it was straightforward and simple.

How have you found the communication with Releaf’s clinical team and with your doctor?

Oh, very good. I've kept my doctor updated, and I’ve been very impressed by the consultations that I've had. They really seem to know what they're doing, they know what they're talking about and they give good advice. 

There was a change in my medication last time and there was some concern if it would affect the way I interacted with the cannabis and you can't fault them in terms of knowledge and concern. 

I know it sounds silly because it's a professional business and it's a professional company, but there's always a little bit of doubt when you start something new as to who you're dealing with and the authenticity and the honesty of the people you're dealing with. But I've got no complaints. Everything has been absolutely wonderful.

How would you describe the impact your  treatment has had on your life?

I was in so much pain - unbelievable levels of pain - I could barely walk. If it hadn't been for the medication, I don't think I'd be where I am now because it enabled me to carry on and not feel so hopeless. I felt as if my life was over before this.

I don't know if this is true for everyone, but it's certainly true for me: it doesn't just help with the pain, it’s also helped me with the mental side of coping with the pain. It gives me the ability to not worry too much about the future and pain in the future too…

I'm going up to Scotland soon for a holiday, which will involve a lot of walking. Before I wouldn't have been able to do that, but I've been able to regain mobility again. I'm going with a friend and there will be walks in nature, around museums, stately homes and National Trust properties. I was thinking of cancelling the holiday because I didn't think I'd be able to cope, but now I'm fairly certain I will…

My life has opened up again, all I could see at the time was, misery and not being able to do stuff.  Now here I am and I've got everything back again. It's fab…Socially, I'm much more connected than I was because I'm able to do more now…  I mean, I've still got a little bit of pain, but nothing compared to what it was.

Does your prescribed treatment differ from what you’ve tried in the past?

I had tried cannabis before -  I had self-medicated in the past so it wasn't something that scared me… I used to use it when I needed it, when the pain was really bad, and stopping it was so easy. I think for me that's one of the major benefits of medical cannabis is that I'm in control. I can take it when I need it, and I can not take it when I don't need it.

That's a huge benefit, that and there are no side effects to it for me anyway. It just helps enormously when I'm when the pain is really bad and when I don't need it, I don't take it. It's so straightforward and simple…

I kind of object to the idea that I should have to take something every day regardless of whether I really need it or not. Whereas now, with the medical cannabis, I'm in control. I've got the choice. 

It also acts very quickly. If I was in a lot of pain with my legs, I could just take it and I would use it whilst I was in pain and then once the pain had subsided, I could stop. I mean, how easy is that? It's brilliant…

If you get hold of marijuana from a source that is not regulated, then you don't really know what you're getting. You don't know the strength, you don't know the relative content of it in terms of THC versus CBD.
 
On the other hand - this is brilliant. You can be assured that what you're taking is what's on the tin really. If you're buying it from the street, from a dealer, you don't know what else is in there.

How have others responded to your use of medical cannabis?

I've told my daughters I was doing it and they were fine with it - no problems at all. 

To be honest with you, I think the fact that I'm doing it, people have been quite impressed that I've taken that step. They see it as a big step. Whereas I, in fact, think it shouldn't be considered a big step, actually doing it for yourself it’s quite a tiny step - it's not a huge thing. I feel comfortable. I can get it when I need it, which is great - and it's great knowing that it's there…

I think at the end of the day, the more people that use it and the more people that have a good experience, it’s just going to grow. It will be acknowledged eventually that it is a genuine treatment and there's a genuine therapeutic need for it…

I think it's such a good option for people that are suffering from a lot of pain. So many of the drugs that they prescribe have got side effects and they can be addictive as well. For me, this is just a brilliant way of overcoming all of that.

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 fibromyalgia.