Using THC or CBG before/during/after treatment.

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  • Daniel_Eye
    Registered User
    • Feb 2017
    • 166

    Using THC or CBG before/during/after treatment.

    Hi Friends

    As many of you have experienced and I may soon find out, chemotherapy has a host of side effects. From nausea, fatigue and apatite loss, to neuropathy and beyond. Seeing as the laws on marijuana are steadily decreasing and availability is easier, I was just wondering if anyone on the forum has used THC or CBD during their treatment?


    I personally have a friend that is a caregiver and he can provide me with tinctures, edibles and THC extract put into a capsule form. One of the oncology docs I spoke to said she was okay with it if it helped ease any pain, increased apatite to eat (healthy!) foods and maybe make you feel mentally better. She was against it being smoked or vaporized especially if going through BEP, and also recommended taking very small amounts as to not affect heart rate and breathing.
    From my own perspective, I've always felt that the "prohibition" on marijuana was due to lobbying efforts by higher powers in order to destroy medical research that could prove the efficacy of these drugs. All of those "scare them straight" tactics we're so dramatized. The kids who saw them are now adults (me) and know it was B.S. they were spewing. Since that the country is moving forward with legalization I believe that we should be able to take advantage of these drugs if they have any beneficial value. Research should also be conducted to see if CBD can not only treat symptoms but to actually be used as a curative option after proper testing is achieved.

    I understand that some people will not feel comfortable talking about this or might feel taboo given that it is still federally illegal. But we're all here together and anything that can help others get through the tough times is always helpful.

    If you have used these types of drugs during your treatment did it help? If so, in what way?

    Best,
    Daniel

    Link about Cancer and Medicinal Marijuana

    Cannabis has been used medicinally for millennia, but has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat any medical condition. Cannabinoids are the components in cannabis; some are commercially available to treat symptoms. Get detailed information in this clinician summary.
    Last edited by Daniel_Eye; 03-07-17, 07:54 AM.
  • Trekga
    Registered User
    • Jan 2017
    • 882

    #2
    DANIEL~ My son has not, his side effects have been pretty minimal through 2 rounds so far.
    However, my younger brother who passed from Colon Cancer on August 17, 2016 used either THC or CBD througout his 14 month battle with Stage 4 Colon Cancer. He was a huge propenent of easing pain and living the remining time he had best as he could! He lived in NJ, and a physician (a Urologist ironically). I belive he had a prescription. At one point there appeared to be a slight curative effect from it after he stopped Chemo due to quality of life side effects, but his cancer was so metastasized that ultimately he lost his battle.
    Son Grant
    dx 12/21/16 at age 17

    BEP x3
    Post Chemo CT Scan on 3/28/17 still showed a few nodes over 2 cm
    2nd Post Chemo CT Scan on 4/27/17 showed all nodes still over 2cm
    Post Chemo RPLND 5/8/17: Periaortic Teratoma, Intraaorticaval Teratoma, and Paracaval Teratoma found.

    Comment

    • Davepet
      Registered User
      • Mar 2010
      • 4459

      #3
      I didn't use it, not that I'm against it, it's just that any nausea was easily controlled and since fatigue was my biggest problem, anything that might increase fatigue seemed inadvisable.

      I had no problems with appetite, but healthy food wasn't a big favorite.

      Dave
      Jan, 1975: Right I/O, followed by RPLND
      Dec, 2009: Left I/O, followed by 3xBEP

      Comment

      • jaygatz4213
        Registered User
        • Apr 2016
        • 42

        #4
        Just my own experience. I ate a pretty big special brownie during cycle 3 of 4xEP. Made me feel pretty sick and I passed out in a restaurant. Maybe it was too strong, or maybe I ate way too much food, who knows.

        My oncologist prescribed me marinol , which is a synthetic THC, as my 'chill out' pill. I didn't take it, but went for xanax instead, that actually made me feel pretty good and helped with energy and overall stress concerns of having cancers.

        Re: appetite. I had no problems eating thanks to the steroids. I was told by my oncologist at MSKCC to expect to gain 20lbs during treatment.
        Dx March 21 2016
        Right Orchiectomy march 25 2016
        60% embryonal 35% yolk sac 5% seminoma
        positive node on CT 1.4X1.3cm stage 2a markers rising, HCG 2300 AFP 25
        Started 4xEP april 2016
        Finished chemo July 2016, markers normal, complete radiographic remission
        RPLND MSKCC Aug 2016, removed something like 60 nodes all negative but one with teratoma
        Surveillance

        Comment

        • marcopolo
          Registered User
          • Oct 2015
          • 98

          #5
          Hi, fortunately I did not have BEP treatment, but I sometimes use CBD (drops/oil) as just "prevention". I have very good sleep then and feel OK. In our small country the media and some scientist and oncologists makes anti-campaign that it´s not helping during cancer treatment (but it´s lobbing behind).
          04/24/2015 – pain in the right testicle – USG confirmed mass, blood results B-HCG = 12 U/l, AFP = 6.14 ug/l, LDH = 9,
          05/05/2015 – I/O (100% Embryonal carcinoma, LVI presented)
          05/06/2015 – post-operative CT scan negative, 2xBEP suggested
          6/2015 - surveillance (my decision)
          7/2015, 9/2015 - markers negative
          9/2015 - 2nd CT negative, 6 months later CT re-checked and found one node which measured 16x12mm
          10/2015, 1/2016, 2/2016 - markers negative
          2/2016 - 3rd CT scan - 2 nodes (border) - 12x8mm, 13x9mm
          3/2016, 5/2016, 8/2016, 11/2016, 2/2017 - markers negative
          2/2017 - 4th CT scan - 11x7mm (was 12x8mm) and 8x5mm (was 16x12mm)
          7/2017 - markers negative

          Comment

          • Daniel_Eye
            Registered User
            • Feb 2017
            • 166

            #6
            Originally posted by jaygatz4213 View Post
            Just my own experience. I ate a pretty big special brownie during cycle 3 of 4xEP. Made me feel pretty sick and I passed out in a restaurant. Maybe it was too strong, or maybe I ate way too much food, who knows.

            My oncologist prescribed me marinol , which is a synthetic THC, as my 'chill out' pill. I didn't take it, but went for xanax instead, that actually made me feel pretty good and helped with energy and overall stress concerns of having cancers.

            Re: appetite. I had no problems eating thanks to the steroids. I was told by my oncologist at MSKCC to expect to gain 20lbs during treatment.

            HI Jay

            Actually its funny that you mention that because the first time anyone ever eats an edible be it brownie, lollipop or cookie they eat waaaay too much. It takes a while to kick in so most people just keep going until they're so stoned they need to be carted off by a fork lift!

            I've eaten and made some potent brownies so I know what they are capable of. For me it was more of a mental thing, just to make me laugh and have a better disposition about the current state of affairs.

            I really appreciate your post though and hope that others have the courage to share their experience. By the way, what steroid did they put you on during treatment?

            Best,
            Daniel

            Comment

            • Daniel_Eye
              Registered User
              • Feb 2017
              • 166

              #7
              Originally posted by Trekga View Post
              DANIEL~ My son has not, his side effects have been pretty minimal through 2 rounds so far.
              However, my younger brother who passed from Colon Cancer on August 17, 2016 used either THC or CBD througout his 14 month battle with Stage 4 Colon Cancer. He was a huge propenent of easing pain and living the remining time he had best as he could! He lived in NJ, and a physician (a Urologist ironically). I belive he had a prescription. At one point there appeared to be a slight curative effect from it after he stopped Chemo due to quality of life side effects, but his cancer was so metastasized that ultimately he lost his battle.

              Hi Trek

              Im very sorry to hear about your brother, I know how difficult it is to lose a family member to cancer. Up here in MA you can get an RX for it but going to see a Doctor and then getting the products are expensive since none of the insurances cover the visit or the product. For me its cheaper to just get it as I normally would as long as I have the oncologists blessing. Its funny because prior to this cancer I hadn't used pot in a long time.

              Anything to make someone laugh in hard times always helps.Since a large part of healing is also the emotional/psychological side of disease I think that anything that can make someone feel good shouldn't be out of the question...legal or not :-)

              Have a great day,
              Daniel

              Comment

              • Trekga
                Registered User
                • Jan 2017
                • 882

                #8
                DANIEL~ Thanks for the kind words. Good luck with what you decide!!
                Son Grant
                dx 12/21/16 at age 17

                BEP x3
                Post Chemo CT Scan on 3/28/17 still showed a few nodes over 2 cm
                2nd Post Chemo CT Scan on 4/27/17 showed all nodes still over 2cm
                Post Chemo RPLND 5/8/17: Periaortic Teratoma, Intraaorticaval Teratoma, and Paracaval Teratoma found.

                Comment

                • 1skinnyj
                  Registered User
                  • Jun 2017
                  • 22

                  #9
                  Hi all I'd like to revive this old thread in hope that more people will share their experience with cannabis. So far, anxiety has been a problem, and cannabis has been a recommendation, but I am concerned about getting false positive for elevated b-hCG (which would have quite opposite the intended impact on my anxiety).

                  Can marinol or the CBG extracts also give an elevated b-hCG?

                  Comment

                  • Daniel_Eye
                    Registered User
                    • Feb 2017
                    • 166

                    #10
                    HI Skinny

                    I'd ask your Oncologist about it. During my treatment, I used pot edibles on a very infrequent basis. I think maybe 4-5 times during the course of the entire treatment. I made sure only to partake on my bleo weeks, and only after the infusion day. That way I wouldn't risk messing up the blood work. It definitely made me eat more and made me feel good. As far as my own personal experience goes, I used to be a more frequent user but, after a while I started to get anxiety FROM using it and that is why I stopped doing it frequently. Overall I think it helped, especially when I first began the treatment. When my hair fell out and I started to feel lousy is when I used edibles the most.Generally, it brightened my spirits and it did help with some nausea I was experiencing. I did make sure to get the blessing of my Oncologist and interestingly enough the Oncologist I consulted with prior to my current doctor was also okay with it as long as it wasn't smoked. Good luck!

                    Comment

                    • 1skinnyj
                      Registered User
                      • Jun 2017
                      • 22

                      #11
                      Thanks Daniel. it sounds like you didn't see an impact to your tests, so if does really elevate, maybe it is only a short duration effect?
                      Whatever I decide, I intend to be straight with the doc (he told me that cannabis can cause the elevated hcg, but unfortunately I know that wasn't what caused my result to go up) but from what others have said here in the forums, I'm not convinced there really is a relationship. So far, the only reference I have seen is dated (peak drug war), and given the other paper that concluded there was no relationship and the overall ban on cannabis research, I am skeptical. That said, I sure don't want to cause any issues with misinterpretation of results either.
                      Thanks

                      Comment

                      • Trpnblly
                        Registered User
                        • Aug 2016
                        • 34

                        #12
                        Hey Skinny,
                        I'm 7 months post 3 x BEP and 6 post RPLND and am in surveillance mode (gratefully). I didn't partake during treatment for fear of it elevating my #'s. Post treatment I read that it can only effect the hCG level. I had a non-seminoma which, if I read correctly somewhere, the hCG level doesn't even matter, just the AFP (I'm not sure what you have/had). So, I wish I had used it in some form during treatment b/c it really would've helped with my appetite. There were many days when just drinking water was hard for me. Anyway, toward the end of treatment and ever since I've been dealing with neuropathy in my hands and feet. I've been on gabapentin for 4 months and don't like it. The side effects (dizziness, short-term memory issues, unable to think of words to express what I'm trying to say) have been tough and I have to keep upping the dosage every 3 weeks or so to control the pain. So, over the past month I've smoked to help get more relief from the pain. It does seem to help a bit with the pain but, to your point, it also helps my anxiety and frustration with the ongoing issues post-chemo. I ordered a bottle of CBD oil this week to give that a try as an alternative to smoking. I'd love it if that would work some magic and I could get off of the prescription meds altogether. My oncologist only prescribes the gabapentin so he's referred me to a neurologist that I'm going to see next week to get their opinion on treatment of the neuropathy. Sorry that's longwinded and not sure if it helped at all but hopefully something in there helps you or someone else in here:-)
                        Hope things are well,
                        Geoff

                        Comment

                        • Ykspalli
                          Registered User
                          • Apr 2017
                          • 23

                          #13
                          I ate a teaspoonful (0.4-0.6g) of decarboxylated cbd-rich flower every 4-6hrs during my treatment from the 2nd week of BEP until I got the first all clear at the beginning of July. I also vaped a few puffs every now and then, I was a heavy cigarette smoker for 20 years so vaping also helped me to quit the habit of smoking, I've been a non-smoker since 19th of march 2017! Quit just a few days before the treatment. I got an ok from my oncologist, although she wasn't exactly ok with the illegal side of it.

                          Cannabis replaced painkillers (Oxycodone, Ibuprofen) and anti-anxiety (Alpratsolam/Xanax) drugs about 90%. I can't take any ibuprofen because of history with bleeding ulcer and quite extreme sensitivity to most drugs. For some reason opiates don't work for all of my pain, I just get tired and extremely irritated with minor or no pain relief. Haven't tried cannabis for my post-treatment neuropathy in my feet, fingers are almost back to baseline 4 months after the last Bleomycin.

                          Weed is great when you have to use a lot of time and can't do much. Ate, read and watched a lot of documentaries during the long BEP-weeks attached to the infusion pump and had to be inside the cancer ward.

                          I had 100% stage 3 non-seminoma yolk sac tumor and didn't see any elevated hcg.

                          Comment

                          • Daniel_Eye
                            Registered User
                            • Feb 2017
                            • 166

                            #14
                            Hi All, I haven't been on in a while and thought I'd chime in. I don't smoke at all anymore, I only do edibles, I do 120mg of thc chewie candy. They call it a charleston chew and man they are good. One is 60mg but they are so good I usually have two. I used to smoke pot more frequently back in the day so the high dosage didn't scare me so much and yes I got very very high for a while. I don't use it very often. I think the last time I had some was a few months back, towards the end of the summer. I finished my 3 x BEP late may and so far so good, except I have come down with eczema which is new to me....I chalk it up to all the chemistry changes with chemo maybe? who knows, anyways I hope you all have a nice Thanksgiving and good luck with wherever you are on your TC journey.

                            Comment

                            • mcintoda
                              Registered User
                              • Nov 2016
                              • 149

                              #15
                              We spoke about this at the testicular cancer summit 2 weeks ago and the docs said that yes, THC use can can lead to HCG increases on lab work. Thus I think it It would be wise to coordinate with your oncologist before partaking. I am wondering if just discontinuing some weeks before blood work is sufficient.
                              Age 31 - Portland, OR
                              01NOV16- Pain in right testicle, palpable mass
                              13NOV16- R I/O. Markers normal
                              27NOV16- Stage Ia non-seminoma, 1.3cm, 100% EC, no LVI
                              06DEC16 - CT scan clear
                              09DEC16 - Started 1xBEP. Neutropenic at day 15; Worst part for me was bleo (allergic).
                              03JAN17- Ended 1xBEP; start surveillance
                              18MAR17-2nd pathology report shows 90% EC , 10% seminoma

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