Marijuana use while on OxyCotin and Fentanyl

Ohiotim

Hello All,

My father has been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma just before Memorial Day.

He had six weeks of chemotherapy and the results were extrememly positive. Unfortunatly four weeks after the final round the results of his final PET scan came back with the worst results possible. All the cancer has returned and is worse than it was before. He has a month, maybe two to live.

We want him to be as comfortable as possible in these last remaining weeks.

He is now on multiple medications for pain and his appetite is basically nonexistent.

After talking with many friends and family with similar circumstances I am trying to suggest for him to smoke marijuana. All the stories have heard so far have been positive. Much pain reduction and a big increase in appetite.

Our concern is interactions of smoking marijuana combined with the OxyCotin and Fentanyl that is currently in his system.

I've tried to research as much as i can but the information I've gathered is mixed.

So my basic question is would it be safe to smoke marijuana while taking prescription OxyCotin and having a Fentanyl patch at the same time?

I have found a vapor form for him to use. Oil form. Very similar to how an e-ciggarette would work.

 

Any feedback would be extremely useful. If we can relieve his back pain and get his appetite back, I think he will feel much better. It's not a cure but would hopefully help for the time being.

 

Thank you in advance.

ShadyGuy

Ask Prince

oooooooh. That’s right he is dead. They don’t mix well.

Evarista

Marinol?

First, let me say how sorry I am that you, your dad, and your family are going through this.  It must be very difficult.

As to your question, have you spoken to his doctor about a Marinol prescription? I have no direct experience, but the topic did come up in talks with my doctor during my treatment (R-EPOCH).  They offered me a presecription for Marinol, which is a synthetic form of THC used to treat nausea and loss of appetite.  It is available by prescription only and I believe legal everywhere in the U.S.  I did look it up today and see that there are many potential negative drug interactions, so medical guidance would be appropriate, I think.  You can google this (I had a good link, but now I cannot find it).

With respect to other ways of using, my medical team refused to comment except to say that an inhalation route would be a bad idea. Risk of infection, pneumonia, etc. They strongly recommended against it. I do hope that you will be able to keep him comfortable.

Bill1958

Pain relief from pot???

Sorry to hear your news about refractory dlbcl in your father.  I am unfamiliar with any facts nor do I have any good  experience with pain relief from marijuana.  I have smoked it for decades and before having dlbcl , found it made me euphoric, hungry, anxious and relaxed. When I first started treatments I felt terrible(In pain and tired) and I did not even touch any pot simply for lack of want to.  However, I started smoking it and using a vapor pen a few days after my 2nd treatment and it helped me to eat; as I smoked and then imeadiately became hungry.  I put on weight from then on.  It DID NOT help my headaches or body aches at all and it made me a little anxious.  But it helped me to eat and it may have helped my nausea(as I had little nausea throughout treatments).  That is my personal experience and I do not think pot reduces pain.  I think it actually increases pain and makes neuropathy worsen.

po18guy

Unless his health is generally poor...

Marinol will definitely stimulate his appetite. It's a pill. But, the bigger issue: Is he in poor general health? I ask because lymphoma is just as treatable at all stages! I have been stage IV at least twice. Where is he being treated? If you are in the US, I strongly urge you to contact a National Cancer Institute designated comprehensive cancer center, as they have the best and brightest, the latest treatments, the most options, research and the best outcomes.

Paul Allen notwithstanding, lymphoma is not fatal all that often with modern treatments. BUT, one must consult with a specialist in that particular type of lmyphoma. And, the pathology report is crucial, as mistakes are made in lymphoma diagnosis. There is a distinct possibility that he may have a different type than the pathologist decided upon. 

illead

Agree

I totally agree with Po, you need a second opinion from one of the many lymphoma specialists.  I was shocked when I read about your father, it seems like the doctors have given up. I have never heard of that with lymphoma, but I could be wrong.  Could you tell us what type of lymphoma he has and if you don't mind to say what area you live in? Perhaps some can be of better help with some sound suggestions. 

Don't give up,

Becky 

Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3

Marinol

Ohiotim,

I do not have a strong opinion regarding medical pot. At the Board regarding my other cancer, Prostate, men occasionally recommend it for ridiculous reasons, such as that it will cure or prevent prostate cancer. But it has no effectiveness to do either. All professional, certified research concludes that it is worthless for those purposes.  It IS effective in some studies for a feeling of wellness, and to reduce nausea, but other drugs are as effective.

Marinol is a perscription form of "synthetic pot."  It is in pill form. 

Be aware of the following:  there is a popular form of street synthetic pot that is NOT Marinol, and is definitely NOT SAFE.  It goes by the names "K2" or (more commonly) "Spice."  It is totally uncontrolled, and is legally sold in some states, usually convenience stores.  It basically is plant leaves that look like pot, that are then sprayed with extremely powerful durgs, many of which have been shown to be very toxic.  Because laws attempt to shut this down, the recipeit is constantly changing, but always very unsafe.

You mentioned your father possibly "smoking" pot.  Whether he does or not, be sure that it is conventional pot, and know also that Spice is deadly.  I have a relative that was one it for a few years. It is more addictive than meth, but produces similiar effects, such as inability to sleep for days, extreme blood pressure, and other dangerous effects.  It is massively habit-forming. Almost all current urinalysis tests do NOT detect Spice.

You may recall that a few months ago, a crowd of about 100 people were found overdosed in a public park in Connecticut.  They had all bought Spice from a walk-around dealer. I do not think any died, at least early-on.

At my security-related job, I got to know and became friends with a man who had done many years in federal prison as a cocaine trafficer. Not a dealer, a trafficer.  He later became a counselor after release.  He told me one day that Spice is worse than cocaine, worse than anything he's ever seen on the street.

max

To open link: Highlight, then right clink, the click "Go to...."

https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/news/20180910/k2-spice-what-to-know-about-these-dangerous-drugs

ShadyGuy

Hospital

If your Dad is in a hospital he will not be able to smoke anything - tobacco, pot, meth, crack, coke, spice. I have had a lot of deaths in my circle and they were all doped up by their physicians with powerful prescription drugs that make pot look like childs play. My initial response to your message was “poor guy, they already have him buried”. Of course lymphoma kills but it is usually a long drawn out event. With the right care he could possibly live a long time. Don’t give up so quickly. Be aware that some of the fertilizers, insecticides and other chemicals used to grow illegal pot are suspected of causing cancer.

ShadyGuy

Bill1958 said:

Pain relief from pot???

Sorry to hear your news about refractory dlbcl in your father.  I am unfamiliar with any facts nor do I have any good  experience with pain relief from marijuana.  I have smoked it for decades and before having dlbcl , found it made me euphoric, hungry, anxious and relaxed. When I first started treatments I felt terrible(In pain and tired) and I did not even touch any pot simply for lack of want to.  However, I started smoking it and using a vapor pen a few days after my 2nd treatment and it helped me to eat; as I smoked and then imeadiately became hungry.  I put on weight from then on.  It DID NOT help my headaches or body aches at all and it made me a little anxious.  But it helped me to eat and it may have helped my nausea(as I had little nausea throughout treatments).  That is my personal experience and I do not think pot reduces pain.  I think it actually increases pain and makes neuropathy worsen.

Carcinogens

many of the chemicals, fertilizers and insecticides used to grow illegal pot in latin America are suspicious as carcinogens, mostly  lung and blood cancers. No one can unconditionally prove anything causes cancer for sure but the evidence is pretty strong. Smoking is smoking. Its not good for you regardless of the plant you choose to smoke. Ingesting it may be less harmful. Hope your kids didn’t pick up the habit. I wish you all the best in your struggle.

Bill1958

ShadyGuy said:

Carcinogens

many of the chemicals, fertilizers and insecticides used to grow illegal pot in latin America are suspicious as carcinogens, mostly  lung and blood cancers. No one can unconditionally prove anything causes cancer for sure but the evidence is pretty strong. Smoking is smoking. Its not good for you regardless of the plant you choose to smoke. Ingesting it may be less harmful. Hope your kids didn’t pick up the habit. I wish you all the best in your struggle.

Just a note to ShadyGuy

I agree that any smoke in the lungs is harmful.  The pot that enters my lungs comes from local homegrown and not from Mexico, Jamica, and/or other foriegn countries.  In fact in many states it is legal for medical and recreational use.  Or for just medical.  Both my kids are free from smoking pot and very sucessful in their lives.  A little bit of value judgement on your side ShadyGuy.  This forum is not a place to throw your value judements at others.  I really think I might leave this forum at this point.  I appreciate all the knowledge from many writers here, but my recovery depends on, to a large degree,  positive, judgement free conservation. Vent is over and I forgive ShadyGuy but I more than likely am gone from here.