"My mom is 75 years old with diabetes, glaucoma, cataract, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, and severe kidney disease stage 3. She has expressed an extreme interest in obtaining her own MMCard in order to stop taking so many pills and to overall feel better. Questions: what is recommended for the above given history? How would she ingest? What is the dosage? Is this typical of this age to start on a new regimen of cannabis? Anything would be better than the deadly mixture they are telling her to take. Any help is welcome. Thank you so much!"
Try a CBD rich tincture (liquid drops that go under the tongue and are absorbed in the mouth) with a ratio of anywhere from 60:1 to 2:1 CBD:THC. Start with a small dose a few times a day and observe for effectiveness.
andrewvanmd
I agree with Dr. Vandeveer in that I believe CBD rich tincture is the best way to treat your mom but my concern is someone is giving her extra calcium and possibly ignoring her need for more vitamin D. Once we are over 50 years old we cannot make vitamin D in the skin so it must be taken as supplements. Supplements of calcium should never be taken unless the person has been proven to be deficient in the blood level of calcium. If a person takes supplemental calcium it can give the symptoms of RA and fibromyalgia because the calcium calcify’s tissues that should not be calcified, such as blood vessels, heart valves and even our muscles leading to more leg cramps and muscle spasms and even kidney disease.
If you plan to supplement vitamin D3, her blood level of vitamin D must be measured in two ways,
25-OHD, the inactive form and 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D, the active form excreted by the kidneys. Her blood level could below and her kidney level could be high and in that case the vitamin D may need to be compounded for topical application but both levels must be checked regularly well supplementing the vitamin D to get her blood level above 50 ng/ml for optimal results.
Diabetics typically respond well to CBD cannabis and to supplemental vitamin D but again the caution is with her kidneys.
When she first starts the CBD tincture (it should be low THC, no alcohol and the highest concentration drops you can find so she has to take less drops), and start her at a total of 10 drops per day spread out to four or five doses through the day. In one week you could try going to 16-20 drops per day as long as her blood pressure stays good and she is feeling well. She may not feel the full benefit of the CBD tincture for up to three weeks but the pain relief should start quickly.
You don’t mention what other pills she is taking and that would be of benefit to know because some of those medications may not be necessary once she is on CBD tincture.
Good luck, I know your mom appreciates your help.
drolson
