Marijuana use and Chronic Pancreatitis

I was just wondering if anyone knew what the effects of Marijuana use regarding Chronic Pancreatitis were. I was diagnosed with Chronic Pancreatitis a few years back after the doctors found gall stones in my bile ducts(i was 16 then, im 18 now). As they were operating on me to get the stones out they noticed my Pancrease was hard as a rock. Long story short, i was diagnosed with Chronic Pancreatitis and now i have to take enzymes every time i eat a meal or, you know, ugly, smelly, oily things will come out of my back end. heh... :/ But anyways, the doctors couldn't stress to me enough that i must abstain from alcohal. Fine, i wont drink cause i dont want to die- have diabetes ect. But what about marijuana? I love my pot, it helps me with my appitite, makes me feel swell, and i guess you could say it helps with the pain assoiated with the desease. But is this stuff adding to my condition or does it not effect it? I would really like to know because i would like to lead a long healthy life but i would really have to take another look at things if the marijuana i smoke everday is slowley killing me.

Dear guest, I can tell you that smoking in general affects the pancrease. It is un-advisable to continue smoking cigarettes or marijuana. If you are looking for an appetite from marijuana, ask your doctor to prescribe marinol. If pain is also an issue, look at deseryl or oxycodone.
I too have chronic pancreatitis and I am on several meds, I take oxycodone, dilaudid, morphine, promethazine, for nausea and pain. A far as the not wanting to eat....you have to eat, but try small portions at a time. Sometimes I go for days without eating, and that is no good. None the less back to smoking and pancreatitis, DONT DO IT!

I also have chronic pancreatis, and I can tell you that I am 100% sure that it is better than any thing the doctors will do or give you. I've tried it both ways, and without it I took 4 time as much morphine (and the like) and weighed 115lbs., while since I have been smoking pot again, (I'm 50+ and did use it in my younger days), I have gained 25lbs. and the need as I said 1/4 the narcotics (who wants to spend their life slobbering all the time?), and seem to digest my food better! We all dont have the necessary cash to or insurance to get the care i need. I'm like many who was forced to pay FICA tax but now that I need it, (for meds and what little financial support), have been in a 3 year war with social security to get disability. So let those who can afford the best care advise you from their comfortable chair, but the in the real world I can tell you that its not likely you'll find a doc to give you merinol, but will gladly make you a nonfunctional junkie, of course if you can pay thier fees. good luck my friend. rather than puke and grown, I will now eat a sandwich.

I was recently diagnosed with chronic panareatitis, i think it was brought on by eating too much fast food. I drive a cab and everyday I would eat at McD's, wendys,taco bell, burger king.No more! I was told to avoid fatty foods, greasy foods, fried foods,spicy foods,red meat,dairy alcohol and caffiene. Rice is the best thing and veggies are good.I eat fish and some chicken, it seems to be working, I feel a lot better.I'm still experimenting and would like learn more about diet,whats good and what's not recipes etc. You definatly have to quit alcohol. I had pain for a year and a half, off and on till I was finally diagnosed. It cost 15,000 just for tests to find out what I had, colonoscopy,CT scan, etc. As for smoking weed, I dont think it would hurt, pancreatitis is a disease of the gastro intestinal system so I don't think that what you put into your lungs would have that much effect on it. I mean, Oxycondon, morphine are OK but marijuana isn't? Give me a break. Weed is way better than alcohol if you must get high on something and you can quit smoking tobacco if you smoke pot instead.

i too have cp took 3+ yrs to get disabillity. i would have 100% SURLY DIED HAD I NOT USED POT TO HELP AT LEAST KEEP ENOUGH FOOD TO KEEP MY HEART BEATING. so let them say what they will i know.

I think I might have it too. Chronic upper left quadrant pain, bloating, and gas(when I am lucky). I had a ultrasound and they say no. HELP.

They did an x-ray on me one time and I told them I had pancreatic episodes before and I know my pain so they looked at my lypase or something a noticed it was elevated even though the x-ray was negative. They don't always catch it. For me they did not catch my pancreatitis for about six years, until I wound up in the ICU.

I enjoy the poster recommends that you should down an opiate cocktail with the prescription drugs such as morphine and oxycodone but mentions to steer clear from smoking marijuana, as it may worsen your symptoms.

To this poster suggesting habit forming, addictive, harmful chemical substances, I ask you... Have you ever compared the side effects of these prescribed painkillers with those of marijuana? Even the anti-nausea's being prescribed have listed side effects of diarrhea and get this, it's weird... NAUSEA. I could be wrong, but isn't the point of taking medication to alleviate the discomfort?Marinol or dronabinol also lists nausea as a common side effect. Marinol is also a synthetic man made compound. Why would you want something tossed together by a couple of mad scientists, when you could have an organic all natural alternative?

Marijuana is extremely efficient at relieving symptoms of pain and nausea without any serious long term side effects. This is the part where all the anti-marijuana bandwagon jumpers will die to chime in and scream that marijuana smoke contains just as many harmful toxins and carcinogens that are found in tobacco cigarettes.

Get this Republicans... most responsible marijuana users don't smoke joints every hour on the hour for 5 min smoke breaks like cigarette smokers. Often times water filtered devices are used to help remove a great bulk of the harmful toxins that are usually caused by the incinerating of plant material. A great bulk of EDUCATED marijuana users have even turned to vaporizing. When marijuana is vaporized no flame is ever introduced to the plant material, this creates a productive dosage with less toxins than you breath on your daily freeway trip to work. So wait, if we have eliminated smoking of the product as being the only REAL danger of smoking marijuana we are left with a non toxic borderline miracle drug? SIGN ME UP!

I have dealt with the pains and discomfort of Chronic Pancreatitis for most of my life, and have been through the gauntlet of prescribed drugs, for pain, nausea, antacid and even depression caused from fearing I'll never have a normal appetite again, and the fear of not wanting to sleep because I know that "male morning sickness" as I have so lovingly nicknamed it, will be waiting for me when the sun rises. I realized that when taking prescription opiates to manage pain, I mostly slept alot, and when I was awake I was irritable, nauseous and full of anger to those around me that lived "normal lives". A friend of mine turned me on to marijuana and I have been using this as my primary pain management and appetite enhancer. With marijuana I am able to live life again, be around friends and family, eat great food and maintain a more healthy weight of 120 as opposed to the doctors remedied weight of 107.

If marijuana works for you, DO IT. Get a vaporizer, learn how to make herbal tinctures with marijuana, learn to cook with cannabis and learn the truth. ALWAYS question your doctor about the possible use of herbal remedies before loading up full of expensive pharmaceutical toxins.

I suffered more at the hands of the multitude of very strong opoid painkillers prescribed for chronic pancreatitus than was necessary. After being a zombiefied wreck for the best part of two years i made a decision i would rather be in pain than contend with the problems of long term painkiller use (i'm sure you all know them). After going through an extended period of cold turkey due to the way in which i was weaned of the various pills i found that cannabis use was a much better way of lessening the discomfort doled out by the disease.
It has helped me regain some of the weight i lost, increased my appetite, (i would often go 5-6 days without eating as the pain intensified when food was taken) and helped settle my nerves a bit as they had become quite frazzled by two years of relentless hurt.
Due to using cannabis i have managed to rid myself of fentanyl, Dihydrocodiene and diazapan habits and while it was not easy with pot as a crutch, it would have been a hell of a lot harder without. The one problem i could forsee if you plan on using pot as part of ongoing treatment for the pain (apart from legality issues) is that when the disease strikes you are not in any condition to be out trying to find a sativa source.