This thread has been a great help to me. I have smoked on and off for many years with no real side effects. But recently have been having back problems, which has now resulted in a herniated disc, which is compressing on my sciatic nerve. I found myself smoking more to try and alleviate the pain. It took a few weeks for me to realize that it was actually causing me more pain. I have always been an advocate for legalizing the stuff, but after my recent experience and reading this thread, I feel I am likely to become just the opposite. I had never ever heard of anyone who it actually caused more pain to, and so just as with most of you, I thought it couldn't be. I therefore punished myself unnecessarily, for longer than I should have. Thankfully nowhere near as long as some of you! But I was sooo mad at myself for doing it, once I realized it really was causing me more pain. I wish there was more info and research out there about this, but i am so happy to have come across this thread, which has helped confirm what I already worked out for myself. For me it just made my sciatic nerve pain unbearable, I felt like I could feel every nerve in my butt and it made my back feel weaker. Thank goodness for this thread as it has helped me to make the decision to give up forever, instead of thinking that maybe it was only because I am already in pain, that it is intensifying it. I still think that could be the case for me, but after reading some of your stories, I don't think I will ever touch it again. It sucked because I couldn't even have one last hurrah and I really have enjoyed it in my life. But not enough to risk any of this.
I also thought i was the only person with this issue. 3 years ago i was diagnosed with stage 4 metastitic osteo sarcoma (bone cancer spread to more then one place in my body) and Li-fraumeni. I had 11 surgeries and 2 major ones, most of the bone in my left leg is metal, and i have 3 metal ribs. i used to smoke before i got cancer every now and then and my back wouldnt hurt, only after chemo and my surgeries, im also extremely stressed and depressed from post traumatic distress syndrome. my leg and ribs cause a lot of pain so went with MJ, it helped for awhile but my back pain got worse and worse...ive been smoking for like 2-3 years straight, and i eat brownies. the only time i started to realize it was the weed is when i went on vacation in hawaii for 11 days and my back actually didnt hurt... when i got back i started smoking again and it instantly came back. i notice the more i walk and exercise the better it gets. i do kinda have bad posture from being a gamer. it is kinda scary because how close it is to my kindeys, anyone elses pain near their kidneys? durning chemo i got addicted to my meds (oxycotin) and they kept me in the hospital at the end to get me off, durning that time i experienced some of the WORST back pain ive ever felt in my life from the addiction... it reminds me A LOT of the pain the weed gives me. Last night was the worst it has ever gotten and i almost went to the emergency room. this is a real bummer because weed is litterly the only thing that gets rid of my bone pain...im screwed now. if anyone is having this issue, cut back or stop completely because my back pain was so bad i was in tears... its not worth it.. it will get worse. (lower back, left side more then the right). if anyone has any solutions please get a hold of me.:'(
I'm not a doctor, but I've had a similar reaction to weed. I believe it's because prolongued smoking messes with your endorphins. I think the pain is real, but the weed isn't causing it, it's just causing you to actually be aware of it.
When endorphins are released it causes pain relief. When they are being released at a natural level, it may be enough to dull your aches for most of the day... but when you smoke weed (or do other similar things) the burst of pleasure burns out your endorphins. So you'll feel great for about 10 minutes, but then you'll start to REALLY feel your body.
If you're noticing this problem I would highly recommend cutting back your smoking. This is the very definition of too much of a good thing.
For a temporary solution: go to sleep. Really, it replenishes the endorphins.
I have the exact same problem and can't find anything to explain it!!! So frustrating. I want to be able to smoke because it makes my head happy. It felt like I had rebroken the three bones I had broken earlier in my life. My spine would contract and I couldn't stand or sit straight.
This is an extremely interesting and helpful thread. However, i haven't seen my exact same symptoms mentioned, and they also relate to back and chest pain after smoking/vaporizing.. but just not when i am smoking. Always the next day.. and then for days after.
I am 44 and have been smoking for 20 years. Daily for a lot of those years. And i have NEVER experienced this before. It started about 4 months ago, and its driving me crazy because i truly enjoy getting high and it helps alot with gastrointestinal issues that i have. I just don't know what do. I keep hoping that the herb is not the cause, but every time i take a break and the pain goes away, I give it another try. If i smoke once or twice it doesn't seem to bring it back, but then i feel like I'm OK and i start smoking more frequently and it comes back.
I do not experience the pain when i actually smoke, its always the morning after. I will smoke/vaporize and feel great. Then the next morning i will feel pain in my upper back on the right side. Again, i do NOT feel the pain when i am actually high, but the next day. And then the pain fades over the course of the day and is back the next morning. If i just stop smoking, then slowly the pain goes away over a couple weeks.
Then about two weeks ago, after not having smoked for a few weeks and not feeling any pain, i smoked for a few days. Just once a day, and i started having chest pain on the same side (right side). It doesn't seem to be lung pain, more muscular. I saw my doctor about it, and he agreed that it was some kind of muscle strain. I told him about my concerns regarding marijuana being the cause and he said he thought it was highly unlikely.
Now its been about a week since i last vaporized (which is how i typically ingest) and the chest pain has slowly gotten better.
I have seen posts about the possibility of hydroponic weed causing the issue, and i have to say i noticed the symptoms return much more directly when i was smoking stuff i get regularly, which definitely appears to be hydro, as it is quite strong. I haven't been able to experiment clearly with Sative vs. Indica, but i have had some weird reactions to Sativas in the past. Anxiety that lasted for a few days... in a similar pattern to the pain, ie not at the time of smoking, but the next morning and then it would fade over the course of the day.
I don't have any existing back or chest muscle issues, and this just started suddenly a few months ago. A few years ago, i switched from a water pipe to vaporizing to lessen the damage i could be doing to my lungs and with the hope that i could continue to get high well into old age. This is a super bummer as i really don't like drinking or any other type of drug (not even coffee). Marijuana is my thing as has been my "friend" for so long, i just hate the idea of giving it up.
Any thoughts out there would be much appreciated. I'm going to continue to experiment and just cut back in general, but would really like to find a way or type of weed that would allow me to keep up my friendly habit.
Cannabis heightens sensation. This means that it'll increase any pain you are already feeling as well as increase the pleasure in activities such as sex. I smoke weed and have found that it aggravates any back pain I have and have also found it to increase pain to uncomfortable levels when I've had tooth ache. Also I think that the general slack posture doesn't help when you're stoned! A recent study showed cannabis to increase sensitivity to pain, conversely it has also been shown to augment the effects of opiates taken by those who suffer chronic pain. So I don't think it's a cause of pain but instead increases any mild pain your already have but possibly haven't noticed.
Great point Mikey.
I have the same thing, but I'm thinking it could be because smoking sometimes gives me anxiety. Tension and pain are common symptoms of anxiety and I know I get a little anxious when I smoke so it makes sense, along with posture and heightened sensitivity. I think it's time to part ways with it.
my back tension pain experience - I had the same problem as Jenn for 1 or 2 years. In my case, I don't think that it was a sensitivity increase, but an increase in awareness. When I'm high I'm pretty zenned out and the pain/discomfort just gets in the way. I smoked weed for years before it started happening. I'd be so conscious of the tension in my back/shoulders that I'd constantly be shifting and trying to correct it, making me even more tense/anxious. The anxiety was so bad that I felt like moments went by blur by blur and interacting with strangers or people I am not entirely comfortable with was a lot more difficult. It made my weed-smoking experience totally unpleasant. I'm generally a very social and confident person and it was weird to not feel like myself in that way. Good news though - eventually stopped thinking about it so much, and naturally, after months of trying to fix it, I can smoke again, with no anxiety for the most part. And the tension - virtually non-existent, unless I'm already tense from the day. I find it helps if you just relax (without being hard on yourself about relaxing, slouch if need be) instead of trying to hold a position you think is correct and worsening your symptoms. A lot of it is in your head, you think about it, you feel it more. Try not to think about it, without thinking about trying not to think about it haha. That's really the hardest part. You can worry about your posture when you're not stoned anymore. In an entirely unrelated note, I don't smoke weed often anymore. I used to light up daily, or about 4/5 times a week. When I smoke now I get so retardedly (for lack of a better term) high, I'll forget about what I'm saying mid-sentence and just be totally spaced out. My friends slow down too but not nearly as much as I do, but they do smoke a lot more frequently. Sober, I am probably the sharpest, not to toot my own horn. Does this happen to anyone?
Look, Marijuana is a wonderful drug, but like most drugs out there, there are potential side effects. They can vary, but it is not uncommon for you to experience these side effects as you have mentioned. Some people can perform their daily duties while high but I would bet most cant. There is no way I could come to work high as I am a financial analyst and deal with numbers all day. I would just make way too many mistakes. Its almost the same as I would never come to work drunk. Regarding pain, I have commmented on this site before and I have experienced this problem as well. Its not so much the back, but any type of pain I have can sometimes be intensified and I think this is a common problem people here are relating to. One trick that I do sometimes (if Im going to smoke a lot on a given night) is take an advil or tylenol before I smoke. Any pain that you might feel will go away once the medicaiton kicks in, leaving me with the pleasentness of being high. That being said, Im not a pill junky and dont do that often. The other trick I do is just DONT SMOKE THAT MUCH AT ONCE. I take one or two hits and im good. Its almost like drinking, have 3 beers instead of drinking your own 12 pack, or have 2 mixed drinks instead of drinking the while bottle. I dont think I can ever give up weed, but with proper management (just like drinking) you can enjoy it for the rest of your life.