Hello everyone, I have never used any form of ‘social media’ so please bear with me if I get things wrong on here. I am a 73 yr old guy with PPMS. My main issue (there are a few) is foot drop and loss of control in one leg. I am told there is absolutely no medication available to me as I have a ‘good’ leg and any intervention could compromise that. I read of man in Australia with PPMS who after taking cannabis was able to throw away his walking stick, reduced many of his MS symptoms, and felt alive again. He said he used a very large amount of cannabis, but gave no details. I have been using medical cannabis (50% THC, 50% CBD) by prescription for some months but have seen no improvement as yet. The neurologist has suggested that medical cannabis might not be for me. He seemed to have little experience of treating MS. My plea to the community is - does anyone have any experience of using cannabis to assist mobility, and if so, what dose/quantity of cannabis achieved that, and how long did it take to get positive results?
I only used it at night as it eased spacticity in the legs in bed. Too worried about driving during the day and/or being a little stoned at work. Swtching to Sativex from actual cannabis has made dosing a little easier for those circumstances
I don’t have PPMS myself, but my uncle has MS with a lot of stiffness and trouble lifting one leg properly, so I kinda recognise what you’re describing. For him, cannabis didn’t magically fix the foot drop, but it did loosen up the muscles enough that walking and physio were less of a fight. The big change was more in how “stuck” his leg felt rather than strength suddenly coming back.
What seemed to matter most was the type and timing rather than just taking a big 50/50 dose and hoping for the best. He ended up using smaller amounts spread around the day and a bit more in the evening before doing his stretching. It took a few weeks to notice anything, not days.
He got his prescription adjusted through a doctor on LeafyRX, who actually asked more about mobility and spasticity than pain or sleep. That was helpful, but it was still very much trial and error and all done alongside his neurologist, not instead of them.
So yeah, there are people who see some improvement in how they move, but it’s usually subtle and tied to reduced stiffness, not a complete turnaround. If your current mix hasn’t done anything, it might be more about tweaking type/ratio and goals with a doctor than just increasing the amount.
Gerryvbc, I was referred to the pain clinic several months ago for spasticity and Trigeminal neuralgia. The only medication I can take is gabapentin, and baclofen, but as these were increased it caused a whole host of other issues, including gut function, bladder retention and even self catheterising couldn’t relieve this issue. I was seen at the pain clinic, and at present I’m on a trial of sativex morning and evening, it’s taken a few weeks, but it’s taken the edge of the pain, and eased some of the stabbing pains I’ve been experiencing. It’s definitely worth a try especially if there’s a chance of some relief for you.