Living with IBS can be difficult. Ever since my diagnosis last year, I’ve done everything the doctors told me to do. None of it has worked. I changed my diet, exercised more, and tried many different supplements and herbs including magnesium citrate, aloe vera juice, bentonite clay, chamomile tea, and others. Some worked, but not for long and not to the extent that made me comfortable.
Since then, I’ve decided to try medical marijuana and CBD oils for IBS. The difference has been incredible. I’ll tell you all about it right now!
First, I will describe how to choose between medical marijuana and CBD oils for IBS treatments and discuss the impact they can have on your life.
What is Irritable Bowel Syndrome?
Irritable bowel syndrome (“IBS”) is a very common disorder of the digestive tract.
It affects both men and women at all ages. You might suspect that you have IBS if you feel constantly blotted, have recurring diarrhea or constipation, headaches, and abdominal pain.
What’s very characteristic about IBS is that most of these symptoms go away once you pass gas or go to the toilet. You’ll feel instant relief.
IBS is a benign condition, but can be irritating to live with. If you have these symptoms, then go see a doctor to get tested for IBS.
Don’t try and diagnose yourself with IBS. Your doctor will need to run tests to ensure you have nothing more serious causing these issues.
Conditions such as anxiety, depression, and sleeping problems can also be associated with IBS. If you suffer from these symptoms, then you shouldn’t postpone getting a diagnosis and treatment.
Your quality of life will greatly improve when you bring your IBS under control!
Medical Marijuana vs CBD oils for IBS Treatment.
Medical marijuana and CBD oils treat IBS in different ways.
- Medical marijuana, rich in THC, reduces intestinal motility. This alleviates the pain that results from spasms caused by excess motility.
- CBD oil works by reducing inflammation. They also work on their receptors in the GIT to reduce pain.
As you can see, you have two options. You have to choose what works best for you.
The first is to use medical marijuana and benefit from its high concentrations of THC. But this has a price. THC has psychoactive effects and will provide you with a “high.”
CBD is better in that it is also effective for an IBS treatment by reducing inflammation and pain. However, it avoids the effects of THC on the mind. Also with CBD, you don’t need to worry about drug testing.
There’s a general consensus that compounds with high CBD and low THC are the optimal choice. That’s the conclusion I also came to through my experience with the two. So look into medical marijuana with high CBD and low THC levels or CBD oils that have high CBD and very low THC (0.3%) levels.
My Journey and Dosage Using CBD Oil for IBS.
My journey to relief started by using CBD oil. Luckily, I live in a state where medical marijuana is legal. So I can use either option. However, at the start, I didn’t want to go through the trouble of getting a medical marijuana card and prescription. The easy option was to try CBD oil. So, that’s the one I took.
I tried CBDPure CBD oil and hemp oil from Endoca. CBDPure oil really controlled my IBS and provided me with much relief.
I didn’t need to worry about feeling constipated, bloated, and/or wanting to rush to the toilet anymore. My life is so much better now. The CBD also helped me with my insomnia and anxiety. So there are residual benefits as well.
When it comes to the dosage of CBD oil for IBS treatment, you must find out what works best for you. Like with almost every other treatment in the world, what works best for one may not work for you.
The best course of action would be for you to start with a small dose and raise the dosage gradually if required. Once you find a suitable dosage that satisfies you, you should stop increasing the dosage.
Personally, I started at 1-2mg 2-3 times a day. I gradually increased it to 5-10mg 3 times a day. This was the optimal dose for me. Some might need higher and some lower, doses.
When to Consider Medical Marijuana for IBS Treatment?
If your IBS is so severe that CBD oil isn’t working for you, you should consider shifting to medical marijuana. Medical marijuana is more potent like we said before. You can take it through inhalation by vaping or smoking. Taking it by inhalation will provide you with immediate relief as it enters the circulation quickly through the lungs.
Only in extreme cases should you consider medical marijuana. For most people, CBD oils will be more than enough. However, be careful. You might be taking poor quality CBD oil and thinking that it’s not working for you. When in fact, the problem is in the inferior product.
When you purchase CBD oil, which can be done online, you need to put a little effort into finding good quality. You should consider purchasing your CBD oils from a lab that can tell you the exact concentrations of CBD and THC in the oil.
CBD oils worked fine for me as they will for most of you. Review the product you are buying if you think that it isn’t working for you despite increasing the dosage. If you’re positive that the product you are using is of high quality and you’ve already increased the dose without results, then start thinking about trying medical marijuana.
Thank you for reading our medical marijuana vs CBD oil for IBS treatment article. I hope that you are able to benefit from my experience.
IBS, despite being a benign condition with no real consequence, can still affect a person’s lifestyle. Having to silence your gut during a meeting or leaving class to go the bathroom can be a very irritating experience. It affects our busy schedules and lifestyles.
CBD oil and medical marijuana can really make our day to day lives more enjoyable.
If you have experience with marijuana or CBD oil in treating IBS, then please share it with us in the comments. I’m sure most people looking into this have tried most else and would like to know as much as possible about this treatment option.
Learn more:
PMC, Therapeutic Use of Cannabis in Inflammatory Bowel Disease
PubMed, Cannabidiol in inflammatory bowel diseases: a brief overview
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