Have you ever been prescribed medicine for an illness? Chances are you have, and you have had to deal with the side effects that come along with them. The debilitating bodily side effects are awful, but there are countless other side effects you may not consider.
The skyrocketing expenses associated with prescription drugs can affect how you budget your money. Having to take prescription medication at particular times can ruin your day if you forget it at home. If you have a chronic illness, you may have to deal with these side effects for your entire life. Many people are fed up with taking prescription medicine and are turning to an all-natural cure for their illnesses, cannabis.
Americans across the country are beginning to embrace the healing powers of cannabis. Medical marijuana is becoming widely available, but many states are still slow to legalize medical marijuana. However, in recent years, legal cannabis has broken into markets around the United States. Alternative cannabinoids, like CBD and Delta 8 THC, are now legal in many states that still outlaw medical marijuana. These alternative cannabinoids bring the healing power of cannabis into accessible, all-natural products that those suffering from the yoke of prescription medicine can embrace.
Sadly, cannabis is not a miracle drug that will stop any illness in its tracks. There are limits to the healing qualities of cannabis, but they can be life-changing when used correctly. Cannabis products can ease severe side effects like headaches and nausea and help with inflammation and pains better than any over-the-counter drug. If you are wondering if cannabis can help with your prescription medicine’s side effects, and potentially replace your prescription medication, read on to find out more.
Embracing Replacing
Millions of Americans use medical marijuana. A 2020 study estimated that there were 3.6 million medical marijuana patients across the United States. Many patients in the study reported success with medical marijuana, as 65% of patients reported a reduction or total elimination of their medication due to cannabis. These numbers are remarkable and show that cannabis is an effective medical tool.
Furthermore, cannabis treats certain illnesses, disorders, and side effects more effectively than others. A 2021 study asked people who used cannabis as medication what ailments they were trying to treat. They found that cannabis was primarily used for replacing pain medication, antidepressants, and arthritis medication. This is terrific because many prescription medications cause horrible side effects than can potentially last your entire life.
One of the most popular prescription drugs doctors prescribe as painkillers are opioids. Opioids are effective at numbing chronic and acute pain but have serious side effects. They can cause chronic constipation that usually requires another prescription medication to prevent. Furthermore, they can result in life-long addiction in the form of physical dependence. Essentially, if you take opioids for long enough, your body will not operate without them in your system. Therefore, even if you want to quit taking them, you may have to take them for the rest of your life just to survive. It should be no surprise that many people with chronic pain are turning to cannabis to replace their prescription opioids. Cannabis does not have debilitating side effects like opioids since there is no risk of life-long physical dependence. Also, cannabis is an effective painkiller.
You may be wondering why cannabis is not prescribed more. The number of opioid prescriptions fell to its lowest level in 2020, and there were still an astonishing 142 million opioid prescriptions in America, per the CDC. Considering there were only 3.6 million medical marijuana prescriptions as of 2020, why is cannabis not prescribed nearly as much as opioids? The answer might be more disturbing than you expect.
Cannabis: Big Pharma’s Worst Nightmare
The cost of medical services in the United States is outrageous. The costs of medical insurance, doctor visits, and prescription medication add up shockingly fast. You may think this is the cost of doing business, but the reality is much more insidious. Pharmaceutical companies are not chiefly concerned with helping sick people; they are mainly interested in the bottom dollar. Pharmaceutical companies collude to keep drug prices high when they could actually be sold for far less. Furthermore, pharmaceutical companies only make money when you take their drugs, so if you stop taking them, they stop making money. This process led to the rise of the opioid epidemic in the United States.
Pharmaceutical companies have spent millions of dollars to ensure Americans remain addicted to opioids. Pharmaceutical companies create and sell insanely expensive drugs, but they do not prescribe them, doctors prescribe medication. You may believe that doctors have your best interest at heart, but many are influenced by pharmaceutical companies. Although it is illegal for pharmaceutical companies to pay doctors to promote specific medications, they can give lavish gifts to doctors. Studies show that doctors given gifts from pharmaceutical companies are much more likely to prescribe their drugs, like opioids. Once doctors prescribe opioids, their patients are much more likely to become lifelong addicts, continually spending money on prescription drugs. There may seem like there is no way out of this vicious cycle, but cannabis provides a new alternative to buying products from Big Pharma.
Alternative cannabinoids are now legally available across the United States and are making a huge splash in the medical market. Cannabinoids like CBD are lauded for their all-natural healing powers. A dropper of CBD can provide additional immune protection, a puff from a Delta 8 vape can deliver instant pain relief, and topical CBD creams can target aching joints and muscles. Pain that was once treated by addictive opioids is now treatable with cannabis. Unlike giant pharmaceutical companies, cannabinoid products have your best interest at heart. Cannabinoid products are all about making you feel better, whether that is a euphoric high or non-psychoactive pain relief. There are no nasty side effects with cannabis, as the most you might experience is a craving for some junk food. Finally, cannabis is affordable. For what it costs for a single prescription pill, you can get days of relief with cannabis products. If you are done with astronomical medical bills, nauseating side effects, and dealing with crooked pharmaceutical companies, cannabis is your solution.
Conclusion
Overall, you cannot solve all of your medical problems with cannabis. The last thing you should do after reading this article is quit all of your prescription medication and
start using cannabinoids. Many prescription medicines are lifesaving, and many doctors have your best interest at heart. However, cannabis is more than an alternative to prescription medication; it is a medicine in its own right. If you are suffering from chronic pain, anxiety, or depression, cannabis may be the low-cost, all-natural cure you need to change your life.