Tag Archives: Pain Management

Transdermal Patches: An Introduction

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I first learned about transdermal patches from a good friend in Colorado whose son uses the CBD patches for pain management. For their privacy, we’ll call them Brenda and Will. Brenda had the patches recommended by a doctor for Will’s pain related to cerebral palsy. They are easy to apply and have much less side effects than opioids (and most other pain pills). The transdermal’s effects last up to 12 hours, so you don’t have to remember every 4 or 6 hours to administer another dose – or wake up to take them in the middle of the night. While other medications are necessary for his complete pain management, the CBD patches provide a more reliable and consistent foundation of pain relief than Will has ever had.

Brenda then shared that she had used them for pain as well, including after she had knee surgery. When she went in for her 3 month checkup after the surgery, her doctor was surprised to see that the knee had healed as well as if it had been 6 months. He asked her what she had done to accelerate her healing and she shared how the CBD patches had helped manage the pain and must had had an impact on the healing.

She wears the transdermal patches herself as needed for pain relief and other effects.

The transdermal patch is something like a nicotine patch, if you’ve ever seen one of those. It has an outer layer that often looks like a type of bandage fabric, a layer of medication in a medium designed to dispense consistently while worn, then a layer of adhesive to make sure it sticks to your skin.

Patches come in either single formula or a mix. They can comes as THC-Sativa, THC-Indica, THCa, CBD or CBN. There are slao patches with rations, such as CBD/THC 1:1.

To apply them, you find an area of your skin that is venous like the inside of your wrist or ankle. You can apply them close to a point of pain like a knee or hip as well, just try to make sure the area is free of oil, hair or scars. Use isopropyl alcohol to clean the area before applying the patch. Apply it firmly and evenly to ensure it adheres well to your skin. We like to use rubbing alcohol not only to clean the area but that it helps to remove the adhesive once you remove the patch.

Usually patches provide an even, long lasting effect as they release over time. As with edibles, the effects can be impacted by what you eat. If you feel the effects are too strong, try eating something to see if that reduces the effect. The effects can be boosted by using transdermal gels, edibles or smoking flowers. Always get to know your reactions to individual products first before combining them.

A favorite is Mary’s CBN patch, used to help you get to sleep and stay asleep. My local dispensaries often sell out of them within days whenever they get them in.

Read the Review: Mary’s CBN Transdermal Patch.

Transdermal CBD Gel Trampled My Pain

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A good friend was sharing her positive experiences with transdermal patches, and she whipped out the Mary’s Medicinals transdermal gel pens that she uses to boost the effects of the patches. The lotion-like gel is what gave me my initial first-hand experience with a transdermal CBD application.

Besides the pens, Mary’s Medicinals also makes transdermal patches in several formulas – THC Sativa, THC Indica, CBD, and more. Mary’s makes transdermal gel pens in similar formulas. Each pen dispenses a measured amount of medicated gel, that is similar in consistency to a skin lotion.

Mary's Medicinals Transdermal Gel Pens

I was experiencing severe pain in my left wrist, unable to support any weight with it in several different positions.  Traditional pain relievers (advil, aspirin, tylenol) didn’t make much of a dent in the pain. I tried ingesting THC and CBD tinctures which provided some general relief but didn’t target the pain. It had gone on for weeks and I was about to make an appointment with my doctor to see if it was arthritis or something more serious.

My friend suggested I try the transdermal lotion. I rubbed a nickel-sized portion of the CDB lotion on my wrist and within an hour the pain was completely gone. I have had no sign of the pain since then and it has been over 6 months. From that point on, I have been an advocate for transdermal CBD application. Whether as a topical gel or in transdermal patches, it works especially well for pain that is specific to one area.

My pain was likely from inflammation, which CBD can be great at reducing. I have also used the CBD gel rubbed on my temples to reduce headache pain or on the back of my neck at the base of the skull when I feel tension built up there. The great thing about the pen is that it dispenses small portions so it easier to control how much you use.

For general aches and pains, edibles and tinctures are fantastic. For pain in specific areas, transdermal gels and patches provide more targeted relief.

Read more about Mary’s Transdermal Pens and patches, including one of our favorites for sleep, Mary’s CBN transdermal patch.

Mary’s Medicinals Transdermal Compound 1:1

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Mary’s Medicinal Transdermal Compound has a 100mg blend of CBD, CBC and THC.

I went on a mountain drive with my husband at ended up in Silverthorne, a real ski town. Thinking that skiers have a lot of aches and pains, I thought this would be a perfect place to find effective CBD topicals. I stopped at High Country Healing and asked for suggestions on topical creams with CBD. Both of the friendly budtenders recommended Mary’s Medicinals. Although it was expensive, I bought it.

MARYS COMPOUNDThe container holds 28 grams of topical cream. It’s made with mango butter and beeswax making the compound more of a solid than a lotion. It doesn’t have a scent.

I have Dupuytren’s contracture – an arthritis – in both hands. In this situation, I am looking for pain relief, not to get high. Even though there is THC in the Compound, it won’t get you buzzed at all. I applied the product and massaged in the oils directly where I was feeling pain. After a half an hour, my hand was very soft and the Compound oils disappeared.

After 15 minutes, the palms of my hand were slightly tingly. After 30 minutes, I was almost pain free. Before I put on Mary’s Medicinals Transdermal Compound my pain level in my hand was at a 3-4, after an hour my pain level barely registered at a 1. It was enormously helpful in comparison to Motrin/Aleve. The pain relief lasted for almost three hours.

Mary’s Medicinals Transdermal Compound worked for me. I highly recommend it for anyone that is looking at CBD topicals. Although it is a little expensive at $50.00 per container in Colorado, a little goes a long way!

Taste: n/a

Strength: 8

Website: https://marysmedicinals.com/product/transdermal-compound/

Mary’s Medicinals Cannabis Transdermal Gel Pens Review

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Mary’s Medicinals has a line of transdermal gel pens that dispense a gel you rub into your skin. They come in THC Sativa, THC Indica, CBD and CBN. From their website:

“Designed as an accompaniment to our patches, Mary’s transdermal gel pens are the perfect resource for patients managing breakthrough pain, or for creating blended cannabinoid ratios. The light gel is placed directly on the skin and gently rubbed in for rapid relief.“

MARYS Transdermal PENs

Note that the gel pens are designed to “boost” the effects of the patches, not necessarily designed to be used on their own. For the purpose of understanding their effects alone first, we have used them alone to create these reviews.

The pens contain 100mg of gel and dispense a 2mg dose with each “click” on the pen. Since they are applied to the skin the effects are often felt almost immediately, although the full effect can take several hours. When I use the gel pens, I feel the effects almost immediately in a mild way, the full effect does usually take up to an hour.

I first encountered gel pens (old packaging above) when they cured my wrist pain (see the post Transdermal CBD Gel Trampled My Pain). We tried both the Sativa and the CBD pens and here is what we found.

Effects: CBD

I have tried it in several different ways to get to understand how it works for me. Since I am just beginning to experiment with this gel, I started by only using single doses (2mg) of the gel. Starting with using a small dose is a smart rule of thumb when trying any new product, especially edibles.

When I have had a mild headache, I have tried rubbing it onto my temples and I feel some relief with 20 minutes. I haven’t had it completely relieve the headache, but it definitely reduces the severity.

I have also tried the CBD gel rubbed on the back of my neck near at the base of my skull and on my lower back, hoping it would work a little like a muscle relaxer or pain relief gel. As with the headache, I have felt it make a difference in my discomfort, but I haven’t experienced it completely removing it. As they say, it is great as an accompaniment to patches or other foundational relief.

Effects: Sativa

When I first used the Sativa gel, I was surprised at how strong it seemed to be. I felt much more of an impact than I usually do with edibles. For some reason when I first apply the gel (usually to the inside wrist) I get a sensation in my sinuses of them opening up slightly, as if they are draining a bit. This could be down to an increase in blood flow that comes with the application due to either the THC or other ingredients.

After about an hour with a single 2mg dose, I was feeling the effects mildly, so I applied another dose. Within 30 minutes I could definitely feel the effects. Effects included feeling energetic and heightened senses. I was surprised how much impact just 4mg of the gel pens had, when I usually are using 10mg doses of one of my preferred gummies.

In my experience the effects last at least four hours and usually closer to six hours. As always the effects are impacted by how full or empty your stomach is when you take them and how much you eat or drink. (See our New to Edibles Guide for tips)

As with the CDB gel pen, I think this product will be the most useful when paired with other items, like the patches or edibles or other products. It is the perfect small dose size, allows for super easy application and has a quick onset that can boost you to the level you want.

Mary's Medicinals Sativa Gel Pen
Old Style packaging, pre-2018

Strength: 9

Flavor: n/a

Website: http://www.marysmedicinals.com/

Kiva Camino Sparkling Pear CBD Cannabis Gummies Review

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Camino cannabis gummies come in a Social formula with a Sparkling Pear flavor. This formula has 2mg of THC and 6mg of CBD per serving, for a total of 40mg THC and 120mg of CBD per package. As with the rest of the Kiva Camino range of edibles, these gummies are not just infused with distilled THC but are formulated with natural terpenes to create specific effects.

My local dispensary charges $20 for a package, making it $2.00 for each 10mg serving of THC, the same price point as the Kiva Cannabis 100mg Chocolate bars. These gummies do contain gelatin, so they are not vegetarian or vegan friendly. The tin is one you push down while you turn it to open. The gummies are not individually wrapped.

Dosing & Flavor

The smell from the tin is a natural and mild pear smell. Like the other Camino gummies, they have a lovely opaque appearance and a soft texture that is easy to bite through.

The flavor is a mild natural pear flavor that doesn’t have any bad aftertaste. A mild sour note gives these that sparking pear cider flavor.

As we always recommend with new edibles, try half of your usual dose before trying a full dose as you never know how strong something will effect you. The Camino Social gummies are easy to bite in half to give a 1mg THC/ 3mg CBD dose. Since I am experienced with edibles and my usual dose is 10mg of THC, I began with one piece, with 2mg THC and 6mg CBD. After having only light effects for that trial run, I then moved closer to my usual, taking two gummies for a total dose of 4mg THC and 12 mg CBD.

The 2:6 THC to CBD ration is an unusual dose profile and I think it’s a good one. Most edibles with a mix have THC to CBD ratios of 1:1, 4:1, 16:1 or higher. I experience very little effect from anything above a 14:1 CBD to THC ratio. You need a solid amount of THC to get the best out of the CBD effects I have found.

I find I need at least 10mg of CBD to have a noticeable effect. For me, CBD reduces the impact of THC, so if I take a 10mg edible with 10mg of THC and 10mg of CBD, I only get about 80% of the effect of 10mg of THC alone. I also know that THC boosts the effect of CBD, so I greatly prefer some THC with my CBD. With the Social Camino gummies, I found that the 12mg dose was a good one.

Effects

The effects I experienced were pain relief, plus the anti-inflammatory CBD properties. For aching joints, the CBD helps with that while the THC brings the pain reliving effect. I tried these on a bad headache and was pleasantly surprised when the headache was gone within 45 minutes. Same with aches and pains from yard work, I found it effective and long lasting.

Enjoyable flavor profiles and type-specific effects are exactly what I look for in an edible and Kiva’s Camino gummies do a great job on both counts.

Kiva Camino Cannabis Infused GummiesHero Marquee

Read the review of the other Camino gummies here.

Taste: 9

Strength: 6

Website: https://kivaconfections.com/products/camino-gummies

Emerald Sky 19:1 CBD:THC Gummy Licorice Review

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Emerald Sky makes their North Star Cherry cannabis-infused licorice in a formula of 19:1 CBD/THC. Each serving has 9.5mg of CBD and 0.5mg of THC, for a package total of 95mg CBD and 5mg THC. They also make a 10mg Sativa and a 10mg pure CBD gummy.

While they do have a mild licorice taste, this is not licorice in the usual sense of Good & Plenty or Twizzlers. If you don’t like licorice, these likely won’t bother you because cherry, strawberry and red fruit is the much more pronounced flavor.

These CBD gummies are individually packaged, which makes it easy to take one or just a couple with you, rather than taking a whole bag like most gummies. The down side is of course that there is significantly more packaging being used, a concern when it comes to the environment.

North Star Cherry THC and CBD edibles are made with organic and non-gmo sweeteners. They do contain wheat so they are not gluten free but they are vegan and free of animal products.

Dosing

As with all edibles, it is best to start with a low dose of a new product until you know how it will effect you. For someone who is experienced with edibles and whose usual dose of thc is 10mg, the .5mg of thc might not be a concern. Some folks are sensitive to the effects of CBD and may need a smaller dose, so it’s always smart to do a test run with half a dose, wait 2 hours and notice the impact.

I often need more than a 10mg dose of CBD to impact pain or discomfort, it depends on the type of pain. For muscle aches that come from extensive yard work or sleeping in an awkward position, I find I need a higher dose. If the pain comes from inflammation, like arthritis, then around 10mg can help with the pain.

With an Emerald Sky CBD gummy, after testing lower doses I found that for stubborn muscle pain I did need two doses, which provides 20mg of CBD and 1mg THC. Even with the the double dose I did not feel any psychoactive THC effects.

I was glad that with the higher does, I didn’t have any of the Indica-tyoe THC effects you get with some 1:1 THC to CBD ratio edibles. Some edibles with equal amounts of CBD and THC use Indica-dominant strains of cannabis, which can result in relaxing, sleepy or even couch-lock effects. These CBD gummies gave me none of those undesirable effects, just the anti-inflammatory and pain relief effects I wanted.

For a dependable CBD edible in single dose packaging with little to no THC effects, Emerald Sky 19:1 CBD:THC or pure CBD Cannabis Licorice Gummies are a good choice.

Taste: 5

Strength: 6

Website: https://www.emeraldskyedibles.com/