Tag Archives: patches

Mary’s Medicinals Transdermal Patch Review

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Mary’s Medicinals is my favorite brand of transdermal patch. They come in Indica, Sativa, THCa, CBD and CBN. The CBN one is a standout for its help with getting to sleep and staying asleep.

MARYS PATCHesTransdermal patches like these are placed on a clean patch of skin and deliver the medication through the skin. With patches, the amount of medicine released is consistent and can keep the effects going for a full 12 hours. I like to use rubbing alcohol to clean the area of skin both before I put the patch on and after I take it off. Recommended locations for applying patches are the inside of wrists and the tops of feet.

Dosing & Effects

Mary's CBN patch

CBN – I have experimented with half of a patch and one quarter of a CBN patch (both are shown in the picture with pre-2018 packaging). With half of a patch I started to feel the effects within 20 minutes and I was ready to go to bed not long after 30 minutes. With one quarter of a patch the effects took a little longer but still provided a strong relaxed feeling that is perfect to help get to sleep and avoid insomnia.

The quarter patch dose has become one of my preferred tools for those nights when I need some extra help getting into sleep mode or I want to interrupt insomnia.

With the CBD, THCa, Sativa and Indica patches, those also provide a strong dose that is long lasting. A friend with nerve pain in his feet prefers THCa to his prescribed pills. I have used the CBD patches on areas where I have aches in my muscles or in joints and I often find relief, it depends on the source of the pain. I like being able to put a patch near my hip or on my shoulder to focus the effects in that area. While it is a transdermal and not a topical, it does seem to help, specifically with the CBD, to reduce inflammation in the area.

Patches are the longest lasting way to have a consistent stream of medicine. Most edibles at a standard dose last a maximum of six hours, smoking/vaping usually less, so for folks with chronic conditions – especially pain – transdermal patches are a great choice. Much better than popping pills every four hours.

Highly recommend Mary’s Medicinals transdermal patches!

Strength: 9

Flavor: n/a

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

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.

Papa & Barkley Cannabis Transdermal Patches Review

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Prior to the legalization of cannabis in California in January 2018, the only brand of transdermal patches available in the local Northern California dispensary was Papa & Barkley. We have tried several of their formulations, including the CBD, the 3:1 (THC:CBD) and the 1:3 (THC:CBD). We have also tried Mary’s Medicinals patches in the CBD,  Sativa, Indica, and CBN formulas.

Read our Introduction to Transdermal Patches and our Review of Mary’s CBN Patch.

We are not a fan of Papa & Barkley’s (P&B) products based on our experience of their product quality, formulation and effects.

Unlike Mary’s, several times the P&B patches come out of the package discolored and sometimes the back of the patch is sticky as if the medicine had seeped out from the sticky layer. Maybe this is from improper handling, maybe they got hot and melted or leaked, but we never experienced this with Mary’s. In this image you can see how the patch is discolored.

Papa & Barkley use camphor and menthol in their formulations. I recently used a patch of theirs and the smell of camphor was so sickeningly strong it gave me a headache. My skin is not oversensitive generally, but after wearing the patch for little over an hour, I had to take it off as it was creating a painful burning sensation. Even after taking it off, hours later I still smelled like camphor.

I’m very sensitive to the sedating, relaxing and sometimes sleepy effects of Indica. Papa & Barkley don’t indicate if their THC is Sativa or Indica, so you are rolling the dice if you are sensitive to one or the other, or if you are looking for a specific effect. We did not like the THC effects of the patch, it felt too much like an Indica-type feeling of lethargy. Creating formulas that are Indica or Sativa specific is much more helpful to people looking to use the products to different effects.

While I am a fan of patches, the uneven quality, strong unpleasant smell, and the lack of Indica/Sativa specific formulas makes Papa & Barkley a product I am not in a hurry to use again.

Strength: 5

Website: http://papaandbarkley.com

Papa & Barkley’s THC and CBD Cannabis Transdermal Patches Review

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I have not had great experiences with Papa & Barkley’s transdermal patches – see my review of them here. As I always want to give products the benefit of the doubt, I tried a 3:1 formulation with 21mg of THC and 7.76mg of CBD. I document the effects I experienced throughout a day in this post.

Morning

Papa & Barkley Transdermal THC CBD Patch showing discoloration and seepage
Papa & Barkley Patch showing discoloration and seepage

9:10 am – After a shower, applied alcohol to the inside wrist to clean it. Opened the Papa & Barkley patch container. I noticed discoloration and “seeping” of the ingredients from inside the patch to the patch surface, which shows up as discolored brown areas. I tried wiping off the sticky area but they just pill and clump, the stickiness won’t wipe off. I noticed the strong smell of camphor that is usual with this brand of transdermal patch. I set a timer to help document effects.

9:25am – I begin to feel some irritation on my skin, partly the menthol and camphor but also an uncomfortable slight stinging sensation.

9:50am – I feel some impacts of the THC in my sinuses and somewhat in my body. I feel very little pain relief. The stinging sensation where the patch is on my skin continues, a little more irritating but not so painful that I want to remove it.

10:05am – I’m feeling more of the THC effect, stronger “high” feeling in my muscles, slightly spacey head. Very mild pain relief, as if I took a dose of ibuprofen.

10:50am – Effect has plateaued, been steady for about the last 30 minutes. From the effects I’m experiencing I think the THC in this batch might be a Sativa-dominant hybrid, as I feel the head-focused effects more than any body effects. The heady effects include heightened senses, especially sight and smell, some calming, anti-anxiety effects and a mild sense of well being. There were also some mild relaxing body effects.

Afternoon

12:20pm – Effects stayed pretty consistent over the last two hours. Went for a nice long walk with the dog and didn’t feel too tired or lethargic, energy stayed pretty steady. Consistent irritating feeling where the patch is.

1:21pm – After lunch, the effects decreased noticeably. Instead of a tired, nap-oriented feeling it is more like a fading of the effects. Still experienced some relaxing effects and ability to concentrate is still good but the energy and head effects have diminished. Stinging on skin at patch site remains as does very strong unpleasant smell of menthol and camphor.

2:00pm – With the effects almost gone and the stinging on the skin continuing, I removed the patch and cleaned the area with alcohol. Left a pink/red patch on my skin from the irritation.

Conclusion

While the patches are effective, the drawbacks of the leaky patch plus the irritation to my nose and my skin turns me off from these patches. I have friends who are less sensitive to the smell and the skin irritation that use them to manage pain and inflammation, so I know some folks don’t experience the same downsides as I do.

My preference is still for Mary’s Medicinals patches