THC is contraindicated. *heavy sigh*

[mellowtigger]

This post isn't about Ukraine (despite the icon), it's about tears.  Rather, the lack of them.

After Minnesota Republicans accidentally legalized marijuana edibles with up to 5mg THC per gummy, of course I immediately ordered some.  I desperately need an alternative to liquor for getting to sleep at night.  My waistline and my liver need an improved source of anti-anxiety it's-time-to-sleep-now medication.  Before this happened, I was successfully eating 2 rehydrated hawthorn berries before going to bed.  Works great, but I noticed side effects.  (More on that story another day.)  I stopped them for a few days then switched to THC gummies.

I tried 2.5 mg first.  No effect.
I tried 5 mg.  No effect.
I tried 10 mg on another day.  No effect.
I tried 15 mg on another day.  No effect.  Being ediblocked is a real thing, apparently.
I tried 20mg on another day.  Small effect.

Finally, my eyes seemed tired and it felt good to close them.  Not sleepy at all.  Not in the slightest.  I did notice over the course of a few days, though, that I was sleeping longer than before.  So it didn't help me get to sleep, but it did help me stay asleep.

I tried reducing back to 5mg or 10mg to see if I still noticed the long sleep effect.  Not at 5mg, but a little bit at 10mg.  I stayed with 10mg doses about 3 hours before going to bed.  That worked okay.  Towards the end, though, I noticed a new side effect.  My eyes hurt.  It's like my tears were evaporating into sandpaper.  I could feel the grit on my hands as I tried to scrape it away from my sore eyes.  I looked it up, and marijuana red eyes are a real thing that happens.  Moreover, THC seems to be involved in tear gland performance via cannabinoid CB1 receptor.  Interesting.

Besides simply not responding to marijuana in the traditionally celebrated way, I also get unpleasant side effects.  Argh!  My genetics are quite unfair sometimes.  I went to the grocery store today and bought some eye drops.  I've run out of THC gummies, so hopefully my eyes return to normal soon.  Meanwhile, I restarted hawthorn berries.  It'll take a few days for them to kick in.

These weeks-long experiments are proving useful, though.  I seem to be dropping some weight through no particular effort, now that I've stopped buying alcohol to get to sleep.

Comments

[lilysea]

I have a suggestion for something that might help with falling asleep/staying asleep: let me know if you wanna hear it, I don't wanna be unsolicited-advicey

[mellowtigger]

Always. I like learning about new things. (For instance, who knew that cannabis was related in any way to tear duct management? LOL)

[lilysea]

Okay: magnesium citrate, taken at bedtime, has a muscle relaxant effect, an anti anxiety effect, and makes it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep.

According to my Dr, it's important to get magnesium citrate and NOT magnesium oxide, as magnesium oxide is much more poorly absorbed and much more likely to have a laxative effect.

[mellowtigger]

Interesting. That's certainly a lot cheaper than cannabis products. I've used it many times as part of the cleansing routine prior to colonoscopy. I'll stop the hawthorn now, so I can give magnesium citrate a proper test. It seems generally safe. I'll start at low doses again, then slowly creep upward until I find something that has a useful effect for me while avoiding the laxative repercussions. Thanks for the idea.

[threemeninaboat]

Magnesium citrate is nicknamed magnesium shitrate....

[threemeninaboat]

:)