How do I know what Medical Marijuana Product is best for me?

How do I know what Medical Marijuana Product is best for me?

When it comes to consuming medical marijuana, patients in Florida have a wide variety of products to select from. Florida also boasts numerous licensed medical marijuana treatment centers, also known as dispensaries. Selecting which MMJ product works best for you will involve trial and error attempts due to each person responding to cannabis differently. While we can’t say for certain what works best for you, we can make suggestions for you to take into consideration when purchasing medical marijuana.

Talk with your Medical Marijuana Physician

Our first recommendation when considering which products to try is speaking with your MMJ Doctor during your in-person evaluation. You’ll want to go over any medical conditions with your physician to determine which routes are best for you. Some products might work better than others depending on what conditions and symptoms you are trying to relieve, and some routes might be avoided if they could negatively interfere with your condition. Along with discussing products with your MMJ physician, you can also ask your local dispensary for recommendations on which products to try. Dispensary employees are familiar with their products and can tell you the general effects patients tend to experience from each product. Another great source of information for product recommendations is our DocMJ Patient Connect and Support group on Facebook. You can utilize our group to speak with other patients who share their experiences and product recommendations.

Routes

As we mentioned, you’ll want to speak with your Medical Marijuana Doctor regarding which routes could be best for your conditions. The Florida Department of Health currently allows a variety of products that patients can select from, these products are categorized into routes that your physician can add to your registry orders with the DOH. The main routes within the registry are oral, topical, and inhalation. Your MMJ physician must approve these routes and add them to your registry in order for you to purchase within each category. These categories are also divided between THC and CBD, your physician will determine if you qualify for THC, CBD or both.

The first category is oral, and products included in this group are capsules, tinctures, sprays, and oil concentrates. All products within the oral category are designed to be consumed by ingesting. The next category is topical, which includes any product that can be applied to the skin. Topical products range from oil concentrates, creams, lotions, gels, and transdermal patches. The third route currently available in Florida is inhalation. Products within the inhalation category include vape cartridges, nasal inhalers, vape cups, and whole flower for vaping. In order to purchase whole flower, your MMJ physician must approve you for a smoking route to be added as a sub-category to inhalation.

Dosing

When it comes to consuming medical marijuana, the next challenge after selecting which product to try is determining the dosage. Each dispensary product should include a recommended dosage, or how much is considered a dose. Doses are generally measured in milligrams. A vape cartridge for example might recommend that inhaling for 3-seconds will deliver a 5mg dose, and a dime size amount of topical cream should contain an approximately amount of milligrams. For a more exact dosage there are products such as capsules that come in specific dosages such as 5mg, 10mg, 25mg and higher. For those who are new to medical marijuana or for those trying new products, it is recommended to start at a low dose and gradually introduce the product to your body. It is important to point out that consuming too much of a product has never resulted in an overdose, but it can result in feelings of discomfort. If you’re trying a new product, you can always start low and work your way up over time until you find what dosage works best for you. Products ingested through inhalation will typically take effect within minutes, if you start with a low dose and find that it wasn’t effective, after a few minutes you can attempt the same dose to see if it provides the relief you are seeking. When it comes to products that are ingested orally, some products can take one or more hours to take effect. If you try an oral product and feel that you need a higher dosage, it is not recommended to take more until a few hours have passed. It is a common joke in the medical marijuana community that oral products set in slowly, but once they set in the effects are strong and long lasting, and it can be easy to consume too much if you are not familiar with dosing.

Keeping a patient journal

When it comes to figuring out which products respond best to you and suit your needs, the most important thing you can do is document your usage. By implementing a patient journal into your regimen, you’ll be able to track products, dosage, and any relief associated. There are an overwhelming number of products available at Florida MMJ dispensaries, and figuring out the right dosage to consume for each product can be better managed by logging it in a journal. By tracking your usage, you’ll be able to better understand what products work, what dosage to take, and what effects it will have on you.

There is no guaranteed product and dosage that anyone can recommended that will work, when it comes to consuming medical marijuana each person will need to explore which products and dosage worked best to manage their condition. Talking with your MMJ physician, dispensary employees, and reaching out to support groups will help guide you in the right direction. Starting at low dosages and documenting your usage in a patient journal will help provide you with a reference on which products and dosage provided you with the best relief.

Dr. Ross Glider

Dr. Glider is a board certified Internal Medicine Specialist.  He received his Florida Medical Marijuana Physicians Certification in 2017 and was one of the first recommending physicians with DocMJ. In addition to medical marijuana recommendations, Dr. Glider continues to practice Internal and Geriatric Medicine in private practice. Additionally, he serves as Medical Director for a home health company, supervising and educating staff, as well as supervising an advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners for a transitional care program.

Dr. Glider graduated from the College of Osteopathic Medicine & Surgery in Des Moines, IA and completed his residency at Saddlebrook General Hospital in Saddlebrook, NJ. He has received several honors and awards throughout his professional career, including a City of Des Moines Merit Award and a Chamber of Commerce Award (Port St. Lucie, FL).  Dr. Glider is an experienced and caring physician who is loved and respected by his peers and his patients.