Telling your doctor you smoke pot

[Guest]

I don't think mj shows up on a diabetes screening - they have to be "looking" for drugs, in a different type of test.

Pretty sure yer gonna be fine (as far as testing for mj). The diabetes - can't say, but hopin' you'll be fine...

ws

 

[DickAnubis]

IF you don't trust your MD enough to tell them your habits then you might want to consider an MD you do trust.
No doctor is going to turn someone in for being stoned or saying they use. They have much more important business at hand.
When a MD knows as many aspects of a situ they can help you in thefullest.

Use your judgement.

PEACE
DA

 

[Verite]

Drug tests are serious shit.. they cant test you unless you sign paperwork for them to do it.. same as a job test. Insurance companies cant secretly test but they can request records.. up to you if thats something you want them to see for something thats moot to begin with regarding doctors care.

Get dropped from one insurance company and you might as well get dropped from them all since they do share that information between themselves because it saves them money. Maybe no biggie if youre single and in good health.. if your playing the honesty game with your families health insurance.. no pity if its stu-pity.

What good does it do in the end if your unecessary honesty results in you not being able to afford to see your doctor?

 

[Pornstar]

Talking with my doctor was one of the best things i did, he told me Mary jane was waaaaay better than anything he could prescribe me, I then quit all the narcotics i was prescibed and now only smoke the healing of the nations.
You should feel out your doctor i definitely didn't go in there the first time and tell him im a pothead. I had a reasonable conversation about my health what i pay him to do.

 

[badboyg]

glad you all fee so at ease with your doc and the system.. ONCE it is in your records.,. you can not remove it,, it only takes one note to cost you lots,,, insurance,, and lord knows what eles in the furture....

sorry I trust NO ONE... big shame too.. but I also rarely see a doc... been soo long since my last visit,, they had arcived my files and tried to make out as a new patent,,..

 

[GrowNub024]

sounds like a bad idea to me. the docs just going to label u a drug user and possibly a drug seeker. so if u do tell em u can forget about getting any drugs like benzos or pain meds in the future if ur ever in need of some. to them ur just a drug user and a liablity since u already abuse drugs. i rele see no reason to say anything in the first place tho..i mean how exactly is telling him u smoke pot going to help him diagnose u better? just seems like an unneccisary risk to take, i personally wouldnt risk my insurance over it.

 

[Guest]

Hiding information from your doctor makes about as much sense as hiding your true weight from your bunjee instructor,and may result in the same consequence.

 

[Guest]

I had a doc years ago tell me I had hypertension. I felt like I was burning up inside all the time, couldn't sleep and would stay up for two days until I passed out from physical exhausted. I was very young for the condition (full time uni + full time job + evil girlfriend). The doc suggested some fucking prescription, and I asked the doc "what if I tried smoking weed?" She told me it might help and was worth a shot, but to come back for another checkup soon because weed can raise your blood pressure a little (?). Needless to say, once I started smoking (and ditched the girlfriend) my hypertension disappeared. Cannabis saved my life... or extended it rather.

 

[Guest]

Hiding information from your doctor makes about as much sense as hiding your true weight from your bunjee instructor,and may result in the same consequence.

Really well put analogy - thank you...

ws

 

[Verite]

Sorry, but if that were even remotely true there would be literally 1000's of documented cases of toxic marijuana reactions. It would also give the govt the 'smoking' gun they need/want to further demonize weed.

The fact there isnt anything documented on toxic marijuana reactions and the govt isnt playing this info 9,000 times a day in anti-drug commercials literally means there isnt one piece of evidence in the 3000+ year history of cannabis use to suggest someone stands to croak from not telling their doctor they smoke weed.

 

[Guest]

Spoken like a true activist,that doesnt give the issue much thought..Cannabis in itself hasn't been proven to be harmful in any way that I know of,but its a drug nontheless and where there may be drug interactions,there may be problems.A lot of us baby boomers that have used cannabis for 30 years or better will soon probably be needing various medications,I want my doctor to know exactly whats up..

 

[Pops]

There are far too many doctors that know very little about mj as a medicine, esp. in the South where the religious faction has demonized it as a drug. Those who are worried that the insurance co. will find out have a valid concern. One poster stated that his doctor was concerned about mj raising his blood pressure. Tobacco will do that, but mj has the opposite effect as THC dilates arteries and veins instead of constricting then as nicotine does.

I have no health insurance and can't get it due to the many heart attacks,etc that I have had. My cardiac doctor asked about my health. I told him I had insomnia and used mj to treat it. He said nothing but gave me a sample of Roserem to try instead.I didn't like it and don't use it, mj works better.

The poster that was worried about peeing every couple hours was worried about diabetes. Don't know how old you are, but you might have your prostate checked. BPH is simply an enlargement of the prostate that puts pressure on the bladder, making you think that you have to pee constantly. All men over 45 should have their prostate checked. If men live long enough, they will get prostate cancer. Most die before that from some other cause, but the prostate continues to grow all our lives and will cause trouble for many before you die. BPH can be controlled by some drugs or by prostate reduction surgery.

 

[JollyGreenGiant]

My doc flipped out when I told him, then accused me of smoking cocaine also. I told him I don't even smoke tobacco. He then proceeded to interrogate the crap out of me. After his tirade, he calms down, recomposes himself. Then asks me if it helps my condition and we discussed dosing, etc. He never once told me I should quit medicating with it.

 

[Guest]

If you don't mind the inquiry what region was this Jolly? Wondering if the local culture influenced his reaction... Like if he's a crazy theocon Southern Baptist or something.

 

[yamaha_1fan]

If going for a normal exam with a new doc, I wouldnt bring it up. If there was a specific issue, maybe. You also dont need to flat out say i smoke weed. You could ask the doctor " Doc my buddy has the same symptoms but he smokes weed, would you treat him differently?"

As far as them turning you over to the police that just isnt going to happen. Hell LEO could have a field day if they raided rehab centers.

As far as insurance goes, I dont have any and was trying to get some. I made the mistake of telling them i had a physical while incarcerated. When they found out one of the charges was possession of marijuana, they denied it.

 

[gaiusmarius]

interesting subject. on the whole i agree that you're best off keeping that confidential till you know and trust your doc enough so you can be sure he won't put it in your file. because remember medical files are now easily available for leo when they investigate. also for insurance purposes. like with all things once this stuff is in a central data bank, it can then also be hacked and even legally viewed by loads of different people quite easily.

 

[soxx16]

ive had problems with my stomach for the past 8 months. not being able to eat much at all, only about 5 bites of food, and then be full and feel like shit. i just went into the doc a few weeks ago and she asked the "do you use marijuana" question 3 times. i said no everytime being all paranoid and stuff about it. she took a blood sample from me, and for some tests and things like that. they called me back a few days later to tell me that my blood was normal, but i still needed to come in and discuss farther the results from the blood test. i still have yet to go, my two week checkup should be tuesday and hopefully she wont go on a rampage.

 

[gaiusmarius]

don't worry she can't use it against you. she isn't even allowed to check your blood for cannabis without your consent. so really don't worry, the worst possibility will be that she is one of those stubborn anti cannabis doctors, in which case she might lecture you about it. so what eh?

on the other hand, your stomach conditions sounds quite serious, you might well want to tell her about your cannabis use. specially because normally cannabis should help against the symptoms you describe. hm....not an easy one.....all the best.

 

[toke_a_day]

Disclaimer: I AM NOT A DOCTOR NOR DO I CLAIM TO BE ONE. THIS IS NOT MEDICAL ADVICE.

First, according to the "ethical standard" which all doctors are supposed to follow, ANYTHING you say MUST be entered into the chart/patient notes. If you give the doc a disclaimer such as "off the record" he is supposed to say that nothing is off the record. This is for two reasons:1) there are too many patients for the doc to remember your off the record comment. If something is important enough for you to mention, it is important enough for him to remember, which he probably won't if he doesn't write it down. If the guy has a small practice he might remember, but most doctors now have tons of patients due to the insurance system and payments. Reason 2)Liability: the issue of Medical Malpractice is HUGE right now.
Take this scenario: Say your doctor knows that you smoke pot, then one day you crash your car and hurt somebody. At the hospital they draw blood, you test postive for THC (even if you smoked a month ago). If the doctor did not tell you to "quit doing drugs" then he is liable and the person you hit can sue him for negligence. Sounds far-fetched but lots of far-fetched medical malpractice lawsuits result in BIG money for the "victim". Doctors are scared and want to cover their asses.

Next major issue: If it is in your records, which it probably will be, insurance companies will have access. Every time you need a referral approved by your insurance company, they can look at your file. If you change insurance companies, they will request your file. If you go to a new doctor, he will request your file. It will follow you unless you say you have never had insurance and have no medical records. That causes a whole new set of problems which I won't get into.

Major Point: Almost all doctors are dues paying members of the American Medical Association (AMA) . The AMA does not support medical marijuana. Not only that, if you ADMIT to smoking marijuana, by definition, you are either diagnosed with Marijuana Abuse or Marijuana Dependence. Abuse is using it every now and then, dependence is using it regularly. This is because marijuana is a big bad illegal drug. This relates back to the liability issue before: if he gives you that diagnosis, he covers his ass. Diagnosing you doesn't mean he actually has to do anything or even tell you that he has diagnosed you since you admitted it by yourself. Even now, with all the evidence showing that pot is much less harmful than cigarettes or alcohol, medical schools still teach students that weed is dangerous. Even if you claim you use it medically, since the AMA does not support it, it does not qualify as a "medical drug".

Lastly, if you ever develop depression, anxiety, or anything remotely psychiatric, the doctor will blame the pot and not do anything else for you until you quit. There are a number of diseases "caused" by marijuana, including: anxiety, psychosis, and depression. Most doctors are taught all the negative effects of weed, and lots of symptoms caused by real diseases will be blamed on the marijuana.
You are not doing yourself a favor by telling the doctor you smoke weed. If you are worried about drug interactions, here is the bottom line: THERE ARE NONE. Google "dronabinol contraindications" to see for yourself. (Dronabinol is marinol, which is only one molecule from the many found in pot, but for this purpose its basically the same thing).

In this country smoking pot is still illegal as far as the medical establishment is concerned. As smokers, we have to accept this. If your health is somehow compromised and you become ill, do a bit of research and see if the weed is related. If it is, the solution is simple: quit smoking. If you aren't sure, quit and see if your health improves. But the bottom line is that if you get sick, chances are REALLY good that the weeds got nothing to do with it. The exception is rare cases of psychosis, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia caused by pot; in these circumstance, the people already had a great disposition to these diseases and the pot somehow allowed the disease to surface and they most probably would have anyways. If you frequent these forums, you've probably been smoking long enough so that you already know whether or not this will happen to you.

Sorry for the long post, had to get it all out.

 

[badboyg]

GOOD REPLY.. glad you took the time to say some of what I was thinking,,,, and then some.....