Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, or CIDP, affects everyone differently. Some patients have ongoing symptoms that impact them over the long-term. Others deal with symptom flare-ups, and some completely recover.
Regardless of the type of CIDP you have, there’s always the risk of it reducing your mobility. Since it can reduce sensation in and even paralyze your nerves, it can make you unable to move in severe cases. Fortunately, we can reduce the disorder’s damage to your nerves by treating it properly.
One way patients address their CIDP symptoms is by using medical marijuana. Unlike typical CIDP medications, cannabis doesn’t cause significant side effects. Learn more about using medicinal cannabis to reduce nerve damage and increase your quality of life.
The most critical part of CIDP treatment is getting it as soon as possible. Early detection and treatment can significantly reduce your symptoms and even totally cure your CIDP.
When you treat CIDP early, you prevent as much damage to your nerves as possible. CIDP deteriorates the myelin, or protective fatty tissue, that surrounds the nerves. If your myelin goes away, your nerves have no protection, exposing them to damage.
So, using treatments like medical marijuana can keep you mobile by preventing nerve damage in the first place. Since medical marijuana doesn’t have nearly as many risks as other treatments, it’s easy to use it early on in the disorder.
Depending on the stage of the CIDP and the needs of the patient, some patients use cannabis on its own to handle their CIDP. Even when used alone, medical marijuana can work effectively to reduce CIDP symptoms.
Experts don’t entirely understand the cause of CIDP or even how the treatments we use for it reduce its severity, but immunosuppressants seem to help. Marijuana works to suppress the immune system and lower inflammation, just like medications like corticosteroids. But, instead of causing severe side effects like muscle cramps or blood sugar problems, it can’t really harm your mind or body.
Using Medical Marijuana as a Supplement to Traditional Treatments
Some people might need to use both standard treatments and medical marijuana at the same time to manage their CIDP. When you use cannabis medicine with typical CIDP therapies, you can counteract the side effects that medications like corticosteroids cause.
Examples of side effects from CIDP treatment include fatigue and muscle cramps. By using the right strain of marijuana, you can reduce those side effects. It also helps with issues like depression, swelling, headaches and more.
If you want to understand further how cannabis medicine can relieve your CIDP, consulting a professional can help you get information relevant to your situation. Schedule an appointment with a marijuana-friendly doctor or find a cannabis dispensary near you today.
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