This is not intended as advice, medical, legal or otherwise, and is to be used solely for educational purposes. See Program Agreement for further disclaimers and release of liability.
Dear People,
Countless numbers of people have found enormous pain relief, safely, using cannabis. We hear about others who have successfully healed their cancers. To my and the entire industry’s knowledge, no one has ever died from using just cannabis. They might have had a terrible, not-soon-forgotten emergency room experience. But they haven’t died. Before the 1920’s-30’s, it was regularly prescribed in small amounts for pain and nervous disorders by family physicians. In the 30’s it became demonized by the Rockefellers and the nascent pharmaceutical industry, eventually making cannabis so illegal and propagandized as evil, people were jailed for the rest of their lifetimes just for having the tiniest amount in their possession. However, it must be used responsibly and with mindful purpose. Some cancers it might aggravate instead of heal. Some people have allergic reactions of various types using cannabis.
So, you see all the disclaimers scattered around my cannabis topics. I hear you. Many are in so much pain, are desperate for relief, and have been around the medical establishments’ merry-go-round so many times that the disclaimers no longer matter. But here on this site, please know that in any of my cannabis topics as you review them and might start doubting again, hold your despair at bay a bit. I want to let you know that even if cannabis also ends up being not for you, this site is loaded with tons of alternatives that so many others have successfully used to reduce their pains WITHOUT any cannabis at all, or with just the slightest amount one time a day. I so encourage you to continue to explore the rest. Perhaps you too will be one of those truly free from all the drugs! Please give yourself a chance.
Transdermal Patches
A very discreet way to consume your cannabis medicine is with transdermal patches. These attach to an area of the skin, often near an ankle or wrist and time release into the body.
People love the transdermal patches! The side effects are few, the pain control for many lasts the full 12 hours.
Your body heat activates the patch and causes it to release a small amount of THC through your skin and into your bloodstream.
Transdermal patches are different than topicals like salves. The transdermal patch medicine is released deeper than your skin levels and travels through your blood to offer relief, almost like an edible except it does not go through digestion.
Topicals stay close to the skin and enter the body only in very tiny amounts if at all depending on the base oils or creams used in the topical.
Depending on the brand, type and manufacture of the patch, many brands can be microdosed by cutting the patch into quarters. I recommend starting with only one quarter of a patch per 24 hours. Keep your Chart and track your symptoms.
Some manufacturers are trying to use as organic, least contaminant, allergenic materials as possible in their patches. Keep in mind that since cannabis in not federally legal, the label “organic” cannot be used or certified with the cannabis products.
The downsides are several. Some people might have allergic reactions to the adhesive in the patch or find it otherwise irritating to their skin to have it attached.
Another problem is dosing. The patches can be expensive and the experiment require some time to figure out how much dose and when relief is felt and not just a “buzz high”.
Because of the time release function, and the unique nature of our bodies, sometimes the cannabinoid release can be faster or slower and inconsistent from session to session because the chemicals in our own body are reacting with the time release chemicals designed into the patch.
There is an unknown factor as well with the transdermal releases. That is that one person’s body might utilize the entire THC mg in the patch that is supposed to be released over 12 hours or so but instead is released all at once. This can cause unexpected side effects, like a high, though this is uncommon.
Most people like these because they are generally without side effects and any high or dizziness is minimal. I still suggest building up to them in the same way as other methods. And if the patches available near you cannot be cut, and you are new to cannabis or it’s been a long while since you consumed it, use a different method of use for a couple weeks to a acclimate to cannabis and reduce any side effects.
Otherwise, transdermal patches are well known for providing excellent pain management without the normal high type side effects of the other methods of ingestion.
But I still recommend you GO SLOW and GO LOW with any brand or type patch you chose for your experiments until you see how your own body reacts to them
You will want to look at both the ratio of cannabinoids, like 1:1 CBD:THC and the total amount of cannabinoids, like “30” for example in this case would be 15 mg CBD and 15 mg THC.
Once the consumer gets used to the microdose in small steps and wears the full patch for the day, 15 mg of THC is often a great daily maintenance dose.
What can help this effect is to use only transdermals that can be microdosed from their content, such as being able to cut the patch into quarters. These are what are known as “matrix” patches.
There is a well known type of transdermal patch called a reservoir patch. These have been used for several decades and they release the amount of cannabinoids also in a time release but these patches cannot be cut. The tech is different and it holds the medicine in a gel and rate controlling membrane that has better control of the delivery rates.
You need to ask about the type transdermals that are available locally near you.
As a note, the Mary’s Medicinals patches found in several locations emailed me the following response when I asked if they are reservoir patches or could be cut and what were the total cannabinoids of the patch 1:1, they said “We can not recommend cutting these but we do have customers that do this and it does not affect the effectiveness of the patch. Our patches utilize a time-release technology that allows for 1-2mg to absorb per hour. All batches may vary you can check every products COA’s to check for cannabinoids.”
The question then needs to be if the manufacturer designed the patch to cut up with a homogenous amount of medicine in each fourth. The manufacturers that offer these type patches are aware of this feature and most of them advise that the medicine is equally spread over the patch.
This was from the California manufacturer:
“As for our patches, it is slow release over time, we don’t have a precise answer on how many mg per hour, as it can depend on each person’s Endocannabinoid System. You can definitely cut it up into halves or quarters to microdose but any smaller than that typically won’t be effective for much.”
And of course with the transdermal patch, the THC-rich patch is only available from a local, legal dispensary near the consumer. CBD-rich hemp derived transdermal patches are available generally nationwide if your state is legal for CBD. Cannabis marijuana THC-rich products are not yet shipped across state lines. Usually California has the most and highest quality choice with transdermals.
These patches cannot be homemade by the consumer.
The following information was sent to me by one of my colleagues. He suffers greatly from several botched surgeries. His description of his experience with the patches might really help some of you.
“I love the patches I’ve tried. They come in up to 27mg doses here in Ohio, and they work extremely well.
There are a bunch of different kinds, which mostly depends on how the medicine is applied. Reservoir and adhesive based are the main ones here. By storing the medicine in the patch, the reservoir lasts longer, whereas the adhesive based have the medicine in the adhesive that holds the patch in place. I feel like those give you a rush of medicine at once, then waves as you go. Reservoir based is where it’s at. Wait, don’t end sentences in prepositions! Reservoir based is where it’s located.
There’s also matrix based (I think?), which I don’t really understand and won’t attempt to explain.
Of the many things I like about the patches, dosing discreetly is a big draw. I’ve worn them on top of my foot during flights, and they’re fantastic for air travel related stress. For further discretion, you can pack the patches (which are packaged like bandages) inside of a box of large bandages for your first aid kit. Those Band Aids can also be used to cover a patch for extra adhesion in sweaty conditions, or used to reapply the patch if you need to take it off for showering/quick dip in the pool.
Another beautiful thing about them is that you get full terpene and cannabinoid bioavailability. Because it’s going straight to the bloodstream, you don’t have to worry about vape temperatures, stirring vaporizer chambers, or any of that business to get the maximum medicinal efficiency.
They’re best on veinous parts of the body (inside of wrist, top of foot, inside of bicep, small of the back, bottom of the neck between shoulders), but can also be used to directly target inflammation. I have a nasty area on my hip that swells every few days, and patches calm that spot effectively. I’ve found that when I use it on that spot it’s less intoxicating, but provides for targeted pain relief.
The effects last anywhere from 8-12 hours for me, making them a great option for a one-time application for a whole day’s dose. While the effects may take up to 90 minutes to get going, the feeling is usually consistent, steady medication. Again, not so much with the adhesive based option, so ask which kind is used. There are likely other dispensing options about which I don’t know, but these are the ones with which I’m familiar. Hope this helps. As always, when starting a new ingestion method, start with a low dose and work your way up. If you don’t think it’s working yet, wait a little longer. Enjoy
Meant to mention: If you cut a 27mg patch in thirds, you probably won’t get three 9mg strips. The medicine may be concentrated in the center of the patch, so you’ll get more medicine in that piece than others. Also, I think the adhesive won’t be as effective if cut.”- R.S.
Visit this website to find local dispensaries near you. See the article about dispensaries once you’ve looked around the internet a bit. But at this site, go to the very top of the right corner of the home page and click on “change” to put your approximate address or zip code in for the list of shops near you. You will want to stop in to the dispensary to ask them all your transdermal questions!
