Talking to a GP or family doctor about medical cannabis consumption can be an anxiety-inducing experience. Patients never know how their doctors are going to react when the subject is first brought up. But given the fact that millions of people now use medical cannabis, such discussions need to take place.
If you are a medical cannabis user and you have not yet told your primary care physician, it is time to change that. As difficult as the conversation might be, your doctor needs to know in order to provide the best care possible. Here are some tips for having that first conversation.
1. Do as Much Research as Possible
Your main goal is to have an honest conversation that frames medical cannabis as part of a comprehensive and personalized treatment plan for your condition. For that to happen, you need to be informed. So do as much research as you can before talking to your doctor the first time.
Learn everything you can about how cannabis ties in with your condition. Research about how it relieves your symptoms and any potential side effects there might be. Do not forget to research the law as well. There are likely some restrictions that apply both to you and your doctor.
2. Be Transparent About Everything
When it comes time to have the conversation, be transparent about everything. Start by telling your doctor about your interest in medical cannabis. If you are already using it, be upfront about it. Tell your doctor what you use, how frequently you use it, and how it affects your symptoms.
Be sure to mention any other medications or treatments you currently use to relieve symptoms. Your doctor needs to know everything you’re doing in order to make informed decisions.
3. Ask for Your Doctor’s Input
The next part is perhaps the most difficult of all: asking for your doctor’s input. A best-case scenario would involve your doctor enthusiastically showing support for your decision to use medical cannabis. But such a reaction is never guaranteed.
Although the ranks of medical providers on board with medical cannabis are growing, there are still doctors convinced that cannabis has no medical benefits. They are reluctant to consider it as a possibility, let alone actually recommending it. If that is the case with your doctor, be patient. They may come around after seeing how it helps you.
4. Discuss Your Goals and Symptoms
Assuming your doctor is on board, be sure to include your goals and symptoms in the discussion. It’s a lot easier for medical providers to offer sound advice if they understand what you’re trying to accomplish. They also need to better understand your symptoms and why you believe medical cannabis helps with them.
Beehive Farmacy, an operator of two medical cannabis pharmacies in Salt Lake City and Brigham City, Utah, explain that a pharmacist could prove invaluable to this part of the discussion. Visit BeehiveFarmacy.com for more.
Doctors are not trained in either pharmacology or the human endocannabinoid system. Pharmacists are trained in both. It might be worth your while to hear what your doctor has to say about your goals and symptoms and then share that with the pharmacist at your local medical cannabis pharmacy. Your pharmacist will likely have some additional input that could help you.
Discussing medical cannabis with a doctor for the first time can be uncomfortable. But if you are using medical cannabis or hope to in the future, the conversation is necessary. You and your doctor need to be on the same page to ensure the best possible outcome.
