Marinol vs Marijuana… I’ll Choose Marijuana

“I don’t understand how you were prescribed Marinol? We only give this drug to terminally ill cancer patients.” This was the question I was asked from the on-call nurse while recovering from surgery at home. Marinol is not as freely prescribed as other pharmaceutical drugs and I was lucky to be able to try it.

Marinol is manufactured as a gelatin capsule containing synthetic delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in sesame oil. The THC is chemically derived rather than being extracted from plant material, and seems to be the only cannabinoid present in the pill.

My pills were 2.5 mg each, peach colored, the size of a Tic Tac and have a taste like sugar. I understood it to be time released over eight hours.

The convenience and ease of taking a pill is unmatched. The lasting pain relief from the pill was incredible. It would ease my discomfort for at least 8 hours. It seemed like a wonder drug. I could get the convenience of a pill without the hassle of loading a pipe. However, the side effects I felt from this drug were too severe to continue taking it long-term.

Some of the negative side effects I felt were (likely because Marinol lacks any other cannabinoids, terpenoids, or flavonoids to interact with the psychoactive THC):

• Extreme paranoia!  I have never been so terrified of everything around me in my life.

• Extreme cotton mouth. Lasting eight hours plus. My mouth was so dry my tongue hurt.

• Congestion headaches. A painful pressure would build behind my eyes and nose. It felt as if my brain was going to explode out the front of my head.

• Loss of appetite. Wait? Loss of appetite. Although the pills were easier on the stomach than other pain killers they were still upsetting my stomach to the point that I did not want to eat.

Once I stopped taking Marinol and started smoking medicinal marijuana all of the side effects went away, my health greatly improved overall and the uphill climb of recovery was easier. I am not suggesting that Marinol is a step in the wrong direction. Just by synthesizing the drug the pharmaceutical community is acknowledging that it has a place in medicine.

I feel that Marinol is still actually a step in the right direction. There is an aging generation that believes that swallowing pills is socially acceptable and that smoking weed is not. On the Marinol home page the FDA is asking for feedback on any negative side effects. If the pharmaceutical company is open to patient feedback, Marinol may become an effective drug that is both socially acceptable and legal. Until that day arrives I’ll continue utilizing nature’s finest cannabis as medicine.