In the UK, a GP cannot prescribe cannabis-based medicine regardless of your condition, but they can refer you to a medical cannabis specialist licensed to prescribe the medicine. The specialists will be part of private medical cannabis clinics.
What illnesses qualify for medical cannabis?
There are several illnesses a private cannabis specialist, like the ones at MyAccess Clinics, might prescribe medical cannabis for. These include:
- Chronic pain associated with conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, endometriosis, osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, cancer, migraines and cluster headaches, and neuropathic pain.
- Gastrointestinal conditions like Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and ulcerative colitis.
- Mental health conditions like generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
- Sleep conditions like insomnia, nightmare disorder or restless legs syndrome.
However, to qualify for a medical cannabis prescription, you must have tried at least two other treatments which have failed to manage your condition. Some people get a referral for a private cannabis specialist from their GP or an NHS specialist, but this is not always necessary.
How to choose the right medical cannabis specialist for you:
- Location:
At MyAccess Clinics, we ask patients to make a follow-up appointment a month after their initial appointment. At this point, the consultant will discuss optimising the treatment for the best results and determine an individual treatment plan. Then, once you’re on a stable dose of medical cannabis, you will be asked to book an appointment in the clinic every three months for the consultant to review your prescription.
MyAccess Clinics offers virtual appointments, which means you’re not limited by location when it comes to getting help for your health condition. This makes it easier for anyone in the UK to get their medical cannabis prescription online without having to travel for it.
- Cost:
Medical cannabis medication costs vary depending on what product you use. The price of a medical cannabis prescription ranges from £70 to £199 per month. At MyAccess Clinics, the average monthly costs vary depending upon the condition you need medical cannabis for, the dosage you require and your treatment plan. The average monthly cost for pain conditions, including medical cannabis medicine and virtual consultations with our clinical team, may cost around £127, whereas that for sleep conditions will cost approximately £70.
Typically, all of our initial or follow-up consultations cost £50.
- Reputation:
When looking for a CBD doctor online, be careful about the clinic you choose. Search for reviews on Google or the clinic’s website before making a decision. You may also ask the people around you who have previously used medical cannabis for health conditions for a recommendation to their preferred clinics. The reputation of the clinic you choose matters immensely in the kind of care you receive and the quality of the medical marijuana products you are prescribed.
- Expertise:
Your medical cannabis specialists need the right expertise to prescribe cannabis-based medicines in the UK. Typically, doctors who are GMC specialist consultants or can prescribe with direction under Shared Care arrangements can prescribe medical cannabis. According to the General Medical Council, specialists can prescribe medical cannabis if they meet the following requirements:
- Good awareness of the guidelines available
- Awareness of regulations about the misuse of drugs
- Awareness of the evidence of the treatment
- Prescribing within their own area of expertise.
If you’re looking for a CBD doctor online for conditions like chronic pain, mental health issues, sleep conditions or gastrointestinal problems, book an initial consultation with one of our expert cannabis specialists. However, remember that cannabis products, like any other medication, do not work for everyone and cannot be prescribed as a “first-line treatment” in the UK. This means that you must have tried at least two other treatments or therapies without success before you can become eligible for a medical cannabis prescription online.
