What you need to know before talking to your doctor
When talking to your physician, consider the following points:
- Bring any available medical records you may have
- Explain what you hope to gain from the use of medical marijuana
- For example, do you want to restore appetite?
- Are you seeking to relieve pain, nausea, vomiting or other symptoms caused by your medical condition or the medications used to treat your medical condition?
- Let your doctor know that you are aware of some of the side effects that may occur, such as dry mouth, dry or red eyes, headache, dizziness, drowsiness or anxiety
- Be prepared to discuss with your doctor the benefits of medical marijuana versus the risks
- Use professional language, such as “medical marijuana”, refrain from using slang terms such as “pot” or “weed”
- Remind your doctor that he/she is not writing a prescription, but instead giving a written certification
- This is a document dated and signed by a physician stating that there is a bona fide physician-patient relationship