Hulk Hogan was trapped in a "vicious cycle" of pain pills after undergoing surgery to fix his old wrestling injuries.
Hulk Hogan was worried about his reliance on pain pills so he swapped them for CBD oil
The former WWE star - real name Terry Bollea - underwent operations on his back, shoulder and face as well as having knee and hip replacements and he's revealed he was "hitting the pain pills hard" and was continuing to pick up prescriptions even though he suspected he didn't need them.
Hogan, 70, told Muscle and Health: "I had doctors writing me prescription after prescription, and all of a sudden, it became a vicious cycle. I was hitting the pain pills hard because I’d had to endure twenty-five procedures."
He went on to explain: "There was a period of time, about five or six years ago, where I was in crazy pain to the extent I couldn’t even function ... I needed pain meds at that stage, that’s for sure. But once things started to wind down, they continued giving me the same meds.
"It got to a point where I’d recovered from the tenth back surgery, and the pharmacy would call me and say, “Your prescription’s ready,” and like a dog chasing a bone, I’d go pick it up."
However, Hogan realised he needed to stop taking the pills and was able to soothe his symptoms by taking CBD oil - which uses a chemical found in cannabis which has medical benefits.
He added: "Finally, I just looked at myself and said, “I’m not in pain. I don’t need this. My body hurts from all the wrestling injuries, but I’m not in this excruciating pain that I can’t live with. But then the CBD took me to a place where my joints don’t hurt so much when I wake up."
He credits CBD products with calming inflammation and allowing him to hit the gym without too much pain. Hogan also says it's been helping him sleep and hopes other people can use a form of CBD instead of relying on opioid medications.
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