Welcome to Polln

If this is your first consultation with Polln and you have been attending another clinic you will need to obtain and upload a discharge letter from your previous doctor before you will be able to place any orders with the pharmacy.

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As medicinal cannabis is a S8 medication you can only have one prescriber so will need to be discharged before placing an order. If you also have a GP or Specialist looking after your care you may also be required to supply a supporting letter to ensure there are no contraindications or medications that will be needing to be taken inconsideration so that your treatment plan will set you up for success.

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This is not always required an will be discussed in the consultation with your doctor.

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During your Initial Consultation, you can expect to spend 30 minutes of dedicated, one on one time with your doctor using the in-built video feature in your patient dashboard. This time is for your doctor to get to know you, your condition, your symptoms and your goals for treatment. 

Any information you share with your doctor will help them determine whether medical cannabis might be right for you and tailor a treatment plan suited to your needs and goals. 

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Come prepared to share the following information with your Polln doctor:

• Personal details – you may be asked to confirm your name, date of birth and contact information and give verbal consent to proceed with the video consultation
• Details of your condition/s, symptoms, overall health and medical history
• Details of previous treatments you have tried to manage your condition or symptoms, including any adverse effects or concerns you had regarding these treatments
• Details of any current medications you are taking
• Any allergies or sensitivities
• Why you are interested in medicinal cannabis 
• What your goals are for treatment (e.g. pain or anxiety relief, improved sleep, etc.)
• Any preferences you have for the type of treatment your doctor prescribes for you

By coming prepared with information about your condition, previous treatments and why you think natural therapies like medicinal cannabis may be right for you, you will be well-equipped to guide the conversation with your doctor and help them assist you in getting the treatment and result you desire.

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To be eligible for medical cannabis access in Australia, you must:

1. Have a chronic condition with symptoms lasting 3 months or more, and
2. Have tried conventional treatments to manage your condition which were ineffective or caused you unwanted side effects. 

There may be other factors that your doctor will take into consideration when determining your eligibility for treatment, such as your medical history, current medications or allergies, whether you are pregnant or trying to conceive, and more. 

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If your doctor finds that medicinal cannabis is not a suitable treatment for you at this time, they will provide you with alternative treatment options or suggestions to help you reach your health goals.

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If your doctor determines that medicinal cannabis is a suitable treatment for you, they will discuss which medicinal cannabis products, formats and delivery methods may be right for you and your condition so you can decide on a medication or combination of medications together. They will also provide you an overview of what to expect with your prescribed medication – including dosage, effects and side effects, costs and follow-up appointments. Learn more about finding the right medicinal cannabis dose for you.

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At Polln, we take a holistic, patient-first approach to healthcare, so your doctor may also suggest other non-cannabis options for care – such as lifestyle changes, supplements or other therapies – to complement your treatment plan.

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Your doctor will discuss the following topics with you during your consultation. If for any reason you feel you need further clarification, please do not hesitate to ask your doctor at the end of the consultation.

• Which, if any, treatment/s you are going to be prescribed and the details of these medications
• How you will take your medication/s (e.g. orally, topically, sublingually, using a vaporiser, etc.) and how much and how often you will need to take

• How to monitor your symptoms and progress
• Any side effects you may experience
• Adverse effects or reactions to look out for and what to do if you experience them
• Whether there are any activities you won’t be able to do while taking your medication, such as driving
• When to schedule a follow up consultation
• How many repeat scripts you will have on file, if any
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1. Please enter the consultation room 10 minutes before your consultation time to ensure that your camera and microphone are working (when the pop-up appears, please click ‘accept’ to allow the use of your webcam and microphone during the consultation).
2. Once you have entered the consultation room, wait here until the doctor joins you. We recommend using Google Chrome on a laptop or computer for the best experience. However, any browser or device with a microphone and internet connection will work.
3. Keep your phone near you, the doctor will call you from a private number if there are any technical issues. Please note, this call will come from a private number.
4. Once your doctor enters the virtual meeting room, click 'Enter'. From here, you will automatically be admitted into your appointment.
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For the best experience, we recommend our patients use Google Chrome on a laptop or desktop computer, but any browser or device with a microphone and internet connection will work.

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If you experience any technical issues or can’t access your dashboard at the time of your consultation, please contact the Care Team by calling 1300 176 556 so we can help you resolve any issues or arrange for your doctor to call you to conduct a phone consultation instead.

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For any after hours appointments, outside the hours of 9:00am - 5:30pm AEST, the Care Team will get back to you the following business day.

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If your doctor decides that medical cannabis is suitable for you, a prescription will be written and uploaded to your patient dashboard. Once uploaded by your doctor, scripts can be accessed under ‘Prescriptions’.

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From here, select the medication you wish to access by clicking 'Add to Cart'.

In some cases, your doctor may also have to apply to the TGA for access to these medications on your behalf. This can take an additional 1–2 business days. 

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Once you've added your medication to cart, click the cart icon and follow the prompts to complete payment. All orders are shipped via Express Registered Post for a flat rate of $15.

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Please make sure your shipping details are correct before completing payment. To ensure your privacy and the safe delivery of your products, all of our pharmacy deliveries require a signature upon acceptance. Please ensure you have allocated a delivery address where someone will be available to sign for your delivery between the hours of 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday. If no one is home, your package will be taken to the nearest post office for later collection.

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We support all Visa, Mastercard and AMEX payments. Once we’ve received your payment, we will be able to start processing your order.

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Once paid for, your medication will be dispensed and shipped to your preferred address. Once shipped from the pharmacy, most orders will take approximately 2–3 business days to arrive, based on StarTrack estimated delivery times.

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Once payment has been received, our pharmacy will start working on dispensing your order. From here it will take approximately 1-3 business days for your order to be dispensed and shipped. Every order is shipped via StarTrack Express Post. Based on StarTrack estimated delivery times, most orders arrive within 2-3 business days from ship date, depending on your location.

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Everyone is unique, with bodies, tolerances, needs and preferences that differ from person to person. That’s why it can be tricky to know what dose will work for you and your body. Because unlike most other medications, there’s no standard dose when it comes to medicinal cannabis. 

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Finding your ideal dosage

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The best approach to dosing medicinal cannabis is to start low, go slow. Your doctor will be able to help guide you on the correct starting dosage for your individual condition and needs, and will work with you to arrive at the dosage you’ll need to take consistently to produce the desired effect. Getting to this point requires a bit of patience. Follow these steps to find your ideal dosage:

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1. Start low and go slow

In your consultation, your doctor will have discussed your starting dose range with you. Always start with a dose on the lower end of that spectrum and wait until the estimated onset time for your particular product to see if you begin to feel any therapeutic benefits or side effects.

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If you’re not feeling the desired effects, you can adjust your dose by an amount advised by your doctor until you find your ‘sweet spot,’ ensuring you stick to that dose for at least two to three days each time you increase to give your body a chance to adjust. This process of determining the minimal amount of your medicine that will give you your desired results with minimal side effects is known as titration. 

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When it comes to medicinal cannabis, titration also involves finding the right balance between the different cannabinoid components (eg. THC and CBD) in your medication, your condition and your body’s individual response. 

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2. Stay consistent

Cannabinoids take time to build up their effect within your body. For best results, make sure you’re sticking to your treatment plan consistently. A small but consistent dose over a long period of time has been found to be the best way to treat chronic conditions with medicinal cannabis.

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3. Less is sometimes more

Depending on your condition, when it comes to dosing medicinal cannabis, more is not always better. When treating conditions like epilepsy, a high dose of cannabinoids such as CBD may be needed to help treat seizures. But for conditions like anxiety, a moderate to low dose will actually be more effective than a high dose. Ensure you’re working with your doctor to figure out what dose works best for you.

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4. Pay attention to your body

Like with any medicine, your ideal dosage of cannabis can change over time. Whether increasing or decreasing your dosage, the important thing is to listen to your body and what it needs. Go to the next section for more information about how to monitor your progress as you start taking your cannabis treatment.

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Once you’ve started taking your prescribed medication, it’s important to monitor your progress so you can find what works best for you over time. Pay attention to:

• How your treatment makes you feel
• The severity of your symptoms before, during and after taking your medication
• How long it takes you to notice your medication’s effects
• Any side effects you experience
• How you feel as your dosage increases or decreases
• How your medication compares to other treatments you’ve tried
• Whether the effects you experience change over time
• Whether you need to take tolerance breaks

Through monitoring your symptoms as well as careful dosing and titration of your medication, you and your doctor should be able to find an ideal dose and medication type for you and your needs.

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Pharmacy dispensing limits help doctors and pharmacists manage the amount of medication patients have access to at any one time, while dispensing intervals help ensure that patients are able to maintain their medication treatment plan safely without gaps.

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Dispensing limits are the maximum amount of a medication that can be dispensed by a pharmacy in a single medical cannabis prescription. These limits are set by your doctor and guided by the government’s classification system to make sure that patients can safely access their medications while also reducing potential risks, like misuse or addiction. 

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The TGA classifies medicinal cannabis as either Schedule 8, Schedule 4, or Schedule 3, depending on its active chemical compounds — the percentages of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) or CBD (cannabidiol) — and its risk potential in regards to misuse or addiction.

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A doctor decides on dispensing intervals for a medicinal cannabis patient depending depends on several factors. Healthcare authorities and regulatory bodies may provide guidelines or recommendations for appropriate dispensing intervals, but these are often adaptable to individual patient situations — after all, what works for one patient’s condition isn’t always guaranteed to work for someone else.

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At Polln, we personalise prescriptions depending on the needs of each patient. Our dispensing limits and intervals will depend on many factors, including a patient’s health condition, symptoms, or even their location. As rural and regional patients often face a much longer wait time for their medications, reducing ordering intervals can allow them to avoid medication gaps. 

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If you have any questions about your personal dispensing limits or intervals, please contact the Care Team on 1300 176 556.

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Learn more about dispensing limits and intervals here.

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Like any medicine – plant-based or otherwise – the effects of medicinal cannabis will vary from person to person. Side effects and their severity will depend on the type of medicinal cannabis prescribed and how it is used, as well as individual factors like your weight and metabolism. While CBD generally has a narrow side effect profile, THC is a psychotropic cannabinoid with effects that are typically associated with feeling ‘high’. It is important to note that the therapeutic benefits of medicinal cannabis can still be achieved without producing this ‘high’ feeling.

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Potential side effects of medicinal cannabis can include:

• tiredness or drowsiness
• dizziness
• mouth dryness
• nausea or vomiting
• changes in appetite
• anxiety
• hypotension (low blood pressure)
• euphoria
• other cognitive effects
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Your prescribing doctor will discuss any potential side effects of your treatment plan during your consultation. Once you receive your medications, ensure you follow the dosing instructions provided to you by your doctor. If you have any questions about your medication, dosing requirements or treatment side effects, you can contact the Care Team who can review your treatment plan or reach out to your doctor for further advice. 
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If you experience any severe adverse effects or believe you are having a medical emergency and need immediate care, call 000 or go straight to the Emergency Department at your nearest hospital.
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Medicinal cannabis is a very personal treatment. What works best for one person may not always work for another. If you feel your medication is not working for you and you want to stop taking it, you are welcome to contact the Care Team who can reach out to your prescribing doctor for advice on how to proceed with your treatment plan. 

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If you are wanting to try a new type of medication that you do not currently have a prescription for or get further guidance from your practitioner, you will need to book a follow up consultation with your Polln doctor.

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If you have repeat scripts available, you can access these by logging into your patient dashboard and clicking 'Prescriptions'. To place an order, simply select the medication by clicking 'Add to Cart' and following the prompts to complete payment.

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If you do not have access to repeat scripts and want to access further or new medication scripts, you can book a follow up consultation with your Polln doctor.

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Prescriptions for Schedule 8 Medications expire after 6 months, while prescriptions for Schedule 4 Medications expire after 12 Months. Scripts not accessed in this timeframe will become invalid and you will need to book a follow up consultation with your doctor to obtain a new prescription.

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To view your prescription expiration date, log onto your Polln dashboard, select prescriptions on the left hand side and underneath each prescription medicine you will be able to view when each prescription expires. 

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Check your prescription or contact the Care Team if you are unsure when your prescriptions are due to expire.

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We have two types of follow up consultations available.

Consultations are booked and paid for using your Polln patient dashboard, in the same way you booked your Initial Consultation. We recommend booking consultations in advance to ensure you can meet with your preferred doctor at a time that suits you and so you can receive your prescribed medications when you need them.

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