Smoked Cannabis Reduces Chronic Pain

[Paladin]

A good, blind trial of cannabis in treating chronic pain has just been released. This is in a reputable journal and is well worth a read. This has just come off embargo today.

 

 

FROM: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/201...j-scr082410.php

 

Public release date: 30-Aug-2010

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Contact: Kim Barnhardt

kim.barnhardt@cmaj.ca

613-520-7116 x2224

Canadian Medical Association Journal

Smoked cannabis reduces chronic pain

 

Randomized controlled trial

 

For people suffering chronic pain, smoked cannabis reduces pain, improves mood and helps sleep, according to new research published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) (pre-embargo link only) http://www.cmaj.ca/embargo/cmaj091414.pdf.

 

People who suffer from chronic neuropathic pain due to damage or dysfunction of the nervous system have few treatment options. These options include opioids, anticonvulsants, antidepressants and local anesthetics, but efficacy varies and all have side effects which limit compliance. Oral cannabinoids have shown success in treating some types of pain but may differ in effect and risks from smoked cannabis.

 

A team of researchers from McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and McGill University conducted a randomized controlled trial to investigate the analgesic effect of inhaled cannabis in 21 participants 18 years and older with chronic neuropathic pain. The researchers used three different potencies of active drug (THC levels of 2.5%, 6% and 9.4%) as well as a 0% placebo.

 

Patients reported better sleep quality as the THC content increased. Anxiety and depression also decreased in the 9.4% THC group compared with the placebo group.

 

"We found that 25 mg herbal cannabis with 9.4% THC, administered as a single smoked inhalation three times daily for five days, significantly reduces average pain intensity compared with a 0% THC cannabis placebo in adult subjects with chronic post traumatic/post surgical neuropathic pain," reports lead author Dr. Mark Ware, Director of Clinical Research at the Alan Edwards Pain Management Unit of the MUHC. "We found statistically significant improvements in measures of sleep quality and anxiety."

 

"To our knowledge, this is the first outpatient clinical trial of smoked cannabis ever reported," the authors state. It is one of only a handful of studies on smoked cannabis and neuropathic pain. The authors recommend more studies with higher potencies of THC, longer duration of follow-up and flexible dosing. Long-term safety studies of smoked cannabis for medical purposes are also needed.

 

In a related commentary http://www.cmaj.ca/embargo/cmaj100799.pdf, Dr. Henry McQuay of Balliol College, Oxford University, UK, writes "the authors should be congratulated for tackling such a worthwhile question as: does cannabis relieve neuropathic pain?, particularly because the trial must have been a major nightmare to get through the various regulatory hurdles. What makes it a worthwhile question is the continuing publicity that patients see, hear and read, suggesting analgesic activity of cannabis in neuropathic pain, and the paucity of robust evidence." He concludes that "this trial adds to the trickle of evidence that cannabis may help some of the patients who are struggling at present."

Edited August 30, 2010 by Paladin

[Radic]

just to be sure

here is a California study

 

Marijuana can be pain reliever, study finds

 

By Peter Hecht

 

Published: Thursday, Feb. 18, 2010 - 12:00 am | Page 3A

 

Smoking pot can soothe tingling or burning pain – but you don't need to get high to find relief.

 

Those are preliminary findings of an $8.7 million California study, the first major research conducted on the effects of marijuana in two decades.

 

Researchers concluded that marijuana can provide relief for neuropathic pain caused by injuries, infections, diabetes, strokes and other medical conditions affecting the nervous system.

 

The studies, conducted since 2000 by the Center for Medical Cannabis Research at the University of California, San Diego, also found that smoking pot offers at least short-term relief for muscle spasms.

 

The findings, released Wednesday in a report to the Legislature, are sure to drive debate over public policy governing California's burgeoning medical marijuana market.

 

But while the research endorsed medical benefits of marijuana, it was anything but an endorsement for getting stoned.

 

In fact, a clinical trial for 38 patients who smoked marijuana for pain from spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis, diabetes and other conditions found higher doses were not more effective than lower doses in relieving pain.

 

"We found that low strength was as good as high strength in resolving pain," said Dr. Barth Wilsey, a UC Davis specialist in pain medicine and anesthesiology. "But the lower dose did not cause confusion."

 

The state authorized and funded the marijuana research project under 1999 legislation known as the Medical Research Act. The report released Wednesday reflected findings from a compilation of studies involving about 200 patients, including experienced pot smokers and others with no familiarity with the drug.

 

They were given pot with varying levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main active chemical in cannabis, or placebo cigarettes that smelled of marijuana but contained no THC.

 

With five of seven clinical trials completed, researchers found marijuana to be a reliable pain remedy. The studies also found that participants experienced "adverse side effects," including cough, nausea, dizziness, sedation and changes in cognition.

 

However, the report concluded: "These effects were typically mild and resolved rapidly."

 

As a pain remedy, "there is good evidence that cannabinoids (in marijuana) may be an adjunct or a first-line treatment," said Dr. Igor Grant, a UC San Diego professor of psychiatry who directed the research.

 

The report did not address the potentially harmful effects of inhaling marijuana smoke. But researchers said they are studying whether a "smokeless" ingestion system may be healthier.

 

Researchers obtained marijuana for the studies from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, which grows marijuana for research. The marijuana used in the testing was maintained under intense security, and the research was conducted in consultation with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Food and Drug Administration, Grant said.

 

While the results could have policy implications for state government, Grant said the ramifications are unclear for the hundreds of medical marijuana dispensaries operating in California, because the pot they sell may vary greatly in content and potency.

 

"We don't know the composition of the product on the street," Grant said. "We don't know what the patients are getting. In a sense, that is not a good situation."

 

But Grant said the research indicates marijuana can benefit a wider range of symptoms than lack of appetite in AIDS patients and nausea in cancer patients.

 

Those were key ailments dramatized by proponents of Proposition 215, the medical marijuana law passed by California voters in 1996. The measure gave physicians the ability to recommend pot for "cancer, anorexia, AIDS, chronic pain, spasticity, glaucoma, arthritis, migraine, or any other illness for which marijuana provides relief."

 

Former state Sen. John Vasconcellos, who authored legislation for the research, said the study should bring broader acceptance for medical pot use.

 

"This is the latest, best, most objective clarifying research," Vasconcellos said. "That ought to solve the issue."

yes smoking hash oil works fine for relief from chronic neuropathic pain due to damage

i can vouch for that

that is exactly my case

i dont need a scientific study to tell i this

but it good to know that the court judges now have to accept my statements as my reality

forward ever

free cannabis

free people

free land

[Paladin]

Nice one, Radic.

 

And of course you're right. The more findings like this, the more the courts can be persuaded.

 

It's great to see proper studies coming out more and more. People who might not be inclined to take your or my word for it may find it a lot harder to contest these kinds of findings.

 

I was chuffed to see an Oxford don throw his 2c in there too.

[darryl d]

well done Paladin. Good addition Radic

This study would be a useful for anyone 'informing' their doctor about the benefits they find with Cannabis use, which is what needs to happen, people need to start telling their GP and specialists about the real benefits gained, forget about the law, it will fall into step behind medical use if people keep pushing and discussing this logically without fear.

[The Hash Nibbler]

Nice to see, the benefits over traditional painkiller and blocking Meds are enormous. Pharma companies will probably be behind a push in the legality side to protect their own self interest of pumping out pills for the masses at a hefty profit.

Will be interesting to see if maybe one day good triumphs over evil. Thanks Paladin and Radic. Gh72

[Fibrofeend]

Nice one peoples, always good to hear a positve study now and then, cheers for the link, i am going to keep PDF for sure, always good to have things like that to pull out if need be.

 

It all rings true for me, small amounts of potent extract eaten morning and night offer me great relief and help me to have a more active life, without being ripped and very little side effects on cognitive function, a lot less than any of the legal pharma on offer, with less other side effects to.

[mj_lives]

free cannabis

free people

free land

 

AMEN to that brutha!