Marijuana Eases HIV-Related Nerve Pain

[twilight]

<<SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters Health) - For people with nerve damage that can result from HIV (news - web sites) infection, smoking marijuana seems to relieve the pain they experience, according to the results of a small pilot study.

Diffuse nerve pain, or polyneuropathy, is a significant problem for many people with HIV infection. Pre-clinical research findings suggest that cannabis-like compounds may be effective for treating neuropathic pain, Dr. Cheryl Jay of the University of California, San Francisco and colleagues noted this week at the 11th Annual Retrovirus Conference.

In a trial, 16 HIV-infected subjects with neuropathy were given three marijuana cigarettes each day for seven days. The cigarettes were dispensed by the pharmacy at San Francisco General Hospital. All of the patients reported previous experience smoking marijuana but had not done so for 30 days prior to the trial.
Reductions in pain were assessed using a 0-to-100 visual scale. The aim was to achieve a 30 percent reduction in average daily pain, "which is a pretty typical standard used in pain studies, and is considered a clinically meaningful amount of pain relief," Jay told Reuters Health.

Average pain scores dropped from 47 at the start of the study to 20 at the end of the seven-day period. Twelve of the 16 participants reached the 30-percent goal in reduction of pain, Jay said. >>

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=594&e=2&u=/nm/20040212/hl_nm/marijuana_pain_dc

Encouraging results here! I wonder if they plan to study how cannabis can help reduce pain in other neurological conditions that are associated with pain such as multiple sclerosis?

Anyway, a move in the right direction for sick people that can find no other help from the usual drugs prescribed.




:dem:

[DenverDem]

1. The healing of the nations.

Rastafari, almighty God.

[andy12]

7. supports terrorists and a gateway drug

and may lesson profits for the pharms and the booze sectors...

[DemBones DemBones]

10. People with chronic pain are given opiates

all the time so I hardly think "gateway" is an issue. Give people what helps them and don't worry about addiction. When you have chronic pain, you don't get high off opiates, you get pain reduction. There's a physical dependence on opiates so you have to taper off when you quit taking them, but it's not the same as addiction, which supposedly doesn't occur when the drugs are used for pain relief. It's allegedly the same with marijuana.

Terrorism? Pain is a terrorist. Pain patients don't care what happens to big pharm's profits, either. Booze shouldn't be used on a regular basis for pain control. It's not what people with chronic pain need.

[Sentath]

16. Pardon me

But I think Andy's post was intended as either sarcasm or parody.

[Zhade]

17. The GOVERNMENT supports terrorists.

Only government-distributed drugs support terrorism - and traitors like the idiot in the White House.

[waylon]

2. I dont agree with the science...

Sample is too small, previous experience with a drug influences expectatations and results, and the study didnt contain adequate controls.

These little details aside, how much pain would you feel when your head is tied in a knot? Or as the saying goes, your nose never itches when your leg is caught in a bear trap.

[DrWeird]

3. This specific study, or medical marijuana in general?

Because THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, was approved years ago by the FDA for many medical problems. And the FDA does extensive testing.

[justinpower]

4. Head tied in a knot?

man what have you been smokin, cause I dont think it was marijuana.

[DenverDem]

6. True, true,

Bob.

[TrogL]

5. There's two chemicals involved

CBD is the pain reliever. If you get the right strain of pot there's very little THC.

[Lurking Dem]

13. This isn't the first study.

A recent one from Scotland concluded the same thing with regard to diabetic neuropathies which are nearly identical to the HIV variety.

You do not get high on opiates when you take them for pain (if the dosage is correct). You just get pain relief.

[damnraddem]

8. This will be further motivation for Ashcroft to crack down on ...

medical use of marijuana.

[yo-yo-ma]

9. hard to draw conclusions

from such a study -- not only is the sample small, but there is neither randomization of subjects nor, most importantly, any placebo control. There is an FDA approved form of THC -- Marinol -- which is used in the treatment of chronic pain. However, it is not often prescribed because it is poorly tolerated - that is, it makes people too out of it, even people with experience with smoking marijuana. Therefore some researchers think that it is one of the other hundred some compounds in marijuana or a synergistic action between them and THC that causes the analgesic effect.

What is amazing is that the SF General pharmacy "mixed" and dispensed joints. Given the closure of clubs in California, I wonder where their source was . . .

[HuckleB]

11. Yeah, the "science" on this is fairly sketchy.

If anyone tried to push some other drug with the same study, they would be hounded out of this place. It's possible that marijuana may help some people, however, it is not the miracle drug that some try to push. There just is no miracle drug out there.

[Occulus]

19. Wasn't there a school down in the south

that had a legally approved grow operation for the govt's own medical marijuana program?

What was that program called, and is it still in operation?

[Lars39]

23. I'd be interested in knowing what college(?) it was......

My biology teacher was one of only 6 or 7 people licensed in the US to research marijuana. He gave some interesting pointers concerning what to do if you were arrested for possession. :)

[leesa]

12. Marijuana is a wonderful drug, textile, fuel, food, but the rotten

corporate bastards can't make a buck off it if we grow it in our own backyards. The ONLY reason it is illegal. Disempower the corrupt pharmaceutical companies...they are trying to kill us.

[HuckleB]

15. Yeah, that's the only reason.

:eyes:

Look, there are lots of bogus reasons for its current status, but there are also some legitimate reasons, too. It's not the magical substance that some try to make it out to be. Sorry.

[Zhade]

18. When was the last time you smoked pot?

?

[HuckleB]

20. A year ago.

Not that this has any relevance to this matter, whatsoever.

[Zhade]

21. Actually, it would - if you'd never tried it.

As you have, you can speak with additional authority on the matter.

I disagree with your dismissal of the plant's myriad uses (as pointed out elsewhere on this thread), but at least you're not one of those who speak about something they have no firsthand experience with!

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

22. Come on now tell the truth.

It was 2 hours ago wasn't it?

[ninkasi]

14. I suffer from chronic pain...

and know that marijuana eases the symptoms. The real irony in my situation, is that in order to tolerate the pain medication i take, I also have to take a prescription drug for nausea.

Considering the amount of money my insurance company spends on those two meds, it seems that they would be happy if I could grow my own cure.