What people use when they have cancer and want to get well with alternative treatment

Marijuana to fight Chronic Pain

1842 – 1890 Extracts and derivatives of the hemp plant are the second and third most prescribed medicines in the U.S.A. Eli Lilly, Parke-Davis, Squibb, Brothers Smith and other firms produce these medicines through 1930. During this time, not one death or severe side-effect is attributed to use.

s many as one in five Americans lives with chronic pain.[1] Many of these people suffer from neuropathic pain (nerve-related pain) — a condition that is associated with numerous diseases, including diabetes, cancer, multiple sclerosis, and HIV.

In most cases, the use of standard analgesic medications such as opiates and NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) is ineffective at relieving neuropathic pain.

Survey data indicates that the use of cannabis is common in chronic pain populations[2], and several recent clinical trials indicate that inhaled marijuana can significantly alleviate neuropathic pain. A pair of clinical trials recently demonstrated that smoking cannabis reduces neuropathic pain in patients with HIV by more than 30 percent compared to placebo.[3-4]

In 2008 investigators at the University of California at Davis assessed the efficacy of inhaled cannabis on pain intensity among 38 patients with central or peripheral neuropathic pain in a randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover trial. They reported:

“Cannabis reduced pain intensity and unpleasantness equally. Thus, as with opioids, cannabis does not rely on a relaxing or tranquilizing effect, but rather reduces both the core component of nociception (nerve pain) and the emotional aspect of the pain experience to an equal degree.”[5]

Preclinical data indicates that cannabinoids, when administered in concert with one another, are more effective at ameliorating neuropathic pain than the use of a single agent. Investigators at the University of Milan reported in 2008 that the administration of single cannabinoids such as THC or CBD produce limited relief compared to the administration of plant extracts containing multiple cannabinoids, terpenes (oils), and flavonoids (pigments).

Researchers concluded: “The use of a standardized extract of Cannabis Sativa … evoked a total relief of thermal hyperalgesia, in an experimental model of neuropathic pain, … ameliorating the effect of single cannabinoids,” investigators concluded. … Collectively, these findings strongly support the idea that the combination of cannabinoid and non-cannabinoid compounds, as present in [plant-derived] extracts, provide significant advantages in the relief of neuropathic pain compared with pure cannabinoids alone. … Further studies of cannabis-based medicines in neuropathic pain are now required to demonstrate a clinically relevant improvement in the treatment of this condition.”[6]

[1] New York Times. October 21, 1994. “Study says 1 in 5 Americans suffers from chronic pain.”

[2]Cone et al. 2008. Urine drug testing of chronic pain patients: licit and illicit drug patterns. Journal of Analytical Toxicology 32: 532-543.

[3] Abrams et al. 2007. Cannabis in painful HIV-associated sensory neuropathy: a randomized placebo-controlled trial. Neurology 68: 515-521.

[4] Ellis et al. 2008. Smoked medicinal cannabis for neuropathic pain in HIV: a randomized, crossover clinical trial. Neuropsychopharmacology [E-pub ahead of print].

[5] Wilsey et al. 2008. A randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover trial of cannabis cigarettes in neuropathic pain. Journal of Pain 9: 506-521.

[6] Comelli et al. 2008. Antihyperalgesic effect of a Cannabis sativa extract in a rat model of neuropathic pain. Phytotherapy Research 22: 1017-1024.

http://norml.org/

Sativex

Sativex is an oromucosal (mouth) spray developed by the UK company GW Pharmaceuticals for multiple sclerosis patients, who can use it to alleviate neuropathic pain and spasticity, also Sativex is being prescribed to alleviate pain due to cancer, research is being made on Sativex to cure cancer and other diseases that involve mutant cells. Sativex is distinct from all other pharmaceutically produced cannabinoids currently available because it is derived from botanical material, rather than a solely synthetic process. Sativex is a pharmaceutical product standardised in composition, formulation, and dose. Its principal active cannabinoid components are the cannabinoids: tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD).

Three early and six pivotal controlled studies in the United Kingdom demonstrated positive results treating chronic pain of various origins including neurologic pain, various symptoms of multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and cancer pain. Initial results show improvement in pain for more than one year despite lack of effectiveness of the opioids

Available for now in UK and Canada. Unfortunately quite expensive.

Testimonial : ” I am a lucky Canadian who has been prescribed Sativex. I have been diagnosed with Ms for 6 years now. For the past six months, I have been taking Sativex to control the neuropathic pain I get in my legs. This medication is a wonderful thing. I will only take this medication as smoking pot does not appeal to me. It really works. I feel as though the fire that I always am standing in, has been turned off! I am sorry for all of you who do not have access to it. It would be a real benefit if only your governments would recognize the medicinal effects of THC.”