Multiple Sclerosis Patients Not Just Blowing Smoke.

[greenbuddha]

Marijuana May Ease Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms Posted by CN Staff on May 14, 2012 at 12:22:46 PT

By Amy Norton, New York

Source: Reuters

 

Reuters -- People with multiple sclerosis have long said that smoking marijuana helps ease their painful muscle cramping. And a new clinical trial suggests they are not just blowing smoke.

 

The study, published Monday, found that for 30 MS patients with muscle "spasticity," a few days of marijuana smoking brought some relief. But the big caveat, researchers say, is that it's not clear that the downsides of pot smoking are worth it.

 

Some people with MS are already using medical marijuana to treat certain symptoms, including spasticity -- when the muscles in the legs or arms contract painfully, in something akin to a "charley horse."

There is some science behind the idea: The body naturally produces cannabinoids, the group of chemicals found in marijuana. And studies have suggested the cannabinoid receptors on our cells help regulate muscle spasticity.

But the evidence that pot smoking actually helps with spasticity has been anecdotal.

"We've heard from patients that marijuana helps their spasticity, but I think a lot us thought, ‘Well, it's probably just making you feel good,'" said Dr. Jody Corey-Bloom, the lead researcher on the new study.

"I think this study shows that yes, (marijuana) may help with spasticity, but at a cost," said Corey-Bloom, of the University of California, San Diego.

The cost, her team found, is that smoking caused fatigue and dizziness in some users, and generally slowed down people's mental skills soon after they used marijuana.

But it's not clear if that would have any long-term consequences, Corey-Bloom said.

About 400,000 people in the United States have MS, a chronic disease in which the protective coating around nerve fibers starts breaking down.

The new study, reported in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, included 30 MS patients with muscle spasticity that had failed to get better with standard medication.

Corey-Bloom's team had each patient smoke marijuana or "placebo" joints -- which looked, smelled and tasted like the real thing, but lacked the active ingredient in marijuana, known as THC.

Each patient smoked marijuana once a day for three days and used the placebo cigarette once a day on three separate days. Before and after each treatment, an independent rater assessed the patients' muscle spasticity.

Overall, the study found, measures of spasticity dropped an average of three points --about 30 percent -- on a 24-point scale when patients smoked marijuana, but didn't change after they smoked the placebo.

The issue of treating spasticity is "certainly an important one," said Nicholas LaRocca, vice president of healthcare delivery and policy research at the National MS Society.

"Spasticity is a big problem for many people with MS, and the current medications don't necessarily work for everyone," said LaRocca, who was not involved in the new study.

"But smoking marijuana does not appear to be a long-term solution, because of the cognitive effects," he told Reuters Health.

People with MS are already at some risk of "cognitive changes," LaRocca pointed out, so the potential for lasting effects from long-term marijuana smoking is a concern.

However, LaRocca said, researchers are developing cannabinoid-based medications for MS. That includes a cannabinoid mouth spray called Sativex that has been approved in the UK, Canada, Spain and New Zealand to treat MS-related spasticity.

Research into cannabinoids and spasticity should continue, LaRocca said, because medications may be able to harness the benefits of specific cannabis compounds, without the side effects linked to smoking pot.

Both LaRocca and Corey-Bloom said there were limitations to the current study.

"Blinding" people as to whether they are on marijuana or a placebo is tough since the drug creates a "high" feeling.

In this study, 17 of 30 patients were able to correctly guess whether they were using marijuana or a placebo at each of their six visits with the researchers. And the rest often guessed correctly.

"It's pretty clear that the patients were not really blinded," LaRocca said. "What effects that might have had on the results is unclear."

Corey-Bloom said that should not have influenced the spasticity findings, since an independent researcher (who didn't know whether patients were smoking marijuana or the placebo) rated spasticity using a standard scale.

But another limitation, she pointed out, is that the study looked at the effects, and side effects, of marijuana over only a few days. "We can't say anything about long-term effects," Corey-Bloom told Reuters Health.

For now, LaRocca recommended that people with spasticity see a doctor experienced in treating MS. And if you're on an anti-spasticity medication and it's not working well enough, or the side effects are too much, tell your doctor, he said.

For some people, a change in the medication dose might help.

Source: http://bit.ly/qB3Mku -- Canadian Medical Association Journal, online May 14, 2012.

Source: Reuters (Wire)

Author: Amy Norton

Published: May 14, 2012

Copyright: 2012 Thomson Reuters

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[cali2012]

Right on!!

FDA will still shove chemicals in our faces making it synthetic instead of using the real stuff. How is it any different then making meth?

[+washtenaut]

This is a good article. I forwarded it on to my doctor to help educate him. If you get an email ID for your doctor, consider trying to educate.

 

If interested check out the gwpharm.com website for some good cannabis research info too.

 

 

 

Dr. xxxxx,

 

If you recall, I mentioned that I would forward educational material if I thought it worthy. I appreciate that you have an open mind. The article below I found informative. I hope you do too.

 

Also, the article mentions a cannabis extract product that is under FDA review called Sativex. The manufacturer of Sativex, GW Pharmaceuticals, has a very informative webpage on cannabis science and research. See gwpharm.com , go to the tab for R&D , and then there are two sections to review.

 

The 'Therapeutic Areas' section has information on oncology, metabolic disorders, epilepsy, etc and the 'Cannabinoid Science' section has a great deal of detail about the various compounds and their interaction with the body's own cannabinoid receptors. The information on cancer treatments is exciting to me as cancer takes so many good people today.

 

As we talked, there is a great deal of possibility with this medicine and you, with all due respect, are currently under informed. This information was never taught in medical schools. I hope to help you learn so that you may help others.

 

Thanks

 

Regards,

 

 

By Amy Norton, New York

 

Reuters -- People with multiple sclerosis have long said that smoking marijuana helps ease their painful muscle cramping. And a new clinical trial suggests they are not just blowing smoke.

 

The study, published Monday, found that for 30 MS patients with muscle "spasticity," a few days of marijuana smoking brought some relief. But the big caveat, researchers say, is that it's not clear that the downsides of pot smoking are worth it. ......

[restlesslegs]

I'm proof that it works. They had me on Soma, great high and highly addictive but it does not get rid of the cramps, Baclofen work so so but talk about not being able to function and it literally made me have buzzing bees in my head, the latest one was worthless Flexeril. MM was the first thing that has ever helped me and is hands down the best for MS spasms/cramps.

[tooldini]

Glad it works for you Restless slowly the word will spread and maybe people won't act so weird about using Cannabis as a medicine.

[restlesslegs]

Thank you Tooldini, The more studies done and the more large societies that stand behind the use of MM and publish their findings the closer we become to having it recognized as a medicine.

[tooldini]

I think most on here know how well it has helped with my asthma and siatic nerve pain. The back pain almost never shows up anymore and it used to be at least every other month for 1-2 weeks straight usually 1 once a month and not it has been close to a year since pain

[restlesslegs]

I think most on here know how well it has helped with my asthma and siatic nerve pain. The back pain almost never shows up anymore and it used to be at least every other month for 1-2 weeks straight usually 1 once a month and not it has been close to a year since pain

 

Awesome!

[Kevin]

Cannabis is one of the best things for MS and sometimes even effective for nerve pain. I'm at progressive secondary stage now and ingestion of cannabis works for me far better than smoking.

 

No way a person could smoke enough cannabis to get the same medical effect of ingestion. I'm using about 30g of buds and 3-5g of hash for a single pan of cookies. I've eaten an entire pan in a single evening. Totally baked, nearly paralyzed, but smiling happily because the torture of the tendon cramps have diminished by half just like magic. It is heaven for a while.

 

Pharma companies do have pills to take the cramps away but the downside is, you don't wake up from those. Bad stuff. Stay away from it.

 

I'll continue using my cannabis and a few certain Ayurvedic compounds for the rest of my life and don't give half a toss what any doctor, legislator, family member, friend or anyone else says. They don't have to live with being tortured 24 hrs a day. I do.

 

 

 

Peace & Health.

[restlesslegs]

Kevin ((((((HUGS))))))) your stage (SP) is not an easy one. I know they consider me secondary because I have a lot of residuals but I don't because I do have times when I am not in midst of a flare up and just those normal icky issues are present. Like fatigue, cramps, brain farts, etc. etc. I will be using salves next month when my harvest is done. I like to eat too much to trust myself with the medibles,lol, except the ones I will be making with the high CBD count plant. I'd probably knock myself out for a week. Do you have a CBD plant you can use, well guess I should ask if you grow for yourself first eh? If not please PM me.

[tooldini]

I hear the ruderalis strains are naturally higher in CBD but I do not know anyone that has had one tested. I am growing some more of the Purple jems that are Ruderalis based. Would love to get them tested when finished but I never ever have extra money to pay for stuff like that.

[tooldini]

Kevin glad to hear you are getting some good relief it is nice to hear people not have to only use prescription pills.

[restlesslegs]

I hear the ruderalis strains are naturally higher in CBD but I do not know anyone that has had one tested. I am growing some more of the Purple jems that are Ruderalis based. Would love to get them tested when finished but I never ever have extra money to pay for stuff like that.

 

Northern Lights doesn't charge as much for that as most do you might be able to scrap up enough to have him test it. Someone I know is breeding two nice ones from which will have a high CBD count. That will be awhile so I am going to put a little bit back each month and I'll have enough to have NLights test it by the time that one is ready.

 

Are you ever by the west side of the state? I won't have any clones until late June or July of the one I have, PM me if you want more info, but it was so generously gifted to me I feel it is only a given I help others who need a high CBD plant.

[tooldini]

Thanks I will have to remember norther lights I am in the Monroe area so very rarely on the west side of state but it would be nice to have some known high CBD plants to work with. Thanks for offer and I will PM if anything changes

[restlesslegs]

Thanks I will have to remember norther lights I am in the Monroe area so very rarely on the west side of state but it would be nice to have some known high CBD plants to work with. Thanks for offer and I will PM if anything changes

 

Not positive of the date but I am suppose to be meeting someone on the east side of the state in July or August so when time gets closer I'll let you know.