TREATING MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS WITH MEDICAL CANNABIS

With continued advances in medicine and pharmacology, the recent trend seems to favour the use of medical marijuana as a method of relieving the pain and muscle spasms suffered by people with multiple sclerosis and other diseases and conditions cause severe muscle spasms.

Cannabinoids have been studied for a variety of neurological disorders with promising results. There is strong evidence that THC and CBD are able to treat muscle spasticity and neuropathic pain in multiple sclerosis, although the medical community has not yet defined a clear role for cannabinoids or the treatment strategy for this condition. Worldwide, most patients who choose to supplement their therapy with cannabis derivatives do not receive adequate support from health care systems or medical experts in cannabis treatment. In some cases, however, patients may participate in specific clinical programs that also contribute to the overall knowledge of the effectiveness of cannabis against muscle spasms.

WHAT IS MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS?

Multiple sclerosis is a neurological disease that destroys the fatty protein that protects the nerve cells. Exposed nerves lose their full functionality and the resulting symptoms include pain, muscle spasticity, fatigue, inflammation and depression, all of which lead to a decrease in physical activity and poor quality of life. This process of demyelination in the central nervous system affects 2.3 million people worldwide.

Standard treatments to help the patient return to a normal life include anti-inflammatory and analgesics, muscle relaxants and sedatives. Although we have seen significant advances in therapies recently, none of the current treatments can definitively cure MS-related symptoms. With extensive experience reports of the alleged effectiveness of cannabis flowers, hashish and oils against MS symptoms, many patients have begun to turn to weed.

There are many personal accounts of patients using medical cannabis to relieve pain, anxiety, muscle tremors and cramps caused by MS. In addition, scientific confirmation of these effects is beginning to rest on a solid foundation of hundreds of patients in clinical trials. Let’s take a quick look at some new research on cannabis therapy for multiple sclerosis.

THE LATEST STUDIES

A synopsis of studies conducted between 1948 and 2013 examining the treatment of MS symptoms, epilepsy and movement disorders with cannabis found strong evidence of the efficacy of cannabis products in reducing muscle problems, spasticity and central pain or painful cramps. This was the result of objective, patient-centered measures lasting one year. However, it was found that cannabis compounds could be ineffective in controlling urinary dysfunction and tremor, and that about 1% of patients experienced adverse psychopathological side effects.

A few years later, two high-quality systematic papers were published on multiple sclerosis, which concluded that the only strong evidence of the effectiveness of medical cannabis in neurological disorders was in reducing the symptoms of spasticity and central pain, and that the use of cannabis was the only method of complementary medicine evident in MS that was effective. Serious undesirable side effects were rare and THC was generally well tolerated. Following this study, a University of Colorado survey of multiple sclerosis patients who used cannabis derivatives to treat their condition also came to similar results. Patients used CBD and / or THC to treat pain, insomnia, and muscle stiffness, with most users reporting no side effects, while some experienced dizziness or a decrease in alertness and others minor side effects. Other recent studies and meta-analyzes with a large number of patients have also examined the effects of oral or oromucosal cannabinoids and collected significant results with regard to spasticity, pain and bladder dysfunction. Finally, there is a study into the effects of CBD examines the mobility of people with multiple sclerosis. This study shows that cannabis derivatives with a CBD: THC ratio of 1: 1 or higher can reduce muscle spasticity and pain in multiple sclerosis patients.