12 December 07 - 06:29
Cannabis-good medicine
523 HIV positive subjects were asked about cannabis use with an anonymous questionnaire in the UK. 143 (27 per cent) reported using cannabis for treating symptoms.
Patients reported improved appetite (97%),
muscle pain (94%),
nausea (93%),
anxiety (93%),
nerve pain (90%), d
epression (86%),
and paresthesia (85%).
(Source: Woolridge E, et al. J Pain Symptom Manage 2005;29(4):358-67)
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Researchers at the Columbia University in New York investigated the effects of 10, 20, and 30 mg of oral THC and cannabis cigarettes of different potencies (1.8, 2.8, and 3.9 percent THC) on food intake in two groups of HIV positive cannabis smokers in eight 7-hour sessions. One group consisted of 15 subjects with significant loss of muscle mass and the other of 15 subjects without loss of muscle mass.
The three different cannabis cigarettes and the two lower THC doses (10 and 20 mg) were well tolerated with few physical symptoms and significant increases in ratings of "good drug effect", while the highest dose of THC (30 mg) caused significant side effects in some participants.
Both THC and cannabis increased caloric intake in the group with weight loss but not in the control group. The effects on cognitive performance were minor.
Authors conclude that "for experienced cannabis smokers with clinically significant muscle mass loss, both dronabinol (at acute doses at least four to eight times the current recommendation) and cannabis produce substantial and comparable increases in food intake without producing adverse effects."
(Source: Haney M, et al. Dronabinol and marijuana in HIV+ marijuana smokers: acute effects on caloric intake and mood. Psychopharmacology 2005 Mar 19;
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Neuropathic pain: Preliminary results of a randomized, placebo-controlled study involving 50 patients with HIV-related peripheral neuropathy who received either smoked cannabis or placebo-cannabis were presented.
In the study conducted at the University of California cannabis was shown to provide pain relief comparable to Gabapentin, the most widely used treatment for a condition that afflicts some 30 per cent of patients with HIV. (Abstract by D. Abrams et al.)
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Schizophrenia: Results of a four-week double-blind clinical trial on cannabidiol and amisulpride in acute schizophrenia were presented by researchers of the University of Cologne. Cannabidiol significantly reduced psychopathological symptoms of acute psychosis after both, week two and four, when compared to the initial status.
There was no significant difference in efficacy between cannabidiol and Amisulpride. However, cannabidiol caused significantly LESS SIDE EFFECTS than the other drug. (Abstract by M. Leweke et al.)
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An anonymous questionnaire survey was conducted at the Central Middlesex Hospital in London among adults suffering from sickle cell disease (SCD).
86 subjects aged 23 to 39 years participated in the study. 31 had used cannabis in the previous 12 months to relieve symptoms associated with SCD. The main route in all but two patients was by smoking. The main reasons for use were to reduce pain in 52 per cent, and to induce relaxation or relieve anxiety and depression in 39 per cent.
SCD is a blood condition caused by a cell mutation, which is seen most commonly in people from Africa and India. Sickle cell syndromes also occur in people of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern background. This mutation causes a change in haemoglobin, the oxygen-transport protein in red blood cells. Pain is one of the predominant symptoms in SCD. It can be severe enough to require opioid analgesics for relief, can recur acutely at unpredicted intervals, is associated with inflammation and can become chronic.
Sources: www.cannabis-med.org; Howard J, Anie KA, Holdcroft A, Korn S, Davies SC. Cannabis use in sickle cell disease: a questionnaire study. Br J Haematol 2005;131(1):123-8.)
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