Medical Cannabis Legalization and Opioid Prescriptions: Evidence on US Medicaid Enrollees during 1993-2014.

Posted on July 11, 2018 by David

Addiction banner

“While the US has been experiencing an opioid epidemic, 29 states and Washington DC have legalized cannabis for medical use. This study examined whether statewide medical cannabis legalization was associated with reduction in opioids received by Medicaid enrollees.

FINDINGS:

For Schedule III opioid prescriptions, medical cannabis legalization was associated with a 29.6% (p=0.03) reduction in number of prescriptions, 29.9% (p=0.02) reduction in dosage, and 28.8% (p=0.04) reduction in related Medicaid spending. No evidence was found to support the associations between medical cannabis legalization and Schedule II opioid prescriptions. Permitting medical cannabis dispensaries was not associated with Schedule II or Schedule III opioid prescriptions after controlling for medical cannabis legalization. It was estimated that, if all the states had legalized medical cannabis by 2014, Medicaid annual spending on opioid prescriptions would be reduced by 17.8 million dollars.

CONCLUSION:

Statewide medical cannabis legalization appears to have been associated with reductions in both prescriptions and dosages of Schedule III (but not Schedule II) opioids received by Medicaid enrollees in the US.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29989239

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/add.14382

Preliminary evaluation of the efficacy, safety, and costs associated with the treatment of chronic pain with medical cannabis.

Posted on July 3, 2018 by David

“Medical cannabis (MC) is commonly claimed to be an effective treatment for chronic or refractory pain. With interest in MC in the United States growing, as evidenced by the 29 states and 3 US districts that now have public MC programs, the need for clinical evidence supporting this claim has never been greater.

METHODS:

This was a retrospective, mirror-image study that investigated MC’s effectiveness in patients suffering from chronic pain associated with qualifying conditions for MC in New York State. The primary outcome was to compare European Quality of Life 5 Dimension Questionnaire (EQ-5D) and Pain Quality Assessment Scale (PQAS) scores at baseline and 3 months post-therapy. The secondary outcomes included comparisons of monthly analgesic prescription costs and opioid consumption pre- and post-therapy. Tolerability was assessed by side effect incidence.

RESULTS:

This investigation included 29 subjects. Quality of life and pain improved, measured by change in EQ-5D (Pre 36 - Post 64, P < .0001) and change in PQAS paroxysmal (Pre 6.76 - Post 2.04, P < .0001), surface (Pre 4.20 - Post 1.30, P < .0001), deep (Pre 5.87 - Post 2.03, P < .0001), unpleasant (Pre “miserable” - Post “annoying”, P < .0001). Adverse effects were reported in 10% of subjects.

DISCUSSION:

After 3 months treatment, MC improved quality of life, reduced pain and opioid use, and lead to cost savings. Large randomized clinical trials are warranted to further evaluate the role of MC in the treatment of chronic pain.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29955555

http://mhc.cpnp.org/doi/10.9740/mhc.2018.05.110

Role of the cannabinoid signaling in the brain orexin- and ghrelin-induced visceral antinociception in conscious rats.

Posted on July 3, 2018 by David

Journal of Pharmacological Sciences

“We hypothesized that the cannabinoid (CB) system may mediate the brain orexin- or ghrelin-induced visceral antinociception. Intraperitoneal injection of either CB_1/2 agonist, WIN 55212 or O-Arachidonoyl ethanolamine increased the threshold volume of colonic distension-induced abdominal withdrawal reflex in rats, suggesting CB could induce visceral antinociception. Pretreatment with either the CB₁ or CB₂ antagonist potently blocked the centrally injected orexin-A-induced antinociceptive action against colonic distension while CB₂ but not CB₁ antagonist blocked the brain ghrelin-induced visceral antinociception. These results suggest that the cannabinoid signaling may be involved in the central orexin- or ghrelin-induced antinociceptive action in a different mechanistic manner.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29958814

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1347861318301002?via%3Dihub

Structure-Activity Relationship of Cannabis Derived Compounds for the Treatment of Neuronal Activity-Related Diseases.

Posted on June 27, 2018 by David

“Cannabis sativa active compounds are extensively studied for their therapeutic effects, beyond the well-known psychotropic activity. C. Sativa is used to treat different medical indications, such as multiple sclerosis, spasticity, epilepsy, ulcerative colitis and pain. Simultaneously, basic research is discovering new constituents of cannabis-derived compounds and their receptors capable of neuroprotection and neuronal activity modulation. The function of the various phytochemicals in different therapeutic processes is not fully understood, but their significant role is starting to emerge and be appreciated. In this review, we will consider the structure-activity relationship (SAR) of cannabinoid compounds able to bind to cannabinoid receptors and act as therapeutic agents in neuronal diseases, e.g., Parkinson’s disease.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29941830

http://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/23/7/1526

Medical Cannabis in Patients with Chronic Pain: Effect on Pain Relief, Pain Disability, and Psychological aspects. A Prospective Non randomized Single Arm Clinical Trial.

Posted on June 26, 2018 by David

Image result for clinical therapeutics journal

“There is an increasing interest in the medical use of cannabis, particularly in the treatment of chronic pain.

OBJECTIVES:

The aim is to evaluate the effects of cannabis use and the associated benefits reported by patients with various chronic pain diagnoses.

RESULTS:

Pain intensity records a statistically significant reduction from Baseline to 12 months follow up (X² 61.375; P<0,001); the im- provements from Baseline to 12 months follow up are also recorded in pain disability (X² 39.423; P<0,001) and in anxiety and depression symptoms (X²30.362; P<0,001; X²27.786; P<0,001).

CONCLUSIONS:

Our study suggest that Cannabis therapy, as an adjun- ct a traditional analgesic therapy, can be an efficacious tool to make more effective the management of chronic pain and its consequences on functional and psychological dimension. Further randomized, controlled trials are needed to confirm our conclusions.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29938740

The relationship of endocannabinoidome lipid mediators with pain and psychological stress in women with fibromyalgia – a case control study.

Posted on June 10, 2018 by David

“Characterized by chronic widespread pain, generalized hyperalgesia, and psychological stress fibromyalgia (FM) is difficult to diagnose and lacks effective treatments.

The endocannabinoids – arachidonoylethanolamide (AEA), 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), and the related oleoylethanolamide (OEA), palmitoylethanolamide (PEA), and stearoylethanolamide (SEA) – are endogenous lipid mediators with analgesic and anti-inflammatory characteristics, in company with psychological modulating properties (e.g., stress and anxiety), and are included in a new emerging “ome”, the endocannabinoidome.

This case -control study compared the concentration differences of AEA, OEA, PEA, SEA, and 2-AG in 104 women with FM and 116 healthy controls (CON). All participants OEArated their pain, anxiety, depression, and current health status. The relationships between the lipid concentrations and the clinical assessments were investigated using powerful multivariate data analysis and traditional bivariate statistics. The concentrations of OEA, PEA, SEA, and 2-AG were significantly higher in FM than in CON; significance remained for OEA and SEA after controlling for BMI and age. 2-AG correlated positively with FM duration and BMI, and to some extent negatively with pain, anxiety, depression, and health status. In FM, AEA correlated positively with depression ratings.

The elevated circulating levels of endocannabinoidome lipids suggest that these lipids play a role in the complex pathophysiology of FM and might be signs of ongoing low-grade inflammation in FM. Although the investigated lipids are significantly altered in FM their biological roles are uncertain with respect to the clinical manifestations of FM. Thus, plasma lipids alone are not good biomarkers for FM.

PERSPECTIVE:

This study reports about elevated plasma levels of endocannabinoidome lipid mediators in FM. The lipids suitability to work as biomarkers for FM in the clinic were low, however their altered levels indicate that a metabolic asymmetry is ongoing in FM, which could serve as basis during explorative FM pain management.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29885369

https://www.jpain.org/article/S1526-5900(18)30197-4/fulltext

Cannabinoid receptor type 1 in the brain regulates the affective component of visceral pain in mice.

Posted on June 10, 2018 by David

Cover image

“Endocannabinoids acting through cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1) are major modulators of peripheral somatic and visceral nociception. Although only partially studied, some evidence suggests a particular role of CB1 within the brain in nociceptive processes.

As the endocannabinoid system regulates affect and emotional behaviors, we hypothesized that cerebral CB1 influences affective processing of visceral pain-related behaviors in laboratory animals.

To study nocifensive responses modulated by supraspinal CB1, we used conditional knock-out mice lacking CB1 either in cortical glutamatergic neurons (Glu-CB1-KO), or in forebrain GABAergic neurons (GABA-CB1-KO), or in principle neurons of the forebrain (CaMK-CB1-KO). These mutant mice and mice treated with the CB1 antagonist SR141716 were tested for different pain-related behaviors. In an acetic acid-induced abdominal constriction test, supraspinal CB1 deletions did not affect nocifensive responses. In the cerulein-model of acute pancreatitis, mechanical allodynia or hyperalgesia were not changed, but Glu-CB1- and CaMK-CB1-KO mice showed significantly increased facial grimacing scores indicating increased affective responses to this noxious visceral stimulus. Similarly, these brain-specific CB1 KO mice also showed significantly changed thermal nociception in a hot-plate test.

These results reveal a novel, and important role of CB1 expressed by cortical glutamatergic neurons in the affective component of visceral nociception.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29885522

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306452218303919

[Cannabinoids in pain medicine]

Posted on June 9, 2018 by David

Der Schmerz

“The endocannabinoid system (ECS) controls a large number of vital functions.

Suboptimal tone of the ECS in certain regions of the nervous system may be associated with disorders that are also associated with pain.

Pain and inflammation processes can be modulated by the exogenous supply of cannabinoids.

Low-to-moderate pain-relieving effects and in individual cases large pain-relieving effects were observed in randomized, controlled studies of various types of chronic pain. People with chronic neuropathic pain and stress symptoms seem to particularly benefit.

The therapeutic range of cannabinoids is small; often small doses are sufficient for clinically significant effects. The “Cannabis-als-Medizin-Gesetz” (cannabis as medicine law) allows the prescription of cannabis preparations under certain conditions.

Available data indicate good long-term efficacy and tolerability. However, there is little systematic long-term experience from clinical studies.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29881935

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00482-018-0299-1

Reinforcing effects of opioid/cannabinoid mixtures in rhesus monkeys responding under a food/drug choice procedure.

Posted on June 4, 2018 by David

Psychopharmacology

“Cannabinoid receptor agonists such as delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ⁹-THC) enhance the antinociceptive potency of mu opioid receptor agonists such as morphine, indicating that opioid/cannabinoid mixtures might be effective for treating pain. However, such enhancement will be beneficial only if cannabinoids do not also enhance adverse effects of opioids, including those related to abuse.

In rhesus monkeys, cannabinoids fail to enhance and often decrease self-administration of the mu opioid receptor agonist heroin, suggesting that opioid/cannabinoid mixtures do not have greater reinforcing effects (abuse potential) compared with opioids alone. Previous studies on the self-administration of opioid/cannabinoid mixtures used single-response procedures, which do not easily differentiate changes in reinforcing effects from other effects (e.g., rate decreasing).

CONCLUSION:

Overall, these results extend previous studies to include choice behavior and show that cannabinoids do not substantially enhance the reinforcing effects of mu opioid receptor agonists.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29860612

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00213-018-4932-6

Including cannabinoids in the treatment of painful schwannomatosis.

Posted on May 31, 2018 by David

Brain and Behavior banner

“A 47‐year‐old man, affected by Schwannomatosis, presented a very severe pain (10/10, NRS) with paroxysmal shooting episodes, allodynia, paresthesia, and dysesthesia; in parallel, the patient had lost weight (from 70 to 49 kg) and experienced fatigue and deep depression. The previous pain prescription, including opioids and antineutopathic drugs, was fully ineffective. We progressively substituted this therapy with 15 drops, 3 times/daily, of THC/CBD in a concentration ratio 5:1, equal to 15 mg of active substance each time, reaching improvement in pain intensity (6/10) and in several other aspects as mood and quality of life”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29845778

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/brb3.1011

“Schwannomatosis is a rare genetic disorder that results in tumors (called schwannomas) that grow on the peripheral nerves throughout the body. It is recognized most often in people over the age of 30. Schwannomatosis can cause severe, debilitating pain and neurological dysfunction.” https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/neurology_neurosurgery/centers_clinics/neurofibromatosis/schwannomatosis/index.html

www.thctotalhealthcare.com

Category Archives: Pain

Medical Cannabis Legalization and Opioid Prescriptions: Evidence on US Medicaid Enrollees during 1993-2014.

FINDINGS:

CONCLUSION:

Preliminary evaluation of the efficacy, safety, and costs associated with the treatment of chronic pain with medical cannabis.

METHODS:

RESULTS:

DISCUSSION:

Role of the cannabinoid signaling in the brain orexin- and ghrelin-induced visceral antinociception in conscious rats.

Structure-Activity Relationship of Cannabis Derived Compounds for the Treatment of Neuronal Activity-Related Diseases.

Medical Cannabis in Patients with Chronic Pain: Effect on Pain Relief, Pain Disability, and Psychological aspects. A Prospective Non randomized Single Arm Clinical Trial.

OBJECTIVES:

RESULTS:

CONCLUSIONS:

The relationship of endocannabinoidome lipid mediators with pain and psychological stress in women with fibromyalgia – a case control study.

PERSPECTIVE:

Cannabinoid receptor type 1 in the brain regulates the affective component of visceral pain in mice.

[Cannabinoids in pain medicine]

Reinforcing effects of opioid/cannabinoid mixtures in rhesus monkeys responding under a food/drug choice procedure.

CONCLUSION:

Including cannabinoids in the treatment of painful schwannomatosis.