Tag Archives: treatment

Cannabinoids for treatment of spasticity and other symptoms related to multiple sclerosis (CAMS study): multicentre randomised placebo-controlled trial.

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“Multiple sclerosis is associated with muscle stiffness, spasms, pain, and tremor. Much anecdotal evidence suggests that cannabinoids could help these symptoms.

Our aim was to test the notion that cannabinoids have a beneficial effect on spasticity and other symptoms related to multiple sclerosis.

There was evidence of a treatment effect on patient-reported spasticity and pain, with improvement in spasticity…

INTERPRETATION:

Treatment with cannabinoids did not have a beneficial effect on spasticity when assessed with the Ashworth scale. However… objective improvement in mobility and patients’ opinion of an improvement in pain suggest cannabinoids might be clinically useful.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14615106

Cannabinoids in multiple sclerosis (CAMS) study: safety and efficacy data for 12 months follow up

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“To test the effectiveness and long term safety of cannabinoids in multiple sclerosis (MS), in a follow up to the main Cannabinoids in Multiple Sclerosis (CAMS) study.

There was suggestive evidence for treatment effects of Δ9-THC on some aspects of disability.

There were no major safety concerns.

Overall, patients felt that these drugs were helpful in treating their disease.

These data provide limited evidence for a longer term treatment effect of cannabinoids.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1739436/

Inhaled cannabis for chronic neuropathic pain: an individual patient data meta-analysis.

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“Chronic neuropathic pain, the most frequent condition affecting the peripheral nervous system, remains under-diagnosed and difficult to treat.

Inhaled cannabis may alleviate chronic neuropathic pain.

Our objective was to synthesize the evidence on inhaled cannabis for chronic neuropathic pain.

This novel Bayesian individual patient data meta-analysis of five randomized trials suggests that inhaled cannabis may provide short term relief for one in five to six patients with neuropathic pain.

Pragmatic trials are need to evaluate the long-term benefits and risks of this treatment.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26362106

Potential Therapeutic Value of a Novel FAAH Inhibitor for the Treatment of Anxiety.

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“Anxiety disorders are among the most prevalent psychiatric diseases with high personal costs and a remarkable socio-economic burden. However, current treatment of anxiety is far from satisfactory.

Novel pharmacological targets have emerged in the recent years, and attention has focused on the endocannabinoid (eCB) system, given the increasing evidence that supports its central role in emotion, coping with stress and anxiety.

In the management of anxiety disorders, drug development strategies have left apart the direct activation of type-1 cannabinoid receptors to indirectly enhance eCB signalling through the inhibition of eCB deactivation, that is, the inhibition of the fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) enzyme.

In the present study, we provide evidence for the anxiolytic-like properties of a novel, potent and selective reversible inhibitor of FAAH, ST4070, orally administered to rodents.

Altogether, ST4070 offers a promising anxiolytic-like profile in preclinical studies, although further studies are warranted to clearly demonstrate its efficacy in the clinic management of anxiety disorders.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26360704

Tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCv) reduces Default Mode Network and increases Executive Control Network Resting State Functional Connectivity in Healthy Volunteers.

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“The cannabinoid CB1 Neutral Antagonist Tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCv) has been suggested as a possible treatment for obesity but without the depressogenic side-effects of inverse antagonists such as Rimonabant.

Our findings are the first to show that treatment with the CB1 neutral antagonist THCv decreases resting state functional connectivity in the Default Mode network and increases connectivity in the Cognitive Control network and Dorsal Visual Stream network.

This effect profile suggests possible therapeutic activity of THCv for obesity where functional connectivity has been found to be altered in these regions.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26362774

Assessment of Israeli Physicians’ Knowledge, Experience and Attitudes towards Medical Cannabis: A Pilot Study.

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“Cannabis has been used throughout history for different purposes but was outlawed in the United States in 1937; many countries followed suit. Although recently reintroduced as a medical treatment in several countries, the use of cannabis in Israel is permitted for some medical purposes but is still controversial, eliciting heated public and professional debate. The few published studies on physicians’ attitudes to medical cannabis found them to be generally unsupportive.

OBJECTIVES:

To examine, for the first time, the experience, knowledge and attitudes of Israeli physicians towards medical cannabis (MC)…

Physicians generally agreed that MC treatment could be helpful for chronic and for terminally ill patients. Oncologists and pain specialists did not agree unanimously that MC can undermine mental health, whereas other physicians did. Physicians who recommended MC in the past (once or more) agreed, more than physicians who did not, with the statement “MC treatment in Israel is accessible to patients who need it”.

CONCLUSIONS:

In contrast to other studies we found partial acceptance of MC as a therapeutic agent. Further in-depth studies are needed to address regulatory and educational needs.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26357721

Cannabinoid Ligands and Alcohol Addiction: A Promising Therapeutic Tool or a Humbug?

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“The vast therapeutic potential of cannabinoids of both synthetic and plant-derived origins currently makes these compounds the focus of a growing interest. Although cannabinoids are still illicit drugs, their possible clinical usefulness, including treatment of acute or neuropathic pain, have been suggested by several studies.

In addition, some observations indicate that cannabinoid receptor antagonists may be useful for the treatment of alcohol dependence and addiction, which is a major health concern worldwide.

While the synergism between alcohol and cannabinoid agonists (in various forms) creates undesirable side effects when the two are consumed together, the administration of CB1 antagonists leads to a significant reduction in alcohol consumption.

Furthermore, cannabinoid antagonists also mitigate alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

Herein, we present an overview of studies focusing on the effects of cannabinoid ligands (agonists and antagonists) during acute or chronic consumption of ethanol.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26353844

Cannabidiol and sodium nitroprusside: two novel neuromodulatory pharmacological interventions to treat and prevent psychosis.

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“Since most patients with schizophrenia do not respond properly to treatment, scientific effort has been driven to the development of new compounds acting on pharmacological targets beyond the dopaminergic system.

Therefore, the aim is to review basic and clinical research findings from studies evaluating the effects of cannabidiol (CBD), an inhibitor of the reuptake and metabolism of anandamide and several other effects on nervous system, and sodium nitroprusside, a nitric oxide donor, on the prevention and treatment of psychosis.

Animal and human research supports that CBD and sodium nitroprusside might be effective in the prevention and treatment of psychosis in general and especially in schizophrenia.

The evidence available to date shows that CBD and sodium nitroprusside act in pathways associated with psychotic symptoms and that they may be important agents in the management of prodromal psychotic states and psychosis.

This underscores the relevance of further research on the effects of these agents and others that mediate the activity of the cannabinoid system and of nitric oxide, as well as comparative studies of their antipsychotic effects and those of other antipsychotic drugs currently used to treat schizophrenia.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26350340

Cannabidiol as a Potential Treatment for Anxiety Disorders.

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“Cannabidiol (CBD), a Cannabis sativa constituent, is a pharmacologically broad-spectrum drug that in recent years has drawn increasing interest as a treatment for a range of neuropsychiatric disorders.

The purpose of the current review is to determine CBD’s potential as a treatment for anxiety-related disorders, by assessing evidence from preclinical, human experimental, clinical, and epidemiological studies.

We found that existing preclinical evidence strongly supports CBD as a treatment for generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder when administered acutely; however, few studies have investigated chronic CBD dosing.

Likewise, evidence from human studies supports an anxiolytic role of CBD, but is currently limited to acute dosing, also with few studies in clinical populations.

Overall, current evidence indicates CBD has considerable potential as a treatment for multiple anxiety disorders, with need for further study of chronic and therapeutic effects in relevant clinical populations.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26341731