“Use of cannabis extract helps ease painful muscle stiffness among patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a large trial published on Tuesday in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry…”
“A new cannabis-based licensed drug has transformed the life of multiple sclerosis (MS) sufferer Teresa Pointer from Aylsham.”
“Mrs Pointer, 42, spotted an advertisement in the EDP eight years ago, asking people to take part in treatment trials at the James Paget University Hospital, Gorleston, and she has not looked back.
Today, thanks to two daily sprays of Sativex into her mouth, Mrs Pointer can sleep at night, walk for longer – and she has got her sense of humour back.
“I got in touch with Dr Willy Notcutt at the James Paget and then started on a clinical trial of Sativex. It was the best decision I’ve ever made and it’s done so much for me. It really has given me my life back,” said Mrs Pointer, who lives with her husband and two daughters in Hungate Street.
She was diagnosed in 2004 with MS, a disease which affects nerves in the brain and spinal cord.
An increase in muscle tone, or “spasticity”, is a common symptom, causing involuntary muscle spasms, immobility, disturbed sleep, and pain.
Although MS is incurable, treatments and specialists can help sufferers manage their symptoms.
Within two weeks of starting the trial, Mrs Pointer, whose health problems forced her to retire from her job as an assistant cook at Aylsham’s Bure Valley School, began to notice an improvement.
“It doesn’t take any of the symptoms away but it relieves them,” she said. The drug relaxed her muscles, easing the pain, discomfort and spasms when her legs would “try and jump off the bed”, which stopped her sleeping.
“I had been getting so tetchy through lack of sleep. I was snappy and angry all the time. But, because it helped me sleep, I could laugh and smile again. I found the funnier side of life which I thought I’d lost forever.”
At a later point in the double-blind trial, which involved 18 local patients, Mrs Pointer, without her knowledge or that of the medical team, was given a placebo instead of Sativex. Her symptoms soon returned and she could not sleep.
After discussions with specialists, she was put back on the drug. “That night I slept like a baby again. The contrast was so stark,” she said.
Mrs Pointer said she had no previous experience of cannabis but Sativex only relaxed muscles, it did not generate the “high” sought by recreational drug users.
She also believes that, without the drug, she would be using her wheelchair far more often than she does at present as it relaxes her leg muscles enough to allow her to walk greater distances.
Dr Notcutt, research and development director at the James Paget, said Mrs Pointer’s participation in the trial had been invaluable.
He added: “The results of these studies are being used all across the world as doctors and others look at the potential value of this medicine. Teresa and others like her locally have been pioneers in a therapy that has a huge potential in many different areas. Without more volunteers to help us explore, medical research will only make very slow progress.”
■ Around 100,000 people in the UK have MS. It is normally diagnosed in people between the ages of 20 and 40, and affects almost three times as many women as men.
■ Sativex, in the form of a mouth spray, contains the principal extracts delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol – found in the leaf and flower of the cannabis plant, and is the first cannabinoid preparation to be licensed in the UK for use in the treatment of muscle spasms in MS.”
“Biological activity of cannabinoids is caused by binding to two cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2. Psychoactive is not only tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) but also: cannabidiol, cannabigerol or cannabichromen.
Formerly, the usefulness of hemp was assessed in the relation to temporary appeasement of the symptoms of some ailments as nausea or vomiting.
Present discoveries indicates that cannabis-based drugs has shown ability to alleviate of autoimmunological disorders such as: Multiple sclerosis (MS), Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or inflammatory bowel disease.
Another studies indicates that cannabinoids play role in treatment of neurological disorders like Alzheimer disease or Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or even can reduce spreading of tumor cells.
Cannabinoids stand out high safety profile considering acute toxicity, it is low possibility of deadly overdosing and side-effects are comprise in range of tolerated side-effects of other medications.
In some countries marinol and nabilone are used as anti vomiting and nausea drug. First cannabis-based drug containg naturally occurring cannabinoids is Sativex. Sativex is delivered in an mucosal spray for patients suffering from spasticity in MS, pain relevant with cancer and neuropathic pain of various origin.
Cannabis side-effects varies and depend from several factors like administrated dose, rout of administration and present state of mind. After sudden break from long-lasting use, withdrawal symptoms can appear, although they entirely disappear after a week or two.”
“Inflammation in the central nervous system (CNS) is a complex process that involves a multitude of molecules and effectors, and it requires the transmigration of blood leukocytes across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and the activation of resident immune cells. Cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychotropic cannabinoid constituent of Cannabis sativa, has potent anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive properties.
…Moreover, CBD administration at the time of viral infection exerts long-lasting effects, ameliorating motor deficits in the chronic phase of the disease in conjunction with reduced microglial activation and pro-inflammatory cytokine production. Adenosine A2A receptors participate in some of the anti-inflammatory effects of CBD…
Together, our findings highlight the anti-inflammatory effects of CBD in this viral model of MS, and demonstrate the significant therapeutic potential of this compound for the treatment of pathologies with an inflammatory component.”
“Previous studies have shown that modulation of the receptor-mediated cannabinoid system during neuroinflammation can produce potent neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory effects
…Together, these results suggest that pharmacological CB2R ligands offer a new strategy for BBB protection during neuroinflammation.”
Full text: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3325902/
“Cannabinoids show promise for the treatment of various medical conditions such as emesis, anorexia, pain, cancer, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and glaucoma.
The objective of the present work was to assess the feasibility of developing cannabinoid loaded poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL) microparticles prepared by the oil-in-water emulsion-solvent evaporation technique as a suitable dosage form for their administration.
In vitro cell viability studies demonstrated the antitumoral activity of CBD released from microparticles. After 4 and 7 days of incubation, CBD in microspheres significantly inhibited the growth of MDA-MB-231 cells by 60% as compared to the 50% attained with free drug.
The results suggest that PCL microparticles could be an alternative delivery system for long-term cannabinoid administration, showing potential therapeutic advantages over free drug.”
“GW Pharmaceuticals (GWPH) is an UK-based biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of cannabinoid-based products for a wide range of indications. GW has established a technology platform based on genetically modified cannabis plants and has become a leader in plant-derived cannabinoid therapeutics.
GW’s lead program is Sativex, a cannabis extract based oromucosal spray whose main actives are the cannabinoids delta-9- tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and cannabidiol (CBD). It is approved for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) spasticity in 21 countries outside of the U.S and already marketed in seven countries (eight following Italian launch in Q213).
…While MS spasticity has provided proof-of-concept in the worldwide approvability of Sativex, a more meaningful commercial opportunity is in the treatment of opioid-refractory cancer pain. Sativex has been tested in two Phase II trials in cancer pain. The trials have demonstrated that Sativex is safe and effective when used in addition to opioids in patients whose cancer pain is not sufficiently managed by opioids alone. Based on these results, GW has initiated three Phase III trials. The first two are expected to complete during 2014 and support an FDA filing.”
More: http://seekingalpha.com/article/1490392-gw-pharmaceuticals-giving-new-meaning-to-high-potential
“Marijuana continues to be a paradox as it makes its way from illicit drug to wonder medicine being used to treat a number of symptoms and disorders more safely than traditional pharmaceuticals.”
“In the latest news, cannabis, which has been associated with long-term cognitive deficits in chronic users, is now being tested as a treatment to preserve brain function after traumatic injury.
…some reports have shown that cannabis has neuroprotective effects. Studies have suggested that it has protective effects in neurodegenerative diseases like multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s and Parkinson’s diseases.”
More: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/06/study-cannabis-may-prevent-brain-damage/
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/06/study-cannabis-may-prevent-brain-damage/#ixzz2VXJJw9yc
“The term ‘endocannabinoid’ – originally coined in the mid-1990s after the discovery of membrane receptors for the psychoactive principle in Cannabis, Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol and their endogenous ligands – now indicates a whole signalling system that comprises cannabinoid receptors, endogenous ligands and enzymes for ligand biosynthesis and inactivation. This system seems to be involved in an ever-increasing number of pathological conditions. With novel products already being aimed at the pharmaceutical market little more than a decade since the discovery of cannabinoid receptors, the endocannabinoid system seems to hold even more promise for the future development of therapeutic drugs. We explore the conditions under which the potential of targeting the endocannabinoid system might be realized in the years to come.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15340387
“The cannabis plant has been known to humanity for centuries as a remedy for pain, diarrhea, and inflammation. Current research has shown cannabis to be a useful remedy for many diseases, including multiple sclerosis, dystonia, and chronic pain.
Cannabinoids are used to improve food intake in anorexia of AIDS patients and to prevent vomiting due to cancer chemotherapy. In inflammatory conditions cannabinoids improve pain in rheumatoid arthritis and pain and diarrhea in Crohn’s disease. Cannabinoids reduce the size of brain infarct and cardiac reperfusion injury. However, cannabinoid treatment is not free of side effects including euphoria, psychosis, anxiety, paranoia, dependence and abuse.
Since the cannabinoid system is involved in many physiological and pathological processes, the therapeutic potential is great. We must not be blind to the opportunity offered to us by medical cannabis just because it is an illicit drug, nor should we be temped by the quick response of patients to the central effect of cannabis. More research is warranted to explore the full potential of cannabis as medicine.”