Tag Archives: treatment

Effectiveness and Tolerability of THC/CBD Oromucosal Spray for Multiple Sclerosis Spasticity in Italy: First Data from a Large Observational Study.

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“The prospective, non-interventional Mobility Improvement (MOVE) 2 study was designed to provide real life data on clinical outcomes of patients with treatment-resistant multiple sclerosis (MS) spasticity receiving routine treatment with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC):cannabidiol (CBD) oromucosal spray (Sativex®), subsequent to its approval in European countries.

In everyday clinical practice in Italy, THC:CBD oromucosal spray provided symptomatic relief of MS spasticity with good tolerability in a relevant number of previously resistant patients.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26571097

Cannabidiol as potential treatment in refractory pediatric epilepsy.

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“In recent years there has been great scientific and public interest focused on the therapeutic potential of compounds derived from cannabis for the treatment of refractory epilepsy in children.

From in vitro and in vivo studies on animal models, cannabidiol (CBD) appears to be a promising anticonvulsant drug with a favorable side-effect profile.

In humans, CBD efficacy and safety is not supported by well designed trials and its use has been described by anecdotal reports.

It will be necessary to investigate CBD safety, pharmacokinetics and interaction with other antiepileptic drugs alongside performing double-blinded placebo-controlled trials in order to obtain conclusive data on its efficacy and safety in children.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26567560

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/epilepsy-2/

Cannabis Use Can Improve Effectiveness of Hepatitis C Therapy

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“Recent research by Diana L. Sylvestre, MD, assistant clinical professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues suggests that the use of cannabis during hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment may offer symptomatic and virological benefit to some patients by helping them maintain adherence to the challenging and often painful medication regimen.”

https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2006/09/6514/cannabis-use-can-improve-effectiveness-hepatitis-c-therapy

Cannabis use improves retention and virological outcomes in patients treated for hepatitis C

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“Despite the widespread use of polypharmacy, the management of hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment-related side-effects is often incomplete, and many patients turn to cannabis for symptom relief.

Our results suggest that modest cannabis use may offer symptomatic and virological benefit to some patients undergoing HCV treatment by helping them maintain adherence to the challenging medication regimen.”

http://journals.lww.com/eurojgh/Abstract/2006/10000/Cannabis_use_improves_retention_and_virological.5.aspx

Dietary Supplement Therapies for Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis.

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“Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) including ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease are chronic relapsing and remitting chronic diseases for which there is no cure.

The treatment of IBD frequently requires immunosuppressive and biologic therapies which carry an increased risk of infections and possible malignancy.

There is a continued search for safer and more natural therapies in the treatment of IBD.

This review aims to summarize the most current literature on the use of dietary supplements for the treatment of IBD. Specifically, the efficacy and adverse effects of vitamin D, fish oil, probiotics, prebiotics, curcumin, Boswellia serrata, aloe vera and cannabis sativa are reviewed.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26561079

Seeing over the horizon – targeting the endocannabinoid system for the treatment of ocular disease.

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“The observation that marijuana reduces intraocular pressure was made by Hepler and Frank in the 1970s. Since then, there has been a significant body of work investigating cannabinoids for their potential use as therapeutics.

To date, no endocannabinoid system (ECS)-modulating drug has been approved for clinical use in the eye; however, recent advances in our understanding of the ECS, as well as new pharmacological tools, has renewed interest in the development of ocular ECS-based therapeutics.

This review summarizes the current state-of-affairs for the use of ECS-modulating drugs for the treatment of glaucoma and ocular inflammatory and ischemic disease.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26565550

Clinical Significance of Cannabinoid Receptors CB1 and CB2 Expression in Human Malignant and Benign Thyroid Lesions.

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“The endocannabinoid system is comprised of cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2), their endogenous ligands (endocannabinoids), and proteins responsible for their metabolism participate in many different functions indispensable to homeostatic regulation in several tissues, exerting also antitumorigenic effects.

The present study aimed to evaluate the clinical significance of CB1 and CB2 expression in human benign and malignant thyroid lesions.

Our data suggest that CB receptors may be involved in malignant thyroid transformation and especially CB2 receptor could serve as useful biomarker and potential therapeutic target in thyroid neoplasia.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26539529

http://www.hindawi.com/journals/bmri/2015/839403/

[There is evidence for the use of cannabinoids for symptomatic treatment of multiple sclerosis].

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“We identified 16 randomized placebo-controlled trials investigating cannabinoids as symptomatic treatment in multiple sclerosis (MS). There is evidence that nabiximols oromucosal spray may reduce subjective symptoms of spasticity and that dronabinol is effective against neuropathic pain in patients with MS.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26535431

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/multiple-sclerosis-ms/

The prescription of medical cannabis by a transitional pain service to wean a patient with complex pain from opioid use following liver transplantation: a case report.

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Canadian Journal of Anesthesia/Journal canadien d'anesthésie

“The purpose of this case report is to describe a patient with a preoperative complex pain syndrome who underwent liver transplantation and was able to reduce his opioid consumption significantly following the initiation of treatment with medical cannabis.

CLINICAL FEATURES:

A 57-yr-old male with a history of hepatitis C cirrhosis underwent liver transplantation. Preoperatively, he was taking hydromorphone 2-8 mg⋅day-1 for chronic abdominal pain. Postoperatively, he was given intravenous patient-controlled analgesia through which he received hydromorphone 30 mg⋅day-1. Our multidisciplinary Transitional Pain Service was involved with managing his moderate to severe acute postsurgical pain in hospital and continued with weaning him from opioid medications after discharge. It was difficult to wean the patient from opioids, and he was subsequently given medical cannabis at six weeks postoperatively with remarkable effect. By the fifth postoperative month, his use of opioids had tapered to 6 mg⋅day-1 of hydromorphone, and his functional status was excellent on this regimen.

CONCLUSION:

Reductions in opioid consumption were achieved with the administration of medical cannabis in a patient with acute postoperative pain superimposed on a chronic pain syndrome and receiving high doses of opioids. Concurrent benefits of initiating medical cannabis may include improvements in pain profile and functional status along with reductions in opioid-related side effects. This highlights the potential for medical cannabis as an adjunct medication for weaning patients from opioid use.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26507533

Addressing the stimulant treatment gap: A call to investigate the therapeutic benefits potential of cannabinoids for crack-cocaine use.

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“Crack-cocaine use is prevalent in numerous countries, yet concentrated primarily – largely within urban contexts – in the Northern and Southern regions of the Americas. It is associated with a variety of behavioral, physical and mental health and social problems which gravely affect users and their environments. Few evidence-based treatments for crack-cocaine use exist and are available to users in the reality of street drug use. Numerous pharmacological treatments have been investigated but with largely disappointing results.

An important therapeutic potential for crack-cocaine use may rest in cannabinoids, which have recently seen a general resurgence for varied possible therapeutic usages for different neurological diseases.

Distinct potential therapeutic benefits for crack-cocaine use and common related adverse symptoms may come specifically from cannabidiol (CBD) – one of the numerous cannabinoid components found in cannabis – with its demonstrated anxiolytic, anti-psychotic, anti-convulsant effects and potential benefits for sleep and appetite problems.

The possible therapeutic prospects of cannabinoids are corroborated by observational studies from different contexts documenting crack-cocaine users’ ‘self-medication’ efforts towards coping with crack-cocaine-related problems, including withdrawal and craving, impulsivity and paranoia. 

Cannabinoid therapeutics offer further benefits of being available in multiple formulations, are low in adverse risk potential, and may easily be offered in community-based settings which may add to their feasibility as interventions for – predominantly marginalized – crack-cocaine user populations.

Supported by the dearth of current therapeutic options for crack-cocaine use, we are advocating for the implementation of a rigorous research program investigating the potential therapeutic benefits of cannabinoids for crack-cocaine use.

Given the high prevalence of this grave substance use problem in the Americas, opportunities for such research should urgently be created and facilitated there.” 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26500166

http://www.thctotalhealthcare.com/category/addiction/