Fibromyalgia and Cannabis

An estimated five million Americans suffer from fibromyalgia. It is a chronic pain affecting the muscles and soft tissue.The National Pain Foundation conducted a study of 1,300 fibromyalgia patients who treated their symptoms with medical marijuana. Results of the research found that cannabis was more effective than the other three FDA approved medications to treat fibromyalgia.

Currently the FDA has approved the medications Cymbalta, Lyrica, and Savella to treat fibromyalgia. Over 60% of patients reported that these three drugs did not work for their fibromyalgia. 62% of the patients who tried medical marijuana saw improvements with their symptoms. (Source)

Similar results were found in a Canada-based study where Nabilone, a marijuana-based drug, was tested on fibromyalgia patients. Forty sufferers of the disease reported a significant reduction in pain and anxiety when using the cannabinoid drug. (Source) Currently Nabilone is offered for Americans under the name ‘Cesamet.’

Fibromyalgia sufferers report that their condition is often misunderstood. The lack of understanding about the pain, fatigue, and feeling isolated makes fibromyalgia a debilitating disease. About 80 to 90% of fibromyalgia sufferers are women. (Source) People with fibromyalgia feel that 30-40% of their physicians and loved ones do not take their condition seriously. Only 11% of sufferers are diagnosed correctly the first year. (Source)

Source:

http://nationalpainreport.com/marijuana-rated-most-effective-for-treating-fibromyalgia-8823638.html

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17974490

Muscle Spasms and Cannabis

Muscle spasms occur for a myraid of reasons. Dehydration, medications, and/or electrolyte abnormalities can cause short term spasms. Long term, serious conditions can relate to multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, fibromyalgia, muscular dystrophy, or myopathy. Many patients who suffer from muscle spasms report that cannabis helps with muscle spasms.

Muscle spasm pain can increase over time. One spasm can produce another, creating a continual cycle that self-perpetuates. Muscle relaxants, anti-anxiety, pain, and anti-seizure medications are used to treat spasms but they can have adverse side effects. Cannabis, acupuncture, and massage are more natural ways of reducing the pain and spasms with fewer side effects. (Source)

Muscle spasm research with cannabis is ongoing and slow due to regulations. A research study from the San Diego School of Medicine tested thirty multiple sclerosis patients with muscle spasms. One third of patients felt relief from muscle spasms and a 50% reduction in pain perception. (Source) A 2004 study with Parkinson's disease patients found that 45.9% of those who used cannabis saw benefits; most saw improvement after two months of use. (Source) GW Pharmaceuticals’ researchers discovered that multiple sclerosis patients found relief with 2-3 puffs of a cigarette, allowing for the marijuana to treat symptoms in seconds rather than minutes. (Source)

Research with the cannabis prescription drug Sativex has shown substantial confirmation of the benefits of marijuana in regards to muscle spasms. (Source) Other studies on cannabis reveal that other spasm-related events, like menstrual cramps and Tourette's Syndrome, can be positively affected through cannabis use. (Source)

Source:

http://www.medicann.com/muscle-spasms/

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/study-smoking-pot-may-ease-pain-muscle-spasms-in-people-with-multiple-sclerosis/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20307378

Cannabis and Pain Management

One hundred million Americans suffer from chronic pain.(Source) Three to four percent of the global population suffer from neuropathic pain. (Source) Pain contributes to feeling depressed, concentration, energy level, ability to sleep well and enjoyment of life. (Source) Cannabis has been found to be an effective treatment in neuropathic pain, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis and pain from cancer. Cannabis has been found to be safer with less side effects than opiate medication.(Source)

Cannabis has been found to effectively relieve neuropathic pain. Both Cannabis and Opiates target the G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). These receptors effect the Central Nervous System CNS using the CB1 and CB2 Receptors, which effect pain-sensation, and mood notably. (Source)

Fibromyalgia is a muscleskeletal pain resulting in fatigue and pain in the neck, spine, shoulder and hips. Three to six million Americans suffer from fibromyalgia. In 2006, a study in Germany giving THC to patients showed a significant relief in symptoms. A study in 2008 with 40 patients gave a synthetic cannabinoid and showed significant improvements in pain. And in 2011 a study in Barcelona and the patients reported significant relief in pain, stiffness, relaxation, somnolence and feeling of well-being.(Source)

Cannabis has been found in studies in Australia and Britain showed that 20% of patients suffering from Rheumatoid Arthrites (RA) used medical marijuana to help treat their symptoms.(Source) Cannabis is an anti-inflammatory and helps to turn off pain-sensations in the nerves from the interactions it has with CB1 and CB2 Receptors. Results in a study in Britain showed that their were significant improvements in pain, sleep and inflammation.(Source) Cannabidiol CBD found in marijuana has shown to stop the progression of Rheumatoid Arthritis and protected joints. (Source)

A research study showed that advanced cancer patients were able to reduce their pain by 30% using a THC:CBD extract. In the study, with 177 patients, opiate medications did not provide the necessary relief. The placebo and THC alone had similar results to the opiate medication where the THC:CBD cannabis extract showed a noticeable relief in pain.(Source)

Cannabis has been found to have less side effects than opiate medication. A study has found that states that have legal medical marijuana has less mortality rates due to overdose in pain medication. (Source) Cannabis has been found to help patients addicted to opiate drugs withdraw from addiction by replacing with medical marijuana, and perceived to help pain more.(Source) Pain sufferers that have achieved a tolerance with opiate medication can feel a better relief by replacing treatment with cannabis.(Source) Cannabis can be used with opioid therapies to help lower the dose of opiates, thereby reducing their side effects. (Source)

Source:

http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=13172&page=1

http://www.prweb.com/pdfdownload/8052240.pdf

2006 Voices of Chronic Pain Survey. (American Pain Foundation)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_cannabis

http://ajh.sagepub.com/content/28/5/297

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=25154332

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=19896326

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22880540

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=22048225

http://www.humboldt.edu/hjsr/docs/fwhjsrparagraph/Issue%2035%20Second%20Article%20Peters.pdf

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=19857996

http://rheumatology.oxfordjournals.org/content/45/1/50.abstract

http://norml.org/library/item/rheumatoid-arthritis#3