|
sycodelix
Honorable Golden Shellback
Registered: 01/06/18
Posts: 294
Loc: Spokane, Washington
Last seen: 1 year, 2 months
|
Study Finds Medical Marijuana Alleviates Seniors’ Pain, Reduces Opioid Use 1
#25874813 - 03/14/19 09:57 PM (5 years, 15 days ago) |
|
|
https://hightimes.com/news/study-finds-medical-marijuana-alleviates-seniors-pain-reduces-opioid-use/
Study Finds Medical Marijuana Alleviates Seniors’ Pain, Reduces Opioid Use Senior neurology researcher Dr. Laszlo Mechtler said a 1:1 TCH-to-CBD ratio was the most effective at treating symptoms and diminishing undesirable side effects for seniors involved in the study.
Adam Drury Published 9 hours ago on March 14, 2019 By Adam Drury Should Medical Marijuana Be Given To Seniors? Shutterstock SHARE TWEET Baby Boomers are spending more on marijuana than any other group in the U.S., and for a simple reason: the growing recognition among seniors and their caregivers that cannabis is an effective and safe alternative medicine. And thanks to the work of a team of neurological researchers in New York, there’s new evidence to support that conclusion. Their preliminary study of more than 200 elderly (75+) pain patients found that medical cannabis both reduced pain symptoms and reduced patients use of opioid painkillers.
Study Suggests 1:1 THC to CBD Ratio is Most Effective for Treating Chronic Illness in Seniors Senior researcher Dr. Laszlo Mechtler is the medical director of the Dent Neurological Institute in Amherst, N.Y. He is also the Chief of Neuro-Oncology at Roswell Park Cancer Institute and teaches courses in neurology and neuro-oncology at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Speaking with the Tribune, Mechtler summed up the encouraging results of the study. “A majority of patients came back and said, ‘I’m better,'” Mechtler said.
More specifically, half of the 204 medical cannabis patients the study tracked said their chronic pain diminished. 18 percent said they had better sleep. 15 percent noted improvement in symptoms of nerve pain. And 10 percent said cannabis reduced their anxiety. In sum, seven out of 10 patients reported experiencing some form of symptom relief. About 75 percent of the study’s participants had received a chronic pain diagnosis. The remaining 25 percent represented a range of chronic diseases, from cancer to epilepsy to Parkinson’s.
The study strictly tracked patients 75 years and older. And for senior patients, the psychoactive effects of THC can be undesirable or rarely, debilitating. And at first, more than a third of the study’s participants reported side effects, like sleepiness and coordination problems, from medical cannabis. However, after adjusting dosages for those patients, only 21 percent continued having issues. In the end, only three percent of the study’s participants stopped taking medical cannabis due to side effects.
To limit the impact of psychoactive side effects, researchers adjusted not just dose, but also cannabinoid concentrations. According to Dr. Mechtler, a 1:1 ratio of THC to CBD was the ideal cannabinoid compliment. The matched ratio allowed the medicine to be effective and at the same time limit side effects. Participants also received medical cannabis in many forms, from edibles to tinctures, capsules and vapable oils.
Findings Support the Use of Medical Cannabis to Replace Opioid Painkillers In addition to the study’s positive findings about medical cannabis and chronic pain and illness, researchers also observed a significant reduction in patients’ use of opioid painkillers. According to the preliminary findings, a third of participants were able to reduce their use of prescription opioids by replacing them with medical cannabis.
These encouraging results help to support the opioid-replacement policy recently adopted by New York’s medical marijuana program. In New York, any condition for which a physician can prescribe an opioid automatically qualifies for medical cannabis treatments.
For Mechtler, the importance of using cannabis as an opioid replacement cannot be overstated. “In the midst of an opioid epidemic in this country, with 115 people dying every day, anything that can decrease the potential for opiate use is a win/win situation,” Mechtler said.
“Nobody overdoses on medical marijuana,” Mechtler added.
As Ever, More Research is Needed It’s worth noting that the study’s findings are only preliminary. As such, they have not been subject to peer-review. However, Mechtler and his team are preparing to present on their research at the upcoming American Academy of Neurology conference in Philadelphia.
|
rw shroomery
Mr.
Registered: 03/13/19
Posts: 1
Loc: United States
|
Re: Study Finds Medical Marijuana Alleviates Seniors’ Pain, Reduces Opioid Use [Re: sycodelix] 1
#25874940 - 03/14/19 11:13 PM (5 years, 15 days ago) |
|
|
Newer studies have also found that small doses of THC can help overcome PTSD found in 911 survivors. The series of Cannabis plants have are extremely versatile. Henry fords first Model T car was made up of Cannabis Sativa L. (Hemp) plastics that were many times stronger and lighter than steel and metals we use currrently. The car also ran purely off of Hemp fuel, saving diminishing fossil fuels we are filling our cars up with today. If we could just bring back these low cost and efficient methods used in our history.
I personally believe that cannabis should be a legal Optional method for medical uses federally, to be legal regardless of your location coordinates. If one has to be screened by the FBI before receiving the card (in some states) that’s Federal ... so why should they have the power to say yay or nay when Cannabis is still Federally illegal?
Theoretically speaking, if I was living in a legal medical marijuana state... then had a crisis and had no choice to move to a more non progressive state. Taking away my old medication that worked for years is like taking away my pursuit of happiness honestly. It makes it difficult for me to pursue the simple things in life and nature that really makes me happy.
Now I would be one of the first to say that like other medications, cannabis is not for everyone. Some individuals may have averse effects or maybe the individual simply doesn’t benefit from it. If truly used medicinally typically low levels of THC and CBD are introduced slowly, just enough to relive symptom(s), therefore the Minute negative side effects has little to no risk on most patients.
-------------------- - Ra
|
tyrannicalrex
Strange R
Registered: 04/24/03
Posts: 38,331
Loc: subtropics
|
Re: Study Finds Medical Marijuana Alleviates Seniors’ Pain, Reduces Opioid Use [Re: rw shroomery]
#25875298 - 03/15/19 07:38 AM (5 years, 15 days ago) |
|
|
I agree! Great 1st post! Welcome home.
|
|