Chronic Pain? Pot May Do the Trick
This may seem like the results of a study by Professor Obvious, but a research team out of McGill University Health Center in Montreal has determined that smoking marijuana might help chronic pain sufferers manage their symptoms.
This may seem like the results of a study by Professor Obvious, but a research team out of McGill University Health Center in Montreal has determined that smoking marijuana might help chronic pain sufferers manage their symptoms. However, there are always caveats that come with this kind of work, and this “small study” is no exception. –KA
WAIT, BEFORE YOU GO…Reuters via Fox News:
Ware and his colleagues recruited 21 adults who were suffering from chronic neuropathic pain after an injury or surgery. Three times a day, for five days, participants took a 25 milligram hit of one of four treatments: marijuana that was 2.5 percent, 6 percent, or 9.4 percent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or a 0 percent placebo. All patients rotated in random order through the four different treatments, with a nine-day break between each one.
During each treatment, participants were asked about their pain, sleep patterns, mood, and overall quality of life.
Patients smoking 9.4 percent THC marijuana reported lower pain scores than when smoking the placebo – on average, 5.4 versus 6.1 on a scale from 0 (“no pain”) to 10 (“worst possible pain”). They also reported that they slept better, and were less anxious and depressed than when they were on the placebo.
When smoking marijuana with moderate doses of THC, participants generally reported improved symptoms, but there was no significant difference in their relief from these doses compared to relief from the placebo treatment. There was also no difference in the quality of life or mood scores that participants reported when they were on any of the four treatments.
The highest dose of THC produced the most side effects, which included headaches, dry eyes, and a burning sensation in the regions where patients had pain.
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