Hemp cannabinoids can be an alternative to, or complement, other forms of treatment for neuropathic pain and allow doses of strong pain medications to be reduced. According to data collected during a retrospective study, dried hemp containing CBD and THC relieved pain and improved sleep quality in female patients with chronic neuropathic pain. According to the study's authors, hemp also has the advantage of acting quickly and causing fewer side effects than conventional drugs.
Cannabis seed with THC relieves neuropathic pain: new study
A retrospective study conducted by researchers at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf examined the effects of cannabis treatment on people suffering from chronic neuropathic pain. The goal was to evaluate the therapeutic benefits of medical cannabis treatment as an alternative therapeutic option with few side effects.
Results published in the journal Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids are based on the evaluation of 99 German male and female patients aged 20 to 81. Each experienced additional symptoms related to neuropathic pain, particularly sleep problems.
Subjects in the study inhaled the medical dried THC content between 12-22%, at a daily dose of 0.15 to 1g. The researchers collected data on pain intensity and sleep disturbances, assessed the general condition of the patient(s) and how they tolerated the high-dose cannabinoid therapy. Participants were followed up for 6 months.
At the start of treatment, the average pain level among study participants was 7.5 on a 10-point scale, with 96% people rating their pain level at more than 6. During the first 6 weeks of cannabis therapy, the average level of pain among patients and patient dropped to 3.75.
At the first follow-up visit, 90% patients reported an improvement in their overall condition. At the climax of the study, this was up to 99% (97 out of 99 subjects). No serious side effects were reported during the study, and 91% people said the therapy was well tolerated by them. The subjects also observed an improvement in sleep quality. The pain relief that appeared in the first weeks of therapy lasted until the end of the study.
No serious adverse effects (which may include psychosis, rapid heartbeat, respiratory problems or deficits in activities of daily living such as sleep and sexuality) were reported during the six-month study. Participants reported minor only side effects, such as dry mouth (5.4%), fatigue (4.8%) and increased appetite (2.7%).
Neuropathic pain: where it comes from, conventional treatments
Neuropathic pain is caused by damage to or disease of the somatosensory part of the nervous system. It is usually chronic and persistent, and is often refractory to pharmacological pain treatment.
It can occur spontaneously or be triggered by various stimuli (mechanical, thermal, chemical). It is described by those experiencing it as burning, burning, throbbing, piercing, stabbing, similar to the passage of an electric current or stabbing, squeezing.
Neuropathic pain can be continuous with exacerbations or intermittent. Its location is not necessarily related to the place where the nerve is damaged, the pain can "radiate" to other parts of the body.
Sleep disorders are one of the main complaints coexisting with severe pain and an important performance parameter treatments neuropathic pain. Effectiveness treatment is assessed by also taking into account the condition of the patients' psychological well-being, their subjective quality of life, and their overall health.
Causes of damage to the renal system, which causes the appearance of neuropathic pain, include.:
- diabetes,
- hemiplegia,
- Cancers and their invasive treatment,
- metabolic and endocrine diseases,
- renal failure,
- autoimmune diseases,
- Rheumatic diseases and arthritis,
- alcohol abuse,
- Viral and bacterial infections,
- toxic effects of drugs,
- Exposure to environmental or industrial toxins.
Importantly, not all damage to the nervous system results in neuropathic pain. At the current stage of knowledge, it is not known exactly what factors influence the development of pain in some people following nerve damage. The formation of neuropathic pain is a multifactorial process, triggered by the involvement of neurobiological (including genetic), demographic, psychological and social mechanisms.
Pharmacological treatment of neuropathic pain includes many types of drugs with different mechanism of action, including drugs: antidepressants, antiepileptic drugs, local and general anesthetics, supporting the nervous system and its regeneration. Procedural methods of treating neuropathic pain are also available, such as nerve blocks, thermotherapy and physiotherapy methods.
Treating neuropathic pain with cannabis is gaining popularity.
