Cannabis extract was tested as treatment of chronic pain
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The drug obtained from cannabis Weakens Chronic pain in the lower back Without serious side effects or signs of dependence, which makes it a potentially powerful alternative to existing painkillers.
Currently, for patients experiencing chronic pain Opioids that are delivered with a high risk of dependence.
The Ver-01 experimental drug is an extract of the cannabis plant containing 5 percent tetrahydrocannabinol (Thc), the main active ingredient.
In the clinical test, 820 people with chronic pain in the lower back were randomly prescribed for the adoption of the VER-01 or placebo for 12 weeks. At the end of this period, people who take the drug had a decrease in their pain by 1.9 on average on a scale of 0 to 10, while those who took placebo had a decrease by 1.4 points. There were no side effects indicating the risk of removal or abuse of drugs.
The study is the most strict today to show the clinically proven and non -applied treatment of chronic pain based on cannabis, increasing the growing interest in cannabis as treatment of painField
“This is one of the first truly high-quality studies of medical cannabis, which many people were waiting for, and patients, both researchers and patients,” says he says Winfried Meisner In the University Hospital of Yen in Germany, a research researcher. “Until now, the evidence is bad, past studies have lower quality, fewer patients.”
Those who took the VER-01 also had significant improvements as sleep and physical function, and most of the side effects were soft, including dizziness, fatigue, dry mouth and nausea. Patients gradually increased their dosage during the treatment period, occupying up to 13 doses per day.
Treatment was especially effective for back pain caused by nerve damage, known as neuropathic pain. Meisner says that patients with chronic pain should always be treated primarily with physiotherapy, but painkillers can help those who cannot move. “Even a relatively slight decrease in pain can help [patients] Go to training, ”he says.
Although the decrease in pain was not massive, it is rarely possible to see a huge decrease in chronic pain, says Marta Strong In the Royal College of London, who did not participate in the study. “The fact that people can sleep better, which is a secondary result of the study will have a huge impact on the ability to function,” she says. “When you look at chronic pain, you do not look at gigantic effects.”
Di Forti says that this was struck by the study, did not show any signs that patients are becoming addicted to the drug, and she hopes that this will lead to the fact that it will be prescribed. She often hears from patients who say that cannabis helps their pain and buys a plant from a drug dealer that she finds. According to her, there is a huge variability of TGK levels in the joints of Cannabis, and patients can ultimately smoke cannabis, increasing the risks of the drug.
“In a world where there are complaints about cannabis, treat everything, at least here we have a randomized control test experiencing it,” she says. “The fact that it works for pain is wonderful news, in my opinion.”
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