cannabis as a substitute for opioid-based pain medication: patient self-report.”

Cannabis can be an effective treatment for pain, greatly reduces the chance of dependence, and eliminates the risk of fatal overdose compared to opioid-based medications. Medical cannabis patients report that cannabis is just as effective, if not more, than opioid-based medications for pain. Materials and Methods: The current study examined the use of cannabis as a substitute for opioid-based pain medication by collecting survey data from 2897 medical cannabis patients.

Full Answer

Can medical cannabis be a substitute for opioid-based pain medication?

Medical cannabis patients report that cannabis is just as effective, if not more, than opioid-based medications for pain. Materials and Methods: The current study examined the use of cannabis as a substitute for opioid-based pain medication by collecting survey data from 2897 medical cannabis patients.

How many people take nonopioid-based pain medications along with cannabis?

Sixty-four percent of the sample ( N =1751) reported taking a nonopioid-based pain medication (e.g., Tylenol) for their condition currently or in the past 6 months. Seventy-six percent of the sample reported taking a nonopioid-based pain medication along with cannabis currently or in the past 6 months.

Can cannabis help people with opioid addiction?

Ninety-seven percent of the sample "strongly agreed/agreed" that they are able to decrease the amount of opiates they consume when they also use cannabis, and 81% "strongly agreed/agreed" that taking cannabis by itself was more effective at treating their condition than taking cannabis with opioids.

Is medical cannabis effective for pain relief?

Cannabis can be an effective treatment for pain, greatly reduces the chance of dependence, and eliminates the risk of fatal overdose compared to opioid-based medications. Medical cannabis patients report that cannabis is just as effective, if not more, than opioid-based medications for pain.

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What are the limitations of cannabis research?

One of the major limitations of cannabis research is the difficulty in determining how much cannabis participants are using. Variations in strength of product, size of vessel, and social use patterns all impact the reliability and validity of consumption measures. This survey did not ask participants to estimate their amount of consumption and therefore cannot comment on reported effective doses.

What is the survey instrument used in the Tilray observational patient survey?

The survey instrument (see Supplementary Appendix SA1 for a copy of the instrument) used for this study was a modified version of the survey used in the Tilray Observational Patient Survey (TOPS). The survey for this study included questions about demographic characteristics, conditions for which cannabis is used, and preferred method of cannabis ingestion. Participants were then asked about their use of cannabis as a substitute for opioid and nonopioid-based pain medication to create subsets of respondents who were engaging in substitution. An affirmative answer led participants to the sections that asked about their experiences using cannabis as a substitute. Questions in this section asked about perceived efficacy of cannabis compared to their other medications, perceived comparability of unwanted side effects, and how the stigma around cannabis impacts their decision to use it as a substitute.

How many people died from opioids in 2014?

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention report that “[o]pioids (including prescription opioid pain relievers and heroin) killed more than 28,000 people in 2014, more than any year on record.”. Unfortunately, this statistic has done little to curb the prescribing and consumption patterns for prescription opioids.

What is the leading cause of accidental death in the United States?

Abstract Introduction: Prescription drug overdoses are the leading cause of accidental death in the United States. Alternatives to opioids for the treatment of pain are necessary to address this is...

Did Welty and Reiman receive compensation from HelloMD?

Welty and Reiman did not receive compensation from HelloMD to complete the study. Instrument. The survey instrument (see Supplementary Appendix SA1for a copy of the instrument) used for this study was a modified version of the survey used in the Tilray Observational Patient Survey (TOPS).

Is cannabis a pain treatment?

Providing the patient with the option of cannabis as a method of pain treatment alongside the option of opioids might assist with pain relief in a safer environment with less risk. A society with less opioid dependent people will result in fewer public health harms. Author Disclosure Statement.

Is opioid use curbed?

At the micro level, there is a great deal of individual risk associated with prolonged use of opioids and perhaps even nonopioid-based pain medications. The prescribing of opioids has not been curbed in the United States, despite the growing number of fatal overdoses and reported dependence.

What is the endocannabinoid system?

Endocannabinoid system (ECS) has been identified ever since cannabinoid, an active substance of Cannabis, was known to interact with endogenous cannabinoid (endocannabinoid/eCB) receptors. It later turned out that eCB was more intricate than previously thought. It has a pervasive role and exerts a multitude of cellular signaling mechanisms, regulating various physiological neurotransmission pathways in the human brain, including the dopaminergic (DA) system. eCB roles toward DA system were robust, clearly delineated, and reproducible with respect to physiological as well as pathological neurochemical and neurobehavioral manifestations of DA system, particularly those involving the nigrostriatal and mesocorticolimbic pathways. The eCB–DA system regulates the basics in the Maslow’s pyramid of hierarchy of needs required for individual survival such as food and sexual activity for reproductive purpose to those of higher needs in the pyramid, including self-actualization behaviors leading to achievement and reward (e.g., academic- and/or work-related performance and achievements). It is, thus, interesting to specifically discuss the eCB–DA system, not only on the molecular level, but also its tremendous potential to be developed as a future therapeutic strategy for various neuropsychiatric problems, including obesity, drug addiction and withdrawal, pathological hypersexuality, or low motivation behaviors.

Is cannabis a good substitute for opioids?

Cannabis can be an effective treatment for pain, greatly reduces the chance of dependence, and eliminates the risk of fatal overdose compared to opioid-based medications. Medical cannabis patients report that cannabis is just as effective, if not more, than opioid-based medications for pain. Materials and Methods: The current study examined the use of cannabis as a substitute for opioid-based pain medication by collecting survey data from 2897 medical cannabis patients. Discussion: Thirty-four percent of the sample reported using opioid-based pain medication in the past 6 months. Respondents overwhelmingly reported that cannabis provided relief on par with their other medications, but without the unwanted side effects. Ninety-seven percent of the sample “strongly agreed/agreed” that they are able to decrease the amount of opiates they consume when they also use cannabis, and 81% “strongly agreed/agreed” that taking cannabis by itself was more effective at treating their condition than taking cannabis with opioids. Results were similar for those using cannabis with nonopioid-based pain medications. Conclusion: Future research should track clinical outcomes where cannabis is offered as a viable substitute for pain treatment and examine the outcomes of using cannabis as a medication assisted treatment for opioid dependence.

What is the name of the cannabis plant extract?

Nabiximols: Cannabis plant extract, commercialized in 30 countries, including 20 countries in Europe and in Canada, as an oral mucosal spray under thetrade name Sativex. Sativex contains the whole plant extract with manipulation of THC and CBD to very similar levels.

Is nabilone a synthetic THC?

Dronabinol: available in the U.S. since 1985, is semi-synthetic THC in capsules, marketed under the trade name Marinol. Nabilone: available in the US since 2006 and is synthetic THC in capsules, with the trade name Cesamet. It is indicated as an antiemetic for cancer patients and is used off-label to treat fibromyalgia pain.

Is THC a psychoactive substance?

which causes the psychoactive effects of cannabis and is usually the component sought by non-medical users. Medicin-ally, THC is a powerful analgesic, anti-spasmodic, and muscle relaxant, with 20 times the anti-inflammatory power of aspirin and twice that of hydrocortisone(1).

Can cannabis be used as a substitute for opiates?

The use of cannabis to complement or substitute for opiates in the treatment of chronic pain has been described in numerous studies, despite the absence of randomized trials comparing opiate-based and cannabis-based medications in terms of effectiveness, functionality and quality of life.

Introduction

Materials and Methods

Results

Discussion

• Supporting the results of previous research, this study can conclude that medical cannabis patients report successfully using cannabis along with or as a substitute for opioid-based pain medication. Echoing the results of Ware et al. and Abrams et al., patients in this study who are using cannabis and opioids report that they are able to use less o...

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Limitations

Conclusions