Cannabis is commonly thought of as a recreational substance, but it has been linked to medicine for hundreds of years. According to some research and anecdotal findings, marijuana plants or their extracts can help alleviate pain, including the pressure related to fibromyalgia.
Cannabis comprises a variety of compounds, including at least 100 active compounds, some of which have therapeutic potential. Cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are two of the most common compounds found in the plant.
CBD is not psychoactive and can be legal to use, but a prescription may be essential in certain cases. THC is the psychoactive component of marijuana. Both tend to possess beneficial therapeutic properties.
One potential use for THC and CBD is as a pain reliever. Most people avail weed delivery in Santa Monica for pain relief. As such, cannabis can also be beneficial for people who suffer from fibromyalgia.
What is fibromyalgia and how does it affect you?
Fibromyalgia is a disease that induces discomfort all over the body (also known as widespread pain), as well as sleeping problems, exhaustion, and emotional and mental distress. Fibromyalgia sufferers can be more vulnerable to pain than non-fibromyalgia patients. Abnormal pain sense processing is the term for this. Fibromyalgia affects about 5 million people in the US or around 3% of the adult population. It has no clear origin, although it is easy to handle and control successfully.
Pressure and weakness all over the body, extreme tiredness, depression, stress, insomnia, problems with thought, memory, and concentrating severe headaches, and other symptoms such as tingling, TMJ, and digestive disorders are the most frequent fibromyalgia symptoms.
Pain relievers, opioids, muscle relaxants, and sleep aids also come beneficial in medical treatments. Physiotherapy or other dietary improvements, such as low-impact activity, can be suggested in certain cases. However, these procedures do not succeed on everybody, and the drug given will also include a slew of negative side effects.
Numerous fibromyalgia patients have tended to experiment with new means of pain management, such as cannabis, due to these drawbacks. Is the well-known herb, however, really beneficial in the treatment of fibromyalgia? The conclusion seems to be yes if you consider the anecdotal proof.
Cannabis and Fibromyalgia
Carly Barton is the deputy director of United Patients Alliance, a UK-based medicinal cannabis support organization. She had a stroke in her mid-twenties, leaving her with serious fibromyalgia.
The activist registered an almost immediate rise in pain reduction after ditching prescription opiates in favour of cannabis.
“I went upstairs [afterwards] and my partner said to me, ‘are you alright?’ and I was saying, ‘something’s missing, something’s odd, something’s off.’ I couldn’t put any words to it. And then I realized that the feeling that I had was just no pain,” Barton explained in an interview.
Fibromyalgia patients may suffer from discomfort, migraines, and vomiting, among other symptoms. In some patients, research has found that the active ingredients in marijuana may alleviate these symptoms.
But even so, few trials have examined the efficacy of marijuana or its derivatives as a potential treatment for fibromyalgia, and the recent research has drawn mixed evidence.
According to 2011 research, cannabis could have good effects on some fibromyalgia symptoms. But rather than relying on the herbal extract or a particular compound, the report investigated individuals who were “using cannabis.”
However, a 2016 study of research concluded that there was insufficient data to support any marijuana-based medications for rheumatic disorders such as fibromyalgia.
In 2018, an Australian report concluded that marijuana use did not alleviate discomfort or the desire for opioids in patients with a variety of conditions. However, this report, like numerous others, focuses on recreational weed users rather than medicinal marijuana users.
Women account for up to 85% of those diagnosed with fibromyalgia. However, at least one analysis discovered that weed is more effective at relieving pain in men than in women.
The impact of cannabis usage on the symptoms of people with severe pain who had been given opioid drugs was investigated in a 2018 report released in The Lancet Public Health. The research on alternative drugs is possible because opioids can be particularly addictive. However, the researchers were unable to provide any indication that cannabis usage improved health conditions or enhanced opioid discontinuation.
Several pieces of evidence indicate that some of the ingredients in marijuana may help alleviate chronic pain, nausea, muscle spasms, and nerve pain associated with multiple sclerosis (MS). In conclusion, therefore, cannabis can prove successful in relieving similar symptoms in those suffering from fibromyalgia.
Medication Derived From Marijuana
Weed delivery in El Segundo and some states have been legalized over the past years. The word “legal marijuana” applies to the practice of treating disease by the usage of either the entire, unprocessed cannabis plant or its extracts. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the United States of America has not authorized the usage of the whole plant for any condition.
However, the FDA approved a distilled version of CBD, Epidiolex, in June 2018 for the treatment of two conditions: Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome. These disorders come into categories including persistent seizures that do not react to other drugs. A prescription is essential to buy CBD drugs for these conditions.
Sativex, or Naxibimol, is a prescription-only oral spray necessary in certain countries for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) whose conditions still do not progress to several other medications. It includes CBD and THC and is essential to relieve inflammation and spasms of the muscles. Sativex is not accessible in the USA.
Researchers and clinical studies are ongoing to determine if medicinal marijuana is secure and successful for a variety of conditions.
Caution and Risks
Individuals interested in experimenting with cannabis as a cure for fibromyalgia pain should consult their state’s regulations before calling for marijuana delivery.
Individuals should seek guidance from a physician before attempting to utilize some substitute or complementary medicine, including marijuana since it might not be secure or successful for all. For instance, marijuana’s ingredients can interfere with other medications.
A physician or other healthcare professional may be willing to suggest a reliable source or commodity.
