I'm posting a link from the November issue of the APF (American Pain Foundation) which describes the results from another small study demonstrating the benefits of smoking cannabis to alleviate neuropathic pain. The authors led by Mark Wallace, an anesthesiology professor at U Cal San Diego mimicked nerve pain using capsaicin and found that an intermediate dose ~4% by weight THC gave a statistically significant reduction in nerve pain vs smoking a placebo. Interesting that a low-dose was ineffective but a high does actually exacerbated the pain.

http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/534655/?sc=dwhn

I'm sure this topic has been posted on before but I can't honestly remember where on the forum so I'll include a link to an earlier study from Don Abrams' and colleagues at U Cal San Francisco re: the use of THC to alleviate the PN of HIV/AIDS patients particularly when the PN is caused by or aggravated by a medical regimen that included NRTI's (nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors). I'm sure the earlier post included comments re: the results from Canandian and UK studies on THC and analogues so hopefully many other forum members can make up for my memory lapse.

http://www.aidsmeds.com/articles/1667_11275.shtml

I know the topic engenders strong feelings on both sides of the legalization issue as well as possible long-term SE's but I thought it was worth the thread just to bring it to the forum's attention again.

I'll off-line now on my way to Johns Hopkins tomorrow for a Tuesday/Wednesday appt and then back home to say goodbye to colleagues caught up with me in the latest downsizing bloodbath.

I'll post if I have some sort of news from my trip to JH - maybe they can shed some light on a source my idiopathic and refractory pain - something that many, many foum members know all too well.

Alkymst

Legal yes no,who cares,oh I know the one in pain..We are talking small amounts. Good luck friend on trip to JH, learn as much aas you can..
So sorry about the job Come back and tell us more please ..Sue

And thanks for the article. I hope they are able to help you in some way. Best wishes and Blessings for your journey!!

Billye

and legs - the toes do NOT cross? For the duration....
I truly hope that they all don't just write ya off with a 'stress' bit of cr*p', I do know of many, many others who have either gone there or to NYC from here in the DC area and have found lots of good sensible docs diagnose and suggest treatments in the process. For some, it's been life saving!
Go in with the attitude of IF you find anything, then anything that can be treated, fine. Do not expect cures? I've learned that Neuropathies aren't easy to either diagnose or treat or cure. Be what I call an 'optimistic-pessimist'...meaning Expect the worst, really hope for the best.

It CAN and does happen!!!! Hugs to you and yours- truly...It's probably feeling like an all or nothing proposition rite now...It's not.

Hugs and all that - good luck as well! - j

Yes, let us know about the Hopkins experience.
My neuro is Griffin, the head of the neuro dept there.
He's been very helpful and open minded.
We've worked together on my treatments, and meds.
You didn't mention what dept you were seeing.
Neurology, or Pain Clinic ? (or other?)
Hope you find the docs there, as good as I have.

I think it is absolutely ridiculous that a doctor (or our country for that matter), would take away a person (who is in pain), well that they would take away that person's right to be without pain!!! It's completely mind boggling.

I have heard that terminal cancer patients could be made more comfortable but that the doctor would not prescribe narcotics because the patient MIGHT BECOME ADDICTED!!!

And they wonder why some of us want to move to France!!!

jeez.

Mel

When I was a nurse on a cancer unit over 25 years ago, we gave out THC pills. I am not sure how this huge controversy got started again....must be some 'values' issue.

To those who would deny THC to those in pain or with nausea, I ask, where does morphine and codeine come from??? Duh...Can we say opium? Opiates are from a plant, as is THC from Cannabis. (Yes, we do have synthetics...but that isn't the issue.) I have never seen a more ridiculous debate than this one. Make the drug legal for docs to dispense, just like other prescriptions. I think it is better to have it monitored so you don't get additives you don't want. (Then again, we buy drugs from China that contain who knows what!)

We don't deny people opiates because some people do illegal heroin!!

Every drug has the potential for abuse, even antibiotics....that doesn't mean you don't prescribe it for those who can benefit from it.

HMM, I guess I have an opinion on this.

Good luck with the pain clinic. I hope you have a good experience.

>>Interesting that a low-dose was ineffective but a high does actually exacerbated the pain.<<

This explains much. The part about THC at higher doses exacerbating the pain. I've had friends that say smoking pot works on all kind of pain for them....I have a friend with Fibro, etc. Me being sensitive to most meds (dose sensitive I'd guess you'd call it) smoking pot always made my pain worse. Not tried that since I've had the PN though....

Old argument but still valid IMO: Alcohol is legal...why isn't pot? Never heard of anyone dying from just pot. Alcohol and cigarettes? And of course I could go on.

Good luck with your trip! Hope they're able to help you.

I think we're all 'prechin' to the choir' here,
when it comes to cannabis.
At least, those of us who are over 50
Toking weed was an experiment when I first was Dx'd
and stopped alcohol completely.
It seemed to make my pain worse,but it was some
pretty strong stuff... I think.
After the pain increased a bit, I got the munchies, than promptly
checked out the insides of my eyelids and snored for a few hours. Woke up feeling just awful. Not hung over, but lethargic and 'wasted'.
Maybe it was too high a dose, but quality control is out the window,
when its not a legal substance.

Jarrett:

One thing I do NOT understand is how they can sell cigarettes which has warnings clearly indicated on every package (I just read that they are going to put pictures of people with lung cancer) on the package also. This I have just got to see. But why is it legal to sell these things, but it's not legal to do the medical marijuana thing.

I know it's all about Big Tobacco and profits, and all that crap. yeah, I get it. But tobacco kills people and our government doesn't seem to care about that fact.

But god forbid, a person with terminal cancer, wants some pain relief, and the doctors get all preachy and say "no, he might become addicted".

I do not understand this mind-set one bit. It is completely illogical.

Maybe if the tobacco companies also started producing cannabis, (with warning labels etc.), maybe THEN the governement would say "oh, RJ Reynolds, is now producing Cannabis", oh well, that's a different story, and while we can't allow tv commercials to advertise cannabis, we most certainly can let the stores sell them.

Do you ever imagine that right next to the Camels, the Marlboro, and the Winstons, there will someday be a package of "Cannabis,- take the pain away". And it will have dosing information, so one can know that to is too much, and one just might do the trick.

I tried it once when I was 24. Got so hungry, I said to myself "this is not for you, you can't gain weight'. Didn't even think that it might be illegal, or harm brain cells. I just wanted to know what all the fuss was about.

It just made me eat like crazy the next day.

Never went near it again. Still got fat, but imagine what I would have looked like if I continued to smoke weed??.

I lost 100 lbs. If you think I would ever put a joint in my mouth knowing I'll eat myself back to 300 lbs, well, forget it.

Oh, here's a question. If a person has such pain that medical marijuana is the only thing that helps the pain, does that person still get the munchies??

I ask this because Alan was once on the fentanyl pain patch and never got high. It just aleviated the pain. So one might think that pot might just have the same effect, no????

Stop the pain, and do just that, not get a person high, but just stop the pain!!!

I always wondered about that.

Melody