6/9 Change Your Mind
Travel our Paths
wewelcomethekind
Thoughts on the future...we are planning to develop 'GreenBox' Technology using Steiner's CribTrack to be used in our centers and elsewhere....
Funds from this will help build the HonorRail system
Ideas & Concepts (including these) held as Intellectual Property of One Road Many Paths, NFP All Rights Reserved
SAVING LIVES
In 2014, the Journal of the American Medical Association published a study that looked at various interventions to address the opioid problem, to see how many opioid overdose deaths these interventions could prevent. Some states have implemented a prescription drug monitoring program so medical providers can log in, look up a patient, and find out which controlled substances they’ve been prescribed, where and when they filled them, how many pills they got, and so forth. But implementing such monitoring program did not have any significant effect on reducing opioid overdose deaths. Increased state oversight of pain management clinics had no significant effect.
But simply passing a state medical cannabis law on average reduced opioid overdose deaths by 24.8 percent. What’s more, the AMA article reported that each year after the medical cannabis law was passed, the rate of opioid overdose deaths continued to decrease.
We’re currently seeing patients in our clinic who tell us that they’re using cannabis with their opioids to reduce their dose and get off their pain meds. Unfortunately, we’re also seeing patients who are telling us, “My pain management doctor found THC in my urine, and they kicked me out of their practice.” Or, “They cut off my prescriptions abruptly.”
What’s going on here? It doesn’t make any sense. It’s well documented that cannabis is a good replacement for illegal and prescription drugs. There’s a 2015 Canadian survey of 473 medical cannabis patients, 87 percent of them were using cannabis as a substitute for something else—prescription drugs, illicit drugs, or alcohol. Eighty percent reported substituting for prescription drugs; 51 for alcohol; 32 percent for illicit substances. And the reasons they gave were consistent: more effective, less side effects, less risk of dependence and addiction.
The Effect of Medicinal Cannabis on Pain and Quality-of-Life Outcomes in Chronic Pain: A Prospective Open-label Study.
Haroutounian S1, Ratz Y, Ginosar Y, Furmanov K, Saifi F, Meidan R, Davidson E.
OBJECTIVES:
The objective of this prospective, open-label study was to determine the long-term effect of medicinal cannabis treatment on pain and functional outcomes in participants with treatment-resistant chronic pain.
PATIENTS AND METHODS:
The primary outcome was the change in the pain symptom score on the S-TOPS (Treatment Outcomes in Pain Survey-Short Form) questionnaire at the 6-month follow-up in an intent-to-treat population. Secondary outcomes included the change in S-TOPS physical, social, and emotional disability scales, the pain severity, and pain interference on the Brief Pain Inventory, sleep problems, and the change in opioid consumption.
RESULTS:
A total of 274 participants were approved for treatment; complete baseline data were available for 206 (intent-to-treat), and complete follow-up data for 176 participants. At follow-up, the pain symptom score improved from median 83.3 (95% confidence interval [CI], 79.2-87.5) to 75.0 (95% CI, 70.8-79.2) (P<0.001). The pain severity score (7.50 [95% CI, 6.75-7.75] to 6.25 [95% CI, 5.75-6.75]) and the pain interference score (8.14 [95% CI, 7.28-8.43] to 6.71 [95% CI, 6.14-7.14]) improved (both P<0.001), together with most social and emotional disability scores. Opioid consumption at follow-up decreased by 44% (P<0.001). Serious adverse effects led to treatment discontinuation in 2 participants.
DISCUSSION:
The treatment of chronic pain with medicinal cannabis in this open-label, prospective cohort resulted in improved pain and functional outcomes, and a significant reduction in opioid use. Results suggest long-term benefit of cannabis treatment in this group of patients, but the study's noncontrolled nature should be considered when extrapolating the results.
PMID:
26889611
DOI:
video source:
https://www.apnews.com/6c0f48dff1be429bb59943822def8e27
