One type of pain… Neuropathic – AKA ‘nerve pain“ is a serious and debilitating condition for those who suffer from it, as it erodes quality of life… “It is a complex, chronic pain state that usually is accompanied by tissue injury. With neuropathic pain, the nerve fibers themselves might be damaged, dysfunctional, or injured. These damaged nerve fibers send incorrect signals to other pain centers. The impact of a nerve fiber injury includes a change in nerve function both at the site of injury and areas around the injury. ”
The goal of pain management should be to ease suffering and improve one’s quality of life. Several pharmaceutical medications available can play a role in pain management, but they are not without side effects. For instance, medications containing opioids such as, Percocet, Vicodin and Oxycontin are very effective painkillers and often prescribed by Doctors to ease their patients suffering. Unfortunately these a not without controversy because of the potential of misuse and abuse due to their highly addictive properties.
Luckily there is good news for neuropathic pain patients looking for alternative treatments to ease their suffering… An Israeli study published in ‘The Journal of Pain and Palliative Care Pharmacotherapy’ suggests that patients suffering from chronic neuropathic pain who vaped medicinal cannabis found it highly effective in managing their pain without side effects. Patients used a vaporizer to inhale a very small amount (15.1 ± 0.1 mg) of medicinal Cannabis. The results… A significant 45% reduction in pain intensity was noted 20 minutes after inhaling and the effects lasted around 90 minutes. According to the study, none of the patients experienced any adverse effects other than, tolerable, light headedness, that lasted 15–30 minutes and required no intervention. Another University of California study also suggests that “Low Dose Vaporized Cannabis Significantly Improves Neuropathic Pain”
Article Sources
Journal of Pain & Palliative Care Pharmacotherapy
National Institutes of Health
American Chronic Pain Assoc