Data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) illustrate how dire the situation is:
● Fatal overdoses have increased by 400%: sales and overdoses of prescription opioids quadrupled between 1999 and 2014.
● More than 165,000 people have died in the U.S. from overdoses related to prescription opioids between 1999 and 2014
● At least half of all U.S. opioid overdose deaths involve a prescription opioid.
● More than 14,000 people died from overdoses involving prescription opioids in 2014.
How could medical marijuana help? By providing an efficacious substitute to opioids, or helping patients reduce their opioid intake. The (CDC) argues that the opioid prescribing is fueling the epidemic, so it would be a sensible strategy to encourage physicians to consider cannabis as an alternative (or, adjunct) to opioid-based treatment programs.
According to Dr. Abrams, “In my clinical practice I have seen many patients decrease their dose of narcotics or wean off them altogether with the addition of cannabis to their regimen. Pain relief, with or without opiates, is another area where cannabis may be quite useful.”
Evidence suggests opioids are only effective for acute pain, and many patients find they must progressively increase their dosage to achieve the same effect; within a short period of time, their pain isn’t responsive to opioid treatment. On the other hand, there is evidence that cannabis (or, more specifically, cannabinoids) may act synergistically with opioids, allowing patients to lower dosage of opioids while achieving comparable pain relief.
According to Dr. Abrams, evidence from studies on animal models, suggest, "Cannabinoids appear to be synergistic with opioids in producing analgesia.” Based on preclinical research, Dr. Abrams conducted a small study to investigate cannabis as an opioid potentiator. His team found that vaporized cannabis didn’t affect morphine or oxycodone blood levels, but they observed synergistic pain relief. After the addition of vaporized cannabis, patients realized a 27% decrease in pain. Abrams and his team concluded vaporized cannabis “augments the analgesic effects of opioids without significantly altering plasma opioid levels.”
Other studies support the role of cannabis as part of a strategy to reduce opioid use. A University of Michigan March 2016 Study provided evidence that cannabis may be superior to opioids and provide a valuable harm reduction strategy. Noting that while opioids are commonly used to treat patients with chronic pain, “there is little evidence that they are effective for long term [chronic pain] treatment.
Palliative Care
36
Data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) illustrate how dire the situation is:
Fatal overdoses have increased by 400%: sales and overdoses of prescription opioids quadrupled between 1999 and 2014.
More than 165,000 people have died in the U.S. from overdoses related to prescription opioids between 1999 and 2014
At least half of all U.S. opioid overdose deaths involve a prescription opioid.
More than 14,000 people died from overdoses involving prescription opioids in 2014.
How could medical marijuana help? By providing an efficacious substitute to opioids, or helping patients reduce their opioid intake. The (CDC) argues that the opioid prescribing is fueling the epidemic, so it would be a sensible strategy to encourage physicians to consider cannabis as an alternative (or, adjunct) to opioid-based treatment programs.
According to Dr. Abrams, “In my clinical practice I have seen many patients decrease their dose of narcotics or wean off them altogether with the addition of cannabis to their regimen. Pain relief, with or without opiates, is another area where cannabis may be quite useful.”
Evidence suggests opioids are only effective for acute pain, and many patients find they must progressively increase their dosage to achieve the same effect; within a short period of time, their pain isn’t responsive to opioid treatment. On the other hand, there is evidence that cannabis (or, more specifically, cannabinoids) may act synergistically with opioids, allowing patients to lower dosage of opioids while achieving comparable pain relief.
According to Dr. Abrams, evidence from studies on animal models, suggest, "Cannabinoids appear to be synergistic with opioids in producing analgesia.” Based on preclinical research, Dr. Abrams conducted a small study to investigate cannabis as an opioid potentiator. His team found that vaporized cannabis didn’t affect morphine or oxycodone blood levels, but they observed synergistic pain relief. After the addition of vaporized cannabis, patients realized a 27% decrease in pain. Abrams and his team concluded vaporized cannabis “augments the analgesic effects of opioids without significantly altering plasma opioid levels.”
Other studies support the role of cannabis as part of a strategy to reduce opioid use. A University of Michigan March 2016 Study provided evidence that cannabis may be superior to opioids and provide a valuable harm reduction strategy. Noting that while opioids are commonly used to treat patients with chronic pain, “there is little evidence that they are effective for long term [chronic pain] treatment.