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Pot Drug May Cut Fibromyalgia Pain
Web MD ^ | Feb, 19, 2008 | Miranda Hitti

Posted on 02/19/2008 3:00:45 PM PST by Kimmers

Feb. 19, 2008 -- Nabilone, a pain drug based on marijuana's active ingredient, may ease fibromyalgia pain.

So say Canadian researchers, based on a preliminary, short-term study.

The study included 40 fibromyalgia patients. First, they did three things:

Rate the intensity of their fibromyalgia pain. The rating scale ranged from 0 (no pain) to 10 (the worst pain imaginable). Their average rating was about 6. Rate their quality of life. The rating scale ranged from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating worse quality of life. Their average rating was 66. Get a check of their tender points -- parts of the body that are often sensitive in fibromyalgia patients. The researchers then split the patients into two groups.

For a month, one group of patients took nabilone daily. The other group took a placebo pill. The patients didn't know which pill they were taking.

After a month of nabilone treatment, fibromyalgia pain was less intense and quality of life had improved. No such changes were seen with the placebo.

Nabilone treatment didn't affect the patients' number of tender points. And it didn't cure fibromyalgia pain -- when patients stopped taking nabilone, their fibromyalgia pain returned to its former intensity.

Nabilone was well tolerated, but side effects were more commonly reported in the nabilone group. Those side effects -- which included drowsiness, dry mouth, vertigo, and movement problems -- were "generally mild," write the researchers.

Longer studies are needed to track the long-term effects, note the University of Manitoba's Ryan Quinlan Skrabek, MD, and colleagues.

Their study appears in the February edition of The Journal of Pain.


TOPICS: Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: medicalmarijuana; mrleroy
They forgot to mention one of the side effects was the munchies...

Seriously, we can only hope this will lead the way for finding relief for those that suffer with this disease....

1 posted on 02/19/2008 3:00:46 PM PST by Kimmers
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To: Kimmers
LOL! and a medically sound and great delivery system. Inhalation of burning hemp...
2 posted on 02/19/2008 3:03:15 PM PST by bill1952 (I will vote for McCain if he resigns his Senate seat before this election.)
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To: Kimmers

Thanks for posting this.


3 posted on 02/19/2008 3:08:12 PM PST by Argus
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To: Kimmers

Patients currently smoking pot for relief will continue to be arrested.... because pot is worse than cancer.


4 posted on 02/19/2008 3:17:54 PM PST by Lexington Green (My government says pot is worse than cancer. don't believe them.)
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To: Kimmers

Patients currently smoking pot for relief will continue to be arrested.... because pot is worse than cancer.


5 posted on 02/19/2008 3:18:16 PM PST by Lexington Green (My government says pot is worse than cancer. I don't believe them.)
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To: bill1952

“LOL! and a medically sound and great delivery system. Inhalation of burning hemp...”

You can use Hemp Oil instead.


6 posted on 02/19/2008 3:19:19 PM PST by dljordan
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To: Kimmers

“Seriously, we can only hope this will lead the way for finding relief for those that suffer with this disease....”

I watched a YouTube video called “Run From The Cure” yesterday that was pretty interesting. It’s about a guy in Nova Scotia who started growing Indica and reducing it to oil to give to cancer patients. He didn’t charge anything for the oil and helped a lot of people.


7 posted on 02/19/2008 3:24:23 PM PST by dljordan
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To: Kimmers
THC (tetrahydra cannibinol) is already an FDA approved drug under the name ‘Marinol’. It is EXACTLY for inducing the ‘munchies’ in people whose chemotherapy or other treatments make them too nauseous to eat. It makes them hungry and treats their nausea. Smoke works better than the pill because people that nauseous tend to puke up the pill before it can be absorbed. Some have said that giving a pill for nausea makes about as much sense as giving a suppository to treat diarrhea.
8 posted on 02/19/2008 3:27:35 PM PST by allmendream ("A Lyger is pretty much my favorite animal."NapoleonD)
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To: Kimmers

Pot really does help but I think I cured fibromyalgia. It is NOT a disease...

It is a deficiency in magnesium. If anyone has fibro, email me and I’ll tell you what to do. My husband has it and his symptoms are 80% gone.

spacejunkie01@embarqmail.com


9 posted on 02/19/2008 3:29:54 PM PST by spacejunkie
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To: bill1952

10 posted on 02/19/2008 3:30:56 PM PST by billorites (Freepo ergo sum)
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To: allmendream

Marinol is a synthetic form of THC. My end of life patients have told me that’s why they prefer the weed. I thought this was interesting.


11 posted on 02/19/2008 4:46:00 PM PST by Enough_Deceit (Proud Mama of a US Marine! Ooorahh!)
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To: Enough_Deceit
The phrase “Like prescribing a suppository to treat diarrhea” has always stuck with me. Why go through the trouble of synthesizing something that grows cheap as dirt. And why go through putting it into a pill when smoking it works better?
12 posted on 02/19/2008 4:51:33 PM PST by allmendream ("A Lyger is pretty much my favorite animal."NapoleonD)
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To: allmendream

Sad to say that I agree. The problem is with purity of the weed.


13 posted on 02/19/2008 5:57:23 PM PST by Enough_Deceit (Proud Mama of a US Marine! Ooorahh!)
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To: Kimmers

Or we could just let people possess a plant and cut the drug companies out of the mix. I vote for that solution.


14 posted on 02/19/2008 5:58:22 PM PST by mysterio
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To: Kimmers
I'm totally sympathetic with people who are suffering from this disease. It must be especially difficult because the controversy involving fibromyalgia. Lyme disease is treated with similar skepticism by many doctors.

New York Times Article Rekindles Fibromyalgia Debate

15 posted on 02/19/2008 6:00:37 PM PST by vrwc54
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To: mysterio

I agree with you.....


16 posted on 02/19/2008 6:21:13 PM PST by Kimmers
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