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Medical Pot Ineffective as Acute Pain Treatment
06-23-2008 | WashingtonPost.Com
Oral cannabis (a form of medical marijuana) was ineffective in treating certain types of acute pain and actually increased sensitivity to some other kinds of discomfort, say researchers at the Medical University of Vienna, Austria.

Their study included 18 healthy women who were given oral cannabis or a placebo. The women were then evaluated for heat and electrical pain thresholds in skin areas that had induced sunburn. This is an accepted method of assessing response to acute pain.

"The surprising result of our study was the absence of any kind of analgesic activity of THC-standardized cannabis extract on experimentally induced pain using well-established human model procedures," study author Dr. Birgit Kraft said in a prepared statement. "Our results also seem to support the impression that high doses of cannabinoids may even cause increased sensitivity in certain pain conditions."
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The study is published in the July issue of the journal Anesthesiology.

Previous research has suggested that cannabis and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC -- the main psychoactive component of marijuana) may help ease chronic pain in cancer patients, spinal cord injury patients, and people with multiple sclerosis. There have been inconsistent findings about the effects on acute pain.

This new study's findings about oral cannabis and acute pain are seemingly conclusive, according to the researchers.

"From comparisons with previous clinical data, the lack of pain relief from the cannabis dosage and oral administration in our study cannot be considered the result of inadequate dosage or insufficient intestinal absorption," Kraft said. "The high levels of THC detected in the blood of our subjects as well as the occurrence of typical THC side effects argue for sufficient availability, and thus we draw the conclusion that THC was not effective in treating acute pain."

However, cannabis may remain a viable treatment option for certain types of chronic pain.

"Pain is a very complex and subjective phenomena," Kraft said. "Chronic pain has not only been shown to lead to changes in peripheral and central neural processing, but also to be associated with psychosocial problems, physical disorders, and functional disabilities. Recent studies have indicated that cannabis can be effective in treating certain types of chronic pain and helping patients to cope by improving quality of life."

More information:
The National Pain Foundation has more about marijuana and pain.

SOURCE: American Society of Anesthesiologists, news release, June 23, 2008

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BillieBudd

Thankfully I have never suffered long term acute pain, but I did just have a hip replacement. After I got off the morphine in a day or so, I went through the entire recovery with just Extra Strength Tylenol and weed, which I vaped.
Just some anecdotal evidence

Vicki

I know it helps the pain and inflammation I get from RA.

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O High O

I had a hernia surgery about 7 years ago & when I'm high, I'm much more likely to get pain in that area of my body than when I'm not high.

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Buzzby

I have a tendency to be unaware of the pain that comes from maintaining poor posture. I'll sit hunched over a laptop for hours or stand in an unbalanced manner. When I have a hit or two, I become much more aware of these proprioceptive sensations, causing me to correct my posture, keep my back straight, and keep my weight evenly balanced over my hips.

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KWhite

I've been operated twice on my lower back for ruptured discs- Now I have the attendant scar tissue build up in that area where those nerves run-

I KNOW chronic, it ain't never gonna go away, pain-

Weed helps.

Opiates never did, they made my nose cold and my personality inhuman...

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"Your mind is your own, your body as well, from the soul we need not speak, tend it well, making those decisions you deem worthy, aware all responsibility is in your hands when the smoke clears" Kelly L. White

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toothfairy420

Question...They weren't very specific when they were talking about the method of administering the cannabis, When they say oral, are they talking about smoking, or are they talking about Marinol, the THC pill?

Researcher

This is interesting and paradoxical! But it seems like the "personal experiences" of Users contradicts the cited findings in the Article cited at beginning. Hmmmm....

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Researcher

Hey, it's just a daym plant!

Vicki

I'm sure that they do know. They just don't want to admit it.

Buzzby

I'm pretty sure they're talking about eating marijuana, possibly in capsules.

Smoked or vaped marijuana never gets to the intestines.