Marijuana and multiple sclerosis

BACKGROUND: Cognitive impairment (CI) is common in multiple sclerosis (MS), affecting half of persons with MS (PwMS). Cognitive reserve has been associated with delaying the onset and slowing the progression of CI in PwMS. Multilingualism has been demonstrated to be a protective factor against CI in Alzheimer's disease (AD) but has never been studied in PwMS. OBJECTIVE: To explore if multilingualism is a protective factor against CI in PwMS. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study of PwMS aged 18-59, with a confirmed diagnosis of relapsing MS, fluent in English, who completed the Minimal Assessment of Cognitive Function in MS (MACFIMS) at the London (ON) MS Clinic...

Cannabis, commonly known as marijuana, is used by at least 18% of the United States (US) population, which makes it the most commonly used federally illegal drug in the United States. It is widely used for recreational purposes, while its therapeutic benefits have been extensively explored in the US. For several years, cannabis has been used for the treatment of diverse health conditions, including pain management, anti-inflammatory effects, and spasticity associated with multiple sclerosis and other neurodegenerative diseases...

Marijuana, also known as cannabis, is a psychoactive drug that comes from the Cannabis plant. Marijuana can be smoked, vaporized, or consumed through edibles in a variety of ways. Perception changes, changes in mood, and problems with coordination are all possible side effects. Marijuana is used for both recreational and medical purposes to treat a variety of health conditions. The literature review on the effects of marijuana on the human body has increased in recent years as more states legalize its use. It is important to investigate the benefits and harmful effects of marijuana on individuals due to the widespread use of cannabis-derived substances like marijuana for medical, recreational, and combined purposes...

BACKGROUND: Patients diagnosed as having multiple sclerosis (MS) experience a wide range of symptoms requiring pharmacologic management, and many do not achieve adequate symptom control. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of medical cannabis (MC) as part of a comprehensive treatment plan for patients with MS. METHODS: A retrospective medical record review of 141 patients with MS receiving MC for symptom management was conducted. Data were collected for up to 4 follow-up appointments after initiation of MC...

Background: One in five individuals live with chronic pain globally, which often co-occurs with sleep problems, anxiety, depression, and substance use disorders. Although these conditions are commonly managed with cannabinoid-based medicines (CBM), health care providers report lack of information on the risks, benefits, and appropriate use of CBM for therapeutic purposes. Aims: We present these clinical practice guidelines to help clinicians and patients navigate appropriate CBM use in the management of chronic pain and co-occurring conditions...

Cannabis and its natural derivatives have emerged as promising therapeutics for multiple pathological and nonpathological medical conditions. For example, cannabinoids, the most popular and biologically active chemicals in cannabis, aid in many clinical ailments, including pain, inflammation, epilepsy, sleep disturbances or insomnia, multiple sclerosis, anorexia, schizophrenia, neurodegenerative diseases, anti-nausea, and most importantly, cancer. Despite the comprehensive benefits, certain aspects of cannabis present unique challenges in the medical cannabis landscape...

Novel and effective antiseizure medications are needed to treat refractory and rare forms of epilepsy. Cannabinoids, which are obtained from the cannabis plant, have a long history of medical use, including for neurologic conditions. In 2018, the US Food and Drug Administration approved the first phytocannabinoid, cannabidiol (CBD, Epidiolex), which is now indicated for severe seizures associated with three rare forms of developmental and epileptic encephalopathy: Dravet syndrome, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, and tuberous sclerosis complex...

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is known as an autoimmune disease that damages the neurons in the central nervous system. MS is characterized by its most common symptoms of spasticity, muscle spasms, neuropathic pain, tremors, bladder dysfunction, dysarthria, and some intellectual problems, including memory disturbances. Several clinical studies have been conducted to investigate the effects of cannabis on the relief of these symptoms in MS patients. The efficacy of Cannabis sativa ( C. Sativa ) in the management of MS outcomes such as spasticity, pain, tremors, ataxia, bladder functions, sleep, quality of life, and adverse effects were assessed in this review...

Despite current therapeutic strategies for immunomodulation and relief of symptoms in multiple sclerosis (MS), remyelination falls short due to dynamic neuropathologic deterioration and relapses, leading to accrual of disability and associated patient dissatisfaction. The potential of cannabinoids includes add-on immunosuppressive, analgesic, neuroprotective, and remyelinative effects. This study evaluates the efficacy of medical marijuana in MS and its experimental animal models. A systematic review was conducted by a literature search through PubMed, ProQuest, and EBSCO electronic databases for studies reported since 2007 on the use of cannabidiol (CBD) and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in MS and in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus-induced demyelinating disease (TMEV-IDD), and toxin-induced demyelination models...

INTRODUCTION: Cannabis (also known as marijuana) is the most frequently used psychoactive substance in the world. The role of cannabis in medicine is rapidly evolving, and advances in the understanding of its pharmacology have led to numerous proposed uses of these drugs. STATE OF THE ART: Cannabis contains Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol as the primary constituents responsible for pharmacological activity. It is now known that there are at least two types of cannabinoid receptors...

BACKGROUND: As cannabis products become increasingly accessible across the United States, it is important to understand the contemporary use of cannabis for managing multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms. METHODS: We invited participants with MS from the North American Research Committee on Multiple Sclerosis (NARCOMS) Registry (aged 18 years or older) to complete a supplemental survey on cannabis use between March and April 2020. Participants reported cannabis use, treated symptoms, patterns, preferences, methods of use, and the factors limiting use...

Cannabis ( Cannabis sativa ), popularly known as marijuana, is the most commonly used psychoactive substance and is considered illicit in most countries worldwide. However, a growing body of research has provided evidence of the therapeutic properties of chemical components of cannabis known as cannabinoids against several diseases including Alzheimer's disease (AD), multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia and glaucoma; these have prompted changes in medicinal cannabis legislation. The relaxation of legal restrictions and increased socio-cultural acceptance has led to its increase in both medicinal and recreational usage...

Cannabis sativa L. is an annual herbaceous dioecious plant which was first cultivated by agricultural human societies in Asia. Over the period of time, various parts of the plant like leaf, flower, and seed were used for recreational as well as therapeutic purposes. The main chemical components of Cannabis sativa are termed as cannabinoids, among them the key psychoactive constituent is Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol (CBD) as active nonpsychotic constituent. Upon doing extensive literature review, it was found that cannabis has been widely studied for a number of disorders...

In 2017, a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) report comprehensively evaluated the body of evidence regarding cannabis health effects through the year 2016. The objectives of this study are to identify and map the most recently (2016-2019) published literature across approved conditions for medical cannabis and to evaluate the quality of identified recent systematic reviews, published following the NASEM report. Following the literature search from 5 databases and consultation with experts, 11 conditions were identified for evidence compilation and evaluation: amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, autism, cancer, chronic noncancer pain, Crohn's disease, epilepsy, glaucoma, human immunodeficiency virus/AIDS, multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson's disease, and posttraumatic stress disorder...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Denmark launched a pilot program of medical cannabis in January 2018. The aim was to establish whether medical cannabis and cannabis-based medicine (MC/CBM) were superior and safe compared to conventional treatment, regardless of the indications for which people received such medication. MATERIALS AND METHODS: People (cases) were identified who had redeemed at least one prescription of MC/CBM according to the nationwide, unselected Danish registers...

OBJECTIVES: To examine attitudes and beliefs about medical cannabis (MC), and specifically about its application for pain management, across medical students in Israel and Thailand. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey which measured attitudes and beliefs about MC. Participants were additionally asked to rate the perceived efficacy of MC for different medical conditions that are related to pain (arthritis, chronic pain, fibromyalgia and multiple sclerosis). Pearson's Chi-squared test was used to compare between students from the participating universities...

OBJECTIVE: To survey the pattern and benefits of medical cannabis use (MCU) in a cross section of persons with multiple sclerosis (PWMS). METHODS: One hundred and fifteen subjects completed a 36-question survey online or on paper which queried aspects of their use of cannabis, including frequency of use, effect on symptoms, and changes in their use of prescription medications, as well asa number of key demographic variables such as age, gender, disease duration and clinical course, etc...

For thousands of years, Cannabis sativa has been utilized as a medicine and for recreational and spiritual purposes. Phytocannabinoids are a family of compounds that are found in the cannabis plant, which is known for its psychotogenic and euphoric effects; the main psychotropic constituent of cannabis is Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC). The pharmacological effects of cannabinoids are a result of interactions between those compounds and cannabinoid receptors, CB1 and CB2, located in many parts of the human body...

Derivatives of the plant Cannabis sativa have been used for centuries for both medical and recreational purposes, as well as industrial. The first proof of its medicinal use comes from ancient China, although there is evidence of its earlier utilization in Europe and Asia. In the 19th century, European practitioners started to employ cannabis extracts to treat tetanus, convulsions, and mental diseases and, in 1851, cannabis made its appearance in the Pharmacopoeia of the United States as an analgesic, hypnotic and anticonvulsant...

Marijuana has been used to treat medical disease since well before the 1800s. Recently, increased use of cannabinoids, the chemical components of marijuana, have been seen to treat neurologic illness in children and adults. Unfortunately, data are lacking in treating most neurologic illnesses except in the field of epilepsy and pain from spasticity in multiple sclerosis. Therefore, formal conclusions about the potential efficacy, benefit, and adverse effects for most marijuana based products cannot be made at this time...