Cannabis is known for being a Class B drug that is discouraged in society. However cannabis is also known for being a drug in the medical world due to its compounds its made out of, and the medical properties they have. It is very clear in the BNF book that cannabis is illegal and cannot be prescribed by doctors as has no medicinal use. But in fact it is cannabis extract that is legal and licensed to be medicinal.
The two cannabinoids (compounds in marijuana ) that have medical properties are tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD).Sativex is a prescribed drug, legal in the UK that 'contains both Dronabinol (THC) and CBD'[1]. It states that the indications( the symptoms that indicate the medical treatment is necessary) is "adjunct in moderate to severe spasticity in multiple sclerosis." Meaning it is an add-on therapy. [2]
After reading this I've gone on to read about multiple sclerosis. I found out that there are two types of spasms found in Multiple Sclerosis (MS), with one being flexor spasticity(this is when the hips or knees bend involuntarily toward the chest) and the other being extensor spasticity where the hips and knees remain straight and the legs stay very close together. Both of these are caused by involuntary muscle spasms that cause a tight painful feeling. 'Sativex is believed to reduce this pain by acting through cannabinoid receptors'[3] to mimic natural pain relievers (cannibabinoids) in the central nervous system.However this is still being researched as the way sativex interacts with the nervous system to relieve pain is unknown.
All though cannabis extract seems to have its positives, BNF states its cautions and side effects, some of the include : increased or decreased appetite , diarrhoea, nausea, depression, oral pain and many more. I will come back to the physical and mental effects of cannabis in a later blog , to go into these effects in greater detail.
Nabilone is a slightly different drug as it is a cannabinoid that has been synthetically made and is similar to the substances in marijuana. I am still going to talk about it here though as without marijuana this drug may not have been developed as it mimics THC, a compound in cannabis. The indications stated are :"nausea and vomiting caused by cytotoxic chemotherapy, unresponsive to conventional antiemetics."[2] This means that this drug is used to treat cancer patients after they have had chemotherapy if other drugs are unable to control the nausea and vomiting. It is able to do this by decreasing the signals in the brain.[4]
[1]Halasi, S (1996-2017) Sativex, Available at: http://www.medbroadcast.com/drug/getdrug/sativex?_ga=2.117332750.965875787.1510148306-1991189051.1510148305 (Accessed: 22nd September 2017).
The two cannabinoids (compounds in marijuana ) that have medical properties are tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD).Sativex is a prescribed drug, legal in the UK that 'contains both Dronabinol (THC) and CBD'[1]. It states that the indications( the symptoms that indicate the medical treatment is necessary) is "adjunct in moderate to severe spasticity in multiple sclerosis." Meaning it is an add-on therapy. [2]
After reading this I've gone on to read about multiple sclerosis. I found out that there are two types of spasms found in Multiple Sclerosis (MS), with one being flexor spasticity(this is when the hips or knees bend involuntarily toward the chest) and the other being extensor spasticity where the hips and knees remain straight and the legs stay very close together. Both of these are caused by involuntary muscle spasms that cause a tight painful feeling. 'Sativex is believed to reduce this pain by acting through cannabinoid receptors'[3] to mimic natural pain relievers (cannibabinoids) in the central nervous system.However this is still being researched as the way sativex interacts with the nervous system to relieve pain is unknown.
Nabilone is a slightly different drug as it is a cannabinoid that has been synthetically made and is similar to the substances in marijuana. I am still going to talk about it here though as without marijuana this drug may not have been developed as it mimics THC, a compound in cannabis. The indications stated are :"nausea and vomiting caused by cytotoxic chemotherapy, unresponsive to conventional antiemetics."[2] This means that this drug is used to treat cancer patients after they have had chemotherapy if other drugs are unable to control the nausea and vomiting. It is able to do this by decreasing the signals in the brain.[4]
[1]Halasi, S (1996-2017) Sativex, Available at: http://www.medbroadcast.com/drug/getdrug/sativex?_ga=2.117332750.965875787.1510148306-1991189051.1510148305 (Accessed: 22nd September 2017).
[2] BNF book
[3]Moore, C (2015) Cannabis-derived Sativex for MS-Related Spasticity reported to be effective and safe, Available at: https://multiplesclerosisnewstoday.com/2015/10/23/cannabis-derived-sativex-ms-related-spasticity-reported-effective-safe/ (Accessed: 24th September 2017).
[4]First DataBank (December 2013) Nabilone Oral , Available at: https://www.medicinenet.com/nabilone-oral/article.htm (Accessed: 8th october 2017).
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