Symptom treatment with Can nabis

[Lulu54]

Someone here, sorry I forget right now who it was, brought to our attention a great series of short videos on the UK MS society website.  They were also hosting that particular expert, Dr. Alasdair Cook during the week to answer any and all questions that might be posted.

Fluffysmom posted a link about the use of caanbis recently  and when I saw this opportunity to ask an expert the question, I seized the opportunity - here is my question and Dr Cook's reply.  I thought this may be of interest to many of you.  

You can find their site at  mssociety (dot) org (dot) uk

"Dr. Cole,
thank you for the wonderful video series explaining these new therapies. I understand the need for thorough trials before new drugs are approved, but I sure wish the process would go faster.Can you tell us what new therapies are being tested that involve cannabis (in all ingestible forms)? And if any are being looked at for relief of symptoms for PPMS patients.

I am in the US, and several states here now have legalized medical marijuana, but I've not found anything but anecdotal evidence that it is an effective treatment for symptoms, such as spasticity.

Any information you can share will be appreciated.
be well,
Laura

Thanks for asking about cannabis. It has been tested as a treatment for all sorts of different aspects of MS in the past. Cannabis contains many different chemicals and there is a lot of interest in trying to find the components that help people with MS, without including the "whacky baccy" symptoms.

For instance, a nasal spray version of cannabis (Sativex) has been tested as a treatment for the stiffness ("spasticity") that can affect particularly the legs of someone with MS. It has also been used as a treatment for the pain that can come with MS. The results of trials of Sativex have been mixed. In Canada, the decision was taken a few years back to license the drug. In most other countries, including the UK, it has not been approved as a treatment.

By far and away the most interesting and important trial of a cannabis drug is the CUPID trial. This aims to test whether an extract of cannabis, called tetrahydrocannabinol, slows down the rate of deterioration in progressive MS. We expect a result of this trial in 2012. You can read more about it in:
http://sites.pcmd.ac.uk/cnrg/cupid.php?section=bac kground

Hope that helps

Alasdair"

[Wobbly]

thanks for the info... I'll continue to increase my dose and see if it helps.. then talk later to the Dr if it's not helping..

wobbly
dx

[steph74]

Re the gabapentin dosage...  most sources I've looked at say that 1800-3600 mg/day is the "theraputic dosage" that works for most people.  So you may need to talk to your dr about slowly increasing your dosage to see if it works.  If you get to 1800 and no relief, then you probably want to try something new.

Stephanie

[Lulu54]

wobbly,
there is a cannabis based medicine available in Canada - ask the doctor about an rx for it and see if it helps.  

from the MS society of Canada's webpage-

"Sativex approved: In April 2005, Health Canada, the drug regulatory agency for Canada, approved the use of the cannabis-derived drug Sativex® (GW Pharmaceuticals) to treat MS-related pain. The approval was based on a small, four-week clinical trial conducted in the United Kingdom in 66 people with MS, the results of which were published in Neurology in 2005. Sativex contains extracts from the marijuana plant and is administered as a spray into the mouth.

More recently, a six-week, placebo-controlled trial of Sativex showed positive changes in a self-reported measurement of spasticity. Other more objective study outcomes did not show a benefit.

This drug is not approved in the United States."


it might be worth the try to see if it makes a difference for you,
L

[Wobbly]

very interesting... I think if Gabapentin doesn't help with my leg pains... I'm now taking 1100mg a day...going up slowly... I might ask the dr about this as I have PPMS and not on DMDs..

thanks
wobbly
dx