Pain Relief

Post your questions about pain management for our experts here.

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mimicat1
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by mimicat1 on Tue Oct 25, 2016 6:47 pm

Pain Relief

Do the NHS have any plans to introduce a cannabis tincture for long-term pain relief?

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Arthritis Action
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Joined: Wed Sep 28, 2016 1:27 pm
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by Arthritis Action on Tue Oct 25, 2016 7:16 pm

Re: Pain Relief

Nabiximols is a cannabis extract which is already available in the form of "Sativex" for spasm as a result of multiple sclerosis and neuropathic pain, which is pain due to a problem with the nerves. Although some people with chronic pain use cannabis in various forms, the evidence that it is effective as a pain-relieving medicine is not at all good. Obviously cannabis has many other properties other than potential pain-relieving ones and it may be that these are the effects that may help some people with pain. The placebo effect with cannabis also cannot be ignored - remember that even sugar pills can reduce pain by as much as 30%. That doesn't mean that cannabis does not work for some people, it's just that we do not understand these effects very well. All drugs that are available on the NHS have to go through very strict regulatory processes before they can be prescribed. In other words, if cannabis is shown to be effective and safe in trials of people with pain, then it will become available, and if it is not, then it is unlikely to ever be widely prescribed.

Wendy

Dr Wendy Holden
Consultant Rheumatologist and Medical Advisor to arthritis Action

www.arthritisaction.org.uk /
info@arthritisaction.org

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