Marijuana does not work to relieve pain

(Cannabis.tv) - Marijuana causes pain that may be easier to endure rather than relieve pain, scientists recently said.

Researchers from Oxford University have found that the neurotransmitter component in marijuana does not work to reduce the intensity of pain, instead it makes pain easier to tolerate.

Brain scans reveal components called THCs, which reduce activity in brain areas associated with aspects of emotional pain.

While some patients have used marijuana to relieve chronic pain such as sciatica, marijuana has little effect on other patients.

Lead researcher Dr. Michael Lee said: "Marijuana does not act as a normal pain reliever. Some people react really well to marijuana, while others are completely unresponsive. What, or poor response '.

Brain images show little decline in areas of brain coding for pain, which is what we tend to see with drugs like opium. Instead, marijuana appears primarily to affect painful emotional reactions in a highly variable direction.

Chronic pain, often without a clear cause, is a complex medical problem. Different methods are often needed to help patients manage pain, and may include medications, physical therapy and other forms of physical therapy, and psychological support.

For some patients, taking marijuana or drugs with marijuana ingredients still works when other drugs fail to control pain. However, some patients report that they see very little effect on the pain they have to go through.

"We do this research to test and see what's happening when someone experiences pain using marijuana," Dr Lee said.

Researchers recruited 12 healthy men to participate in the study. These people were given either a 15mg THC tablet or a placebo. Later, they were hurt by a cream applied to the skin. Some were given a fake cream, while the rest used a chili cream that caused a burning sensation.

Participants in the study were asked to report the intensity and discomfort of the pain: how much it was reduced and how it bothered them. Dr Lee said: 'We have noticed with THC, on average, the study participants did not report any changes in the burn, but the pain was less annoying.'

Possession of marijuana is illegal, but now this plant is being used in medical trials.

Scientists believe there may be a way to predict whether a person will have an analgesic response through marijuana.

However, they also said that to get specific conclusions, researchers will have to conduct research on patients with chronic pain over longer periods of time.

THC is also a substance that can make users feel relaxed and comfortable but at the same time it can also cause hallucinations and make users feel paranoid.

This latest research was published in Pain magazine. The study was funded by the British Medical Research Council and the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Oxford Biomedical Research Center.