Cannabis Inhaler Effective For Neuropathy

Today's short post from norml.org (see link below) reinforces the widely held belief that cannabis can relieve neuropathic symptoms as effectively as almost anything else. In this case, the cannabinoids are delivered via an inhaler which removes the need to smoke joints laced with tobacco (with all its associate dangers). Whatever, your opinion of cannabis, there is little doubt regarding its medicinal qualities and if you find that pills are not really helping you in your fight against neuropathic pain, it may be worthwhile looking into this option and at least trying it out. There are many other articles here on the blog about cannabis and neuropathy (see alphabetical list to the right).

Study: Cannabis Inhaler Delivers Effective Relief To Neuropathy Patients
Thursday, 21 August 2014

Haifa, Israel: The administration of a single dose of whole-plant cannabis via a thermal-metered inhaler is effective and well tolerated among patients suffering from neuropathy (nerve pain), according to clinical trial data published online ahead of print in the Journal of Pain and Palliative Care Pharmacotherapy.

Israeli investigators assessed the efficacy of a novel, portable metered-dose cannabis inhaler in eight subjects diagnosed with chronic neuropathic pain. Researchers reported that the vaporizing device administered an efficient, consistent, and therapeutically effective dosage of cannabinoids to all participants.

They concluded, "This trial suggests the potential use of the Syqe Inhaler device as a smokeless delivery system of medicinal cannabis, producing a delta-9-THC pharmacokinetic profile with low inter-individual variation of (maximum drug/plasma concentrations), achieving pharmaceutical standards for inhaled drugs."

A series of clinical trials conducted by investigators affiliated with the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research at the University of California, San Diego previously determined that the inhalation of whole-plant cannabis is efficacious in the treatment of various types of neuropathic pain.

For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director, at: paul@norml.org. Full text of the study, "The pharmacokinetics, efficacy, safety, and ease of use of a novel portable metered-dose cannabis inhaler in patients with chronic neuropathic pain: A phase 1a study," will appear in the Journal of Pain and Palliative Care Pharmacotherapy.

http://norml.org/news/2014/08/21/study-cannabis-inhaler-delivers-effective-relief-to-neuropathy-patients