Cannabis And HIV - What Does The Research Say?

 Today's post  from  gaynz.com (see link below) is a short article adding to the information we already have about the various medical uses for cannabis, especially for people living with HIV. Of course this blog is most interested in any concrete information relating to HIV and neuropathic pain. The article takes a dispassionate look at the proven pro's and cons' of the issue.

 

Cannabis and HIV/AIDS: What the Research Says

October 15, 2012


In 2010, there was a useful summary of the role of cannabinoids in HIV/AIDS treatment, mostly in North America. In 2004, the Canadian AIDS Society became the first such NGO to back wider access to cannabinoids for People Living With HIV/AIDS, given their benefits in combatting problems like pain, nausea and appetite loss. According to North American studies, between a quarter to one third of all PLWHAs have used cannabis or cannabinoids for these purposes (c23-37 percent). In Canada, ninety percent of those sampled used it as an appetite stimulant, while seventy percent used it as a painkiller and to combat nausea or vomiting.

Pain is probably the best -researched area of medicinal cannabis derivatives useful effects for PLWHAs. It may originate from headache, both forms of herpes, back pain, throat pain, athralagia, lymphoma, anorectal carcinomas or ancillary side-effects of other preventative techniques like chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Its use against peripheral neuropathy ranges from thirty to fifty-five percent. Used for this purpose, cannabis/cannabinoids have no adverse effects on metabolism of antiretroviral medication such as indinavir and ritonovir. In the case of nausea, cannabinoids may be useful if patients do not respond to antiemetics in other contexts. However, there is little specific research data available on these particular effects other than anecdotal references to their benefits. When it comes to weight gain and appetite stimulation, the research indicates that administration of cannabinoids improves appetite and can reverse weight loss, assist food intake and assist sleep. Moreover, it also seems to assist antiretroviral drug compliance.

However, the study’s author cautions that there is lack of standardised measurement of delivery methods within amenable research, whether through cannabis cigarettes, pipes, tobacco/cannabis admixtures, or standardised levels of THC content. There are also difficulties with the small scale of such research samples. However, the research consensus also indicates no negative effects on viral load, CD4/CD8 T-cell levels, or ARV blood plasma levels.

http://www.gaynz.com/blogs/redqueen/?p=1924