Whether you suffer from Multiple Sclerosis (MS) for two years or twenty, your experience with treatment and doctors may be the same. You probably feel like you’ve tried almost everything – you have given a chance to some unconventional drugs or treatments and have gone to see doctors of all specialties.
You might feel like there have been some improvements, sometimes close to none and other times you felt better for some time. But then things went back to “normal”. So now your hope for something that could make a real positive difference in the quality of your life has diminished significantly.
DOES IT SOUND FAMILIAR?
If you do feel like that sometimes, don’t get discouraged. There are still assuredly some other options left for you to try – not necessarily from the mainstream medicine shelf.
One of them is medical marijuana, and more specifically, CBD (non-psychoactive cannabidiol), which is used by many MS patients with moderate to great success.
Its effects on a variety of symptoms that multiple sclerosis patients suffer from are very promising and show tremendous potential.
Effects of CBD use on MS symptoms include, but are not limited, to the following.
1. REDUCED SPASTICITY
Evidence suggests that oral cannabis extract is effective for reducing measures of spasticity, which is one of the most prevalent and difficult problems in MS. Most patients report the greatest improvement concerning this symptom when using CBD orally.
2. LESS PAIN
Some studies have suggested that medical marijuana may exert positive effects on health by decreasing inflammation and reducing pain in MS. Also, CBD stops the body from removing anandamide, a compound associated with regulating pain. So, increased levels of anandamide in the bloodstream may reduce the amount of pain a person feels.
93.7 percent of patients report a significant decrease in pain six months after starting treatment.
Watch this short video with an interview with Montel Williams presenting his views on how medical marijuana helped his pain in MS (on CNN):
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5874292/#B15
3. REDUCED STIFFNESS
MUSEC trial (UK), which was completed in 2012, involved 279 people taking a cannabis-based pill or placebo. The trial showed higher proportions of people on the active treatment reporting reductions in muscle stiffness, spasms and pain, and improved sleep quality.
4. IMPROVED MOBILITY
There is indirect evidence showing that reductions in spasticity, pain, and fatigue may result in improvements in the mobility of patients with MS who use a medical marijuana treatment.
5. BETTER SLEEP QUALITY
In one study, multiple sclerosis patients saw significant improvements in muscle spasticity and reduced sleep disturbances after five weeks of cannabis treatment
6. REDUCED CONSUMPTION OF PRESCRIPTION DRUGS
Findings published in 2017 demonstrated that medical marijuana use has been shown to reduce the intake of prescription drugs that have more numerous and serious side effects, including opioids, benzodiazepines, and antidepressants. 77% of frequent opioid users had reduced consumption since initiating medical marijuana use, and many patients also decreased their use of anti-anxiety (72%), migraine (67%), and sleep-promoting (65%) medications.
7. REDUCED FATIGUE
Inflammation plays an important role in the generation of MS-related fatigue. By modulating the inflammation, the fatigue is automatically diminished.
Medical marijuana can help multiple sclerosis patients manage the symptoms associated with their disease. Multiple sclerosis patients themselves responded in various questionnaires that medical marijuana was effective in improving: spasticity, chronic pain of extremities, tremors, emotional dysfunctions, fatigue, double vision, bowel and bladder dysfunctions, dysfunctions of walking and balance, and memory loss.
MEDICAL MARIJUANA DOCTOR IN GAINESVILLE
At Advanced Pain Medical Center, Dr. Stewart, a doctor specialized in treatment with medical marijuana, believes that all viable treatment avenues should be explored. This includes considering the use of medical marijuana (medical cannabis) in certain treatment scenarios, including MS.
Dr. Stewart is approved by the State of Florida to recommend medical marijuana in Gainesville and other locations.
If you suffer from multiple sclerosis (MS) or another chronic disease, make an appointment with a medical marijuana doctor in Gainesville today!
The material contained on this site is for informational purposes only and DOES NOT CONSTITUTE THE PROVIDING OF MEDICAL ADVICE, and is not intended to be a substitute for independent professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your health.
