It has been said that happiness is all about increasing pleasure and limiting pain. As such, pain is a pressing issue in many peoples lives. Whether chronic (lasting years) or acute (often stemming from a recent trauma), pain can be debilitating. Due to this nature, millions of Americans and others find themselves relying on opiates. <\/p>\n
However, research is finding alternatives. Following up on 2018 research that found that cannabinoids may increase patients pain threshold while also making pain seem less unpleasant, a December 2020 meta-analysis comprehensively reviewed the available medical literature on cannabinoids and acute pain. <\/p>\n
Photo by Anupong Thongchan\/EyeEm\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
After searching through the available data, the analysis selected six studies. Of these six studies, 2 were American, 2 were Canadian, 1 was British, and 1 featured contributions from Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom. Five of them studied orally administered cannabinoids, while one studied the effects of intramuscular cannabinoids. <\/p>\n
Throughout the research, the group given orally administered cannabinoids did not differ significantly from the controls, who were given a placebo yet, the intramuscular patients saw a significant improvement in acute pain. <\/p>\n
RELATED: Survey Says Americas Favorite Way To Kick Opiates Is Cannabis<\/p>\n
The analysis went on to posit that this may be due to the differences in the metabolization of cannabinoids administered in various ways: Specifically, oral absorption of cannabinoids is slow and variable with maximal plasma concentrations occurring 60120 min post-ingestion but can be delayed upward of 6 h. Cannabinoids are subjective to significant first-pass liver metabolism, which further reduces the bioavailability. Utilizing transdermal, inhaled, or oral transmucosal formulations allows for direct plasma uptake and avoidance of the first-pass effect. Inhaled cannabinoids reach peak effect in 10 min and plasma levels are maintained for several hours.<\/p>\n
Here, the available data seems to suggest that alternative methods to traditional oral consumption methods may be more effective at treating pain. Water-soluble oral administered cannabis may also be an adequate alternative as it also has a faster activation time. However, cannabinoid-based treatments did increase the presence of nonserious adverse effects. It did not increase the presence of severe adverse effects, which maintains its potential as a novel treatment method for acute pain. <\/p>\n
RELATED: Acute And Chronic Pain Affects Millions How Can Cannabis Help?<\/p>\n
The study concludes by noting all of the studies were focused, if not solely based, on THC. While THC has a strong potential as a pain reliever, CBD is also a viable research candidate for novel treatment methods. Competitive and varied markets are fertile environments, and so expanding and exploring cannabis as a medicine will only enrich science and empower the consumer. <\/p>\n
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Intramuscular Or Smoked Cannabis May Be The Future Of Managing Acute Pain - The Fresh Toast<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It has been said that happiness is all about increasing pleasure and limiting pain. As such, pain is a pressing issue in many peoples lives. Whether chronic (lasting years) or acute (often stemming from a recent trauma), pain can be debilitating Continue reading