Fibromyalgia and Medical Marijuana

Fibromyalgia, a chronic pain syndrome,  is hard to treat and impossible to cure.  With pain so debilitating, patients may wonder about trying medical marijuana to ease their discomfort.

The American Chronic Pain Society says in ACPA Medications & Chronic Pain,  Supplement 2007: "Some states allow the legal use of marijuana for health purposes including pain,  while the federal government continues to threaten physicians with prosecution for prescribing it."

Scientific studies have shown that THC may help to decrease chronic pain in patients with Fibromyalgia.   In addition, most Fibromyalgia patients who have tried medicinal marijuana for symptoms including:   pain, depression, and insomnia report that medical marijuana is effective and has few side effects.

Six million Americans suffer from this chronic condition.  There is no known cure and no known cause.  However there are many factors involved.  It may be triggered by an emotional or traumatic event.    The condition is  a neuro-chemical process.  There is no inflammation associated.

Diagnosis criteria:  diffuse pain in 3 or more quadrants of body, and tender points in body (18 total tender points – patient must have 11 present).

Researchers think it may be related to a disordered sleep pattern and poor exercise.

Why Medical Marijuana Can Help to Treat Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain syndrome which is characterized by diffuse muscle and joint pain. Fibromyalgia may also be referred to as Fibromyositis or Fibrositis.  In addition to the chronic pain common to most or all Fibromyalgia patients, Fibromyalgia symptoms may include insomnia, depression, skin conditions, hypoglycemia, a loss of mental acuity, fatigue, gentiurinary complications, and more.  Many of these symptoms can be reduced or alleviated by using medical marijuana .  Medical marijuana for Fibromyalgia patients works well due to the natural pain relieving properties of THC and other cannabinoids found in cannabis.  A 2006 study found that THC, a primary substance found in medical marijuana,  reduced both chronic pain and experimentally induced pain by at least 50 percent in all patients who completed the THC therapy trial.  In addition, clinical trials found that Nabilone, a synthetic medical marijuana pill, reduced pain and anxiety significantly in Fibromyalgia patients.

While Nabilone is an option for people with Fibromyalgia who live in states where medical marijuana is not yet legal,  patients in states with legal medical marijuana may well find medicinal marijuana to be more cost-effective than Nabilone,  as well as more effective in relieving Fibromyalgia symptoms.  Medical marijuana is also all-natural and usually distributed by locally owned small businesses,  rather than pharmaceutical corporations.

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