Medical Marijuana for Nausea and Vomiting
Do you know the many health benefits of Marijuana?
There are many health benefits of using Zamnesia medical marijuana and prohibitions of this plant have come to an end in many parts of the globe.
Canada is the second country next to Uruguay to legalize marijuana for recreational and medicinal use nationwide. In the United States, eleven states and the District of Colombia sanctioned the use of marijuana for recreational use. Many other countries have authorized the use of marijuana for medical use.
Europe is even following this global trend as companies like Zamnesia now offer cannabis strains for sale.
With legality, the big pharmaceutical companies can conduct further scientific research on the powerful medicinal plant. One medical condition that medical marijuana doctors have proven to be especially helpful is nausea.
Truth be told, cannabis was found to be more effective than conventional medicine in some cases. Perhaps the most prominent proof of marijuana as a nausea treatment is in HIV patients and cancer patients treated with chemotherapy. In these instances, cannabis empowers patients to eat and hold nourishment down. This can help fight off weight reduction and vomiting to keep nutrients in the body.
What is Nausea and Vomiting?
Nausea is a discomfort of the stomach that comes with an urge to vomit. It is one of the most common symptoms associated with a wide range of conditions. In most cases, it is not an indication of a serious issue and passes on its own. But in some cases, it may be a health issue that requires medical care like stomach infection, pregnancy, or reaction from prescription. Inconvenience may be felt such as heaviness, tightness, and indigestion that doesn’t leave.
Vomiting, or throwing up, is a forceful ejection of contents from the stomach through the mouth. A onetime discharge is linked to something that doesn’t settle properly in the stomach. Frequent vomiting may be due to medical conditions that need immediate attention. It may also lead to dehydration which is fatal when left unattended.
Nausea and vomiting are not diseases but symptoms of a myriad of different conditions such as:
– Motion sickness or seasickness
– Early stages of pregnancy
– Intense pain
– Emotional stress
– Gallbladder disease
– Food poisoning
– Infections
– Overeating
– A reaction to certain smells or odors
– Heart attack
– Concussion or brain injury
– Brain tumor
– Ulcers
– Some forms of cancer
– Cancer treatment
– Ingestion of toxins or excessive amounts of alcohol
– Bowel obstruction
– Appendicitis
Consult a medical marijuana doctor if vomiting lasts for more than 24 hours and there are signs of dehydration. Also, consider the presence of blood in the vomit, severe headache or stiff neck, confusion or decreased alertness, severe abdominal pain, rapid breathing, and diarrhea.
Can Cannabis help in Nausea and Vomiting treatment?
Cannabis laws were legalized to protect cancer patients from prosecution. These sufferers found a potent medication that battled the unforgiving, nauseating effects of chemotherapy followed by excessive vomiting on an empty stomach.
What happens during chemotherapy?
Overwhelming was how cancer patients describe their experience that happens within the first 24 hours after chemotherapy. Hair loss was not their main concern, but the feared side effects of the bouts with nausea and vomiting called emesis. Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) is severe. Once the chemo drug is induced in the intravenous therapy (IV) the nightmare begins, a patient suffers extreme nausea and all senses are affected, this is generally followed by vomiting when the drug takes effect. A patient has to endure the side effects for about 24 hours.
Cannabis to the rescue
Traditional drugs, dexamethasone and 5-HT3, have been found effective against CINV. Include antihistamines, antidepressants, and anticonvulsants in the list which have been tried.
What happens if the drugs don’t work?
Patients treated with cannabinoid were relieved from the symptoms of CINV. Two medicines, nabilone and dronabinol, are orally-administered synthetic cannabinoids known for its medicinal values. Dronabinol is marketed as Marinol and nabilone is sold as Cesamet, both are medically approved and are available in oral and inhaled solutions.
If the traditional drugs won’t work, doctors will prescribe Marinol and Cesamet.
How do cannabinoids work?
The endocannabinoid system is made of receptor sites that exist on cells in the body. Once cannabinoids, THC and CBD, are ingested, these sites are activated and they cause biological changes to take place.
Smoking is the fastest way of cannabinoids delivery, but traditional smoking methods involving carbonization can affect the lungs. Vaporization is the best inhalant for those in need of immediate relief. Vaporizing marijuana can be done via a dry herb vaporizer.
These cannabinoids influence the system because they are similar to compounds within the human body, known as endocannabinoids, which regulates mood and inflammation.
Application of nabilone and dronabinol blocks the binding of serotonin and dopamine, both of which are linked with CINV.
Results of clinical research
A standard dronabinol dosage is 5mg and is usually taken 3 to 4 times a day. A dose of 1-2mg nabilone is taken twice daily. Patients are given both, 1 to 3 hours before chemotherapy.
Patients treated with synthetic cannabinoids reported favorable results, but these come with downsides like drowsiness, melancholy, drops in blood pressure, delusions, and fear.
Also, scientists are conducting trials, where synthetics are mixed with traditional medications such as adding dronabinol to dexamethasone. Results from recent trials showed a notable reduction in emesis, nausea and vomiting. Still, some of the adverse side effects of cannabinoids are there, but less severe.
Nabilone, dronabinol, and other cannabis-infused medications are still not well studied in clinical trials. However, with the legalization of marijuana in Canada, barriers were broken. Pharmaceutical companies can continue their studies, experiments, and formulation without hindrance. And hopefully, the wonders of magic marijuana will weave its magic to make nausea, vomiting, and other ailments a thing of the past.
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