It ’s time to start thinking about cannabinoids

A patient comes to you asking, “Doc, my seizures are getting worse, I really hate the side effects of my medications, I want to go a different route. What do you think about medical marijuana?” You start sweating profusely, fidgeting in your seat, thinking of every single reason why not to recommend it and come up with the standard response, “Uh, well, I’m not qualified to recommend it, and it’s not FDA approved, plus we don’t really know much about it. There could be so many side effects.” And then we have the de rigueur reply, “There are not enough large randomized control trials to recommend it.” This scene plays 100,000 times over if not a million times over in physician offices across the country. Patients disillusioned with adverse effects of medications are looking towards alternative therapy. As surprising as it sounds, patients with chronic pain do not want to get intoxicated by opioids. In fact, some want to be tapered off of them or refuse them all together. Patients at the terminal stage of their lives wish to live a comfortable and humane existence without the need for more chemotherapeutic medications or pain medications that consistently make them feel like a zombie. While other patients with epilepsy may be on four different antiepileptic agents and can no longer function or have a good quality of life because of side effects. There are two sides to every coin. Continue reading ... Your patients are rating...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - Category: General Medicine Authors: Tags: Conditions Medications Neurology Source Type: blogs