Written by: Releaf’s Clinical Dr Alex Van Heerden
After years prescribing opioids, Dr Alexander Van Heerden, a clinical doctor at Releaf with a background in emergency medicine, believes medical cannabis should be considered a first-line treatment option rather than an alternative.
The Opioid Crisis:
Over 500,000 people in the U.S. have died from opioid-related overdoses between 1999 and 2021, according to data from the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Even more concerning, the CDC also thinks that almost 30% of people prescribed opioids for chronic pain misuse them in some way.
For decades, opioids like Codeine, Tramadol and Morphine have been the go-to treatment for severe pain. These medicines became widely available in the early 1990s, but few people foresaw the tragedy that was soon to unfold.
Despite their widespread use, the irony is that opioids have been shown to be very poor at treating chronic pain.This tolerance requires the patient to use higher doses, leading to greater risks but with little benefit. Side effects like constipation, nausea, and sleep disturbances only add to the burden.
So, I often find myself wondering why are opioids still prescribed so frequently?
Really, the only answer I can think of is that pharmaceutical companies have not provided doctors with any alternative.
The case for medical cannabis:
However, a natural alternative has existed for years – cannabis.
Research shows that medical cannabis not only relieves pain effectively but also works in a number of types of pain, such as “neuropathic” pain – a pain that is notoriously hard to treat.
Pain sufferers also get benefits in other surprising ways, as cannabis enhances sleep duration and quality; and also powerfully reduces the anxiety that chronic pain sufferers experience.
Many of my patients are also surprised to learn that cannabis can be taken effectively as edibles, just like their regular medicines. The concept of medical cannabis has only recently become popular, but most doctors do not know it as an option, and have never even been taught about its effects in medical school.
Dr Alex Van Heerden
The misconceptions:
Cannabis has long been caught up in the “drug war” and the stigma of cannabis use is still felt today, even amongst legitimate users.
Any medicine can be abused, but what about cannabis misuse?
Despite its benefits, medical cannabis remains overshadowed by outdated stigmas and legal restrictions in many parts of the world. Historically, cannabis has been entangled in the “war on drugs,” leading to misconceptions about its safety and effectiveness. However, emerging research and real-world applications are changing these perceptions.
Its safety profile is far superior to opioids. While opioid overdoses are a daily occurrence in hospitals, serious cannabis overdoses are virtually unheard of.
A patient’s journey: Martin’s story
In my experience in prescribing medical cannabis, my patients are often not just happy with the relief it provides, but equally happy about stopping their opioid use. Probably the most rewarding part of my job is meeting patients a few weeks after they start treatment, and I am often told stories of how they are able to do “life” again.
Their stories are inspiring; and hearing how they have control over their symptoms is the best part of my day. Of the many successes one patient comes to mind; Martin, who has suffered with a debilitating chronic pain condition called Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS).
Martin’s condition had a huge impact on his career, and even limited his hobbies. He had tried all the usual remedies such as Codeine, but after a short while of using medical cannabis, found that pain no longer affected his day. He was able to go on family days out, get back into swimming at his local health club, be more productive at work, and even sleep better.
Martin no longer uses codeine for his pain, and has continued his recovery using medical cannabis alone.
What about the research?
As more research into cannabis is being done, my hope is that doctors will see cannabis as a first line treatment option for their patients, rather than an alternative. I am excited to see that new research is being done on the subject daily, and that the results from these studies will embolden doctors to make use of medical cannabis.
The post Medical Cannabis vs. Opioids: A Better Alternative? appeared first on Cannabis Health News.
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Author: Opinion editor
