Cannabis relieves pain after surgery

[Abrad]

http://www.irishhealth.com/?level=4&id=9524
[Posted: Wed 17/05/2006]


Cannabis is effective at providing pain relief after major surgery, such as knee replacement, the results of a new study indicate.

The study involved a cannabis plant extract called Cannador. A team of researchers tested this extract on 65 patients who had previously undergone surgery.

Eleven of the patients received a 5mg dose, 30 received a 10mg dose and 24 received a 15mg dose.

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During the study, all of those who had received a 5mg dose requested additional pain relief. However only 15 of those on the 10mg dose needed additional relief, while just six on the highest dose needed more relief.

In fact, the higher the dose, the lower the pain intensity.

"Pain after surgery continues to be a problem because many of the commonly used drugs are either ineffective or have too many side effects. These results show that cannabinoids are effective and may lead to the development of a wider range of drugs to manage post-operative pain", said Dr Anita Holdcroft, lead researcher from Imperial College London.

These findings, the researchers added, prove that cannabinoids 'can be effective, with minimal side effects at low doses'.

Details of the trial are published in the journal, Anesthesiology.