Exciting developments for Multiple Sclerosis patients
Multiple sclerosis is a debilitating neurological condition that affects the brain and spinal cord which can cause a range of different symptoms from blurred vision, neuropathic pain, fatigue, memory loss, issues with balance and mobility impairment to name just a few.
It is estimated that 2.8 million people are living with MS worldwide with an estimated total of 130,000 people in the UK. Most people are diagnosed in their 20s and 30s and women are twice as likely to be diagnosed over men.
With such a high number of sufferers, patients are looking at more botanical methods to help ease their symptoms and many are turning to medical cannabis.
Sativex and MS
Sativex, a cannabis-based drug called nabiximols is the only drug in the UK with a license to treat muscle stiffness and spasticity caused by MS. Sativex comes in the form of an oral spray which contains equal amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD).
The MS Society suggests that around 7 in 10 people who use Sativex see their spasticity reduce by at least 20%. With 4 in 10 people suggesting the reduction is up to 30% (2).
Currently in England, patients can only access Sativex when their MS spasticity symptoms are deemed to be moderate to severe and when no other treatments have helped.
Cannabis Stigma
Due to the stigma around accessing medical cannabis to treat conditions such as MS combined with the fear of the side effects most commonly connected with cannabis, creates a huge gap in knowledge, understanding and information in both medical professionals and in patients who do not fully understand the scope of the effectiveness of medical cannabis on their symptoms.
For example, many do not realise that mental health related issues such as anxiety and depression, usually associated with cannabis, are not seen in patients who take Sativex, despite it having THC.
Whilst Sativex doesn’t work for everyone, there are clear signs that in many people Sativex is an affective treatment to help alleviate the symptoms of MS.
The MS Society (2) have even more details of the possible symptoms and side effects of Sativex as a helpful resource for those looking for more information.
Latest Studies
In a review published by the mdpi (1) of existing studies which look at the treatment of MS with medical cannabis, shows that there is promise in managing this chronic health condition with a cannabis based medicine.
Sapphire Medical Clinics have discovered some fantastic outcomes through their UK Medical Cannabis Registry (3), which has fast become one of the biggest studies in the world for the clinical use of cannabis for various conditions, including MS.
They have found that of over 3,500 patients there has been significant improvements in patient symptoms, not just for pain but also for anxiety, sleep quality and quality of life.
The international peer reviewed journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research (4) has recently published new data from The UK Medical Registry which states that across the 300 patients that were included in the final analysis, those studied reported significant improvements to quality of life at one, three and six months following treatment using cannabis based medicines by the Sapphire Medical Clinics, following on from Canada (5) and New Zealand (6). The most common diagnosis were chronic pain and neuropathic pain which are often seen in MS sufferers.
If you are suffering with MS and are looking for your nearest specialist for some advice on medical cannabis, you can use our simple directory to search for the best person for you.