cannabisnews.com: Study: Many HIV Patients Use Pot for Mental Health





Study: Many HIV Patients Use Pot for Mental Health
Posted by CN Staff on June 12, 2003 at 16:44:10 PT
By Sara Zaske of The Examiner Staff
Source: San Francisco Examiner 
San Mateo -- Results coming out of the medical marijuana research project at the San Mateo Medical Center are making waves in the scientific community.  The first clinical trials, which ended in February, are still being analyzed. But psychologists were treated to some surprising data from an initial Medical Center survey of HIV patients at the American Psychiatric Association conference in May. The study indicated that more HIV patients smoked marijuana for mental rather than physical reasons.
"We expected to see people smoking marijuana to alleviate nausea, pain and to increase their appetite -- all the reasons that are commonly cited," said Diane Prentiss, a research epidemiologist with the Medical Center. "In this case, we were surprised that 57 percent say they smoked to relieve anxiety or depression."   To gather baseline information for use in clinical trials of medical marijuana, researchers at the San Mateo Medical Center surveyed 252 HIV patients. Of that number, 23 percent (58 patients) admitted to smoking marijuana in the last four weeks.   When asked for the main reasons they used the drug, most cited several reasons. Mental health issues topped the list. Curbing nausea and increasing appetite was the second, with 52 percent. Recreational use came in third with 33 percent. Only 28 percent said they smoked to alleviate pain.  The prevalence of the mental health issue is a significant finding that raises some interesting questions, said Dr. Dennis Israelski, chief of staff and chief research officer at the Medical Center.  "In terms of understanding the whole field, it is safe to say that there is a fair amount of self-medication that physicians are not aware of," he said. "It does speak to whether it's appropriate medication. Are physicians doing a good enough job when patients are using outside medication? Do we have better treatments for anxiety and depression? These are very important issues related to quality of life."   Mental health is especially important for HIV patients, Israelski said, pointing to studies showing that mental health impacts a patients' ability to adhere to the strict medical regimens used to combat the often-fatal disease.  Dr. Cheryl Koopman, an associate professor of psychiatry at Stanford, said that many of her colleagues were intrigued by the results of the Medical Center's study presented at the conference.  "There was a lot of interest. A number of clinicians in the room felt it was relevant to patients they are working with," she said. "Because of the illegality of marijuana there's a lack of research. We don't know if self-medication is systemic. It's another reason for large studies to be conducted in a scientifically rigorous way."  The San Mateo Medical Center's work with medical marijuana is the only publicly funded research of its kind in the country. "It is not an easy field to study," said Israelski. "People don't want to touch it for political reasons."  The Bush administration has come out strongly against any legalization of marijuana, even for medical purposes, claiming there is no research proving it has health benefits.   "It's a Catch-22," said Israelski. "If they make it tough to study, how do you get scientific evidence?"   The Medical Center has managed to complete one round of clinical trials studying medical marijuana and HIV patients, but Israelski is still negotiating for federal approval for two more studies. The AIDS researcher credits the political support at the county level -- particularly from Supervisor Mike Nevin and County Manager John Maltbie -- for the success of the project so far.   The first round of the Medical Center clinical trials focused on marijuana's affect on peripheral neuropathy, a severe debilitating leg pain associated with HIV.   For the next trials, the Medical Center research team wants to expand the study to include potential effects on nausea, gastrointestinal disorders and wasting syndromes associated with HIV. A third round of trials would study the drug's effects on cancer patients. These second and third trials are still awaiting federal approval.  Significant benefits to marijuana, marijuana-related or "cannabinoid" products may not be found, even if studies are conducted, Israelski said.   "I'm not a believer. I am approaching this as a scientist to see if there are merits, and then let the dust settle," he said. "I have no axe to grind, but we should be able to do the study."Source: San Francisco Examiner (CA)Author: Sara Zaske of The Examiner Staff Published: June 12, 2003Copyright: 2003 San Francisco ExaminerContact: letters sfexaminer.comWebsite: http://www.examiner.com/Related Articles & Web Site:CMCRhttp://www.cmcr.ucsd.edu/New Life Breathed Into Marijuana Studyhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16599.shtmlDoctors Want Better Marijuana for Study http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15272.shtmlCritics Aren't High On Federal Weedhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13071.shtml
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Comment #10 posted by FoM on June 16, 2003 at 21:37:21 PT
Anna
We will never forget. I wasn't home on the 3rd year anniversary of Peter's death but I didn't forget. We never seem to forget and we shouldn't. I wish you the very best and am so sorry that you both have to go thru this.
Peter McWilliams Memorial Page
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Comment #9 posted by anna barrett on June 16, 2003 at 20:48:09 PT:
Biz Ivol+Cheryl Miller+Peter Mcwilliams
WE SHALL NEVER FORGET THESE WAR TIME ATTROCITIES against our sick and suffering some have lost there lives others will take there lives others stand trial and still there are those who are incarcerated suffering and slowly dying. I completely respct Biz Ivol for having endured as mich as she could life is a choice and without the thought of any quality what is the point!!! Cheryl Miller should be remebered as a saint what a tremendous fight and her husband is a man of true compassion,and Peter MCwilliams life story was so compelling that a vigil should be held every year in rememberence of a true fight my own husband
in tears from this story donated a tribute song about him that Ann posted on Todd's site "Propaganda" when he heard the news of his death.
Slowly the research comes though still leaving patients unsure of there legallity,but certain of there own pain!
Who could time there illness or tell what remedies lie in there own future when disease knocks on the door.
As my husband and self await federal trial these stories will have clear vision in our minds eye.
For indeed we shall never forget!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Stop this cannabis holocaust
Anna Barretthttp://www.trichome.org
DONATE to the Barrett Defense Fund
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Comment #8 posted by druid on June 13, 2003 at 08:30:04 PT
another cannabis study approved
One in four high school seniors uses marijuana, which can have a major impact on memory and attention. These side effects continue even after drug use stops. Wake Forest University Assistant Professor Anthony Liguori won a $216,000 Health and Human Services Department grant to study the long-term effects of marijuana on cognitive function and motivation. He will study adults who agree to quit smoking after years of heavy use.
Edwards Announces Project Grants
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Comment #7 posted by druid on June 13, 2003 at 07:34:05 PT
Biz Ivol-Article for the Scotsman
A WHEELCHAIR-bound cannabis campaigner plans to take her own life with an overdose of paracetamol and champagne after putting her case to legalise the drug at a court case next week. Biz Ivol, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, is already planning her own funeral and has had a cardboard coffin delivered to her home in Orkney.She says she desperately wants to end her life because of the crippling pain from the illness which makes her feel like a prisoner in her own body. However, she has pledged that she will first of all fight her prosecution of possessing and supplying cannabis, which she claims alleviates her suffering. Yesterday her MP said he hopes her case highlights the plight of MS sufferers and that it will be the last prosecution of its kind in the UK.Mrs Ivol, 56, from South Ronaldsay, a long-time supporter of legalising cannabis for medicinal purposes, was charged following a police raid at her home in August, 2001. Her trial, which has been postponed several times, is now due to he heard next Wednesday at a sports centre in Kirkwall which has better wheelchair access than the island's sheriff court. She has pled not guilty to three charges of possessing cannabis, producing two cannabis plants and being concerned in the supply of the drug to others. The charges relate to cannabis-laced chocolates which she has allegedly been making and distributing to fellow sufferers across the UK. If found guilty, she could face jail. Yesterday, as she watched a friend assemble the eco-friendly coffin, which arrived in a flat pack, she said: "I'm going to use it as soon as the court case is over. I'm too tired now to fight on. "I feel no one is doing anything to make things better for people with MS and that I no longer have any quality of life. I can't do my garden, I can't knit and I can't sew because my hands are dying. I can't read because my eyes are going - there's nothing worth staying for anymore on this earth."She added: "I'm not frightened about what might happen to me. They can't put me in jail because of the condition I'm in. They can't fine me anything because I haven't got any money. And I'm already a prisoner, trapped inside a body that's full of pain and doesn't work anymore."It is claimed cannabis use can alleviate some of the symptoms of MS, including pain in the joints and muscles.Six years ago Mrs Ivol, who her constant pain is like barbed wire being dragged through her spine, began a high profile campaign for the legalisation of the drug for medicinal use by people with MS and other neurological conditions. It followed an earlier court appearance, when she was admonished after police found cannabis plants growing at her home.She said: "I've lost count of the number of phone calls I've had from people telling me not to give up the fight. But the court case will be my last stand."I'm fed up with fighting now. It's taken them two years to take me to court. It's been niggling away at the back of my mind - once it's over I know I can't go on any longer."Her neighbour, Bobby McCutcheon, said friends are devastated by Mrs Ivol's decision, but understand her desperation. "It's just so sad to see the coffin waiting for her in the house. She really has lost all hope, she has no interest whatsoever in being alive."It really seems wrong in this day and age that people don't have more choice about whether they wish to die or not. It seem so terrible that someone's been driven to this extreme of having to organise her own funeral."When you see Biz, you see a perfect case for euthanasia." Although Mrs Ivol blames the loss of any quality of life as the main reason for deciding to commit suicide, she is also critical of the support she receives from Orkney Islands Council's community social services department.She added: "I get out of bed in the morning, then I'm stuck in a wheelchair until someone comes to put me to bed in the afternoon. Twice recently I was in bed for 22 out of the 24 hours - that's no life at all."Adrian Williams, an assistant director in the department, said he was unable to discuss individual cases. He said: "If there are problems we look at them, because our aim is to provide the best quality services we can for all of our clients in Orkney."Last year David Blunkett, the Home Secretary, relaxed the law on cannabis possession, downgrading the drug from Class B to Class C. The Last year Mrs Ivol told The Scotsman she was determined to debate what she sees as the merits of cannabis use at her trial and intends to argue the law of necessity which people who use cannabis for medicinal purposes have used successfully previously.She has won backing from Alistair Carmichael, the Liberal Democrat MP for Orkney and Shetland, and the Legalise Cannabis Alliance (LCA). Mr Carmichael, who visited Mrs Ivol recently, said: "This is a tragic case. Biz is just wrung out. The combination and the campaign has taken horrible position being in the advanced stages of an incredibly painful disease and her quality of life is very poor."He added: "This case highlights the case for medicinal use of cannabis use in the most graphic way imaginable The Government hope to have a medicinal produce on the shelves by the end of this year and further products next year."This may come too late for Biz and it is scandalous it has taken this long to get to this stage. The licensing of cannabis for medicinal use for people like Biz should never have been a particular hot potato politically."Hopefully this will be the last of these prosecutions. If it were it would be quite fitting and give her some sort of comfort and satisfaction."I will not be sorry to see the back of them. I have told Tony Blair that it is ridiculous that we make a criminal of someone simply trying to get relief from pain which is not available in any other way.Don Barnard, a spokesman for LCA, said: "This is really sad. It highlights the harm that cannabis prohibition can cause. If it is helping her, why the Hell are they bothering her? I cannot understand it."
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Comment #6 posted by Dan B on June 13, 2003 at 01:40:52 PT:
Re: Lehder's comment
Lehder's posting about Elizabeth Ivol is relevant to the above article, and I'm glad to see that comment here. How many people with AIDS live the last years, months, weeks or days of their lives in continuous pain and view suicide as the only option? The woman Lehder refers to suffers from MS, but chronic pain and chronic suffering are the issues here. Why do so many AIDS patients in this study suffer from anxiety and depression? Perhaps because they are aware that their lives are being cut short by a vicious disease. That is likely part of the problem, but what about the quality of life issues? What about the chronic nausea, the chronic pain? Surely, these symptoms cause quality of life to diminish, so when cannabis successfully treats these symptoms, it consequently elevates the patient's mood. Thus, alleviation of symptoms becomes part of the treatment for mood problems like anxiety and depression. In addition to improving the quality of life by relieving symptoms, cannabis also, of course, causes euphoria. Euphoria can be described as a noticeable reduction in stress, and stress is a chief cause of all sorts of health problems. What causes stress for AIDS patients? As mentioned above, one cause is the knowledge that one has contracted a terminal disease. Another cause is the symptoms themselves. Furthermore, what causes anxiety? Stress. What causes depression? Stress. In short, cannabis is the perfect medicine for a person who has a terminal illness because (1) it alleviates symptoms like appetite loss, nausea and pain; and (2) it produces an elevated mood (reduces stress), thus making the body less susceptible to other health problems that can aggravate the severity of the underlying condition. I support Elizabeth Ivols' decision, though I find it sad that she has been brought to this place by that horrible disease, multiple sclerosis. Think how much better her last days could have been if the government would have stepped aside and let her use a medicine that both alleviates symptoms (including chronic pain) and elevates the mood. She may have still made the decision to end her life, and I would still support her if she did. But perhaps her agony could have been lifted in her last days, if only a little bit, by ingesting an herb that has been used in medicine for over 5000 years.Dan B
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Comment #5 posted by FoM on June 12, 2003 at 20:10:24 PT
afterburner
Thank you for posting Richard Cowan's commentary about Cheryl Miller. It was very good. Saturday it will be 3 years since Peter McWilliams died. I remember when I first heard about his death. It was an email notice with just a few lines from Ann, Todd McCormick's Mother. I was getting ready to write Peter because I wanted to comment on one of his emails. I felt lost as many did. Cheryl is now another person who fought hard up until the end that I will never forget. 
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Comment #4 posted by afterburner on June 12, 2003 at 19:59:05 PT:
Dr. Dennis Israelski Doesn't Get It.
"57 percent say they smoked to relieve anxiety or depression," said Diane Prentiss, a research epidemiologist with the Medical Center.... Mental health issues topped the list. Curbing nausea and increasing appetite was the second, with 52 percent. Recreational use came in third with 33 percent. Only 28 percent said they smoked to alleviate pain.The prevalence of the mental health issue is a significant finding that raises some interesting questions, said Dr. Dennis Israelski, chief of staff and chief research officer at the Medical Center."In terms of understanding the whole field, it is safe to say that there is a fair amount of self-medication that physicians are not aware of," he said. "It does speak to whether it's appropriate medication. Are physicians doing a good enough job when patients are using outside medication? Do we have better treatments for anxiety and depression? These are very important issues related to quality of life." 
Why do patients self-medicate? Why are doctors afraid to prescribe sufficiently effective doses and medicines? Could it be PROHIBITION? I think so! 
What Is More Important, Prohibition Or The Patients? 
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Comment #3 posted by Lehder on June 12, 2003 at 18:31:35 PT
story from 312's link
 Group: UK420 News
 Posts: 5850
 ID: 94
 Joined: 19-November 01           hi           Femail.com           12th June 2003            56-year-old MS sufferer has vowed to take her own life after the conclusion of a court case for allegedly supplying cannabis.            Elizabeth Ivol said she plans to overdose on paracetamol next month and has made arrangements for her funeral.            But she stressed the decision was not a protest against her treatment by the authorities but based purely on the deterioration of her health.            Ms Ivol of South Ronaldsay, Orkney, is due to appear before a sheriff in Kirkwall charged with supplying, possessing and growing cannabis under the Misuse of Drugs Act.            Speaking about the hearing, she said: "If the court case goes ahead then I am going to see it through to the end.            "But once it is over I will not be fighting anymore and I am going to overdose on paracetamol."            Ms Ivol said her condition had worsened in the past 12 months and left her confined to a wheelchair.            In addition her eyesight had deteriorated and she was incontinent.            She added: "The court case has nothing to do with it. I do not have any quality of life."            Bongme
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Comment #2 posted by The GCW on June 12, 2003 at 18:09:45 PT
Another good seed the Gov. wont like.
57 percent of HIV'ers say they smoked to relieve anxiety or depression." Is any of the Truth, not coming out?What Truths about cannabis will come out next?
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Comment #1 posted by 312 on June 12, 2003 at 16:53:53 PT
Drugs trial MS woman vows suicide
Couldn't find original, but well worth reading56-year-old MS sufferer has vowed to take her own life after the conclusion of a court case for allegedly supplying cannabis.http://www.uk420.com/boards/index.php?act=ST&f=36&t=13147
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