cannabisnews.com: Your Brain on Fake Drugs Your Brain on Fake Drugs Posted by CN Staff on November 10, 2003 at 06:58:45 PT By Jane E. Allen Source: Star-Telegram Marijuana can ease pain even for longtime sufferers of disease, but the illegal herb's mind-altering properties make it less than ideal as a medication.German researchers now have found that a synthetic version of one of many marijuana compounds safely reduced chronic nerve pain without impairing thinking and behavior. If the preliminary findings hold up in larger trials, capsules containing this compound might one day be prescribed for hard-to-treat pain. The principal active ingredient in cannabis is tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. That compound has been the most studied, but researchers around the world are also looking more closely at the plant's other chemical compounds for potential health benefits. Scores of them belong to a group called cannabinoids; others include flavonoids, which are thought to have antioxidant properties.It's not surprising that these cannabinoids have medical benefits, said Dr. Donald I. Abrams, an AIDS specialist conducting clinical trials of marijuana at San Francisco General Hospital.People with cancer, AIDS and other chronic diseases have long attested to the plant's ability to provide relief from nausea and pain. "That's why we're investigating marijuana," Abrams said.Previous studies have shown that some cannabinoids have limited ability to blunt acute nerve pain typically associated with an injury. But the German study found that a cannabinoid called CT-3 could help sufferers of chronic neuropathy, who often don't respond to standard medications.CT-3 is related to THC. But the problem with THC is that even at low doses, it can impair thinking and coordination and create anxiety, panic attacks, psychosis and paranoia, as well as dry mouth, blurred vision, and a drop in blood pressure upon standing.Despite these effects, scientists have remained interested in cannabinoids, because the body has natural cannabinoid receptors that offer potential drug targets.CT-3 first showed promise in animals as an anti-inflammatory compound and as a reliever of two aspects of neuropathy: pain and extreme sensitivity to ordinary sensations.Researchers at Hannover Medical School in Germany, working with an American colleague, gave various doses of CT-3 to 24 volunteer patients with chronic neuropathic pain in places such as the foot, arm, face and head.Many patients also were taking other pain-relieving medications such as narcotics, muscle relaxants, antidepressants and sedatives.The researchers found that CT-3 was more effective than a placebo at relieving pain; its effects were greatest with milder pain. Increasing the dose brought no greater relief. The major side effects were dry mouth and fatigue."What's promising is that there can be a product that stimulates the cannabinoid receptors and does not have the emotional and hallucinatory effects otherwise known for THC," said Dr. Joel Saper, a neurologist who directs the Michigan Head-Pain and Neurological Institute in Ann Arbor. He'd like to see longer CT-3 studies using more patients who aren't taking other pain medications: "We need to see how this would work in patients not on all these drugs."Note: Cannabis compound relieves pain, doesn't mess with your mind.Source: Ft. Worth Star-Telegram (TX)Author: Jane E. Allen, Los Angeles TimesPublished: Monday, November 10, 2003Copyright: 2003 Star-TelegramContact: letters star-telegram.comWebsite: http://www.star-telegram.com/Related Articles:Cannabis Drug Fights Pain Without Highhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13830.shtmlWSJ Reports on Development of CT-3 http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread8841.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #21 posted by Jose Melendez on November 10, 2003 at 19:54:56 PT dry this :) from:http://www.jointogether.org/sa/news/summaries/reader/0,1854,567596,00.htmlBritain Decriminalizes Marijuana11/10/2003 Marijuana has been downgraded from a Class B to a Class C drug in Britain, putting it in the same category as bodybuilding steroids and certain antidepressants, ITV reported Oct. 29. [ Post Comment ] Comment #20 posted by ron on November 10, 2003 at 19:36:33 PT Exsiccation Thanks for your thoughts on dry mouth, Virgil. Yours too, Sam. I'm sure my condition is exacerbated by my daily half dozen cups of coffee, two diuretic heart medications and moderate (usually) intake of alcohol. Maybe the pot just enhances the parching effects. [ Post Comment ] Comment #19 posted by ekim on November 10, 2003 at 19:33:14 PT take Prohibition away and you can take these away "...the problem with THC is that even at low doses, it can impair thinking and coordination and create anxiety, panic attacks, psychosis and paranoia, as well as dry mouth, blurred vision, and a drop in blood pressure upon standingYou would not have to worry about loosing your children, loosing your job, being put in a cage, and most of all made to look like a freak and a misfit and bad example to the young all the while the poor soul has done nothing to harm another or steal from another. [ Post Comment ] Comment #18 posted by Sam Adams on November 10, 2003 at 18:19:52 PT Side effects I think Cannabis has the effect of drying the mucous membranes, it's not a diruetic (sp?) though. Definitely does not dehydrate you, that's the realm of alcohol and caffeine. There are plenty of drymouth helpers, altoid- peppermint chewing sticks (toothpicks), Ricola, chewing gum, etc, etc.My sympathy goes out to EJ and anyone else on the 'roids. I took them for a few brief periods when I was a kid for asthma. They're so damn toxic that even that small exposure is listed on all my medical records, just a few short courses of treatment with it could be contributing to my current health problems. I remember there was a girl on my block with bad kidneys, sadly she didn't live long enough to make it out of high school. The docs made sure she was miserable for those last few years, though. She was tormented by taking the steroids, imagine what bloating up like a balloon does to a 15-year-old girl's mentality. I imagine many young girls would rather die than go through that. Western Medicine is so advanced in some ways and so primitive in others. Barbaric, actually.I have a close relative who currently has no kidney function and is barely hanging on in dialysis waiting for a transplant. His doctors have told him that it was probably the years of Tylenol and NSAIDS which they gave him for his arthritis that killed his kidneys.As for the Germans, go ahead and play in the lab and synthesize some new pills. I'll never stop using natural cannabis, EVER. You can put that right into your study.Feeling a little extra cynical tonight! [ Post Comment ] Comment #17 posted by FoM on November 10, 2003 at 15:37:59 PT goneposthole I had to edit you post. I think you'll understand why. [ Post Comment ] Comment #16 posted by goneposthole on November 10, 2003 at 15:27:11 PT legal drug side effects side effects:Nexium-The most common side effects are: * Headache * Diarrhea * Abdominal Painshttp://www.murdercapitalallstars.com/side_effects_of_nexium.htm (Yes, that is the url)zoloft-The most common side effects include upset stomach, having trouble sleeping, diarrhea, dry mouth, sexual side effects, feeling unusually sleepy or tired, tremor, indigestion, increase of sweating, feeling agitated, and decreased appetite.http://www.zoloft.com/index.asp?pageid=44 ambien- * Daytime drowsiness * Dizziness * Lightheadedness * Difficulty with coordination http://www.ambien.com/about5.asp#atake a pill or smoke good, kind bud?What would you rather do? Jabba the Hut is a good one. Baby Huey is maybe closer, though. [ Post Comment ] Comment #15 posted by FoM on November 10, 2003 at 15:10:45 PT Thanks EJ I didn't know what caused Jerry Lewis to swell up like he did. You could tell it wasn't just from eating too much. I like Jerry Lewis and wish him the best. [ Post Comment ] Comment #14 posted by Dark Star on November 10, 2003 at 14:54:26 PT Thank God It is good to hear that Jerry Lewis is going off prednisone. It is time that the Jabba the Hutt impersonation end. I thought he was gonna explode any minute! [ Post Comment ] Comment #13 posted by E_Johnson on November 10, 2003 at 14:39:02 PT This is your brain on prednisone The National Enquirer just broke a huge story about what prednisone has done to Jerry Lewis and how he needs to go to a special rehab clinic to be withdrawn from it.I'm being withdrawn from prednisone right now. I don't look as awful as Jerry Lewis does -- he's horribly bloated, he was on 60 mg of the poison. But it's a body and mind altering epxerience whose horrors are tolerated by the prescribing doctors just fine.Prednisone has bad mind altering side effects so that's okay?I feel sorry for Jerry Lewis, trying to withdraw from prednisone without the help of pot.The little tiny side effects of pot are absolutely nopthing compared to the hell brought by prednisone.It causes osteoporosis, diabetes, heart disease, mouth sores, increased risk of infection, high blood pressure, depression, confusion, apathy, muscle aches, thick skin, increased facial hair, hot flashes, uncontrollable weight gain, and it ruins your stomach lining far worse than aspirin.But prednisone is widely prescribed by doctors.They aren't out searching for anything to replace it, as far as I know. [ Post Comment ] Comment #12 posted by Virgil on November 10, 2003 at 10:36:25 PT ron They just are. That's why they are two different words with different definitions. Now when a person pulls a real bender with alcohol, a person will wake up with cottonmouth and dehydration. Alcohol is broken down in the liver and its waste product must be expelled. So with dehydration a person surely could get cottonmouth because the body is low on fluid. I really never had a problem with thirst or dry mouth with MJ and it is not like it is a medical dilema. Even the term cottonmouth was something we used the morning after going out drinking and I have never gotten to that stage smoking a hogleg, much less my normal pin joints. But, FoM probably addressed the question with her posting.As this thread stands, isn't it that MJ can give you a drymouth and it does not cause dehydration? They are two different things.I will play my community card here. One time when I was 27, me and a younger party animal and I were out late at night when the trains would run through Charlotte. I mean you know reason beer goes through you so fast is because it does not even have to stop and change color. So about a half a mile from home and relief, the slow moving freight train stops us and when you have to go, you have to go. Now I am not saying this to be funny. I am saying because, I remember my party animal friend by this statement and it is a good line if the timing applies elsewhere.So the train kept going and all we could talk about was relief and no one else was out a 2 AM or so. Anyway, it led to a line that goes through my head all the time- "Keep your dignity." Everytime I hear about someone being arrested, this powerful line in mind's tape recorder makes me think of how people are being robbed of their dignity. This robbing of their dignity, much less their time and money in defense and the rest, far outweighs any reason the criminal justice system can have for arresting people in my mind.People should be allowed to keep their dignity and to rob them of it over pot is ludicrous, to say the least. [ Post Comment ] Comment #11 posted by ron on November 10, 2003 at 10:11:49 PT Thanks for all the answers. A few more questions. "Cottonmouth and dehydration are two different things." How so Virgil? "I am not sure that cannabis actually is dehydrating. I think it just might slow or stop the production of saliva in the mouth. Or course, I could be wrong, does anyone know for sure?" I'd like to think that's all it is too, THC, but wouldn't dehydration show up first in the mouth?It's great to see all that info on the good side of smoking cannabis, FoM. If it were legal it would provide a relatively safe alternative to smoking the most addictive and lethal drug known to mankind. I go long periods when I just eat cannabis, Virgil, and then spend a period only smoking the plant. My dry cotton mouth is dessicate in either mode. When I fast from cannabis, moisture levels return to normal quickly (ie. I don't need to carry fresh water with me into the supermarket or wherever else I go). Seems to be getting worse as I get older, but maybe we just dry out with age.Like the other writers, I felt the article as a whole seemed to be suggesting we'd be better off with synthetics that alleviated the side effects of raw smoked cannabis. This, of course, would allow the authorities to continue their persecution. [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by FoM on November 10, 2003 at 10:08:31 PT Cannabis Makes People Smile SMILE: IT'S GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH15 August 2003Happy, energetic and relaxed people are less likely to catch a cold than people who are depressed, nervous or angry, a US study has found.The study of 334 people aged 18 to 54 years found that positive emotions were associated with better health practices and lower basal levels of adrenaline, noradrenaline and cortisol (hormones associated with stress) (Psychosomatic Medicine 2003; 65: 652-57).The results remained even after taking into consideration antibody levels, demographics, body mass, seasons and virus types.'To the extent that these proposed pathways are risk factors for other diseases, it is possible that positive emotional style will be associated with lower risk for those diseases as well,' the researchers said.http://www.mydr.com.au/default.asp?article=4050*******ILLEGAL SMILEJohn PrineWhen I woke up this morning, things were lookin' badSeem like total silence was the only friend I hadBowl of oatmeal tried to stare me down... and wonAnd it was twelve o'clock before I realizedThat I was havin' ... no funChorus:But fortunately I have the key to escape realityAnd you may see me tonight with an illegal smileIt don't cost very much, but it lasts a long whileWon't you please tell the man I didn't kill anyoneNo I'm just tryin' to have me some funhttp://lyricsplayground.com/alpha/songs/i/illegalsmile.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by BigDawg on November 10, 2003 at 10:00:04 PT It's obvious.... It seems to me that the entire issue of side effects is a crock... especially considering the side effects of every pharm med in my cabinet makes cannabis side effects look like nothing.Can't profit from cannabis otherwise... so they'll keep pushing to keep it illegal. [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by Ron Bennett on November 10, 2003 at 09:42:53 PT Illegal mind-altering properties...as opposed to? ...illegal herb's mind-altering properties make it less than ideal as a medication...So I guess it's ok to alter one's mind with drugs sold by Purdue Pharma or some other big pharmaceutical company that has patented them to the hilt...And even GW Pharm appears to be playing the patent game, which creates a nasty conflict of interest with folks seeking to fully legalize personal growing/use of cannabis...I won't comment more on this here, but is an issue folks should ponder.Yet the cannabis plant from which all these "legal" drugs are being developed (and that's a stretch in my view, since some of them are little more than simple extractions from the plant) remains illegal to grow by ordinary folks...it's all about money and control...not safety, as most here already know.On the bright side, all these patented substances and related extraction/manufacturing methods will over time find their way into the black/grey market...technology will ultimately be what ends the drug war, but at a very high cost in both money and lives...A better approach is to fully legalize cannabis and decriminalize most other substances...better to deal with a few dozen well known substances than many thousands of new, unknown, and likely highly addictive substances which are now being researched in labs throughout the world...Pharmaceutical companies, by and large, don't give a damn about safety...if anything, if a drug is addictive, that's a bonus for them...who cares about negative fall-out, etc when Wall Street only looks a few quarters ahead at most...by the time the truth is known, the drug is oversold and they are out marketing the next "new" drug; often not much different from various old ones, but changed just enough that they can reset the patent clock and put a new label on it.Yes, I'm very much a cynic when it comes to the big pharmaceutical industry...and what goes around, comes around...about 100,000 Americans die every year from pharmaceuticals...wonder how many of them include big pharaceutical folks...talk about getting a taste of their own medicine! I'm not sure if I should feel sorry for them or feel that serves them right for hurting so many others.Ron [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by Jose Melendez on November 10, 2003 at 09:07:34 PT cannabinoid compound ajulemic acid antispastic from:http://www.mult-sclerosis.org/news/Apr2003/FullTextTherapeuticPotentialofCannabis.htmlSeveral experimental agents have been made that are effective in experimental spasticity [35,36] and pain [32,34,37] as full receptor agonists that do not have psychoactive effects. Ajulemic acid, [76,77] a cannabinoid compound that does not directly stimulate CB1 receptors significantly, has undergone safety studies in human beings. It inhibits anandamide reuptake and is antispastic, at least experimentally. [73] Conclusion As we learn more about the pharmacological activities of compounds in cannabis and their biological targets outside the cannabinoid system, varieties of cannabis might be tailored to different diseases or used in combination with known drugs. Whatever the future holds, there are many challenges to be overcome before we view cannabinoids as routine medicine in neurological disorders. [78] from:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=9826984&dopt=AbstractAntispastic drugs act in the CNS either by suppression of excitation (glutamate) enhancement of inhibition (GABA, glycine), or a combination of the two.from:http://www.thefreedictionary.com/AntispasticAntispastic An`ti`spas´tica. 1. (Med.) Believed to cause a revulsion of fluids or of humors from one part to another. [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by FoM on November 10, 2003 at 08:49:19 PT My Guess If Cannabis is an expectorant it seems logical that it would cause dry mouth. That's my guess.***** Cannabis is the best natural expectorant to clear the human lungs of smog, dust, and the phlegm associated with tobacco use. Marijuana smoke effectively dilates the airways of the lungs, the bronchi, opening them to allow more oxygen into the lungs. It is also the best natural dilator of the tiny airways of the lungs, the bronchial tubes—making cannabis the best overall bronchial dilator for 80% of the population (the remaining 20% sometimes show minor negative reactions). (See section on asthma—a disease that closes these passages in spasms—UCLA Tashkin studies, 1969-95; U.S. Costa Rican, 1980-82; Jamaican studies 1968-74.)http://www.electricemperor.com/eecdrom/HTML/EMP/07/ECH07_01.HTM#asthma Statistical evidence—showing up consistently as anomalies in matched populations—indicates that persons who smoke tobacco cigarettes are usually better off and will live longer if they smoke cannabis moderately, too. (Jamaican, Costa Rican studies.) Millions of Americans have given up or avoided smoking tobacco products in favor of cannabis, which is not good news to the powerful tobacco lobby—Senator Jesse Helms and his cohorts. A turn of the century grandfather clause in U.S. tobacco law allows 400 to 6,000 additional chemicals to be added. Additions since then to the average tobacco cigarette are unknown, and the public in the U.S. has no right to know what they are. Many joggers and marathon runners feel cannabis use cleans their lungs, allowing better endurance. The evidence indicates cannabis use will probably increase these outlaw American marijuana-users’ lives by about one to two years—but they can lose their rights, property, children, state licenses, etc., just for using that safest of substances: cannabis.http://www.electricemperor.com/eecdrom/HTML/EMP/07/ECH07_08.HTM [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by Virgil on November 10, 2003 at 08:34:56 PT On dehydration Cottonmouth and dehydration are two different things. My feeling is that demonization mode would not allow omitting dehydration if it were suspect. They said dry mouth and did not say dehydration and surely would not have hesitated at the slightest hint of it being true. Dehydration with X is a big deal as it can lead to death. Eating leads to a type of dehydration and breathing is dehydrating. It is not a big deal if it is somewhat dehydrating as we do not see warning labels on coffee for dehydration. I just to not believe it to be the case. On the dry mouth issue, I wonder if smoking is part of it and if dry mouth occurs with eating or vaporization? I am all for exploring the minutia as Groundhog Day has to morph all along. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by TecHnoCult on November 10, 2003 at 07:58:47 PT Dehydration I am not sure that cannabis actually is dehydrating. I think it just might slow or stop the production of saliva in the mouth. Or course, I could be wrong, does anyone know for sure?THC [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by VitaminT on November 10, 2003 at 07:36:23 PT Fake drugs? There's a Police corruption trial getting started in Dallas federal courts, where informants planted fake cocaine, but this story is not about that. I think the headline writer is suffering from a vitamin T deficiency. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by Ethan Russo MD on November 10, 2003 at 07:32:26 PT: Not Exactly The author here did not do sufficient homework.As much as I hate to disagree with my colleage, Dr. Saper, who is an extremely respected migraine expert, CT3 or ajulemic acid does not stimulate cannabinoid receptors.Here's an excerpt from an article reviewing the future of cannabinoid medicines that I did for Journal of Cannabis Therapeutics 3(3-4), out soon:Ajulemic acid is a synthetic cannabinoid derived from the more stable THC-11-oic acid that does not bind to CB1 receptors and lacks psychoactive effects. It is currently in commercial development. It has shown strong analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties in animal models of arthritis without COX-1 inhibition side effects such as ulcer production, and is advanced clinical trials (Burstein 2001, 2000). It shares anti-neoplastic effects with THC on a variety of cell lines (Recht et al. 2001), but is half as potent in this regard, although longer acting. Ajulemic acid has recently been demonstrated to bind to the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma, part of the nuclear receptor superfamily involved in inflammatory processes (Liu et al. 2003), and also to suppress human monocyte interleukin-1beta production in vitro (Zurier et al. 2003). Ajulemic acid portends to be a valuable addition to the pantheon of cannabinoid pharmaceuticals employed for analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by ron on November 10, 2003 at 07:23:13 PT Cannabinoids: Synthetics=Good / Natural=Bad "...the problem with THC is that even at low doses, it can impair thinking and coordination and create anxiety, panic attacks, psychosis and paranoia, as well as dry mouth, blurred vision, and a drop in blood pressure upon standing.""...major side effects were dry mouth and fatigue." Does anyone know why cannabis is so dehydrating? My friends say it's just a reminder for us to drink lots of water, but I wonder if there are any medical implications. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment