CANNABINOIDS VS OPIOIDS, WHICH IS MORE EFFECTIVE AT TREATING PAIN?

Opioid medication is frequently prescribed as a means of treating pain conditions. However, this family of medications is often associated with addiction, withdrawal, and overdose. It seems that cannabis may serve as a much safer and effective alternative.

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Opioids are a class of drugs that span from legal pharmaceuticals prescribed to combat chronic pain to illegal substances like heroin. Opioids work by binding to opioid receptors in parts of the body such as the brain and spinal cord. When opioids act on these receptor sites, they work to reduce the signalling of pain messages from the body to the brain. In doing so, sensations of pain are reduced and relieved. For this reason, opioids are commonly prescribed in cases of chronic and constant pain. Several types of opioids include codeine, fentanyl, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, methadone, and morphine.

Potential side effects of taking opioid medications include constipation, nausea, vomiting, and constipation. Patients can also begin to develop a tolerance to opioid medications, which means they require more and more of the substance to receive the desired effects. Although opioids do work to manage pain, this outcome can and does come at a cost. Opioids are associated with addiction and lethal overdoses, even when taken in recommended dosages.

During 2016, a massive 20,101 overdose deaths occurred in the US, that were related to prescription painkillers. The euphoria associated with high-potency pain killers can also lead to addiction. If patients manage to wean off of the drugs, they may experience withdrawal symptoms such as diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, muscle pain, anxiety, and irritability.

If a patient is in a serious amount of pain, then the risk of opioid painkillers may be absolutely worthwhile. However, the high frequency of deaths and cases of addiction related to these substances do give cause for concern. However, there does seem to be a viable and effective alternative that poses almost no risk and is associated with virtually zero deaths. This substance is cannabis.

CANNABIS IS A MUCH SAFER OPTION

Cannabis is an age-old, natural herbal medicine that has a wide array of medical uses and applications. The herb is reported to be effective at helping to treat and ease symptoms of chronic pain - the same painful sensations that opioids are prescribed to treat. In contrast to opioids, cannabis is well known to be an incredibly safe and nontoxic substance. A scientific study published within the journal Scientific Reports compares a long list of substances in terms of safety and toxicity. These substances include heroin, cannabis, nicotine, alcohol, methadone, amphetamine, and MDMA. Drugs that were classed as high risk included alcohol, nicotine, cocaine, and heroin. Cannabis was the only substance to pose a low risk of death.