While the drug remains a Schedule I controlled substance at the federal level, many states have legalized medicinal cannabis. Pharmacists, nurses, and nurse practitioners must consider its implications and logistical concerns for hospitals, acute care facilities, clinics, and long-term care settings.
Medical marijuana is typically consumed through inhalation as smoke or vapor, but it also can be taken orally in pill form or added to tea.
HIV/AIDS
Human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, is an acronym for the illness that compromises your immune system and causes conditions like tuberculosis. AIDS, or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, is a group of illnesses that take advantage of your weakened immune system and include infections in the brain (encephalopathy), mouth (opportunistic candidiasis), and lungs (coccidioidomycosis or chronic intestinal cryptosporidiosis).
Conventional medications for HIV/AIDS treat the infection itself, but they also cause side effects such as nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, weight loss, and lack of appetite. In states where marijuana is legal, people with HIV use marijuana to help manage these symptoms. Some studies suggest that the drug can even slow — or prevent — progression of the disease.
Marijuana can be used in many ways, from smoking to edibles and even vaporizing devices. Smoking is terrible for your lungs, so using these other forms of the drug can be safer.
Some research suggests that marijuana may help people with AIDS cope with depression and anxiety. But more research is needed. In addition, people with HIV should not stop taking their antiretroviral medication unless instructed by their doctor. People who stop their treatment are at a greater risk of developing severe infections, including certain cancers and a type of lung cancer called Kaposi’s sarcoma. If you decide to use marijuana, talk with your doctor about the best way.
Multiple Sclerosis
The autoimmune disease multiple sclerosis can have a devastating impact on a patient’s quality of life. The symptoms include spasticity, urinary and bladder issues, tremors, depression, fatigue, and cognitive changes. Currently, the treatment for MS is symptom-based and focuses on reducing relapses, preventing disease progression, and limiting disability.
Cannabis can help to alleviate some of the unpleasant symptoms associated with MS. It can also ease pain, improve sleep, and reduce depression. However, it is essential to note that medicinal cannabis has not been proven as a disease-modifying therapy in humans.
People with MS can obtain medicinal cannabis through a prescription from a doctor. To do this, the doctor must be approved as an authorized prescriber. This is available to neurologists, general practitioners, and specialists. The medical marijuana industry is highly dynamic and complex, and medical marijuana professionals in TX must keep abreast of all developments.
Spinal Cord Injuries
Spinal cord injuries can dramatically and lasting affect a person’s life. The spinal cord is a collection of nerves communicating movement and sensory information between the brain and the rest of the body. When the spinal cord is injured, people lose movement and sensation below the point of injury. The spinal cord is protected by a spine of 33 rings of bones (vertebrae), pads of semi-rigid cartilage called discs, and narrow passageways called foramen that act as pathways for the spinal nerves. A traumatic spinal cord injury usually starts with a blow that fractures, dislocates, or crushes one or more vertebrae that make up your spine. Additional damage often happens over days or weeks as bleeding, swelling, and fluid build-up in and around the spinal cord.
Injury to the spinal cord’s cervical region, which passes through your neck and back, can result in tetraplegia or complete paralysis of the arms, hands, and legs. Injuries to the lumbar and sacral portions of the spinal cord control signals for your lower legs, feet, and most of your external genital organs.
Spinal cord injuries can also impair bladder and bowel function. Many people have problems emptying their bladder or experience chronic bowel spasms. Some have pain or neurogenic pain that can’t be relieved with medications or other therapies.
Chronic Pain
Pain is a nerve system warning that something is wrong. It can feel sharp or dull, prickly or aching. As with fibromyalgia, people feel pain in one part of their body or all over. The pain can last for weeks, months, or even years. An injury or illness can cause it, but often there is no apparent cause. It can lead to psychological problems, such as depression or anxiety, amplifying the pain.
Chronic pain can affect a person’s quality of life, leading to work or family problems and loss of interest in activities. The pain can be so consuming that it becomes the focus of the person’s attention, leading to irritability, depressed mood, and trouble sleeping (insomnia). In addition to physical pain, some people with chronic pain have other symptoms, such as extreme tiredness, difficulty eating, and muscle spasms.
To relieve this problem, many patients are using medicinal cannabis. As a result, healthcare professionals need to be able to discuss medicinal marijuana with their patients and understand its mechanism of action, indications, contraindications, and state law on this topic. This online training will provide the basics of this treatment option and help healthcare professionals make sound recommendations for their patients with chronic pain.