Research has shone a negative light on the long term use of Ibuprofen products, such as Advil and Motrin, due to dangerous side effects that may cause death. CBD has none of these risks, but can it measure up in the painkilling department?
Cannabis owes much of its recent rise in popularity, within the medical community, to the efficacy of these two well known cannabinoids: CBD and THC. While THC is amazing medicine, it’s CBD that edges out the competition on anti-inflammatory action (except CBG may be even better – but that’s still in the works). Cannabidiol (CBD) is proving itself as a potent medicinal compound, and safe to use across a broad spectrum of patients, perhaps safer than Ibuprofen.
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Can CBD Replace Ibuprofen?
Ibuprofen is a great anti-inflammatory medicine. It has, however, come under intense scrutiny recently for the often underreported serious side effects from long-term or off-label use. These include: increased risk for heart attack, intestinal bleeding, and weaker bones. CBD, on the other hand, continues to demonstrate an extremely favorable safety profile, especially in comparison to other drugs.
To better understand whether or not CBD may actually replace ibuprofen products, it helps to understand what these NSAIDS, such as Advil and Motrin, are approved to treat.
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Ibuprofen is Approved to Treat:
Pain and inflammation from arthritis
Pain and inflammation from physical overexertion
Headaches and migraines
Pain from muscles, joints, backache, toothaches, and menstrual pain
Aches and pain related to the common cold
Fevers
Over the counter (OTC), non-prescription painkillers generally have excellent short-term safety profiles. Time and time again, the low risk of ibuprofen for short-term relief (under 10 days) is documented. With that said, there are many situations where these medications are not advised for use, including for people with liver and kidney issues, recurrent gastrointestinal problems, and high blood pressure. Long-term use of these drugs is not recommended and may lead to serious health issues, and even death.
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Is CBD a Good Enough Anti-Inflammatory Painkiller?
To successfully replace Ibuprofen products, CBD must target all types of pain relating to inflammation. From the pain associated with inflammation, to headaches, to the aches related to the common cold.
According to the available research, CBD is a powerful tool to fight inflammation and its related pain. It also seems beneficial for spasticity related to multiple sclerosis and neuropathic pain. For other types of pain, most research indicates it works best when combined with THC. Full spectrum CBD products (i.e. those that use the whole plant rather than extracted cannabinoids) are the most effective due to the Entourage Effect. The higher the THC percentage, the more likely a patient is to report pain relief.
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But what about a comparison of the side effects of CBD and the side effects of Ibuprofen? It’s here where the CBD starts to take the lead. Unlike Ibuprofen, which is not recommended for long-term use, CBD is usually well tolerated over long periods of time, and in sustained high doses.
Reported side effects from CBD are rare and mild, including: tiredness, diarrhea, and changes in appetite/weight. Importantly, there are no reported cases of overdose deaths associated with CBD. Ibuprofen, on the other hand, has led to overdoses, serious health issues, and even death. It’s worth noting that the numbers are still hotly debated, as most overdoses are related to intestinal bleeding, but nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, including Ibuprofen, could be responsible for up to 16,500 deaths a year.
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Cannabidiol hasn’t run into these issues. It is so well tolerated, that it recently received approval from the Food and Drug Administration for treating intractable childhood epilepsy (Epidiolex, made from cannabis extract not synthetic). On top of this, in an unprecedented move, the DEA has also reclassified CBD from a Schedule 1 banned substance to a Schedule 5 substance, which means it is medically useful with no chance of abuse. There is a caveat to that, however, because only CBD products that are FDA-approved will qualify for rescheduling. Products from naturally high-CBD strains will remain Schedule 1.
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CBD as an Alternative to Ibuprofen (Sometimes)
It is this considerable difference in the risk profile of CBD versus Ibuprofen that makes CBD an exciting alternative. With more research, CBD may prove more beneficial for certain types of long-term and difficult to treat pain and inflammation. Also, because CBD has a low chance of severe side effects when used daily, many people are already using it to replace over the counter NSAIDS. Of course, the research is still playing catch up with the many real-world patient experience and anecdotal reports.
Studie provedená na Londýnské univerzitě v roce 2014 vedená profesorkou C.J.A. Morgan se pokoušela zjistit zda malé dávky CBD mohou pomoci kuřákům překonat jejich závislost na nikotinu.
Do této studie bylo vybráno 24 účastníků ve věku 18-35 let (12 mužů a 12 žen). Studie byla prováděna tzv. dvojitě slepou metodou, což znamená, že účastníci ani doktoři přesně nevědí kdo dostává zkoumanou látku a kdo jen placebo. Tímto je částečně eliminováno riziko zkreslení výsledků, ať už vědomím nebo nevědomím způsobem. Účastníci si během celého týdne před léčbou zapisovali počet vykouřených cigaret. Po týdnu byli rozděleni do dvou skupin kde každý z nich dostal inhalátor. Polovina skupiny obdržela CBD a druhá polovina placebo. Instrukce byly jasné, použijte inhalátor pokaždé jakmile budete cítit chuť na cigaretu.
Účastníci si samozřejmě zapisovali jak často inhalátor použili a jaké množství cigaret během celého týdne léčby vykouřili. Vědci také jednou denně zjišťovali, jak silná byla chuť zúčastněných během celého pokusu.
Kanabidiol (CBD) může pomoci snížit počet vykouřených cigaret
Podle výsledků této studie, došlo u skupiny užívající CBD k výraznému poklesu vykouřených cigaret za den. To se bohužel nedá říct o skupině užívající placebo, kde nedošlo k žádné větší změně oproti předchozím výsledkům.
Zajímavé ale na této studii bylo, že po snížení spotřeby cigaret nedošlo k téměř žádnému zvýšení chuti na další cigaretu. Zvýšená nebo až nezvladatelná chuť na cigaretu je přitom velmi často jeden z abstinenčních příznaků při odvykání kouření.
Závěr
Samozřejmě bude ještě potřeba spousty studií na větším počtu kuřáků, abychom mohli s jistotou říci, že CBD dokáže pomoci lidem přestat kouřit a tak je potřeba brát tyto studie s jistou rezervou. Na druhou stranu, bylo již několikrát prokázáno, že CBD funguje také jako stabilizátor nálady, pomáhá od nevolností a dalších potíží, které jsou průběhem velmi podobné některým abstinenčním příznakům vysazení nikotinu. Studie tedy předpokládá, že inhalací CBD by mohl být zlehčen průběh některých abstinenčních příznaků způsobených vysazením nikotinu a tím i ulehčeno celé odvykání.
A sample of cannabidiol (CBD) oil is dropped into water. Supplements containing the marijuana extract are popular and widely sold as remedies for a variety of ailments and aches. But scientific evidence that they work hasn't yet caught up for most applications, researchers say.
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As more states legalize marijuana, there's growing interest in a cannabis extract — cannabidiol, also known as CBD.
It's marketed as a compound that can help relieve anxiety — and, perhaps, help ease aches and pains, too.
Part of the appeal, at least for people who don't want to get high, is that CBD doesn't have the same mind-altering effects as marijuana, since it does not contain THC, the psychoactive component of the plant.
"My customers are buying CBD [for] stress relief," says Richard Ferry, the retail manager of Home Grown Apothecary in Portland, Ore., where recreational marijuana use is legal under state law, with some restrictions.
Another rationale Ferry's heard from clients about their CBD use: "Their mother-in-law is in town, and they just want to chill out!"
"CBD has gotten a lot of buzz," Ferry says, as he displays an array of CBD products, including capsules and bottles of liquid CBD oil that users dispense under the tongue with a dropper.
By one estimate, the CBD industry has doubled in size over the last two years, and is now worth $200 million. But with this popularitythe hype may have gotten ahead of the science.
Former Denver Broncos quarterback Jake Plaummer takes a dose of cannabidiol in Colorado in 2016. CBD oil, often dispensed under the tongue with a dropper, has been regulated as a supplement in the U.S., not a medicine. So strength and purity may vary from brand to brand, or even bottle to bottle, scientists say.
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"There's a lot of confusion about how it [CBD] works and what it does exactly," Ferry says.
"I think there's good evidence to suggest that CBD could be an effective treatment of anxiety and addiction" and other disorders, says Dr. Esther Blessing, a psychiatrist and researcher at New York University. "But we need clinical trials to find out."
So far, evidence of the substance's anti-anxiety effect comes from animal research and from very small, short-term human studies that suggest CBD exhibits anti-inflammatory and anti-anxiety properties.
The Marijuana Business Conference & Expo in Chicago in 2015 displayed oil containing CBD extracted from agricultural hemp. Today CBD oil alone is estimated to be a $200 million industry.
Carla K. Johnson/AP
These preliminary findings piqued Blessing's interest. For instance, she points to a 2011 study of a few dozen people, some of whom had social anxiety disorder, who were asked to speak in front of a large audience. Researchers compared anxiety levels in people after they took CBD, compared to those who got the placebo or nothing at all. (The participants didn't know if they'd been given the drug or the placebo.)
GW Pharmaceuticals makes Epidiolex, a medicine containing pharmaceutical-grade CBD. Last week, a panel of FDA advisers recommended approval of the drug to treat severe seizure disorders in children.
Kathy Young/AP
And what did the scientists find? "People who took CBD reported significantly less anxiety" compared to those who got the placebo, Blessing says. "It's really interesting."
Now, with funding from the National Institutes of Health, Blessing and group of collaborators are about to begin a clinical trial to test whether CBD can help people with post-traumatic stress disorder who also have moderate or severe alcohol use disorder.
During the study, 50 participants with PTSD coexisting with alcohol use disorder will be given either 400 milligrams of CBD daily, or a placebo. The goal is to see if the participants who take CBD end up drinking less and whether this leads to an improvement in PTSD symptoms. The participants will be given a pharmaceutical-grade CBD, which is more reliable in strength and purity than the supplements that are currently available for sale to the public.
Another Phase 2clinical trial (to test efficacy and side effects) is exploring whether CBD might help prevent relapse in opioid abusers by reducing craving for the drug. The study's led by Yasmin Hurd, a neuroscientist who directs the Addiction Institute at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine.
Hurd has been trying to rally other top scientists to study CBD's effects and potential benefits in the treatment of substance abuse.
It may seem counterintuitive that a component of marijuana could be useful in treating addiction to another drug. But Blessing says using CBD is very different from using marijuana. Though CBD is extracted from cannabis, it does not lead to altered perception and cognition.
"Drugs can be non-psychoactive and still have an effect on the brain," Blessing says. "CBD does have an effect on the brain, but it seems to affect the brain in possibly medicinal ways."
Results from Blessing study are a few years off. But in the meantime, just last week, a panel of advisors to the Food and Drug Administration recommended approval of the first pharmaceutical grade CBD, called Epidiolex, to treat severe seizure disorders in children. This could open the door to more research to approve its use in other disorders.
Dr. Robert Carson is a pediatric neurologist at Vanderbilt University who has evaluated the effectiveness of CBD supplements in kids with seizures. He says the supplements can be beneficial for these children. However, he says, if the FDA follows its advisory panel's advice and approves a pharmaceutical-grade CBD drug, thatwould open up a new treatment option by delivering a high-quality, consistent dose of CBD.
"One of the main caveats I tell my patients who use a CBD supplement is that we cannot guarantee what's in it," Carson explains. "We can't guarantee the consistency."
Supplements aren't regulated as strictly as pharmaceuticals, and can vary widely from bottle to bottle or brand to brand.
And there's another issue would-be users face: Though CBD supplements are widely available for sale, a legal murkiness surrounds marijuana extracts.
Even if you live in a state where marijuana use is legal, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration still classifies the CBD extract as a Schedule 1 substance — the DEA's most restricted category. According to the agency, "Schedule I drugs, substances or chemicals are defined as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse."
Proponents of CBD's use in treating medical conditions and ailments hope the findings of studies now underway will help change that thinking about its legal classification — and its potential benefits.
Kanabinoid z konopí by mohl pomoci při léčbě cukrovky
Podle izraelských vědců by chemická látka z rostliny konopí, známá jako kanabidiol (CBD), mohla být využita při léčbě cukrovky. CBD je jedna z hlavních sloučenin obsažených v konopí, ale nemá psychoaktivní účinky jako známý THC.
Co vědci zjistili
Výzkumníci z Hebrejské univerzity v Jeruzalémě, vedení Dr. Raphaelem Mechoulamem (který samotný CBD objevil), zkoumali receptory pro CBD v různých tkáních těla.
Podle výsledků by terapeutické účinky CBD mohly být využity pro různé orgány a systémy – nejen při cukrovce, ale i při nemocích srdce nebo zánětech.
Studie na zvířatech
V jedné experimentální studii na potkanech, které měly oblasti mrtvého tkáně po nedostatku krve, vědci pozorovali, že potkani před ošetřením CBD měli tyto oblasti o cca 30 % menší. To naznačuje, že CBD může mít protizánětlivé účinky a chránit tkáně.
Jak by CBD mohlo pomoci při cukrovce
Podle vědců:
Chronický zánět je jedním z faktorů, který přispívá ke vzniku inzulinové rezistence a cukrovky 2. typu. CBD má silné protizánětlivé účinky, které mohou zlepšit metabolismus těla.
Dále může mít pozitivní vliv na imunitní systém, růst buněk, metabolismus cukru a funkci srdce – což jsou všechny oblasti, které jsou důležité u lidí s cukrovkou.
Další výzkum a vývoj léčby
Izraelská společnost ISA Scientific uzavřela licenční smlouvu na vývoj léčebných terapií s CBD, přičemž klinické testy fáze 1 už probíhají a fáze 2 pro léčbu cukrovky se připravují. Podle jejich prohlášení by CBD mohlo mít potenciál potlačit, zvrátit, nebo dokonce vyléčit cukrovku, i když je třeba dalšího výzkumu.
Bezpečnost a vedlejší účinky
Podle některých dostupných informací nemá CBD závažné vedlejší účinky, které by bránily běžnému fungování pacientů (např. práci, řízení nebo cvičení).
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u látku a kdo jen placebo. Tímto je částečně eliminováno riziko zkreslení výsledků, ať už vědomím nebo nevědomím způsobem. Účastníci si během celého týdne před léčbou zapisovali počet vykouřených cigaret. Po týdnu byli rozděleni do dvou skupin kde každý z nich dostal inhalátor. Polovina skupiny obdržela CBD a druhá polovina placebo. Instrukce byly jasné, použijte inhalátor pokaždé jakmile budete cítit chuť na cigaretu.
