One of the complications of diabetes is diabetic neuropathy, severe pain due to nerve damage. The pain of neuropathy can be very difficult to treat, so we were interested to learn of this reader’s experience easing the agony with a low dose of medical marijuana.
How Can Diabetic Neuropathy Be Soothed?
Q. I have severe diabetic neuropathy. The pain is intense, but it lasts only a short time and can occur anywhere: on the left big toe one time, right little finger the next, left testicle, right earlobe etc.
None of the drugs my doctor prescribed worked very well, and they all took weeks or months to do anything. Even then, the dosage had to be increased and the side effects worsened with that.
Someone suggested I try something that never occurred to me: marijuana. I took two puffs, waited about twenty seconds and the pain was gone-for three days! That was the fastest and longest relief I have ever gotten. More research is needed but it’s very promising.
Will Marijuana Help Diabetic Neuropathy?
A. There has not been much research on the use of medical marijuana for diabetic neuropathy, but we found one study that is of interest. Sixteen people with painful diabetic neuropathy that had not responded well to other treatments participated in a placebo-controlled trial of inhaled marijuana at various doses (Journal of Pain, July, 2015). This small study showed that their neuropathy pain was significantly reduced at several doses.
We agree that more research will be very helpful. People interested in learning about research that has already been done on medical marijuana may wish to listen to our hour-long interview with David Casarett, MD, author of Stoned: A Doctor’s Case for Medical Marijuana.
4/16/18 redirected to: https://www.peoplespharmacy.com/articles/will-cannabis-cream-really-ease-neuropathy/
