Pain refractory to appropriate opioid management
Severe pain can place limits on your entire life, but sometimes, pain doesn’t respond to pain medication. The experienced clinicians at Kaya Life in Gulfport, Mississippi, provide an alternative remedy for treatment-resistant pain using medical marijuana. If you need medical marijuana to deal with pain refractory to opioid management, call Kaya Life or book an appointment online today.
What is treatment-resistant pain?
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), more Americans suffer from pain than heart disease, cancer, and diabetes combined. Chronic pain is a major issue, not only for those who suffer from it but for the entire American healthcare system. It can adversely affect your mood, relationships, career, and overall quality of life.
Treatment-resistant pain (refractory pain) is an ongoing discomfort that hasn’t responded to traditional pain-reducing treatments.
What are the side effects of conventional treatments for chronic pain?
Some of the most common treatments for chronic pain include:
- Opioid painkillers
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
- Acetaminophen
- Nerve blocks
- Surgery
Many of these treatments have unpleasant, even dangerous side effects. Prescription opioids are addictive and may cause dependency. Furthermore, high doses of opioids are dangerously toxic, with as many as 40 people experiencing fatal overdoses daily.
While non-narcotic pain medications aren’t addictive, they have troublesome side effects, such as liver toxicity, erectile dysfunction, and a risk of heart attacks and strokes.
How effective is medical marijuana in treating treatment-resistant pain?
A comprehensive, Harvard-led review of medical marijuana treatment for chronic pain found evidence to support cannabis as an effective treatment for chronic pain, neuropathic pain, treatment-resistant pain, and spasticity due to multiple sclerosis.
The studies reviewed suggest that medical marijuana leads to a significant improvement in pain symptoms without serious side effects.
Another study from the University of Michigan found that medical marijuana has the following effects on pain patients:
- Decreased side effects from other medications
- Improved quality of life
- Reduced opioid use by an average of 64%
What types of treatment-resistant pain can medical marijuana treat?
Treatment-resistant pain can be a symptom of an underlying disease or a condition on its own. Medical marijuana may provide relief from:
- General chronic pain
- Osteoarthritis
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Lower back pain
- Neck pain
- TMJ/TMD
- Headaches
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Pain from accidents or injuries
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Sciatica
How can I legally obtain medical marijuana to reduce treatment-resistant pain?
First, you discuss your symptoms and medical history at Kaya Life during an initial consultation. If your condition may benefit from medical marijuana, your specialist will write you an official recommendation.
Then, you take the recommendation to a licensed cannabis dispensary in Mississippi to purchase your medicine.
If you need safe relief from treatment-resistant pain, call Kaya Life or request an appointment online today.
