The microglia in the brain and spinal cord are getting more and more interest in Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Given their roles in producing both neuropathic pain and neuroinflammation it’s hard to believe they’re not involved in producing the pain and fatigue in FM and ME/CFS.
Neuropathic pain or nerve pain is common in Fibromyalgia and ME/CFS. A notoriously tough nut to crack treatment-wise, neuropathic pain may be so hard to beat because the drugs used try to catch the fox after he’s gotten out of the henhouse; i.e., they attempt to block excess nerve activity but don’t get at the inflammatory factors – very possibly produced by the microglia – that cause the nerves to go bonkers in the first place.
Endocannabanoids – the internal cannabaniods produced by the body – have been shown to reduce two components that contribute to neuropathic pain; glutamate release and nerve excitability.
Now a study suggests that cannabanoids reduce neuropathic pain by calming down the microglia. It found that drugs regulating canabannoid activity in the microglia early in the course of neuropathic pain can both stop the microglial growth and the development of neuropathic pain that associated with it.
This suggested that taking Nabilone, a synthetic cannabanoid, could both help prevent the development of neuropathic pain and reduce it once it occurs. One would assume the same is true for medical marijuana. Please share your experiences with medical marijuana or Nabilone below.
- Cannabinoid-mediated modulation of neuropathic pain and microglial accumulation in a model of murine type I diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain Cory C Toth1*, Nicole M Jedrzejewski1, Connie L Ellis1, William H Frey II2. Toth et al. Molecular Pain 2010, 6:16
It is about time that medical marijuana was made available: at a reasonable cost, and legally, everywhere.
There are so many benefits to medical marijuana that to keep it from the people and animals who could benefit is criminal and inexcusable.
I agree! When I was able to get it I found it to really effective in reducing ‘arousal’, reducing pain and a great sleep aid as well.
Here’s a list of states which have legalized medical marijuana. (More than I had thought). (California, of course, was first :))
1996: California
1998: Alaska, Oregon, Washington
1999: Maine
2000: Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada
2004: Montana
2006: Rhode Island
2007: New Mexico, Vermont
2008: Michigan
2010: Arizona, New Jersey
2011: Delaware, Washington, D.C.
2012: Connecticut, Massachusetts
2013: New Hampshire, Illinois
2014: Maryland
Hello OM
I am not familiar at all with medicinal marijuana but I am an expert in fatigue ; ) I don’t live in the USA. Is medicinal marijuana a particular kind of this herb or there are several ones? Is it a particular component which has been isolated? Thanks.
Make sure you can tolerate it though before spending a lot of money. I live in a very conservative county in CO and a red card is still needed. I should have tried it before spending the 90 dollars to get that. Then I spent a bunch more on edibles and had a terrible reaction. It kept me awake all night and it was as if my brain was at war and got so battered and beaten and at just one third the starting dose. After this happened I heard about others adverse reactions and that edibles aren’t so good because they hit you all at once.
Cort I wonder if you would be interested in doing an interview with me about how Medical Marijuana has helped me. I was able to dispose of all my other medications but 1. It significantly reduces my inflammation, my migraines no longer exist, I sleep like a baby at night and it gives me a boost when I need to do chores or get through a task.
Are the benefits for the microglia from the cannibinoids that can be distilled into potent oils (from leaf and flower)? My daughter has a compromised pulmonary system so smoking it is not an option. But if the cannibinoids can help, maybe Nabilone would be a place it start. I live in a state with medical marijuana laws, but I haven’t been clear about whether the cannibinoids oils were readily available. It seems a lot of parents are moving to Colorado for potent cannibinoids oils for seizures and epilepsy. I have no clue how oregon’s marijuana dispensarys work
My doc told me yesterday that I will need med. pot as soon as it is legal in MN. I am on 8 oxycodone per day just to walk and move around. It helps, but I can’t help thinking a tolerance will eventually build up. I have DDD, ME/CFS, RA, Migraines and all the crap that comes with these. Hurry up MN.
Hang in there Kristine! Good luck….