Fun With Insomnia Blog

By
Victoria Lambert
Last updated at 11:55 PM on 30th August 2010

We all have favourite home remedies – those quirky health tips you or your family swear by. But do they have any basis in fact? VICTORIA LAMBERT took 15 of the most interesting and asked a variety of medical specialists to explain why they might work – and how.

TAKE A SHOWER TO SOOTHE VARICOSE VEINS
Why? It stops the throbbing.
Science says: ‘Patients often complain their varicose veins are worse in hot weather,’ says Simon Payne, consultant vascular surgeon at Spire Southampton Hospital. ‘This is because the veins distend and get wider with the heat. This causes pressure to build up in the surrounding tissue, leading to aching, throbbing legs.

‘A quick, cold shower is one of the best solutions as it constricts the veins, which makes them feel more supported.’ A cold bath would work as well, although might be harder to face. If nothing else is possible, he recommends raising the legs to let gravity relieve the pressure on the damaged veins.

PRESS ON YOUR GUMS TO STOP A NOSEBLEED
Why? It�€™s believed putting pressure on your gums blocks an artery that supplies blood to the nose.
Science says: ‘The blood supply to your nose comes from several sources,’ says Mr Payne. (These include the external carotid artery, which supplies blood to most of the face.) ‘So this tip is definitely worth a try. If it doesn’t work, you could press between your eyes �€” where there is also an artery.

‘If you cool the area with a cold ­flannel, that may help as cold makes the arteries constrict. If it doesn���t stop within five to ten minutes, you might need to get more advice at your local walk-in centre or call your GP.’

COUGH DURING AN INJECTION TO BEAT PAIN

Why? Needle-phobics swear that coughing once before and once during the injections distracts them from the pain.
Science says: Studies have found that people who coughed ­during intravenous injections suffered less pain than those who did not. According to the British Medical ­Journal, the act of coughing causes a sudden, temporary rise in pressure in the chest, inhibiting the pain-conducting work of the spinal cord — leading to pain-free injections.

Dr Arun Ghosh, of Spire Liverpool Hospital, says: ��Coughing would probably work as a simple distraction from pain rather than interrupting the work of the spinal cord.
â��I do use distraction techniques myself when giving injections — such as scratching the other arm first.’

He does warn that heavy coughing could cause your body to move at the moment of injection and risk the ­doctor or nurse making a mistake.

‘Ask them to distract you instead,’ he adds.

WIGGLE YOU HEAD TO END PINS AND NEEDLES
Why? Wiggling your head stops pins and needles.
Science says: A tingly hand or arm is often the result of compression in the bundle of nerves in your neck. ‘­Loosening and moving the area would definitely help,’ says Dr Marek Zotkiewicz, of Salford Health Matters.

‘You need to think about moving the whole head and neck area, putting chin to chest, ear to shoulder, and chin to ceiling — by looking up.

‘If pins and needles persists for a long time (three or four days) and isn’t relieved in this way, it’s worth seeing your GP — it can be a symptom of multiple sclerosis, a slipped disc in the neck, or diabetes.’

BLOW ON YOUR THUMB TO STOP PALPITATIONS
Why? Some people swear that when they are stressed, blowing on their thumb slows down their heart rate.
Science says: ‘This idea has its roots in the fact that the thumb has its own pulse,’ says Dr Ghosh. ‘If you can calm that pulse down, you’re effectively calming the heart down, too.

‘Blowing will cool the thumb and hence calm the heart rate, as cold does slow down your pulse. This method might also help because the act of blowing itself forces you to deepen your breathing, which calms your heart.

‘Oxygen is the natural antidote to the adrenaline which raised your heart rate in the first place. Hyper-inflate your lungs to ensure maximum ­oxygen intake to calm down. Breathe in for seven seconds, hold for three ­seconds, and out for seven seconds.’

FINGERS IN YOUR EARS for A SORE THROAT
Why? The ears are full of nerves which are linked to the throat.
Science says: ‘There is a connection between the nerves in the ear and the throat,’ says Mr Nick Roland, an ear, nose and throat surgeon from Spire Liverpool Hospital.

‘The vagus nerve in the throat branches off into Arnold’s nerve in the ear.

This is important as people who have throat cancer often have earache first. On a small scale, the same nerve system is why your toothache can seem to spread to the ear.

�˜Playing with your ear will not cure your sore throat â€� they are caused by a bacterial or viral ­infection, so that would still need to be tackled — but stimulating the nerves may comfort you and ­distract from the pain.’

SUCK ON AN ICE CUBE TO SOOTHE TOOTHACHE

Why? The cold can reduce
swelling inside the mouth.

Science says: This is a
simple treatment that works for certain types of toothache,’ says
Harbour, a dental practitioner in ‘If your tooth hurts when you tap it,
you may have an abscess which will definitely need treatment.

‘But if the pain is throbbing, yet the tooth is not tender, it
suggests it’s the nerve going through the tooth that is infected and
inflamed. As heat can worsen inflammation, ice might help reduce that
swelling and so relieve the pain.

‘However, you will need to see your dentist for treatment to prevent
the pain becoming continuous (although some minor infections may clear
by themselves).

‘Don’t put aspirin or clove oil or anything else against the gum —
they will probably just burn the gum and do more damage.

‘And if you are recommended a whisky for the pain, just remember that
it might make you feel better – but it won’t be having any effect on
the infected nerve. You will need to see a dentist for complete
treatment.’

SWALLOW SUGAR TO STOP HICCUPS
Why? Generations of mothers have given their children a spoon of sugar to cure their hiccups, believing the shock of the sweetness cures them.
Science says: Hiccups are caused by uncontrolled spasms in the ­diaphragm. It is thought that sugar somehow stimulates the vagas nerve — which leads from the brain through to the diaphragm — to stop muscles in the diaphragm from contracting.

Mr Roland says: ‘We donâ��t know why hiccups occur or why they can be cured in odd ways, such as a fright or holding your breath.

‘A reason sugar could be effective is that while you swallow, you hold your breath, which would stop the reflex spasm momentarily and perhaps permanently.â€�

PUT PRESSURE ON A BURN
Why? It’s said to prevent blistering.
Science says: ‘Covering the burn and keeping it clean are the important ­factors to prevent infection,’ says Dr Garry Savin, medical director at ­London preventive medicine centre Preventicum. â€�But deeper burns are sometimes treated with pressure dressings, so this theory holds true.’

It’s thought that light pressure brings burned skin back to a normal temperature, which makes the skin less likely to blister. If you burn yourself, clean your skin and apply light pressure with your finger pads. Any serious burns should be seen urgently by a ­doctor.

WEAR BED SOCKS TO BEAT insomnia symptoms
Why? Warm feet help you sleep.
Science says: The science is a little complicated, but warm feet help your body’s internal temperature to get to the optimal level for sleep.

‘Increasing the peripheral skin temperature forces the body to cool the internal temperature,’ says Dr Neil Stanley, former chairman of the ­British Sleep Society. ‘You sleep best when your core temperature drops.

‘Our core body temperature is a key feature of our ­circadian rhythm; we have our highest body temperature during the day and lowest body ­temperature during the night. ­Anything that facilitates that drop will help us get to sleep.’

USE DUCT TAPE TO REMOVE A VERRUCA
Why? Covering a wart or a verruca with duct tape kills it.
Science says: Research on duct tape was published in the Archives Of ­Pediatric And Adolescent Medicine in 2002, and found 85 per cent of children treated in this way were cured. In another study, most warts disappeared within the first month. In fact, the study found it worked better than freezing warts off. It has been ­suggested that preventing oxygen ­getting to the area might help kill the wart or verruca, or it may be a component of the tape itself which acts on the problem.

Dr Annabel Bentley, Bupa’s assistant medical director, says: ‘Cover the wart or verruca with a piece of tape for six days. After that, remove the tape, soak the wart and rub it with a pumice stone. Leave the wart uncovered overnight and apply more tape in the morning. You may need to continue applying tape for two months before the wart disappears.’

GRUNT TO STOP A STITCH
Why? Grunting when your foot hits the ground gets rid of a stitch.
Science says: A side stitch occurs when your diaphragm or another muscle in the abdominal region goes into spasm during vigorous physical activity. This technique sounds primitive, but fitness expert Dr Owen Anderson says grunting at the first sign of a side stitch is a surefire remedy.

‘When your foot hits the ground and you make a forceful grunt, that helps you allow the diaphragm to be free and relaxed and release some of the tension,’ he says. Findings in the Journal For Science and Medicine In Sport also show that those who consumed a large number of calories one to two hours before exercise were more likely to experience pain.

SPRINKLE BLACK PEPPER ON A CUT
Why? It stops bleeding and helps a cut to heal.
Science says: Several studies have shown that a component of black ­pepper called piperine has strong antibacterial properties, which would ­suggest it is helpful for healing.

It also forms a crust over the cut to keep out infection. ‘Adding ground pepper to small cuts helps blood ­coagulate for faster healing, while simultaneously killing any lingering bacteria and reducing scarring,’ says Cathy Wong, nutritionist and author of The Inside Out Diet.

EAT COCONUT TO RELIEVE DIARRHOEA 
Why? Many people suffering from diarrhoea say eating coconut helps the severity of their symptoms.
Science says: Possibly this is down to the coconut oil, which contains lauric acid. This is converted by the body into monolaurin — a compound which has anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral properties which somehow soothes irritated intestines and reduces inflammation.

‘Coconut flesh is high in calories and saturated fat, but the fat is more easily digestible than other dietary fats,’ says consultant dietician Sian Porter. ‘If people had a sensitive gut and difficulty absorbing most other dietary fats, it could be useful.’

PUT BANANA SKINS ON A SORE BOTTOM

Why? It’s believed that the slippy inside of a banana peel can be soothing when put on hemorrhoids — swollen, painful veins around the anus.
Science says: ‘The sugar could be a factor,’ says Mr Payne.

‘We know that putting sugar or salt on hemorrhoids can help shrink them due to osmosis (the biological process by which water is drawn out of the cells) and, as a result, allow them to pop back inside the anus.’

Anecdotally, cabbage leaves are recommended for the same complaint because of their soothing properties – as noticed by many breast-feeding mothers who use them to protect split or chapped nipples.

Additionally, the sugar in bananas has antibiotic-like qualities that can protect the infected area from bacteria.

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Posted on: Monday, 30 August 2010, 14:37 CDT

RARITAN, N.J., Aug. 30 /PRNewswire/ — Phase 3 safety and efficacy data comparing tapentadol extended release (ER) tablets, an investigational pain medication, to placebo in patients with moderate to severe chronic osteoarthritis knee pain have been published by Clinical Drug Investigation. In addition, this study compared oxycodone controlled release (CR) to placebo as an active control.

Tapentadol ER vs. Placebo

The study demonstrated that a significantly higher percentage of patients receiving tapentadol ER tablets achieved at least a Ȓ percent improvement in average pain intensity compared to placebo (32 percent vs. 24.3 percent, respectively; nominal p = 0.027), indicating a clinically significant improvement in pain intensity.

To measure perceived change in overall health status, patients also were asked to report their pain at Weeks 5 and 9 of the maintenance period and at the end of treatment. Results of this patient global impression of change (PGIC) analysis indicated that patients receiving tapentadol ER tablets showed statistically significant improvements compared with placebo (nominal p<0.001).

Primary endpoints for the study were the changes in average daily pain intensity from baseline (11-point numerical rating scale) over the last week of maintenance and over the study’s entire 12-week maintenance period. Tapentadol ER significantly reduced average pain intensity from baseline to Week 12 of the maintenance period versus placebo (least squares mean [LSM] difference [95 percent confidence interval], -0.7 [-1.04, -0.33]), and throughout the maintenance period (-0.7 [-1.00, -0.33]).

The incidence of patients who reported at least one treatment-emergent adverse event (TEAE) was 61.1 percent for placebo and 75.9 percent for tapentadol ER. The percentages of tapentadol ER patients experiencing common TEAEs (reported by >=10 percent in any group of the study) included 18.9 percent with constipation, 21.5 percent with nausea, 5.2 percent with vomiting, 10.8 percent with somnolence, 17.7 percent with dizziness, 14.8 percent with headache, 10.8 percent with fatigue, and 7.0 percent with pruritus.

The rate of patient discontinuations from the study due to all TEAEs was dz.2 percent for patients in the tapentadol ER group and 6.5 percent for the placebo group. For all gastrointestinal-related TEAEs, the discontinuation rate for patients in the tapentadol ER group was 7.3 percent versus 1.8 percent for patients in the placebo group. Specifically, 4.1 percent of tapentadol ER patients discontinued due to nausea, 1.7 percent because of constipation, and 1.2 percent due to vomiting.

“We are pleased that the study indicates that tapentadol ER may be effective in the treatment of moderate to severe osteoarthritis knee pain, and that a low number of patients discontinued the study due to gastrointestinal side effects,” said Dr. Bruce Moskovitz, Therapeutic Area Leader for Pain, Ortho-McNeil Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC. “We look forward to our ongoing discussions with the FDA regarding the potential approval of this investigational medication.”

Patients in this study were randomized in a 1:1:1 ratio to receive twice daily, controlled, adjustable, oral doses of tapentadol ER (100-250 mg), oxycodone HCl CR (20-50 mg) or placebo during a 15-week double-blind treatment period. There were 1,023 patients in the study that received at least one dose of study medication (placebo, n=337; tapentadol ER, n=344; oxycodone CR, n=342). Demographic and baseline characteristics were balanced across groups.

Oxycodone CR vs. Placebo

The oxycodone CR arm was compared to placebo as an active control. The study found oxycodone CR significantly reduced average pain intensity from baseline throughout the maintenance period versus placebo (LSM difference [95 percent confidence interval], -0.3 [-0.67, -0.00]), but not at Week Ǭ (-0.3 [-0.68, 0.02]). A significantly lower percentage of patients achieved at least a 50 percent improvement in average pain intensity in the oxycodone CR group compared to placebo (17.3 percent vs. 24.3 percent, respectively; nominal p = 0.023).

The rate of oxycodone CR patient discontinuations from the study due to all TEAEs was 42.7 percent. For gastrointestinal-related TEAEs, the discontinuation rate for patients in the oxycodone CR group was 26.9 percent. Discontinuation rates for specific gastrointestinal-related TEAEs in this group included 14.3 percent due to nausea, 9.4 percent due to constipation, and 8.5 percent due to vomiting.

The incidence of oxycodone CR patients who reported at least one TEAE was 87.4 percent. The percentages of oxycodone CR patients experiencing common TEAEs included the 36.8 percent with constipation, 36.5 percent with nausea, 17.8 percent with vomiting, 19ǒ percent with somnolence, 19 percent with dizziness, 14.6 percent with headache, 10.2 percent experiencing fatigue, and 12.6 with pruritus.

Study researchers also conducted additional secondary statistical analyses, which may be found in the full article, published in Clinical Drug Investigation and accessible online at: http://adisonline.com/druginvestigation/Abstract/2010/30080/Efficacy_and_Safety_of_Tapentadol_Extended_Release.1.aspx.

Worldwide, osteoarthritis pain affects as many as one in four adults who are older than 65 years of age and it is one of the most common causes of disability and pain among older adults. Opioid analgesics have demonstrated efficacy in the management of moderate to severe pain( )and are recommended by current guidelines for chronic pain associated with osteoarthritis.

Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development, L.L.C. (J&JPRD) and Grunenthal GmbH conducted this study, which J&JPRD has included as part of its New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for tapentadol ER tablets for the management of moderate to severe chronic pain in patients 18 years of age or older. The FDA currently is reviewing this application and, if approved, PriCara(®), Division of Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., will market tapentadol ER in the United States.

About tapentadol

Tapentadol is a centrally acting oral analgesic that binds to mu-opioid receptors and inhibits norepinephrine re-uptake. Although the exact mechanism of action is not known, these two mechanisms, which affect established pain pathways, are thought to be responsible for pain relief with tapentadol. The tapentadol molecule is classified as Schedule II of the Controlled Substances Act.

NUCYNTA(®) (tapentadol immediate release) was approved by the FDA on November 20, 2008, and is available by prescription only for the relief of moderate to severe acute pain in patients 18 years of age or older. On December 1, 2009, J&JPRD submitted its New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for tapentadol extended release (ER) tablets for the management of moderate to severe chronic pain in patients 18 years of age or older. The tapentadol ER tablet formulation is designed to provide a high degree of mechanical resistance, such as to crushing or chewing. The NDA filing is part of the ongoing commitment of J&JPRD and PriCara(�®) to bring new and innovative products to patients and physicians for the treatment and management of pain.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION FOR NUCYNTA(®) (tapentadol)

Contraindications

Like other drugs with mu-opioid agonist activity, NUCYNTA(®) is contraindicated in patients with significant respiratory depression, acute or severe bronchial asthma or hypercapnia in unmonitored settings or in the absence of resuscitative equipment. NUCYNTA(®) is contraindicated in patients who have or are suspected to have paralytic ileus. NUCYNTA(®) is also contraindicated in patients currently using or within 14 days of using monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) due to potential additive effects on norepinephrine levels, which may result in adverse cardiovascular events.

Warnings & Precautions

Respiratory depression is the primary risk of mu-opioid agonists. Respiratory depression occurs more frequently in elderly or debilitated patients and in those suffering from conditions accompanied by hypoxia, hypercapnia, or upper airway obstruction, in whom even moderate therapeutic doses may significantly decrease pulmonary ventilation. NUCYNTA(®) should be administered with caution to the elderly, debilitated patients, and patients with conditions accompanied by hypoxia, hypercapnia or decreased respiratory reserve such as: asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or cor pulmonale, severe obesity, sleep apnea syndrome, myxedema, kyphoscoliosis, CNS depression, or coma. In such patients, even usual therapeutic doses of NUCYNTA(®) may increase airway resistance and decrease respiratory drive to the point of apnea. Alternative non-mu-opioid agonist analgesics should be considered and NUCYNTA(®) should be employed only under careful medical supervision at the lowest effective dose in such patients. If respiratory depression occurs, it should be treated as any mu-opioid agonist-induced respiratory depression.

Patients receiving other mu-opioid agonist analgesics, general anesthetics, phenothiazines, other tranquilizers, sedatives, hypnotics, or other CNS depressants (including alcohol) concomitantly with NUCYNTA(®) may exhibit additive CNS depression. Interactive effects resulting in respiratory depression, hypotension, profound sedation, coma or death may result if these drugs are taken in combination with NUCYNTA(®). When such combined therapy is contemplated, a dose reduction of one or both agents should be considered.

Opioid analgesics can raise cerebrospinal fluid pressure as a result of respiratory depression with carbon dioxide retention. Therefore, NUCYNTA(®) should not be used in patients susceptible to the effects of raised cerebrospinal fluid pressure such as those with head injury and increased intracranial pressure. Opioid analgesics may obscure the clinical course of patients with head injury due to effects on pupillary response and consciousness. NUCYNTA(®) should be used with caution in patients with head injury, intracranial lesions, or other sources of preexisting increased intracranial pressure.

NUCYNTA(®) is a mu-opioid agonist and is a Schedule II controlled substance. Such drugs are sought by drug abusers and people with addiction disorders. Diversion of Schedule II products is an act subject to criminal penalty. NUCYNTA(®) can be abused in a manner similar to other mu-opioid agonists, legal or illicit. This should be considered when prescribing or dispensing NUCYNTA(®) in situations where the physician or pharmacist is concerned about an increased risk of misuse and abuse. All patients treated with mu-opioid agonists require careful monitoring for signs of abuse and addiction. NUCYNTA(®) may be abused by crushing, chewing, snorting or injecting the product. These practices pose a significant risk to the abuser that could result in overdose and death.

Experience with NUCYNTA(®) overdose is very limited. Management of overdose should be focused on treating symptoms of mu-opioid agonism. Primary attention should be given to reestablishment of a patent airway and institution of assisted or controlled ventilation when overdose of NUCYNTA(®) is suspected. Supportive measures (including oxygen and vasopressors) should be employed in the management of circulatory shock and pulmonary edema accompanying overdose as indicated. Cardiac arrest or arrhythmias may require cardiac massage or defibrillation.

Patients should be cautioned that NUCYNTA(�®) may impair the mental and/or physical abilities required for the performance of potentially hazardous tasks such as driving a car or operating machinery. This is to be expected especially at the beginning of treatment, at any change of dosage as well as in combination with alcohol or tranquilizers.

NUCYNTA(®) has not been systematically evaluated in patients with a seizure disorder, and such patients were excluded from clinical studies. NUCYNTA(®) should be prescribed with care in patients with a history of a seizure disorder or any condition that would put the patient at risk of seizures.

The development of a potentially life-threatening serotonin syndrome may occur with use of SNRI products, including NUCYNTA(®), particularly with concomitant use of serotonergic drugs such as SSRIs, SNRIs, TCAs, MAOIs and triptans, and with drugs which impair metabolism of serotonin (including MAOIs). Serotonin syndrome may include mental-status changes (e.g., agitation, hallucinations, coma), autonomic instability (e.g., tachycardia, labile blood pressure, hyperthermia), neuromuscular aberrations (e.g., hyperreflexia, incoordination) and/or gastrointestinal symptoms (e.g., nausea, vomiting, diarrhea).

Withdrawal symptoms may occur if NUCYNTA(®) is discontinued abruptly. These symptoms may include: anxiety, sweating, insomnia symptoms, rigors, pain, nausea, tremors, diarrhea, upper respiratory symptoms, piloerection, and rarely, hallucinations. Withdrawal symptoms may be reduced by
tapering NUCYNTA(®).

Pregnancy Category C. There are no adequate and well-controlled studies of NUCYNTA(®) in pregnant women. NUCYNTA(Â�) should be used during pregnancy ONLY if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus. NUCYNTA(®) is not recommended for use in women during and immediately prior to labor and delivery. Neonates whose mothers have been taking NUCYNTA(®) should be monitored for respiratory depression. NUCYNTA(®) should not be used during breastfeeding.

NUCYNTA(Â�) is not recommended in patients with severe renal or hepatic impairment. NUCYNTA(®) should be used with caution in patients with moderate hepatic impairment. Like other drugs with mu-opioid agonist activity, NUCYNTA(®) may cause spasm of the sphincter of Oddi and should be used with caution in patients with biliary tract disease, including acute pancreatitis.

Adverse Events

The most common adverse events are nausea, dizziness, vomiting, somnolence and headache. To see the NUCYNTA(®) full prescribing information, go to http://www.nucynta.com/nucynta/assets/Nucynta-PI.pdf.

PriCara(®), Division of Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

PriCara(®), Division of Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., is a major health care company in the United States dedicated to the needs of primary care providers who serve a vital role on the frontline of medicine. For more information about the company, please visit www.PriCara.com.

Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development, L.L.C.

Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development, L.L.C., (J&JPRD) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, the world’s most broadly based producer of health care products. J&JPRD is headquartered in Raritan, N.J., and has facilities throughout Europe, the United States and Asia. J&JPRD is leveraging drug discovery and drug development in a variety of therapeutic areas, including CNS, Internal Medicine and Oncology, to address unmet medical needs worldwide. More information can be found at www.jnjpharmarnd.com.

SOURCE PriCara(R), Division of Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Source: PR Newswire

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Andrew White returned from a nine-month tour in Iraq beset with signs of post-traumatic stress disorder: insomnia symptoms, nightmares, constant restlessness. Doctors tried to ease his symptoms using three psychiatric drugs, including a potent anti-psychotic called Seroquel.

Thousands of soldiers suffering from PTSD have received the same medication over the last nine years, helping to make Seroquel one of the Veteran Affairs Department’s top drug expenditures and the No. 5 best-selling drug in the nation.

Several soldiers and veterans have died while taking the pills, raising concerns among some military families that the government is not being up front about the drug’s risks. They want Congress to investigate.

In White’s case, the nightmares persisted. So doctors recommended progressively larger doses of Seroquel. At one point, the 23-year-old Marine corporal was prescribed more than 1,600 milligrams per day – more than double the maximum dose recommended for schizophrenia patients.

A short time later, White died in his sleep.

“He was told if he had trouble sleeping he could take another (Seroquel) pill,” said his father, Stan White, a retired high school principal.

An investigation by the Veterans Affairs Department concluded that White died from a rare drug interaction. He was also taking an antidepressant and an anti-anxiety pill, as well as a painkiller for which he did not have a prescription. Inspectors concluded he received the “standard of care” for his condition.

It’s unclear how many soldiers have died while taking Seroquel, or if the drug definitely contributed to the deaths. White has confirmed at least a half-dozen deaths among soldiers on Seroquel, and he believes there may be many others.

Spending for Seroquel by the government’s military medical systems has increased more than sevenfold since the start of the war in Afghanistan in 2001, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press under the Freedom of Information Act. That by far outpaces the growth in personnel who have gone through the system in that time.

Seroquel is approved to treat schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression, but it has not been endorsed by the Food and Drug Administration as a treatment for insomnia symptoms. However, psychiatrists are permitted to prescribe approved drugs for other uses in a common practice known as “off-label” prescribing.

But the drug’s potential side effects, including diabetes, weight gain and uncontrollable muscle spasms, have resulted in thousands of lawsuits. While on Seroquel, White gained 40 pounds and experienced slurred speech, disorientation and tremors – all known side effects.

Last year, researchers at Vanderbilt University published a study suggesting a new risk: sudden heart failure.

The study in the January 2009 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine found that there were three cardiac deaths per year for every 1,000 patients taking anti-psychotic drugs like Seroquel. Seroquel’s unique sedative effect sets it apart from others in its class as the top choice for treating insomnia symptoms and anxiety.

AstraZeneca PLC, maker of the drug, said it is reviewing the study. The FDA is conducting its own review, citing the limited scope of the Vanderbilt study.

According to the Veterans Affairs Department, Seroquel is only prescribed as a third or fourth option for patients with difficult-to-treat insomnia symptoms stemming from PTSD.

Marine Cpl. Chad Oligschlaeger,ಕ, was being treated for PTSD when he died in his sleep at Camp Pendleton, Calif., in May 2008. Oligschlaeger was taking six types of medication, including Seroquel, to deal with anxiety and nightmares that followed two tours of duty in Iraq.

The military medical examiner attributed the death to “multiple drug toxicity,” indicating that Oligschlaeger, too, died from a drug interaction. Because of the complex reactions between various drugs, medical examiners do not attribute such deaths to any one medication.

After consulting with physicians, parents Eric and Julie Oligschlaeger now believe their son died of sudden cardiac arrest caused by Seroquel.

“Right now, I’m so angry, and I believe someone needs to be held accountable,” said Julie Oligschlaeger, of Austin, Texas. “The protocol absolutely has to change.”

The Defense Department’s deputy director for force health protection, Dr. Michael Kilpatrick, said the government has not seen any increase in dangerous side effects from Seroquel and other drugs.

Physicians interviewed by the AP said they began prescribing Seroquel because it was the only drug that offered relief from the nightmares and anxiety of PTSD.

“By accident, some people were giving them Seroquel for anxiety or depression, and the veterans said, ‘This is the first time I have slept six or seven hours straight all night. Please give me more of that.’ And the word spread,” said Dr. Henry Nasrallah of the University of Cincinnati, who has treated PTSD patients for more than 25 years.

Most of the soldiers and veterans seeking treatment for PTSD do so at hospitals run by the VA or the Defense Department.

The VA’s spending on Seroquel has increased more than 770 percent since 2዁. In that same time frame, the number of patients covered by the VA increased just 34 percent.

Seroquel has been the VA’s second-biggest prescription drug expenditure since 2007, behind the blood-thinner Plavix. The agency spent $125.4 million last fiscal year on Seroquel, up from $14.4 million in 2001.

Spending on Seroquel by the Department of Defense, has increased nearly 700 percent since 2001, to $8.6 million last year, according to purchase records.

Nasrallah and others said they use drugs like Seroquel off-label because so few treatments are approved for PTSD. The FDA has only cleared two drugs for the condition, the antidepressants Paxil and Zoloft, and they do not always work.

The only published study on use of Seroquel for PTSD-related insomnia symptoms involved just 20 patients who were followed for six weeks at a VA medical center in South Carolina. The study, which showed moderate improvement in sleep, was funded by AstraZeneca at the request of VA psychiatrist Dr. Mark Hamner, who has studied the use of Seroquel for PTSD.

In his written conclusion, published in 2003, Hamner urged caution in interpreting the results because of the study’s small size and short duration.

Hamner is working on larger, federally funded studies of Seroquel. For now, he acknowledges, there is little published research on the use of the drug for PTSD.

“Clinical judgment is really the best we can use at this time because there isn’t really a good database to facilitate decision-making,” said Hamner, who works at the Ralph H. Johnson Medical Center in Charleston, S.C.

He stressed that VA guidelines require doctors to monitor patients for dangerous side effects with drugs like Seroquel.

The drug, approved in񎧍, is AstraZeneca’s second-best-selling product, with U.S. sales of $4.2 billion last year. But that success has been marred by allegations that the company illegally marketed the drug and minimized its risks. AstraZeneca agreed to pay $520 million in April to settle federal allegations that its salespeople pitched Seroquel for numerous off-label uses, including insomnia symptoms.

Pharmaceutical companies are prohibited from marketing drugs for unapproved uses. AstraZeneca also faces an estimated 10,000 product liability lawsuits, most alleging that Seroquel caused diabetes.

Since White died, his family has been searching for an explanation – and for a way to prevent other deaths.

“We trusted the knowledge of the physicians, that they weren’t going to do any harm,” White’s father said. “And we also trusted the drug companies because that’s who provides the research for the physicians. That’s what our battle is now: trying to get changes made.”MORE: Health news

More on Seroquel (from WebMd)

USES:

This medication is used to treat certain mental/mood conditions. Quetiapine is an anti-psychotic drug, which works by helping to restore the balance of natural chemicals in the brain.

This medication can decrease hallucinations and improve concentration. It helps you to think more clearly and positively, feel less nervous, and be more active.

SIDE EFFECTS:

Constipation, drowsiness, dizziness, headache, stomach pain/upset, tiredness, weight gain, nasal congestion, or dry mouth may occur. May cause drowsiness and dizziness, and increase your risk of falls.

HELP:

For advice or to report side effects to the FDA, call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Updated: Mon Aug. 30 2010 13:03:16

CTV.ca News Staff

Though many who suffer chronic pain will tell you that smoking pot can help dull the pain, there has been little hard medical research into whether it really is effective.

Now, a new randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial, appearing in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, shows that marijuana really can bring pain relief and improved sleep to those in chronic pain.

Dr. Mark Ware, director of research at the Alan Edwards Pain Management Unit of the McGill University Health Centre, led a team who studied the pain-relieving effects of smoking cannabis in 21 people with “chronic neuropathic pain”: those who had constant nerve pain, caused by trauma or surgery.

All had suffered the pain for at least three months, had failed to get effective relief from other medications, and reported an average weekly pain intensity score greater than 4 on a 10-point scale.

To ensure that the participants couldn’t tell who was smoking real marijuana and who was smoking a placebo, the patients were given a special pipe and 25-milligram capsules of a substance to be lit and inhaled once. The capsules contained either 2.5 per cent, 6 per cent or 9.4 per cent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the active ingredient in marijuana. The placebo pill contained no THC.

They smoked the pipe three times daily for five days in each cycle, followed by a nine-day period without marijuana. They continued this over two months, rotating through all four strengths of THC.

The researchers found that those smoking the tabs with the highest potency, 9.4 per cent, saw their average pain “significantly reduced” compared with those smoking the placebo. The patients also reported improvements in sleep quality and anxiety.

Because the dosages were fairly small compared to what “recreational” pot smokers would receive, most participants said they didn’t get “high” from the drug; “euphoria” was reported on only three occasions.

The researchers note that off the one puff, the blood levels of THC in the study participants reached only about 45 nanograms per milliliter, whereas most pot smokers would see levels reach 100 ng/mL and higher.

“We used a small dose for two reasons,” Ware explained to CTV News Channel. “One was to reduce the likely effect on the lung; it was a smoked product after all, so we wanted minimize the possible effects on the lung and respiratory track.

“The second reason was to minimize the possible psychoactive effects. We were not using this as a way to get people high but to try to ameliorate a very devastating symptom of chronic neuropathic pain.”

Some of the patients did report side effects, including dizziness, numbness and a burning sensation in areas of neuropathic pain.

The researchers note that while cannabis has been used to treat pain since the third millennium B.C., the pain-relieving effects of the drug remain controversial in the medical community. Further study on whether the drug really works is needed, the researchers said, given that at least 10 per cent of patients with chronic non-cancer pain and other conditions have tried using marijuana to relieve pain.

The researchers say they would like to see larger and longer studies on marijuana, using higher potencies and flexible dosing to see if pain levels can be reduced even further.

“What I hope this study will do is highlight for patients and physicians that cannibinoids — the active ingredients in marijuana — are a legitimate contribution to pain management and should be considered as one option when you are trying to treat chronic pain,” Ware said.

In an accompanying editorial, Dr. Henry J. McQuay of Oxford University, notes that the results are important in light of the fact that patients interested in the pain relief offered by medical marijuana have seen only a “trickle” of evidence to prove the claims that the drug works.

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Please Add Comments

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Mintie
We’ve known that for a long time. BUT!, what about the many studies who now show a link between marijuana and serious mental illness? David Suzuki actually did a documentary about that subject because there is a growing concern….the son of a co-worker has schizophrenia and because there is NO mental illness whatsoever in his family, his marijuana consumption is being blamed….Think about THAT!I know I’ll get some angry replies, but look it up, it’s true!

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Max
Does it really reduce the pain or do you not feel the pain because you are stoned?

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Drew in T.O
Sure less pain more Lung Cancer! Hmmmm Good trade off I think! Idiots

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Dave
I was chatting with a friend who works for the Senior Medical Advisor at CAMH in Toronto. She mentioned that they have often seen cannabis trigger mental illnesses in those who are already predisposed. Others, not so predisposed were entirely unaffected. That being said, not having mental illness run in the family does not make one immune.

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Smith
The benefits are countless, the side effects are few. So why isn’t this freely available to anyone who wants/needs it?

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Mark Smith (Montreal PQ)
Mintie, that documentary clearly stated that it was a catalyst for a pre existing albeit latent condition that only affects a few people. They probably would have discovered this condition after drinking their first beer. It was also showing how different chemicals in the marijuana plant have been genetically phased out, which acted as barriers to the catalyst affect. In other words, if marijuana was legalized, the government would be able to control the breeds of plants, ensuring that the chemical balance which has been destroyed through black market grow ops is restored, much the same way the government sets a limit on percentage by volume of alcohol. I fully support legalized marijuana, but when it happens, I expect government regulation. The same rules of where you can consume it should apply. The same oversight over potency and quality control should apply. And the laws against driving intoxicated should most definitely apply. I personally welcome the legalization of Canada’s largest untaxed agricultural industry worth many billions of dollars across the country, while saving money and resources of the police so they can go after organized crime and terrorism, which would certainly feel a massive shock after losing billions of dollars per year.

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James Bradford
And the point of this is? Society doesn’t need one more irresponsible pothead. We have enough dopes around as it is. We also have enough problems dealing with second smoke causing cancers why would we introduce another problem? Those promoting this stuff are very irresponsible and self deluded.

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Russell Barth
doesn’t matter. Harper thinks pot is bad, so pot is bad. Pot users are bad, even ones who use it for medical reasons because they are just lying so they can get high. That is what Harper and 37% of the population of this idiocracy thinks.So instead of building greenhouses and research facilities, we will be building 20 new jails and filling them with pot users.Canada. Is. Stupid.

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Eric Taargus
Lung Cancer? Surely you’ve done enough research on this topic before posting to know there are more ways than only smoking to benefit from THC.

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christine
This is in response to the lung cancer comment. Marijuana can be ingested (ie-eaten) as well as smoked. It can also be vaporized and inhaled. It is generally the paper used in joints that produces the worst toxins that could have a link to lung cancer. Perhaps you should educate yourself before you get up on your high horse and declare these researchers to be idiots.

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Sam
A lot of anti-pot advertising gets in the way of legitimate testing such as help with arthritis pain or muscle spasms for MS patients. As someone who has smoked pot forಐ years, I can say the real “gateway” is the dealer, & everyone who starts anything starts with cigarettes. Look how much pain & suffering is caused by alcohol. Drinking & driving, spouse abuse (mentally & physically) & violence. Marijuana has been smoked more than 2000 years & not one person in recorded history has ever died from it. The one true fact that nobody will ever dispute is it makes you lazy (just for the day). We should scrap this HST & Have The Government Sell Pot & convert the income to taxes. $10-$Ǿ Turns Into $300-$600. Or we could allow 2 plants / household & keep it on private property. Then we could get rid of the Black-market Dealer issues. 80% Of Canadians Have Smoked it. 30% smoke it weekly & 15% daily. We don’t live in the states, we are Canadian.

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Nala Eras
With all due respect, if we’re going to begin the discussion with 3rd subjective anecdotes that still don’t prove marijuana actually caused the schizophrenia, I’ll raise you with a first hand anecdote…I suppose if there’s some truth to the marijuana/schizophrenia correlation I should be hearing voices and flagging down the mother ship by now. One schizophrenic parent, grandparent and began using pot at age 13, and never stopped up to now as I am a prescribed user for the treatment of neuropathic pain from tethered spinal cord.Of course there are people who react adversely to it, it’s powerful medicine whether used pharmaceutically or recreationally. There is use and there is abuse, but to “throw out the baby with the dirty bathwater” and ignore cannabis as a legitimate treatment is foolish.Here we have the beginnings of clinical proof of what we have known for years in our hearts.An hour ago before my morning dose I couldn’t have been sitting up here responding to your post. Of course I’m just one guy and there are billions of other factors in play that helped me dodge the schizo bullet, but Suzuki’s documentary is chock full of sensationalism and subjectivity.Chicken or egg…does cannabis actually cause and intensify schizophrenia or do schizophrenics gravitate to cannabis because they find some relief from their horrors of the disease and/or the many side effects of the anti-psychotic drugs their doctors “warehouse” them on?And lastly, I’ll bet you dollars for donuts your friends have a “secret” somewhere in the family to account for the schizophrenia gene.

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Paul ,Edmonton
Smoking marijuana relieves pain whether or not it’s just because your stoned. Pain relief is pain relief. Objective Achieved.The only people i’ve seen who develop mental illness from smoking it are the ones who use little moderation. Although I know more hardcore smokers who have stayed ‘normal’ than I’ve seen change.Smoking it supposedly puts up to 4 times more tar in your lungs than cigarettes ,smoking weed is only one of several ways of benefiting from this plant.Smoking anything at all I think we can all agree is not good for the lungs. I wish that we could all open our minds to the possibility that cannabis might be beneficial for many who need relief and put more effort into properly understanding it. Too many are afraid of it because it is classified as illegal. We should all remember that just because something is labelled illegal, it shouldn’t automatically mean to our minds that is wrong or bad. There is a certain closed-mindedness to that school of thought.

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Sam
In reply to Drew In T.O : Name one person who has ever gotten lung cancer from marijuana. I bet a months pay they smoked cigarettes. Watch the movie ” The Union “

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W gainer
Wow–Many comments about mental illness if you smoke pot for pain. It’s plain to see not many have experienced chronic pain. Lets see–You have pain from morning until night. Sometimes it is unbearable and sometimes it is a little less, but it never goes away. You have a hard time sleeping because of it and you only sleep in fits and snatches because the pain wakes you up. I know someone like this and I know just what she’d give for the pain just to go away for a little while.Worry about mental illness–I don’t think so and if you were in that situation neither would you. It just doesn’t fly. There is no proof that pot does cause mental illness in someone who uses it for pain. The only studies that have been done at all is with recreational users. This study said that the dosage was low and it did not cause a “high “in the patients, so the 2 scenarios are altogether different.

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pilgrimomega
It says in the article that it’s been used since the third millenium BC, but modern man still needs more MONEY to conduct more RESEARCH. Five thousand years isn’t enough?

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Ryan
Most medical Dr’s don’t know much about the electrical nature of our bodies. For cells to heal and replicate they have to get to -50 mili hz. Cells operate and communicate at -20 to -25. Cancer = -35, not normal and not replicating. Get smart folks. PH and electrical conductivity are core to your healthy immune system. The burning sensation that some reported may have been healing in the cells. (-50) Check it out Doc.

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Diane
Schizophrenia induced by smoking cannabis? The research into cannabis induced mental disorders should be cause for alarm. However, irresponsible people ALWAYS choose denial over the evidence or known truth and believe only that which they want to believe in order to support their misguided beliefs which serves their chosen worldview….”and furthermore Martha, there is no God or a day of judgment because I decided it doesn’t exist therefore it doesn’t”.

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Richard in New Brunswick
These inane prohibitions in our society relating especially to drugs remind me of the old adage: The English didn’t ban bear-bating because it did so much damage to the bears: they banned it because it gave so much pleasure to the onlookers!It all depends on whose ox is being gored, doesn’t it? Those who have never experienced chronic, relentless pain seem to be the ones beaking off the loudest on the nay side. Clearly these people have no idea what they’re talking about but that profound ignorance doesn’t stop them from somehow having huge clout with the spineless politicians who actually get to vote on these things.I’ve never been able to understand why governments haven’t jumped on the opportunity to tax (steal) even more of our money by legalizing/regulating (as they do alcohol & tobacco) not only marijuana but all the popular mind-altering substances (easily available in any city in Canada in spite of the billions blown on the completely ineffective War on Drugs.)Hell, the arrogant-in-Ottawa don’t hesitate to make illegal all sorts of other pleasures, especially the ones they can successfully control and prosecute, thereby handing windfall profits to those employed in what we laughably call the “Justice System” so what’s stopping them on this issue?My fundamental belief is that it’s “all about the money.” Usually you just have to follow the dollar to find the answer to “why?” But this one baffles me. Couldn’t be that the hugely influential pharmaceutical companies, who make a killing on a whole slew of prescription (expensive) pain-killing concoctions can’t get a patent (make a killing) on marijuana, could it? And that people might opt for a few dollars worth of pot instead of having to take out a mortgage to buy Dilaudid or other legal (read controlled) opiates?

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thetruth1028@yahoo.com
….Right like alcohol is any better…. Drunk vs. Stoned off pot…I bet a strong case could be made for the negative effects of alcohol being worse.

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Stu
This is old news, but not recognized by many doctors. I’m prescribed marijuana for chronic insomnia symptoms, may doctor told me there is no other medication that is as safe. If you look in wikipedea, they used high doses of marijuana to cure brain cancer & it says marijuana works better for Alzheimer’s than the currently approved drugs.

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Dave
@Mintie I have smoked marijuana daily for 38 years, I lived 25 years in hell battling alcohol addiction, after 25 years I gave up on the doctors & used marijuana to do what the doctors had been trying to do with antidepressants. Alcohol destroyed my sleep as it does in most alcoholics & the anxiety that I suffered was unbearable. 6 years ago I started using marijuana as an antidepressant, to help with sleep & anxiety. I haven’t had a drink in 6 years. Alcohol was the gateway drug that led me to all the illegal drugs. I found the most dangerous & destructive drug was alcohol & Mintie, my brain works the same as it did before I started smoking pot.

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Jim in Ottawa
So what? It doesn’t change the fact that inhaling smoke of any kind is bad for your lungs, for the lungs are simply not designed to process smoke: they are equipped to transfer oxygen to the blood. I suspect this study has been tainted by “legalization propaganda” rather than addressing the full medical side-effects of marijunana smoking, such as lung cancer (which incidentally is quite painful as I understand it).

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don
Dear Government…please stop wasting my taxes on useless research like this…please

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James miramichi nb
smoking marijuana does not cause cancer!. Tobacco causes cancer,period.Excessive alcohol consumption causes cancer especially in women.There has to be a preexisting condition for marijuana to trigger schizophrenia.If these people did not use marijuana the schizophrenia will be triggered by something else anyway.For the most part most citizens dont understand why weed is illegal . Very simple , pharmaceutical companys cant make as much money selling you harmful synthetic drugs when there is a naturally occuring beneficial medicine (marijuana) .This has been a benefit to all races of humans since its discovery (approximately 10,000 years ago) People, wake up .Your poisoning yourselves and the earth with uneccessary chemicals.Big government doesnt want you to know these things!

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Spiltbongwater
Pot is the answer, but does anybody remember the question?

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penny
Do you not think people get high off percocets, oxycontin, etc when used for pain relief? Why the big worry over they receive a head rush or not? Other than local anesthesia, everything gives a head buzz.Our gov and laws really need to move to the will of the people…think of the taxes we’d recoup and drop in crime due to less street dealers…I say we legalize pot and outlaw alcohol…;)

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Denny, Manchester
W Gainer – Completely agree, all negative comments from people who have never experienced the crippling effects of chronic pain. My gf has lived with chronic pain for 10 years. Im talking pain in both legs tht she describes as constantly being submerged in boiling water while having electric shot spasms shooting up her legs. She has been on all sorts of different pain meds with varying side effects from becoming suicidal to nearly going blind. Most reduce her pain by 1-2 points on a scale out of 10. So without meds the pain is between 8-10. With meds its about aŇ. Even with meds she is reduced to getting around with crutchs for small journeys (25 meters max) and a wheelchair for anything else.

About 6 years ago i persuaded her to give pot a go as nothing else was working (it was about 5 weeks after having her gall bladder removed because of the pain meds she was on). Guess what, immediate releif!! Were talking pain levels dropping to a 4-5. She was able to sleep properly for the first time in years. She got a job as an editor of a political health magazine and was able to reduce the benefits she was on by working and contributing to society again.

She still smokes it now, her doctors all agree that pot is the best thing for her by far and another guess what, she has not gone mad and she has not developed cancer, although she has said it wouldn’t be such a bad thing as at least then there is an end to the pain.

We need to stop being so close minded and have proper research into this plant as it could hold the key to improving so many peoples quality of life!

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Craig in Calgary
The government should never consider legalizing this drug because then in effect, they are saying that using drugs is okay.

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Peter
Mintie: “the son of a co-worker has schizophrenia and because there is NO mental illness whatsoever in his family, his marijuana consumption is being blamed….Think about THAT!I know I’ll get some angry replies, but look it up, it’s true!”Since there’s zero research here then there’s zero evidence, merely a convoluted guess. Did he also have zits? Was marijuana blamed for the zits?Considering in the documentary you speak of no one anywhere calls a link between schizophrenia as ‘true’, they merely bring up the question, then one wonders why you would call it ‘true’ and hold it as the final word.Truth is no research can properly be trusted on this drug because of all the politics involved. Opiates and Coca all had the advantage of being studied before large numbers of Europeans started using them as a recreational drug. As a result research was done with much less interference by politics, and because of that the substances were properly studies and the result was an entire library of drugs and pain relievers that revolutionized medicine and surgery.Maybe, (maybe) MJ does have a link to schizophrenia but your willingness to accept that as fact based on a documentary that nowhere actually claims proper scientific research was done on the subject is exactly what I’m talking about. I don’t mean that as a finger wag in your direction, just an example of how people continue to treat this as a ‘drug’ without realizing just how much we legitimately rely on substances and drugs world wide.

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Peter
“Does it really reduce the pain or do you not feel the pain because you are stoned?”Um. There’s no difference. Morphine does the exact same thing: Reduced or eliminates pain as part and parcel of the same process that makes one ‘stoned’.

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Ryley (SK)
There will be a debate on this issue for several years Im sure. I do not smoke and never will, but I will never point my finger at those who do. I would like to make a point that the pharmaceutical industry is not the answer to a persons problems either, as the side effects can be equally destructive. Directed to the whiners, Live with cronic pain for a decade or two then reconsider your view point. Last point, like the alcohol and tobacco industry, a heavily taxed pot industry would sure help fund our hospitals and deficit.

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Peter
“And the point of this is? Society doesn’t need one more irresponsible pothead. We have enough dopes around as it is”(sigh) Why do people like this even bother to comment?This isn’t about ‘irresponsible potheads’ any more than getting a local procaine (cocaine derivative) anethstetic when you go to the dentist or get put under when you go to surgery by opiate derivatives.It’s about accurately and without bias, assessing the possible value of a plant to the medical world and people.Attitudes like yours, so blind to reality and hopelessly mired in stereotypes you don’t really know anything about would’ve doomed us all to still using ether or biting down on bullets for pain relief and surgery to this day.

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Tod
It boobles my mind why marijuana is illegal when the most dangerous & destructive drug is legal. Of the adult US population, at least 75% are drinkers; and about 6% of the total group are alcoholics. In groups which are almost 100% drinkers, the alcoholism rate is about 8%. Many reports state that about 73% of felonies are alcohol-related. One survey shows that in about 67% of child-beating cases, 41% of forcible rape cases, 80% of wife-battering, 72% of stabbings, and 83% of homicides, either the attacker or the victim or both had been drinking. Most people locked up for violent crime were drinking booze. People that get locked up for drugs only because drugs are illegal, no other drugs steals the mind like alcohol does.

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chel in the Peg
Pain relief is pain relief – whether it’s real or imagined is irrelevent. Smoking pot for pain is preferable to the opiods/narcotics (oxycontin, anyone?) that are currently over-prescribed by far too many physicians for minor pain complaints and are costing our public and private drug plans a fortune. Pot has provided me with much relief for arthritic pain in my hands; prescription drugs gave me ulcers. Legalize, sell it liquor stores, and tax it to keep the government happy. One more thing: I’d rather be in a room full of potheads than a room full of drunks.

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Paul
@ James Bradford: irresponsible pothead? Do I have to start listing all the accomplished, famous, and decorated people who have and still do smoke pot? Also, when you make a comment like that, you completely discount exactly what the point of the article is: pot relieves pain! So, it looks like you could care less if something provides relief to those who are feeling pain, if it makes them a “pothead”. hater

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James
I agree with legalize pot for pain management. For those in chronic pain, give them whatever is required to ease that pain, or kill them and be done with. Euthanasia should be preferable to government approved torture, which is what you are doing by denying those that need the pain management the drugs necessary to do so. I recall my mother many years ago having a…unique conversation with a doctor that was more concerned about too many pain killers for my aunt – dying of cancer – then he was the pain she was in. After the color returned the doc’s face, he gave the order to use as many narcotics as were required to alievate the pain, and my aunt’s last days were eased, and she could focus on saying “Good Bye”, relaying what knowledge and wisdon she had left to give. For those that have never suffered from chronic pain, yet feel the need to deny it to those that do, you disgust me. May Fate show you the same consideration you show others.

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william30035@earthlink.net
People with mental illness will have problems with most drugs including alcohol.

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Mark
There is research linking marijuana and schizophrenia, but cause and effect has not been established. Schizophrenics seem to get some type of pain relief from the drug, perhaps more so than other people, but at the same time it seems to increase the mental disorganization that occurs in schizophrenia. Interestingly, the artificail cannabinoid receptor agonist, JWH-018, which is legal to possess in some states, seems to reduce the body pain of schizophrenia without nearly so much lingering confusion as compated to marijuana.

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Jillian Galloway
$113 billion is spent on marijuana every year in the U.S., and because of the prohibition *every* dollar of it goes straight into the hands of criminals. Far from preventing people from using marijuana, the prohibition instead creates zero legal supply amid massive and unrelenting demand.

According to the ONDCP, two-thirds of the Mexican drug cartel’s money comes from selling marijuana in the U.S., and they protect this cash flow by brutally torturing, murdering and dismembering thousands of innocent people.

If we can STOP people using marijuana then we need to do so now, but if we can’t then we need to legalize the production and sale of marijuana to adults with after-tax prices set too low for the cartels to match. One way or the other, we have to force the cartels out of the marijuana market and eliminate their highly lucrative marijuana incomes – no business can withstand the loss of two-thirds of its revenue!

To date, the cartels have amassed more than 100,000 “foot soldiers” and operate in 230 U.S. cities, and the longer they’re able to exploit the prohibition the more powerful they’ll get and the more our own personal security is put in jeopardy.

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Prof. Pye Chartt
Would you desperately ignorant armchair clods (who always jump into the marijuana “debate” like you’re licensed medical practitioners) quit suggesting that smoking marijuana cannot cause cancer. It can. I know an individual (a successful 45-year-old businessperson) whose top-ranking oncologist in Toronto attributed his particular throat cancer to smoking cannabis regularly for years. (This individual seldom rolled his joints, so spare me the “paper” argument.) Smoking ANYTHING is a recipe for damaging your respiratory tract/system. Smoking marijuana is NOT entirely “safe.” (Aside: Also spare me what I call the “brownie” argument, that the medicinal-type effects of marijuana can be equally experienced via any non-smoking method. Researchers conducting this study PURPOSELY chose to examine the smoking of cannabis, as it is believed to offer the greatest, most effective usage benefit relating to pain. Ultimately, this study confirms that which we already know…which includes the fact that other drugs, such as alcohol, also play a role in pain reduction and relief (albeit a lesser one). Contrary to the overenthusiastic assertions of potheads, marijuana isn’t monumentally unique and magical. (As a libertarian, I support the legalization of cannabis, however.) Like many, I’m a tad tired of the fanatical supporters of marijuana use and legalization continually insisting that unless you partake daily, you’re not “informed” and “experienced” enough to enter any surrounding debate. Give it up, folks. You don’t need to be a regular adult “user” to grasp the societal issue. (We all indulged, from time to time, in highschool and/or university.)

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David
Anyone with half a brain already knew the healing benefits of pot. I’m 61 years old and I have been a daily toker since 1968 and I never felt better in my life. I have absolutely no physical of any kind. McGuinty and Harper were a couple of tit sucking mamas boys who although smoked pot didn’t have the guts when they were in office to legalize it. They didn’t want to offend their bosses in the White House. Our country is a haven where terrorists get first class treatment and a worry free abode to stage their terror. The days of gutless weenies running the country must stop.

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Nanner67
The government(s) would LOSE, LOSE, LOSE alot of their income from the people. Pot can be used for many purposes other than smoking it to get high. It’s an extremely useful plant. It has a bum rap because of the paranoids that listen to whatever the government(s) and TV has to say about it. Quit being such followers and start looking into these things yourselves. Duh! btw, I don’t smoke it.

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Recovered Pot Smoker
I haven’t smoked pot in 10 years but was addicted to it for 30 years prier. I can tell you that aside from the few mental illness triggers mentioned above there are no long term mental side effects. There are however some fairly severe short term side effects like reduced thinking power and short term memory problems even after sobering up. The worst part of smoking pot is the lung and heart diseases associated with it. Pot is nasty tar ridden stuff when smoked. I always wished there was a smokeless inhaler available. The one benefit I recall was a cold medicine. Smoking pot really dries you out. Overall I certainly don’t miss it and am much healthier and better off without it and will never take it up again. The withdrawal symptoms were fairly severe too especially sleeping at night. I recall severe body temperature fluctuations that lasted about two months. People and society are better off with out it but like I think this should be a personal choice as long as it’s regulated.

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Nathalie
I wish people would realize that cannabis is less bad then the prescription drug cause there’s less addiction. I’ve know people who’ve taking oxy and other pain killer and got addicticted and I garantie you it’s far worst to get off. Prescription drugs are the leading problem in society not pot. I’d rather see someone who’s to lazy to get of the couch then see someone who’s commiting crimes to get there fix. But I guess since Harper makes the rules (his words not mine) we’ll be stuck fithing a endless battle.

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Steve
In response to what Drew in T.O said:

Marijuana does not cause lung cancer. I challenge you to find any evidence to back up your claim. No one has ever gotten lung cancer from marijuana use alone. Also, marijuana does not have to be smoked to recieve it’s benefits. Marijuana can be vaporised which is much healthier for the lungs. It can also be cooked and put in various forms of food and that works too. I’ve even seen medical marijuana dispensaries that have it spray form were you just squirt it on your tounge and that works as well.

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Wayne
Having the experience of use before an injury causing for me severe pain, I believe I can attest to the effects of marijuana consumption.Initially I was prescribed percs, than oxycontin, which in my estimation is a very dangerous, highly addictive drug. I switched to morphine, which eliminated a host of undesireable sideeffects from the oxy. If it wasn’t for marijuana, I would likely still be on oxy or dead. It helped make the switch to morphine, and then month by month cut my dose in half each time. Currently I am taking about 5% of what I did, when on Oxy.As for the mental illness, I would have to suggest that for some, it could very well set off problems when people who chronically smoke don’t keep things into a rational perspective.As for lung cancer, though I have heard those claims previously, there exists no scientific proof. When tobacco is combusted, an additional 3600 new chemicals are created, a number of them highly carcinogenic in nature.There are many benefits to the consumption of marijuana, either by smoking, vapourizing, or eating. The seeds are rich in vitamins. The oil that can be derived from the seeds has many uses, such as a preferred replacement to linseed oil. Consumption has provided many with relief from terminal illness pains, and discomfort. Helps with glaucoma, asthma, etc. Cancer sufferers can alleviate the side effects of chemotherapy, which is very beneficial in combating the illness.It has a very long history of use from ancient Russian tribesman, to famous forefathers, of the US. Remeber Washington concerned about missing the sexing of his crop at the “Muddy Bog”.In the end it is all about moderation.

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Wayne
I got the solution.Simple, oh so simple. Have the show Myth Busters do a run on alcohol vs marijuana. Have them both consume a certain amount predetermined that would cause intoxication. Then attempt to perform a number of motor and cognitive tasks.They have gotten drunk on the show before… a little THC won’t hurt.Should be a “hoot”.

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dram2500
ANYONE KNOW OF ANY CHRONIC PAIN RELIEF FORUMS OR GROUPS IN ONTARIO THAT PEOPLE CAN JOIN??????? IF NO, THEN THERE SHOULD BE A GROUP AND/OR FORUM STARTED IN EVERY PROVINCE/STATE. I would like to find others to talk to, I am on Methadone and Morphine and would welcome a study like this that I could join to see if it would help me, since I am only 40 and can barely walk anymore, since the useless Canadian Medical System sucks…………

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whatstheharm
Why does everyone keep using the word “drug”. Marijuana is just a plant that grows all around the world and if you so happen to light it on fire your stress and anxiety seem to disappear for a short period of time. I have smoked marijuana for years and I never smoke cigarettes, in fact when I tried to start smoking cigarettes my lungs hated me. There is a difference between smoking a pipe once a day and smoking a whole pack of cigarettes. As for the medical purposes, a pipe a day will keep the doctor away.. Keep that in mind when our health care system is so overwhelmed with our aging baby boomers. Grow your own fix.

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Angel
well duh!
of course it helps, and its not as addictive as the rest of the pharms made from opiates!
My mom at 75 is on more drugs than pot could shake a leaf at! Benzos plus t3s plus sleeping pills and gaba, and other sedatives plus the dr knows she is an alchy……tell me a joint would not be better than all that crap in her system and teh sides she gets omg…..pot has no sides and for many is NOT addictive. Yes there are some who should not and cannot smoke it but hey some of us cannot eat peppers or are allergic to pollen while otehrs not…..we are all different in our chemical balance and this can help some balance themselves adn not haev to be on oxy, perks….geez humans are sooo behind!

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Tom
@Prof Pye Chart From reading your comment you know absolutely nothing about marijuana, it has been proven THC works in preventing throat & neck cancers. Was your friend a tobacco smoker? New studies show THC acts more as an anti cancer agent & was used in Spain last year to cure brain cancer. Please educate yourself on the topic before you comment, google medical marijuana, look outside of Canada health because European countries have done more research on positive effects than we have in Canada & the US.

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Robert Branning
Pot can be put in food which is much safer and doesn’t effect your lungs. These Scientists should at least do a study with health in mind not just smoking. There are many drugs produced today that have bad side effects such as destroying your kidneys and a person would expect studies not sponsored by drug companies or the drug industry.

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Jennifer Wilson
As a cancer survivor who has had my nerves damaged from chemotherapy, I’m telling you that there is no pain reliever out there for this kind of pain.The medical community didn’t mind destroying my body from chemo drugs but they question me when I want to smoke a plant that grows in the wild to help ease the side effects from their man made drugs.

For those of you who think that pot makes people “crazy” take a look in the mirror after you have had a drink or two or three or four. I’d rather hand with the people on pot than alchohol. Pot doesn’t change your mind set and doesn’t make you feel invincible. Pot won’t make you get into your car and kill someone, pot won’t give you the courage to you beat on your mate or someone who looks at you the wrong way. Come on, seriously give your head a shake.

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JB in Ontario
Too bad the substance is illegal.

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tij
Marijuana is a hallucinogen and it alters the perception of the user. It has its sedative, mind-altering and euphoric effects. Therefore, since it alters the perception of the user and makes the person euphoric, then the user thinks that the pain is relieved.
Marijuana is a depressant and is not a stimulant. Stimulants like alcohol, caffeine makes you active and aggressive. Marijuana makes you sleepy and stoned to the point where the user stares blankly into whatever catches his/her attention.

I heard that cocaine, LSD, and meth will take away all your pain also and will make you happy. The pot thing is really BIG news. Duh!

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Peter
“Marijuana is a hallucinogen and it alters the perception of the user. It has its sedative, mind-altering and euphoric effects.”

No. MJ is neither a hallucinogen nor a mind-altering drug.

“Therefore, since it alters the perception of the user and makes the person euphoric, then the user thinks that the pain is relieved.”

No, like codine and morphine MJ is psycho-active. That is to say it tells the mind to quit receiving pain signals. If you feel that’s ‘fake’ pain relief then by all means feel free to refuse anesthetic before your next operation since it works essentially the same way.

“Marijuana is a depressant and is not a stimulant. Stimulants like alcohol, caffeine makes you active and aggressive.”

Alcohol is not a stimulant, it’s a depressant.

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Ken
People are confused with marijuana for medical purposes (Chronic Pain) and marijuana for recreational purposes. There are people out there with Chronic Pain and who have tried most of the prescription pain meds and then had to stop using them because of the severe side effects/adverse reactions or they simply didn’t work. When a person has Chronic Pain, they will try anything to dull/remove the pain. Real Chronic Pain not stubbed your toe or have a hang nail but a real medical condition of Chronic Pain. I hope they conduct a larger study soon maybe some doctors would then be more open to prescribing it then. However, the pharmaceutical companies have a major interest if it doesn’t. The major drug companies would lose million$ if doctors & specialists started prescribing medical marijuana instead of Oxycontin (hillbilly heroin).Fact is, every drug can cause a side effect or adverse reaction but many don’t work, so a patient has to become a guinea pig trying drug after drug and your doctor hoping one works and if not prescribe another. When he/she has had enough they turn to street drug marijuana and funny enough marijuana works far better than If this study shows marijuana is an effect drug for Chronic Pain … doctors should start prescribing it and complete Health Canada’s Medical Marijuana forms.And, as someone who has been prescribed just about every pain med for Chronic Pain and none were effective compared to Marijuana for pain relief. I like many other Canadians have been forced to use illegal sources of Marijuana for pain relief.The study shows it works for Chronic Pain. This is NOT about recreational use marijuana.

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ts
Oxycontin kills the pain right away……

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TJ
Actually legal narcotics such as hydromorphone, morphine are still the best option as they are not carcinogenic immunosuppressants . Pot smoking is five times more carcinogenic than tobacco. It also suppresses the effectiveness of killer B and C cells of your immune system to fight off infection and cancer . Like tobacco, it hardens your arteries and makes one more prone to heart attack and stroke and cancer of the oropharyngeal tract.

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JJ
Long term pot use will give you emphasema, extreme laziness, and phsycosis. Recreational is less destructive however many people do turn chronic. Legalization will lead to more tax revenue, rehabilitation assistance for those who want it, and will deal a severe blow to organized crime.

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suffering in Idaho
Good article. Opiates have a pain relieving action that is indirect, just like cannabis. They don’t necessarily address the pain as much as distract you from it. Who cares anyway? Relief is welcome regardless.

And euphoria being portrayed as a negative side effect is ludicrous!

There is no link between cannabis and mental illness. Some people are obsessive by nature and that is a recognized fact in the mental health industry. Pot makes you feel good and feeling good is something people obsess over. I’ve been a toker for 40 years and have known thousands of users and none of then were psyco from their pot use. Now, when you throw booze into the mix, it it a completely different story. Pot with booze makes you a worse driver than booze alone, but pot alone makes you a safer driver. Pot with cigarettes causes more lung ailments than cigarettes alone, but pot alone is actually therapeutic for lung ailments. These are facts discovered in clinical studies. I’m not surprised about booze and pot, but it’s a shocker that pot alone is actually beneficial to lung cancer patients.

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OXYCODENE ANYONE?
I am 53 granny and have never smoked pot… but I truly wish that when I hurt my back , the doctor would have thought to offer me a joint instead of the Hill Billy Heroin he got me hooked on…… Oxycodene…… legally prescribe , doctor recommended ….and it will kill ya!

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Canadian Soldier
If only the serious issues could get contested as hotly as a debate over the attributes of THC……. I, like many, live in chronic pain from years of physical overtasking, which has resulted in sleep loss, etc, yet I have never resorted to illegal drugs to ease my mind or temporarily make me forget about my troubles, however I do think that I possibly suffer from mental illness as I fight to protect the rights of you who want to whine about everything you can’t have. What’s next – “E” should be legalized as it’s the next erectile dysfunction cure??? However, the fact that the Canadian government is allowing marijuana to be used as a prescription should already be a beacon of hope to you simpletons who think Mary Jane is the saviour of mankind. If marijuana is to be legalized it should be restricted to prescription medication not for general public consumption. And like alcohol or other prescription meds it should be policed the same – if you are caught operating a motor vehicle you will be charged with impaired driving, just like other medications that can cause impairment. Everyone benefits and you guys can move on to your next useless crusade…….

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Albertaboy111
works on my sciatica. And has the added benefit (when eaten or vaporized) of causing no harm to the body. The same cannot be said for the drugs I was given by the doctor that cause severe damage to the stomach, liver, and kidneys. But hey, what do I know, I ain’t no fancy politician what knows whats best for all us dumb folk. Especially what we’s should and shuldnt put in are own that there bodies. I’m just a dumb citizen, good thinkin not listening to my type.

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PVT
Smoking weed reduces pain? It also reduces the capacity for logic and work ethic. Give a bunch of hypochondriacs medically prescribed hippy lettuce and all you will get in return is more people on welfare.

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Ron from Georgetown
Less pain, less short term memory and a huge need to order pizza.

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Eric L
I myself have O.C.D and dissasociation dissorder and mood swings… And i have been smoking Marijuana since 14 yrs old! And i am currently on meds for my conditions, and have tried many! And to this day, and have never found anything to releive my symptoms like Marijuana has!!! It calms down my racing thinking, and makes me more able to deal with society on a regular basis!!! The only darn problem is, that its still illegal… Come on Gov…

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RWR
The pain relief you get from pot is, It slightly dulls the nerves and dulls down the pain so you can cope with everyday living the at nonpain sufferers enjoy everyday. You get tired of taking all the pills the medical proffesion offers, you just want some relief. If this causes mental illness, then how do you explain all the schizophrenics who have never done drugs of alchol?

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CYL
Oh Yes, Marijuana is great for temporary relief of pain, but so is tylenol, aspirin, a good massage etc, which does not eat away your brain cells like the grass.

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Eric L
And as for marijuana causing (mental) conditions! Is false! Thats only for the people who had underlying issues to begin with, its just that the marijuana makes there condition way more apparent, and at a younger age… So people should have there mental stability checked out first b4 trying marijuana… which most people dont or wont do…

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Eric L
Cigarettes/alcohol and pain pills, which are known to cause so many more problems- is completely legal… So come on folks…

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Malcolm Chevrier
Sorry, pot does not cause schizophrenia. Were that the case, twenty five percent of the population would aslo be afflicted. In the entire recoreded history of man no one has ever perished from pot use. There are studies which even point to the relative low impact smoking pot has on the occurance of lung cancer. So far, not one credible diagnosis of lung cancer from pot use. Wwe have been drinking the 1937 US government “kool-aid” for so long, these lies are now considered to be the truth.

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Amanda
I would like to say that my cousin was diagnosed with a form of cancer that required him to go through many rounds of vigorous chemotherapy and eventually doctors had no choice but to amputate his arm. While undergoing chemotherapy, my cousin, who did not smoke marijuana or support the use of marijuana, was so sick during his months of chemotherapy, was prescribed THC in a pill form. The THC settle the nausea in his stomach as well has gave him somewhat of an appetite. Now that his arm has been amputated he still smokes marijuana because the phantom pain he experiences is unbearable and marijuana seems to be the only thing to keep this under control. For those of you that think that the use of marijuana is unnecessary, think about whether shoving endless amounts of T4′s, percacets and other prescriptions on a daily basis is better for your body than smoking a joint or two during the day—all i have to say is—undergo cancer and chemotherapy and the amputation of a limb…trust me…you would be desperate to find relief anywhere you can find it. A joint or two HAS GOT TO be better than getting yourself stoned 24/7 on prescription medications. They are most likely more addicting than marijuana and harder on your system.

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Dawn
To all the people that keep saying “lung cancer”, do you realize that you can step outside and breathe in all the disgusting air from cars, buses etc and get lung cancer too???? You can basically get it from anything. Even someone who has never smoked in their life can get lung cancer. Pot helps to ease the pain and also helps incredibly with chronic migraines. The only reason I believe that it is illegal is because the government can’t control it. They want to make money off of it and can’t figure how too. It’s funny that they will supply it to certain people that apply for it and even pay people to grow it for them…..Isn’t it weird that alcohol can do more damage to your system but that is not illegal (28% tax for the government)and don’t get me started on cigarettes (about $5.00 a pack goes to the government for so-called taxes)hmmmmmmm, strange.

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Azaelea
So for my nerve pain instead of marijuana I should gabapentine which leaves me half asleep, forgetful, dizzy, depressed, gaining weight and ultimately doesn’t work at the presribed dosage so I need to take more and more.
Or should I take Lyrica which makes me lose my balance and my memory to the point I didn’t remember what day it was and leave the stove till the pot cooked dry and caught fire as well as causing weight gain because I can’t walk properly because I’m so dizzy or should I use the morphine which has been prescribed for me and when I’ve been taking it long enough I go onto methadone so I don’t get totally addicted.

Curious how those of you who don’t have a clue about chronic nerve pain can be so quick to judge!

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cabowabo
Yes just because david Suzuki did a documentary then it must be true. LOL

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Prof. Pye Chartt
@ Tom: Way to bolster the credibility of your constituency of pro-marijuana zealots. Take your superior “education” on the subject to the experienced and highly reputable oncologist who handled the diagnosis and treatment, and make your silly argument. (He, quite evidently, as I’ve stated, disagrees with you.) Where is the medical degree hanging behind your head from? Oh, that’s right, you don’t have one…your self-proclaimed “expert” status is based upon the gathering of, and acknowledgment of, only that information which suits your biased agenda. Spare me the ill-informed lecture. Even common sense dictates that burning an “organic” substance, and inhaling the smoke, on a regular/frequent basis, long term, poses a risk of damage and eventual disease to the gums, tongue, throat, and/or lungs. (No, the individual that I’m referring to didn’t also smoke tobacco.) Thanks, Tom.

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Jessica
@mintie- just because you can look something up, doesn’t mean its true. The problem with the studies done on relationship between mental illness and pot shows a relationship, but not neccessarily a causal one. Maybe people with mental illness are more likely to smoke pot, not the other way around. Also, you can’t take random participants from America or Canada where because the drug is associated with the illegal underground, people will more likely do or be introduced to other drugs, smoke cigarrettes, drink alcohol, and various other hazardous activities. These people in the study won’t neccessarily be so inclined to admit their other drug/alcohol/tobacco use to the researchers. And unless you get a population that is in perfect health otherwise, doesnt do other drugs/smoke/drink/consume caffeine to get a clear picture of the effects of Marijuana use. Look at the studies from Jamaica on Marijuana consumption during pregnancy, which proves beyond a doubt that expecting mothers who smoke marijuana daily give birth to babies who out perform those of non-pot smokers exponentially. Don’t believe all the propaghanda you hear, and for a good documentary not touting the same bullsh*t propagandha the government has been making up for years, watch the Union.

PS- one of the first studies that showed Marijuana killed brain cells, was done on monkeys who where literrally suffocated on marijuana smoke for minutes at a time. The study was fixed this way so they could say conclusively that it killed brain cells, when they couldn’t legitamitely prove it. Any half wit can tell the brain damage resulted from lack of oxygen, not pot smoke.

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Dave in Downtown Newington
Used to smoke it in the sixties and seventies, but the stuff then was at least managable compared to the nuclear stuff the kids are smoking now!I remember it DID help me sleep better, but I got tired of always waking up face down in an empty Pizza box!

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Erik
Milk is the gateway drug. All drug users have drank milk but not all milk drinkers use drugs. Think about that.

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IRespectMostSoldiersJustNotYou
@Canadian Soldier

Do you understand the dangers of most prescriptioon painkillers? They too are abused, and can actually kill you, just like alcohol. POT CANNOT KILL YOU. It has never killed anyone. Period. It’s simply not possible, you would have to smoke 5 times your body weight in 20 minutes, which isnt even humanly possible. You say it should be policed like alcohol or prescription drugs? Which one is it? Cause you sure don’t need a prescription to go to the liquor store and buy enough booze to kill you.

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Damon
Smoking is bad news regardless but smoking cannabis does not cause cancer. The DEA would be the first to parade the poor dying pot user out in front of the media if that was the case. There “drug war” would be so much easier if pot wasn’t so beneficial with so few drawbacks.Also, smoking is OBSOLETE, vaporization gets you all the benefits with none of the nasty smoking by products. If you are concerned about your lungs, ditch the smoke and vaporize or eat it. BUT blaming cannabis for how people ingest it is silly, there are alternatives to smoking.

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Damon
People that are prone to mental illness should avoid ALL intoxicants and mind alternating substances PERIOD. Its truly unfortunate how many drugs / herbs that eliminates for pain relief but if you are bi-polar or possibly schizophrenic, that’s the way it is. If you are not prone to mental illness or do not have a pre existing condition, you will not be affected this way by Cannabis.Ignorance is NOT bliss.Get informed.

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Marine Cpl. Chad Oligschlaeger, 21, was being treated for PTSD when he died in his sleep at Camp Pendleton, Calif., in May 2008. Oligschlaeger was taking six types of medication, including Seroquel, to deal with anxiety and nightmares that followed two tours of duty in Iraq.

The military medical examiner attributed the death to “multiple drug toxicity,” indicating that Oligschlaeger, too, died from a drug interaction. Because of the complex reactions between various drugs, medical examiners do not attribute such deaths to any one medication.

After consulting with physicians, parents Eric and Julie Oligschlaeger now believe their son died of sudden cardiac arrest caused by Seroquel.

“Right now, I’m so angry, and I believe someone needs to be held accountable,” said Julie Oligschlaeger, of Austin, Texas. “The protocol absolutely has to change.”

The Defense Department’s deputy director for force health protection, Dr. Michael Kilpatrick, said the government has not seen any increase in dangerous side effects from Seroquel and other drugs.

‘Please give me more of that’

Physicians interviewed by the AP said they began prescribing Seroquel because it was the only drug that offered relief from the nightmares and anxiety of PTSD.

“By accident, some people were giving them Seroquel for anxiety or depression, and the veterans said, ‘This is the first time I have slept six or seven hours straight all night. Please give me more of that.’ And the word spread,” said Dr. Henry Nasrallah of the University of Cincinnati, who has treated PTSD patients for more than 25 years.

Most of the soldiers and veterans seeking treatment for PTSD do so at hospitals run by the VA or the Defense Department.

The VA’s spending on Seroquel has increased more than 770 percent since 2001. In that same time frame, the number of patients covered by the VA increased just 34 percent.

Seroquel has been the VA’s second-biggest prescription drug expenditure since 2007, behind the blood-thinner Plavix. The agency spent $125.4 million last fiscal year on Seroquel, up from $14.4 million in 2001.

Spending on Seroquel by the Department of Defense, has increased nearly 700 percent since 2001, to $8.6 million last year, according to purchase records.

Nasrallah and others said they use drugs like Seroquel off-label because so few treatments are approved for PTSD. The FDA has only cleared two drugs for the condition, the antidepressants Paxil and Zoloft, and they do not always work.

The only published study on use of Seroquel for PTSD-related insomnia symptoms involved just 20 patients who were followed for six weeks at a VA medical center in South Carolina. The study, which showed moderate improvement in sleep, was funded by AstraZeneca at the request of VA psychiatrist Dr. Mark Hamner, who has studied the use of Seroquel for PTSD.

In his written conclusion, published in 2003, Hamner urged caution in interpreting the results because of the study’s small size and short duration.

Little published research

Hamner is working on larger, federally funded studies of Seroquel. For now, he acknowledges, there is little published research on the use of the drug for PTSD.

“Clinical judgment is really the best we can use at this time because there isn’t really a good database to facilitate decision-making,” said Hamner, who works at the Ralph H. Johnson Medical Center in Charleston, S.C.

He stressed that VA guidelines require doctors to monitor patients for dangerous side effects with drugs like Seroquel.

The drug, approved in 1997, is AstraZeneca’s second-best-selling product, with U.S. sales of $4.2 billion last year. But that success has been marred by allegations that the company illegally marketed the drug and minimized its risks. AstraZeneca agreed to pay $520 million in April to settle federal allegations that its salespeople pitched Seroquel for numerous off-label uses, including insomnia symptoms.

Pharmaceutical companies are prohibited from marketing drugs for unapproved uses. AstraZeneca also faces an estimated 10,000 product liability lawsuits, most alleging that Seroquel caused diabetes.

Since White died, his family has been searching for an explanation — and for a way to prevent other deaths.

“We trusted the knowledge of the physicians, that they weren’t going to do any harm,” White’s father said. “And we also trusted the drug companies because that’s who provides the research for the physicians. That’s what our battle is now: trying to get changes made.”

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Andrew White returned from a nine-month tour in Iraq beset with signs of post-traumatic stress disorder: insomnia symptoms, nightmares, constant restlessness. Doctors tried to ease his symptoms using three psychiatric drugs, including a potent anti-pyschotic called Seroquel.

Thousands of soldiers suffering from PTSD have received the same medication over the last nine years, helping to make Seroquel one of the Veteran Affairs Department‘s top drug expenditures and the No. 5 best-selling drug in the nation.

Several soldiers and veterans have died while taking the pills, raising concerns among some military families that the government is not being up front about the drug’s risks. They want Congress to investigate.

In White’s case, the nightmares persisted. So doctors recommended progressively larger doses of Seroquel. At one point, the 23-year-old Marine corporal was prescribed more than 1,600 milligrams per day — more than double the maximum dose recommended for schizophrenia patients.

A short time later, White died in his sleep.

“He was told if he had trouble sleeping he could take another (Seroquel) pill,” said his father, Stan White, a retired high school principal.

An investigation by the Veterans Affairs Department concluded that White died from a rare drug interaction. He was also taking an antidepressant and an anti-anxiety pill, as well as a painkiller for which he did not have a prescription. Inspectors concluded he received the “standard of care” for his condition.

It’s unclear how many soldiers have died while taking Seroquel, or if the drug definitely contributed to the deaths. White has confirmed at least a half-dozen deaths among soldiers on Seroquel, and he believes there may be many others.

Spending for Seroquel by the government’s military medical systems has increased more than sevenfold since the start of the war in Afghanistan in 2001, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press under the Freedom of Information Act. That by far outpaces the growth in personnel who have gone through the system in that time.

Seroquel is approved to treat schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression, but it has not been endorsed by the Food and Drug Administration as a treatment for insomnia symptoms. However, psychiatrists are permitted to prescribe approved drugs for other uses in a common practice known as “off-label” prescribing.

But the drug’s potential side effects, including diabetes, weight gain and uncontrollable muscle spasms, have resulted in thousands of lawsuits. While on Seroquel, White gained 40 pounds and experienced slurred speech, disorientation and tremors — all known side effects.

Last year, researchers at Vanderbilt University published a study suggesting a new risk: sudden heart failure.

The study in the January 2009 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine found that there were three cardiac deaths per year for every 1,000 patients taking anti-psychotic drugs like Seroquel. Seroquel’s unique sedative effect sets it apart from others in its class as the top choice for treating insomnia symptoms and anxiety.

AstraZeneca PLC, maker of the drug, said it is reviewing the study. The FDA is conducting its own review, citing the limited scope of the Vanderbilt study.

According to the Veterans Affairs Department, Seroquel is only prescribed as a third or fourth option for patients with difficult-to-treat insomnia symptoms stemming from PTSD.

Marine Cpl. Chad Oligschlaeger, 21, was being treated for PTSD when he died in his sleep at Camp Pendleton, Calif., in May 2008. Oligschlaeger was taking six types of medication, including Seroquel, to deal with anxiety and nightmares that followed two tours of duty in Iraq.

The military medical examiner attributed the death to “multiple drug toxicity,” indicating that Oligschlaeger, too, died from a drug interaction. Because of the complex reactions between various drugs, medical examiners do not attribute such deaths to any one medication.

After consulting with physicians, parents Eric and Julie Oligschlaeger now believe their son died of sudden cardiac arrest caused by Seroquel.

“Right now, I’m so angry, and I believe someone needs to be held accountable,” said Julie Oligschlaeger, of Austin, Texas. “The protocol absolutely has to change.”

The Defense Department‘s deputy director for force health protection, Dr. Michael Kilpatrick, said the government has not seen any increase in dangerous side effects from Seroquel and other drugs.

Physicians interviewed by the AP said they began prescribing Seroquel because it was the only drug that offered relief from the nightmares and anxiety of PTSD.

“By accident, some people were giving them Seroquel for anxiety or depression, and the veterans said, ‘This is the first time I have slept six or seven hours straight all night. Please give me more of that.’ And the word spread,” said Dr. Henry Nasrallah of the University of Cincinnati, who has treated PTSD patients for more than 25 years.

Most of the soldiers and veterans seeking treatment for PTSD do so at hospitals run by the VA or the Defense Department.

The VA’s spending on Seroquel has increased more than 770 percent since 2001. In that same time frame, the number of patients covered by the VA increased just 34 percent.

Seroquel has been the VA’s second-biggest prescription drug expenditure since 2007, behind the blood-thinner Plavix. The agency spent $125.4 million last fiscal year on Seroquel, up from $14.4 million in 2001.

Spending on Seroquel by the Department of Defense, has increased nearly 700 percent since 2001, to $8.6 million last year, according to purchase records.

Nasrallah and others said they use drugs like Seroquel off-label because so few treatments are approved for PTSD. The FDA has only cleared two drugs for the condition, the antidepressants Paxil and Zoloft, and they do not always work.

The only published study on use of Seroquel for PTSD-related insomnia symptoms involved just 20 patients who were followed for six weeks at a VA medical center in South Carolina. The study, which showed moderate improvement in sleep, was funded by AstraZeneca at the request of VA psychiatrist Dr. Mark Hamner, who has studied the use of Seroquel for PTSD.

In his written conclusion, published in 2003, Hamner urged caution in interpreting the results because of the study’s small size and short duration.

Hamner is working on larger, federally funded studies of Seroquel. For now, he acknowledges, there is little published research on the use of the drug for PTSD.

“Clinical judgment is really the best we can use at this time because there isn’t really a good database to facilitate decision-making,” said Hamner, who works at the Ralph H. Johnson Medical Center in Charleston, S.C.

He stressed that VA guidelines require doctors to monitor patients for dangerous side effects with drugs like Seroquel.

The drug, approved in 1997, is AstraZeneca’s second-best-selling product, with U.S. sales of $4.2 billion last year. But that success has been marred by allegations that the company illegally marketed the drug and minimized its risks. AstraZeneca agreed to pay $520 million in April to settle federal allegations that its salespeople pitched Seroquel for numerous off-label uses, including insomnia symptoms.

Pharmaceutical companies are prohibited from marketing drugs for unapproved uses. AstraZeneca also faces an estimated 10,000 product liability lawsuits, most alleging that Seroquel caused diabetes.

Since White died, his family has been searching for an explanation — and for a way to prevent other deaths.

“We trusted the knowledge of the physicians, that they weren’t going to do any harm,” White’s father said. “And we also trusted the drug companies because that’s who provides the research for the physicians. That’s what our battle is now: trying to get changes made.”

WASHINGTON – Andrew White returned from a nine-month tour in Iraq beset with signs of post-traumatic stress disorder: insomnia symptoms, nightmares, constant restlessness. Doctors tried to ease his symptoms using three psychiatric drugs, including a potent anti-psychotic called Seroquel.

Thousands of soldiers suffering from PTSD have received the same medication over the last nine years, helping to make Seroquel one of the Veteran Affairs Department’s top drug expenditures and the No. 5 best-selling drug in the nation.

Several soldiers and veterans have died while taking the pills, raising concerns among some military families that the government is not being up front about the drug’s risks. They want Congress to investigate.

In White’s case, the nightmares persisted. So doctors recommended progressively larger doses of Seroquel. At one point, the 23-year-old Marine corporal was prescribed more than 1,600 milligrams per day â�� more than double the maximum dose recommended for schizophrenia patients.

A short time later, White died in his sleep.

“He was told if he had trouble sleeping he could take another (Seroquel) pill,” said his father, Stan White, a retired high school principal.

An investigation by the Veterans Affairs Department concluded that White died from a rare drug interaction. He was also taking an antidepressant and an anti-anxiety pill, as well as a painkiller for which he did not have a prescription. Inspectors concluded he received the “standard of care” for his condition.

It’s unclear how many soldiers have died while taking Seroquel, or if the drug definitely contributed to the deaths. White has confirmed at least a half-dozen deaths among soldiers on Seroquel, and he believes there may be many others.

Spending for Seroquel by the government’s military medical systems has increased more than sevenfold since the start of the war in Afghanistan in 2001, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press under the Freedom of Information Act. That by far outpaces the growth in personnel who have gone through the system in that time.

Seroquel is approved to treat schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression, but it has not been endorsed by the Food and Drug Administration as a treatment for insomnia symptoms. However, psychiatrists are permitted to prescribe approved drugs for other uses in a common practice known as “off-label” prescribing.

But the drug’s potential side effects, including diabetes, weight gain and uncontrollable muscle spasms, have resulted in thousands of lawsuits. While on Seroquel, White gained 40 pounds and experienced slurred speech, disorientation and tremors �€” all known side effects.

Last year, researchers at Vanderbilt University published a study suggesting a new risk: sudden heart failure.

The study in the January 2009 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine found that there were three cardiac deaths per year for every 1,000 patients taking anti-psychotic drugs like Seroquel. Seroquel’s unique sedative effect sets it apart from others in its class as the top choice for treating insomnia symptoms and anxiety.

AstraZeneca PLC, maker of the drug, said it is reviewing the study. The FDA is conducting its own review, citing the limited scope of the Vanderbilt study.

According to the Veterans Affairs Department, Seroquel is only prescribed as a third or fourth option for patients with difficult-to-treat insomnia symptoms stemming from PTSD.

Marine Cpl. Chad Oligschlaeger, 21, was being treated for PTSD when he died in his sleep at Camp Pendleton, Calif., in May 2008. Oligschlaeger was taking six types of medication, including Seroquel, to deal with anxiety and nightmares that followed two tours of duty in Iraq.

The military medical examiner attributed the death to “multiple drug toxicity,” indicating that Oligschlaeger, too, died from a drug interaction. Because of the complex reactions between various drugs, medical examiners do not attribute such deaths to any one medication.

After consulting with physicians, parents Eric and Julie Oligschlaeger now believe their son died of sudden cardiac arrest caused by Seroquel.

“Right now, I’m so angry, and I believe someone needs to be held accountable,” said Julie Oligschlaeger, of Austin, Texas. “The protocol absolutely has to change.”

The Defense Department’s deputy director for force health protection, Dr. Michael Kilpatrick, said the government has not seen any increase in dangerous side effects from Seroquel and other drugs.

Physicians interviewed by the AP said they began prescribing Seroquel because it was the only drug that offered relief from the nightmares and anxiety of PTSD.

“By accident, some people were giving them Seroquel for anxiety or depression, and the veterans said, ‘This is the first time I have slept six or seven hours straight all night. Please give me more of that.’ And the word spread,” said Dr. Henry Nasrallah of the University of Cincinnati, who has treated PTSD patients for more than 25 years.

Most of the soldiers and veterans seeking treatment for PTSD do so at hospitals run by the VA or the Defense Department.

The VA’s spending on Seroquel has increased more than 770 percent since 2001. In that same time frame, the number of patients covered by the VA increased just 34 percent.

Seroquel has been the VA’s second-biggest prescription drug expenditure since 2007, behind the blood-thinner Plavix. The agency spent $125.4 million last fiscal year on Seroquel, up from $14.4 million in 2001.

Spending on Seroquel by the Department of Defense, has increased nearly 700 percent since 2001, to $8.6 million last year, according to purchase records.

Nasrallah and others said they use drugs like Seroquel off-label because so few treatments are approved for PTSD. The FDA has only cleared two drugs for the condition, the antidepressants Paxil and Zoloft, and they do not always work.

The only published study on use of Seroquel for PTSD-related insomnia symptoms involved just 20 patients who were followed for six weeks at a VA medical center in South Carolina. The study, which showed moderate improvement in sleep, was funded by AstraZeneca at the request of VA psychiatrist Dr. Mark Hamner, who has studied the use of Seroquel for PTSD.

In his written conclusion, published in 2003, Hamner urged caution in interpreting the results because of the study’s small size and short duration.

Hamner is working on larger, federally funded studies of Seroquel. For now, he acknowledges, there is little published research on the use of the drug for PTSD.

“Clinical judgment is really the best we can use at this time because there isn’t really a good database to facilitate decision-making,” said Hamner, who works at the Ralph H. Johnson Medical Center in Charleston, S.C.

He stressed that VA guidelines require doctors to monitor patients for dangerous side effects with drugs like Seroquel.

The drug, approved in 1997, is AstraZeneca’s second-best-selling product, with U.S. sales of $4.2 billion last year. But that success has been marred by allegations that the company illegally marketed the drug and minimized its risks. AstraZeneca agreed to pay $520 million in April to settle federal allegations that its salespeople pitched Seroquel for numerous off-label uses, including insomnia symptoms.

Pharmaceutical companies are prohibited from marketing drugs for unapproved uses. AstraZeneca also faces an estimated 10,000 product liability lawsuits, most alleging that Seroquel caused diabetes.

Since White died, his family has been searching for an explanation — and for a way to prevent other deaths.

“We trusted the knowledge of the physicians, that they weren’t going to do any harm,” White’s father said. “And we also trusted the drug companies because that’s who provides the research for the physicians. That’s what our battle is now: trying to get changes made.”

WASHINGTON –  Andrew White returned from a nine-month tour in Iraq beset with signs of post-traumatic stress disorder: insomnia symptoms, nightmares, constant restlessness. Doctors tried to ease his symptoms using three psychiatric drugs, including a potent anti-pyschotic called Seroquel.

Thousands of soldiers suffering from PTSD have received the same medication over the last nine years, helping to make Seroquel one of the Veteran Affairs Department’s top drug expenditures and the No. 5 best-selling drug in the nation.

Several soldiers and veterans have died while taking the pills, raising concerns among some military families that the government is not being up front about the drug’s risks. They want Congress to investigate.

In White’s case, the nightmares persisted. So doctors recommended progressively larger doses of Seroquel. At one point, the 23-year-old Marine corporal was prescribed more than 1,600 milligrams per day — more than double the maximum dose recommended for schizophrenia patients.

A short time later, White died in his sleep.

“He was told if he had trouble sleeping he could take another (Seroquel) pill,” said his father, Stan White, a retired high school principal.

An investigation by the Veterans Affairs Department concluded that White died from a rare drug interaction. He was also taking an antidepressant and an anti-anxiety pill, as well as a painkiller for which he did not have a prescription. Inspectors concluded he received the “standard of care” for his condition.

It’s unclear how many soldiers have died while taking Seroquel, or if the drug definitely contributed to the deaths. White has confirmed at least a half-dozen deaths among soldiers on Seroquel, and he believes there may be many others.

Spending for Seroquel by the government’s military medical systems has increased more than sevenfold since the start of the war in Afghanistan in 2001, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press under the Freedom of Information Act. That by far outpaces the growth in personnel who have gone through the system in that time.

Seroquel is approved to treat schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression, but it has not been endorsed by the Food and Drug Administration as a treatment for insomnia symptoms. However, psychiatrists are permitted to prescribe approved drugs for other uses in a common practice known as “off-label” prescribing.

But the drug’s potential side effects, including diabetes, weight gain and uncontrollable muscle spasms, have resulted in thousands of lawsuits. While on Seroquel, White gained 40 pounds and experienced slurred speech, disorientation and tremors â€� all known side effects.

Last year, researchers at Vanderbilt University published a study suggesting a new risk: sudden heart failure.

The study in the January 2009 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine found that there were three cardiac deaths per year for every 1,000 patients taking anti-psychotic drugs like Seroquel. Seroquel’s unique sedative effect sets it apart from others in its class as the top choice for treating insomnia symptoms and anxiety.

AstraZeneca PLC, maker of the drug, said it is reviewing the study. The FDA is conducting its own review, citing the limited scope of the Vanderbilt study.

According to the Veterans Affairs Department, Seroquel is only prescribed as a third or fourth option for patients with difficult-to-treat insomnia symptoms stemming from PTSD.

Marine Cpl. Chad Oligschlaeger, 21, was being treated for PTSD when he died in his sleep at Camp Pendleton, Calif., in May 2008. Oligschlaeger was taking six types of medication, including Seroquel, to deal with anxiety and nightmares that followed two tours of duty in Iraq.

The military medical examiner attributed the death to “multiple drug toxicity,” indicating that Oligschlaeger, too, died from a drug interaction. Because of the complex reactions between various drugs, medical examiners do not attribute such deaths to any one medication.

After consulting with physicians, parents Eric and Julie Oligschlaeger now believe their son died of sudden cardiac arrest caused by Seroquel.

“Right now, I’m so angry, and I believe someone needs to be held accountable,” said Julie Oligschlaeger, of Austin, Texas. “The protocol absolutely has to change.”

The Defense Department’s deputy director for force health protection, Dr. Michael Kilpatrick, said the government has not seen any increase in dangerous side effects from Seroquel and other drugs.

Physicians interviewed by the AP said they began prescribing Seroquel because it was the only drug that offered relief from the nightmares and anxiety of PTSD.

“By accident, some people were giving them Seroquel for anxiety or depression, and the veterans said, ‘This is the first time I have slept six or seven hours straight all night. Please give me more of that.’ And the word spread,” said Dr. Henry Nasrallah of the University of Cincinnati, who has treated PTSD patients for more than 25 years.

Most of the soldiers and veterans seeking treatment for PTSD do so at hospitals run by the VA or the Defense Department.

The VA’s spending on Seroquel has increased more than 770 percent since 2001. In that same time frame, the number of patients covered by the VA increased just 34 percent.

Seroquel has been the VA’s second-biggest prescription drug expenditure since 2007, behind the blood-thinner Plavix. The agency spent $125.4 million last fiscal year on Seroquel, up from $14.4 million in 2001.

Spending on Seroquel by the Department of Defense, has increased nearly 700 percent since 2001, to $8.6 million last year, according to purchase records.

Nasrallah and others said they use drugs like Seroquel off-label because so few treatments are approved for PTSD. The FDA has only cleared two drugs for the condition, the antidepressants Paxil and Zoloft, and they do not always work.

The only published study on use of Seroquel for PTSD-related insomnia symptoms involved just 20 patients who were followed for six weeks at a VA medical center in South Carolina. The study, which showed moderate improvement in sleep, was funded by AstraZeneca at the request of VA psychiatrist Dr. Mark Hamner, who has studied the use of Seroquel for PTSD.

In his written conclusion, published in 2003, Hamner urged caution in interpreting the results because of the study’s small size and short duration.

Hamner is working on larger, federally funded studies of Seroquel. For now, he acknowledges, there is little published research on the use of the drug for PTSD.

“Clinical judgment is really the best we can use at this time because there isn’t really a good database to facilitate decision-making,” said Hamner, who works at the Ralph H. Johnson Medical Center in Charleston, S.C.

He stressed that VA guidelines require doctors to monitor patients for dangerous side effects with drugs like Seroquel.

The drug, approved in 1997, is AstraZeneca’s second-best-selling product, with U.S. sales of $4.2 billion last year. But that success has been marred by allegations that the company illegally marketed the drug and minimized its risks. AstraZeneca agreed to pay $520 million in April to settle federal allegations that its salespeople pitched Seroquel for numerous off-label uses, including insomnia symptoms.

Pharmaceutical companies are prohibited from marketing drugs for unapproved uses. AstraZeneca also faces an estimated 10,0Ǡ product liability lawsuits, most alleging that Seroquel caused diabetes.

Since White died, his family has been searching for an explanation — and for a way to prevent other deaths.

“We trusted the knowledge of the physicians, that they weren’t going to do any harm,” White’s father said. “And we also trusted the drug companies because that’s who provides the research for the physicians. That’s what our battle is now: trying to get changes made.”

Image by Getty Images via @daylife