Medical Marijuana Part 1

Although I normally don't share that I live with pain daily due to past injurys, I want to share the list of drugs which my doctor prescribes to me. Also, I have included the side effects or adverse effects on the body. I lastly list Marijuana as a comparison medication and its' effect. Without beating a dead horse, I will let you be the judge as to how concerned the medical profession is in taking care of your health. By the way, if i took the drugs they want me to take, I would be a zombie. All data is taken directly from Wikipedia.com.





1. Tramadol is a synthetic analog of codeine, and, as such, an opioid. Opioids are chemical compounds which agonise one or more of the human opiate receptors, regardless of the receptor class or sub-type. The opioid agonistic effect of tramadol and its major metabolites is almost complete exclusively effects the mU opioid receptor. This characteristic is notable, because even morphine is not exclusive to mU entirely, although it manifests the preponderance of its opioid agonistic effects here.

The most commonly reported adverse drug reactions are nausea, vomiting, sweating and constipation. Drowsiness is reported, although it is less of an issue than for opioids. Patients prescribed tramadol for general pain relief along with other agents have reported uncontrollable withdrawal-like nervous tremors if weaning off the medication happens too quickly. Respiratory depression, a common side-effect of most opioids, is not clinically significant in normal doses. By itself, it can decrease the seizure threshold. When combined with SSRIs, tricyclic antidepressants, or in patients with epilepsy, the seizure threshold is further decreased. Seizures have been reported in humans receiving excessive single oral doses (700 mg) or large intravenous doses (300 mg). An Australian study found that of 97 confirmed new-onset seizures, eight were associated with Tramadol, and that in the authors' First Seizure Clinic, "Tramadol is the most frequently suspected cause of provoked seizures" (Labate 2005). Seizures caused by tramadol are most often tonic-clonic seizures, more commonly known in the past as grand mal seizures. Also when taken with SSRIs, there is an increased risk of serotonin syndrome. Dosages of coumadin/warfarin may need to be reduced for anticoagulated patients to avoid bleeding complications. Constipation can be severe especially in the elderly requiring manual evacuation of the bowel.[citation needed] Furthermore, there are suggestions that chronic opioid administration may induce a state of immune tolerance,[26] although Tramadol, in contrast to typical opioids may enhance immune function.[27][28][29] Some have also stressed the negative effects of opioids on cognitive functioning and personality.

2. Meloxicam is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug of the oxicam class, used to relieve the symptoms of arthritis, primary dysmenorrhea, fever; and as an analgesic, especially where there is an inflammatory component. It has been developed by Boehringer-Ingelheim. It is closely related to piroxicam.

Adverse effects
Meloxicam use can result in gastrointestinal toxicity and bleeding, tinnitus, headache, rash, very dark or black stool (sign of intestinal bleeding). The risk of adverse side effects is lower than with piroxicam, diclofenac, or naproxen. Although meloxicam does inhibit thromboxane A, it does not appear to do so at levels that would interfere with platelet function.
In rare situations, it could cause serious liver disease. If there is a sensation of fatigue and/or liver pain, intake must be ceased.

3. Cyclobenzaprine is a muscle relaxant[1] that works in the central nervous system by altering the signals from the brain that cause muscles to tighten
Common side-effects include drowsiness, depression, headaches, severe dizziness, and blurred vision. Other side-effects are respiratory depression and decreased functionality in various muscles. Long-term use has been associated with vision damage. Another side-effect is dryness of the mouth.[5] Agitation is a common side-effect observed especially in the elderly.
Cylobenzaprine overdose can be life-threatening due to intractable seizures and/or heart arrythmias. However, depending on the amount taken and on the many different factors unique to each individual, harmful overdose effects can occur. Note that the susceptibility to these potentially damaging effects is greatly increased when cyclobenzaprine is used in conjunction with other drugs, in particular central nervous system depressants and antidepressants. Use of cyclobenzaprine with an MAOI (monoamine oxidase inhibitor) could possibly result in fatality. A case of rhabdomyolysis (muscle breakdown) associated with its overdose has been reported in the scientific literature. This is a rare though potentially fatal complication.

4. Amitriptyline (Elavil) is a psychoactive drug classified as a tricyclic antidepressant (TCA). It is a white, odorless, crystalline compound which is freely soluble in water, and is usually dispensed in tablet form. In terms of its mechanism of action, amitriptyline inhibits serotonin[1] and noradrenaline reuptake almost equally.
[edit] Side Effects
Common side effects of using amitriptyline are mostly due to its anticholinergic activity, including: weight gain, dry mouth, loss of appetite, drowsiness, muscle stiffness, nausea, constipation, nervousness, dizziness, blurred vision, urinary retention and insomnia. Some rare side effects include tinnitus, hypotension, mania, psychosis, heart block, arrhythmias, lip and mouth ulcers, extrapyramidal symptoms, depression, and hepatic toxicity.

5. Ibuprofen (INN) (pronounced /ˈaɪbjuːproʊfɛn/ or /aɪbjuːˈproʊfən/; from the now outdated nomenclature iso-butyl-propanoic-phenolic acid) is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) originally marketed as Brufen, and since then under various other trademarks (see tradenames section), most notably Nurofen, Advil and Motrin. It is used for relief of symptoms of arthritis, primary dysmenorrhea, fever, and as an analgesic, especially where there is an inflammatory component. Ibuprofen is known to have an antiplatelet effect, though it is relatively mild and short-lived when compared with that of aspirin or other better-known antiplatelet drugs. Ibuprofen is a core medicine in the World Health Organization's "Essential Drugs List", which is a list of minimum medical needs for a basic health care system.[1]
[edit] Adverse effects
Main article: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug
Ibuprofen appears to have the lowest incidence of gastrointestinal adverse drug reactions (ADRs) of all the non-selective NSAIDs. However, this only holds true at lower doses of ibuprofen, so over-the-counter preparations of ibuprofen are generally labeled to advise a maximum daily dose of 1,200 mg.[15][16]
Common adverse effects include: nausea, dyspepsia, gastrointestinal ulceration/bleeding, raised liver enzymes, diarrhea, epistaxis, headache, dizziness, priapism, rash, salt and fluid retention, and hypertension.[17]
Infrequent adverse effects include: oesophageal ulceration, heart failure, hyperkalaemia, renal impairment, confusion, and bronchospasm.[


Cannabis, also known as marijuana or marihuana,[3] and ganja (from Sanskrit: गांजा gañjā, meaning hemp), among many other namesa[›] refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug. The most common form of cannabis used as a drug is the natural herbal form.

Long-term effects
Main article: Effects of cannabis#Long-term effects
The smoking of cannabis is the most harmful method of consumption, as the inhalation of smoke from organic materials can cause various health problems.[34]
By comparison, studies on the vaporization of cannabis found that subjects were "only 40% as likely to report respiratory symptoms as users who do not vaporize, even when age, sex, cigarette use, and amount of cannabis consumed are controlled."[35] Another study found vaporizers to be "a safe and effective cannabinoid delivery system."[36][37]

Effects

Main short-term physical effects of cannabis.
Cannabis has psychoactive and physiological effects when consumed. The minimum amount of THC required to have a perceptible psychoactive effect is about 10 micrograms per kilogram of body weight.[23] Aside from a subjective change in perception, the most common short-term physical and neurological effects include increased heart rate, lowered blood pressure, impairment of psychomotor coordination, concentration, and short-term episodic and working memory.[24] Long-term effects are less clearCannabis is ranked one of the least harmful drugs by the UK medical journal, The Lancet.[38]

While a study in New Zealand of 79 lung-cancer patients suggested daily cannabis smokers have a 5.7 times higher risk of lung cancer than non-users,[39] another study of 2252 people in Los Angeles failed to find a correlation between the smoking of cannabis and lung, head or neck cancers.[40] These effects have been attributed to the well documented anti-tumoral properties of cannabinoids, specifically tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol. Some studies have also found that moderate cannabis use may protect against head and neck cancers,[41] as well as lung cancer.[42] Some studies have shown that cannabidiol may also be useful in treating breast cancer.[43]
Cannabis use has been assessed by several studies to be correlated with the development of anxiety, psychosis, and depression,[44][45] however, no causal mechanism has been proven, and the meaning of the correlation and its direction is a subject of debate that has not been resolved in the scientific community. Some studies assess that the causality is more likely to involve a path from cannabis use to psychotic symptoms rather than a path from psychotic symptoms to cannabis use,[46] while others assess the opposite direction of the causality, or hold cannabis to only form parts of a "causal constellation", while not inflicting mental health problems that would not have occurred in the absence of the cannabis use.[47][48]
Though cannabis use has at times been associated with stroke, there is no firmly established link, and potential mechanisms are unknown.[49] Similarly, there is no established relationship between cannabis use and heart disease, including exacerbation of cases of existing heart disease.[50] Though some fMRI studies have shown changes in neurological function in long term heavy cannabis users, no long term behavioral effects after abstinence have been linked to these change.

God made Marijuana and Man Made pills-Who do you trust more?