The use of cannabinoid derivatives to treat certain diseases can lead to negative effects.
Research led by Professor Raquel Abalo, from the Rey Juan Carlos University of Madrid, states that administration at high doses can lead to problems, such as central depression and delayed gastric emptying and intestinal transit.
This research is titled Lights and shadows of cannabinoid therapy. It explains that marijuana-derived drugs could be useful for relieving pain, nausea, or muscle contractures. After a study with rats, the results show that administering cannabinoids does not produce significant alterations, whether in the central nervous system, the gastrointestinal tract, or the cardiovascular system.
However, there are indications that its use at high doses presents side effects from the very first administration of the drug. Tolerance can develop if the treatment is short and intense, or it can intensify if it is milder but more prolonged. In addition, researchers have also found that long-term treatment can cause changes in cardiac function, as well as alter weight gain.
“Therefore, cannabinoids, although they may be of interest for the treatment of numerous conditions, many of them chronic, are not without problems that can affect different organs, not only the central nervous system,” says Dr. Abalo.
Therefore, according to this study, “the patient’s characteristics must be assessed very carefully, since some observed alterations, such as heart disease or gastrointestinal discomfort, may pose an additional risk in certain patients.”
