The availability of cannabis by prescription in Australia for medicinal products is becoming more acceptable. In the face of growing public interest, product commercialisation, and significant patient request for access, many countries are loosening their cannabis regulations. The large majority of Australians are in favour of medical marijuana use. Media stories of patients with incurable diseases whose lives have been changed by cannabis-based medicines have inspired this support.
Medical professionals are naturally hesitant when it comes to medical cannabis. According to a study of Australian GPs, they are unaware of the entrance methods, accessible products, and evidence foundation promoting medicinal cannabis. Patients frequently inquire about cannabis, but only a tiny percentage of doctors are comfortable discussing it with their patients. Overall, GPs are favourable about prescription medicinal cannabis, especially for serious diseases including chemotherapy-induced nausea, cancer pain, epilepsy, and hard-to-treat neurological diseases, if granted enough control. Continue reading to find out more information on cannabis by prescription and how you can access products.
What Is The Definition Of Medical Cannabis?
Medicinal cannabis products are high-quality, authorised medicines that a physician can recommend. Medicinal cannabis is a type of cannabis that can be used to treat the symptoms of certain medical diseases and the adverse effects of certain medications. There are a variety of medicinal cannabis medicines available to address various ailments. Cannabinoids are the active elements in therapeutic cannabis. There are between 80 and 100 different cannabinoids in medicinal cannabis, and scientists continually learn about how they all act. Cannabinoids cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are present in most therapeutic cannabis products at the moment (THC).
Purchasing Products
TGA Special Access Scheme Category B (SAS-B) and Authorised Prescriber Scheme provide access to unregistered cannabis-based medicines. Although the Authorised Prescriber Scheme is used in some cases, SAS-B is used in most cases. Instead of prescribing a prescription to a single patient, the latter allows a physician to do so for a group of patients (e.g. paediatric neurologists prescribing CBD products for children with epilepsy).
What Kinds Of Cannabis-Based Medicines Are Available?
Medicinal cannabis products come in various forms, depending on the symptoms or conditions they’re meant to help with. You can also change how you take them. Your doctor will need to analyse your needs and determine whether a medicinal cannabis product is right for you. Most items are imported, however as the Australian medicinal cannabis sector matures, more locally available products are expected.
The Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods currently lists only one cannabis-based drug, nabiximols (Sativex). It’s an oromucosal spray with a 1:1 THC/CBD ratio that’s been approved to help persons with multiple sclerosis with spasticity. Cannabidiol (Epidiolex), a plant-derived oil-based formulation, is another CBD product.
Dispensary
Dispensing pharmacies are clinics that sell therapeutic cannabis products. It’s critical that the dispensing pharmacist understands the product and keeps communication channels accessible with both the patient and the physician. There is frequently a dose scaling during the beginning weeks of therapy, which must be communicated to the patient.
Conditions That Have Been Treated
The majority of SAS-B approvals are for the treatment of persistent non-cancer pain, neck pain, lower back pain, arthritis, and neuropathic pain are all examples of this. Oral preparations containing THC and, in certain cases, CBD are used to treat these conditions. Cancer-related symptoms, insomnia, epilepsy, and spasticity in multiple sclerosis are typical SAS-B approvals. CBD-only medications are utilised in all of these illnesses, but anxiety and epilepsy patients are more likely to take them.
Side Effects
Medical practitioners should discuss the benefits and risks of medicinal cannabis with their patients to obtain informed permission for this therapeutic approach. Both minor and significant negative effects must be disclosed to patients. Cannabis, CBD, and THC are usually well endured by patients, with only a few serious side effects. THC can have a sedating type of effects at high doses, making new users dizzy and disoriented. THC can also stimulate appetite. THC has an intoxication dose of at least 10 mg in a novice user, while some patients may be more sensitive. The ideal strategy is to start low and gradually increase the dose.
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