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Did you know that the estimated number of HIV-positive individuals in the US is 1.2 million? Human immunodeficiency virus is known as HIV, and 13% of those who have it are unaware that they have it. While there isn’t a known cure for HIV and AIDS, there are a number of holistic and conventional treatments that can help manage the symptoms. A normal life expectancy similar to that of HIV-negative people can be increased with early detection, appropriate medical care, and a healthy lifestyle.
Research indicates that cannabis has a number of therapeutic effects that may help treat a variety of illnesses. However, a number of states do not allow for the legal use of medical marijuana. For example, New York City requires patients who wish to use marijuana for medical purposes to obtain a medical marijuana card.
Body fluids like blood, genital fluids, and breastmilk can spread an infection. About 80% of cases of HIV are transmitted through unprotected sexual contact. HIV infection can result from sharing tainted needles with an infected person. HIV can also be transferred from mother to kid through nursing.
To refute a few widespread myths, HIV does not spread through:
Some people with HIV may not show any symptoms for more than ten years, but early symptoms can appear within a few days or weeks of exposure. The virus still has the ability to spread to other people even in the absence of symptoms.
Among the signs of HIV are:
Not everyone with HIV will exhibit the same symptoms. It is crucial to remember that diagnosing HIV/AIDS cannot be done based only on symptoms. Diagnosing with the help of a qualified medical practitioner is the most accurate way to go.
Some pharmacies sell discrete at-home saliva testing kits for individuals who would prefer more privacy. One must wait 30 minutes before taking the test and refrain from eating or drinking.
Results can be obtained in 20 to 40 minutes by swiping the upper and lower gums and then inserting the applicator into a tube filled with liquid. False positive or false negative test results are still possible, even with a 92% test sensitivity performance. Further testing with a medical professional might be necessary if you have any doubts.
Please be aware that customers must be at least 17 years old to purchase the HIV rapid home test.
People with HIV frequently report feeling less hungry, but it’s crucial that they don’t lose weight. Cannabis can be used to increase appetite when it starts to become a problem.
143 (27%) of the 523 HIV-positive patients surveyed in 2005 reported using cannabis to control their symptoms. A resounding 97% of them stated that their appetite had improved.
A double-blind trial comparing the effects of oral dronabinol (a synthetic form of THC) with smoked cannabis was carried out in 2007. In comparison to a placebo, this study indicated that in HIV-positive cannabis users, both dronabinol and cannabis increased caloric intake in a dose-dependent manner.
According to recent (2018) research, eating cannabis vapor—which mimics the common cannabis consumption method—reduces the frequency of meals, albeit their size. It caused lab rats to eat when applied, despite the fact that they had just finished eating. Therefore, it’s thought to deceive the brain’s appetite sensors into thinking that food is present.
Overall food consumption in the 2017 study was 404 kcal, but the distribution of nutrient intake was significantly shifted by dronabinol and cannabis use. Patients receiving a placebo obtained 36% of their nutrients from fat, 13% from protein, and 51% from carbohydrates. However, this altered after receiving either dronabinol or cannabis:
Dronabinol: Consumption of fat rose to 40% while that of carbohydrates fell.
Cannabis: While fat consumption tended to rise, protein consumption fell to 11%.
Patients who received high doses of both dronabinol and cannabis also saw a noticeable increase in body weight. The average weight of the respondents was 77.5 kg when they were on a placebo; however, after four days of cannabis, they gained 1.1 kg, and after four days of dronabinol, they gained 1.2 kg.
One of the most prevalent signs of HIV infection is nausea, which can have a complex range of causes as the illness worsens. Disorders of the central nervous system, hepatorenal dysfunction, gastrointestinal problems, or the disease’s therapeutic interventions can all cause nausea.
It is commonly known that certain synthetic analogues and cannabinoids can help patients with HIV/AIDS manage their nausea symptoms. By indirectly activating a particular serotonin receptor in the dorsal raphe nucleus, a specific location on the brainstem’s midline, cannabidiol reduces nausea and vomiting.
In fact, the US Food & Drug Administration has approved the THC analogue dronabinol for the treatment of nausea and appetite loss related to HIV and cancer. In 1995, a pioneering study on the use of dronabinol to treat AIDS-related appetite loss was published. It revealed that patients’ nausea improved by 20% on average.
93% of HIV-positive cannabis users reported subjective improvements in nausea after smoking, according to the aforementioned 2005 patient survey. Another study conducted in 2005 discovered that cannabis users were more likely than non-users to stick to their antiretroviral therapy among HIV-positive patients who were experiencing nausea. Cannabis use did not significantly improve adherence in patients who were not experiencing nausea, suggesting that reducing nausea symptoms increased adherence.
HIV/AIDS patients frequently experience anxiety, depression, and mood disorders, which can be brought on by a confluence of harmful physiological, psychological, and social influences. According to a 2005 patient survey, 86% of participants said their depression had improved and 93% said they had felt less anxious after using cannabis.
According to the aforementioned 2007 double-blind study, both dronabinol and cannabis produced a “good drug effect” that elevated respondents’ emotions of friendliness, stimulation, and self-assurance. It’s interesting to note that subjects appeared to experience higher levels of anxiety in response to lower doses of THC than to higher doses of THC or dronabinol at any dose.
Joint, nerve, and muscle pain are just a few of the complex sources of severe and incapacitating pain that can be brought on by HIV/AIDS. 53.7% of 296 socioeconomically disadvantaged patients in a 2011 cross-sectional study reported having severe pain, 38.1% reported having moderate pain, and 8.2% reported having mild pain. More than half of the participants were prescribed an opioid analgesic. Depressive episodes were also found to be correlated with more severe pain.
In a 2005 patient survey, 94% of participants reported that using cannabis had helped them feel less pain in their muscles. Additionally, 90% reported improvement in paresthesia (burning, tingling, and prickling sensations) and 85% in neuropathy (nerve pain).
It is remarkable that cannabis can significantly reduce chronic pain in HIV/AIDS patients over an extended period of time. Opioid-related deaths may decrease and more people in need of medicine may have access to safer and potentially less expensive alternatives if they were to replace opioid use in underprivileged populations.
Peripheral neuropathy, which occurs when one or more peripheral nerve system (any portion of the nervous system outside the brain and spinal cord) nerves are damaged, causing pain, twitching, paresthesia, muscle loss, and poor coordination, is a particular and extremely common type of pain linked to HIV/AIDS. Research indicates that cannabis may be able to alleviate the symptoms of peripheral neuropathy in people living with HIV/AIDS and other conditions where it may manifest, like diabetes.
Apart from the aforementioned subjective accounts of decreased nerve pain and paraesthesia, multiple additional investigations have evaluated the potential of cannabis to ameliorate peripheral neuropathy in patients living with HIV/AIDS.
67 out of 450 patients with peripheral neuropathy who participated in a 2007 patient survey in the United States, Puerto Rico, Colombia, and Taiwan said they used cannabis to reduce their symptoms.
In a 2007 randomized placebo-controlled trial, 52% of the cannabis-using group and only 24% of the control group reported pain reductions of over 30% and no significant side effects. Compared to 15% in the placebo group, the first joint smoked by cannabis users reduced chronic pain by a median of 72%.
A double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study conducted in 2009 examined the impact of cannabis on HIV-associated polyneuropathy. Of the 28 participants, 46% of the cannabis-using group and 18% of the control group experienced a reduction in neuropathy of more than 30%. Additionally, it was discovered that throughout the study, improvements in mood, physical disability, and quality of life were all made to a comparable extent.
Before beginning to use medical marijuana, we always advise you to speak with a medical marijuana doctor, even though it has many therapeutic benefits and might even be able to treat HIV/AIDS. You will learn about the things that are illegal in your state, even if you have a medical card, and how to use marijuana safely with the assistance of a doctor.
