Introduction
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an unpredictable and disabling disease of the Central Nervous System (CNS), which is made up of the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves. The Multiple Sclerosis Foundation estimates that more than 400,000 people in the United States and about 2.5 million people around the world suffer from Multiple Sclerosis (“Definition of MS,” n.d.). According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the exact antigen whic targets the immune cells to attack remains unknown to this day. Damage to the myelin coating around the nerve fibers in the Central Nervous System and to the nerve fibers themselves interferes with the transmission of nerve signals between the brain, spinal cord and the rest of the body. This results in disrupted nerve signals, causing the many unpredictable symptoms of MS, which vary from one individual to another. In recent years, researchers have been able to identify which immune cells are mounting the attack, some of the factors that cause them to attack, and some of the sites, or receptors, on the attacking cells that appear to be attracted to the myelin to begin the destructive process (“What Causes MS?,” n.d.). Ongoing efforts to learn more about the debilitating disease is a global movement of millions working toward a world free of MS. One of the most pronounced symptoms of MS is neurological pain (neuralgia), with many MS sufferers stating they experience pain as a result of the disease (Jawahar, Oh, Yang, & Lapane, 2013). Due to the fact that extreme chronic pain can severely compromise the quality of life for the afflicted individual, pain management is a vital component of MS treatment. Various types of drugs, including anticonvulsants, antidepressants, cough suppressants, and opioids, may be administered as method of pain management, but none are a panacea (Jawahar et al., 2013). Cannabinoids, which are chemicals derived primarily from the psychoactive compound found in marijuana (tetrahydrocannabinol or THC), are also seeing more consideration for their applicability in the treatment of MS-related neuralgia. One of the most common methods of pain relief are opioids, which can have serious side effects for those who have taken them. …show more content…
Despite their potential to minimize pain, opioids can be highly addictive, which can pose a significant problem for those who take them to manage chronic pain. Cannabinoids, however, can be seen as a more natural method of reducing pain, as they are derived from a plant, and do not directly possess addictive qualities. On opposite ends of the pharmacological spectrum, opioids and cannabinoids operate in vastly different ways and offer their own risks and benefits when in relation treating various MS symptoms in patients. This difference drives the purpose of this systematic review, which is to compare and contrast these two types of drugs in order to determine their feasibility in the relief of MS-induced neuralgia. Methods Electronic Searches Three databases: ProQuest Medical, CINAHL Complete and PubMed were recently searched for relevant articles published from a collaboration of databases dated since 2007. In an effort to search the articles of most relevance to the research question, the inquiry was conducted based upon specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. Specific keywords such as endocannabinoid system, cannabinoids, pain relief, multiple sclerosis, and pain were used in the search. The exclusion search criteria began with articles that were not offered in full text, or peer-reviewed and had a publication date earlier than 2007. All three researchers collectively searched through numerous articles to ensure the most relevant and valuable information and sources towards addressing the research question. ProQuest Medical ProQuest Medical Library was one of the three search …show more content…
Inclusion criteria of “NOT cannabinoids” was utilized to exclude all articles pertaining to our investigative research of cannabinoids and to solely focus on opioid based drug therapy. From the initial keyword search 1432 articles resulted. From the initial 1432 articles, “Full Text” was selected which reduced the total to 1354 articles. Secondly “Publication dates 2007-2017” was selected to keep our scope of research within an acceptable range which resulted in 1111 articles. Lastly, to harness the most credible sources, “Scholarly Articles” was excluded to bring our search result to 521 articles. Exclusion criteria was meant to refine articles to our research focus, validity of research through publication date, and type of source
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an unpredictable and disabling disease of the Central Nervous System (CNS), which is made up of the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves. The Multiple Sclerosis Foundation estimates that more than 400,000 people in the United States and about 2.5 million people around the world suffer from Multiple Sclerosis (“Definition of MS,” n.d.). According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the exact antigen whic targets the immune cells to attack remains unknown to this day. Damage to the myelin coating around the nerve fibers in the Central Nervous System and to the nerve fibers themselves interferes with the transmission of nerve signals between the brain, spinal cord and the rest of the body. This results in disrupted nerve signals, causing the many unpredictable symptoms of MS, which vary from one individual to another. In recent years, researchers have been able to identify which immune cells are mounting the attack, some of the factors that cause them to attack, and some of the sites, or receptors, on the attacking cells that appear to be attracted to the myelin to begin the destructive process (“What Causes MS?,” n.d.). Ongoing efforts to learn more about the debilitating disease is a global movement of millions working toward a world free of MS. One of the most pronounced symptoms of MS is neurological pain (neuralgia), with many MS sufferers stating they experience pain as a result of the disease (Jawahar, Oh, Yang, & Lapane, 2013). Due to the fact that extreme chronic pain can severely compromise the quality of life for the afflicted individual, pain management is a vital component of MS treatment. Various types of drugs, including anticonvulsants, antidepressants, cough suppressants, and opioids, may be administered as method of pain management, but none are a panacea (Jawahar et al., 2013). Cannabinoids, which are chemicals derived primarily from the psychoactive compound found in marijuana (tetrahydrocannabinol or THC), are also seeing more consideration for their applicability in the treatment of MS-related neuralgia. One of the most common methods of pain relief are opioids, which can have serious side effects for those who have taken them. …show more content…
Despite their potential to minimize pain, opioids can be highly addictive, which can pose a significant problem for those who take them to manage chronic pain. Cannabinoids, however, can be seen as a more natural method of reducing pain, as they are derived from a plant, and do not directly possess addictive qualities. On opposite ends of the pharmacological spectrum, opioids and cannabinoids operate in vastly different ways and offer their own risks and benefits when in relation treating various MS symptoms in patients. This difference drives the purpose of this systematic review, which is to compare and contrast these two types of drugs in order to determine their feasibility in the relief of MS-induced neuralgia. Methods Electronic Searches Three databases: ProQuest Medical, CINAHL Complete and PubMed were recently searched for relevant articles published from a collaboration of databases dated since 2007. In an effort to search the articles of most relevance to the research question, the inquiry was conducted based upon specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. Specific keywords such as endocannabinoid system, cannabinoids, pain relief, multiple sclerosis, and pain were used in the search. The exclusion search criteria began with articles that were not offered in full text, or peer-reviewed and had a publication date earlier than 2007. All three researchers collectively searched through numerous articles to ensure the most relevant and valuable information and sources towards addressing the research question. ProQuest Medical ProQuest Medical Library was one of the three search …show more content…
Inclusion criteria of “NOT cannabinoids” was utilized to exclude all articles pertaining to our investigative research of cannabinoids and to solely focus on opioid based drug therapy. From the initial keyword search 1432 articles resulted. From the initial 1432 articles, “Full Text” was selected which reduced the total to 1354 articles. Secondly “Publication dates 2007-2017” was selected to keep our scope of research within an acceptable range which resulted in 1111 articles. Lastly, to harness the most credible sources, “Scholarly Articles” was excluded to bring our search result to 521 articles. Exclusion criteria was meant to refine articles to our research focus, validity of research through publication date, and type of source