Family doctors today debate cannabinoids in chronic pain

Family doctors will today discuss the advantages of using cannabinoids in the treatment of chronic pain and raise awareness among health professionals about this therapy. The online event starts at 19 pm and is promoted by the Portuguese Association of General and Family Medicine (APMGF), aimed at family doctors, Agência Lusa said. Chronic pain affects one in three adults in Portugal.

The webinar, sponsored by Tilray Medical, is themed “Cannabinoids in Chronic Pain — Myths, Facts and Treatment Options”. The debate starts with the doctor Hugo Cordeiro, who will be the moderator, and includes the participation of Artur Aguiar, Radionologist at the IPO in Porto, and Raul Marques Pereira, coordinator of the Pain Study Group at APMGF.

Speaking to Lusa, Hugo Cordeiro, a doctor at Santa Casa da Misericórdia do Porto and a member of the APMGF Pain Study Group, said that “cannabinoids for medicinal purposes are a novelty in Portugal and, therefore, it is expected that this will be the first of several events aimed at disseminating the indications, risks and benefits” of these cannabis derivatives.

At the moment, he explained, “the greatest applicability of this type of product is in cases of patients who do not tolerate the necessary doses of other types of medication or those who are not controlled, despite the use of the maximum doses of this type of medication”.

“Some studies show that cannabinoids even make it possible to reduce the doses of other types of substances, which also have important side effects, and at the same time improve the quality of life” of users, stressed Cordeiro.

Asked if there are still barriers to taking this substance, the doctor said that, at this stage, “the biggest barriers” will be on the part of health professionals due to “ignorance” or “little disclosure”. “What we see on the ground is that patients and family members are already starting to be curious, who are often the first to ask health professionals about the possibility of using this type of substance”, said Hugo Cordeiro.

For the coordinator of the APMGF Pain Study Group, Raul Marques Pereira, “the biggest” limitation to the use of this substance will be the price, despite having some reimbursement. Regarding the advantages of its use, Raul Marques Pereira stated that “the drug has already been proven abroad”, so there is “a lot of safety” in its use.

In his view, “it would be important to be able to use it more”, which involves clarifying the doubts that may exist and the best clinical situations to use it in refractory pain.

In Portugal, one in three adults has chronic pain. “Of course not everyone will need cannabinoids, but there is a percentage that will need it”, said Raul Marques Pereira. As it is a “very wide” group of patients who can benefit from this type of therapy, “it is very important” to expose and discuss this therapy together, he stressed.

For doctor Hugo Cordeiro, the most important thing will be to demystify the dangers associated with these substances: “Be aware that these are products that have been the subject of an extensive safety and quality study and will continue to be so after their introduction on the market and even are associated with fewer side effects than some of the substances that are already in use today. “The use of cannabinoids can help with opioid savings and presents a favorable risk-benefit ratio when taken as prescribed and according to the correct indications”, he concludes.