Thc what is

Short for tetrahydrocannabinol, THC is the component in marijuana responsible for the plant's psychoactive effects. When you feel "high" after using marijuana, that's because of THC. THC is a cannabinoid, a category of chemicals that interact with the body's endocannabinoid system. By attaching to cannabinoid receptors in the brain, THC activates neurons that influence pleasure, memory, thinking, coordination, and time perception.

Some research and anecdotal evidence indicate THC may be used to treat a range of medical conditions. And from a recreational standpoint, it can feel good, causing a sensation of euphoria and relaxation in some. Instead, it changes how those receptors react to THC. In the United States, cannabis is federally illegal. However, on the state level legality varies :. CBD from industrial hemp or cannabis with less than 0. THC will build up in your system over time, so how frequently you use THC determines how long it remains in your body.

In general, THC can be detected in infrequent users for one to three days after last use and 30 days or longer in chronic users. Your method of consumption plays a role, too: For example, your body takes longer to process the THC in an edible, meaning it will stay in your system longer than vaping or smoking. Infrequent Users. Chronic Users.

Urine Test. Saliva Test. Hair Test. Dronabinol and nabilone are used to treat nausea and vomiting caused by cancer chemotherapy. Are cannabis or cannabinoids helpful in treating health conditions? Research has been done on the effects of cannabis or cannabinoids on chronic pain, particularly neuropathic pain pain associated with nerve injury or damage. A review looked at 47 studies 4, participants of cannabis or cannabinoids for various types of chronic pain other than cancer pain and found evidence of a small benefit.

The difference may be too small to be meaningful to patients. A review of 16 studies of cannabis-based medicines for neuropathic pain, most of which tested a cannabinoid preparation called nabiximols brand name Sativex; a mouth spray containing both THC and CBD that is approved in some countries but not in the United States , found low- to moderate-quality evidence that these medicines produced better pain relief than placebos did. However, the data could not be considered reliable because the studies included small numbers of people and may have been biased.

People taking cannabis-based medicines were more likely than those taking placebos to drop out of studies because of side effects. A review of 28 studies 2, participants of cannabinoids in which chronic pain was assessed found the studies generally showed improvements in pain measures in people taking cannabinoids, but these did not reach statistical significance in most of the studies.

However, the average number of patients who reported at least a 30 percent reduction in pain was greater with cannabinoids than with placebo. Helping To Decrease Opioid Use. A review looked at studies in people in which cannabinoids were administered along with opioids to treat pain. These studies were designed to determine whether cannabinoids could make it possible to control pain with smaller amounts of opioids. There were 9 studies total participants , of which 3 participants used a high-quality study design in which participants were randomly assigned to receive cannabinoids or a placebo.

The results were inconsistent, and none of the high-quality studies indicated that cannabinoids could lead to decreased opioid use. The findings have been inconsistent. States with medical marijuana laws were found to have lower prescription rates both for opioids and for all drugs that cannabis could substitute for among people on Medicare. However, data from a national survey not limited to people on Medicare showed that users of medical marijuana were more likely than nonusers to report taking prescription drugs.

An analysis of data from to indicated that states with medical marijuana laws had lower death rates from overdoses of opioid pain medicines, but when a similar analysis was extended through , it showed higher death rates from this kind of overdose.

An analysis of survey data from to found that passing of medical marijuana laws was not associated with less nonmedical prescription opioid use. Thus, people with access to medical marijuana did not appear to be substituting it for prescription opioids.

A small amount of evidence from studies in people suggests that cannabis or cannabinoids might help to reduce anxiety. One study of 24 people with social anxiety disorder found that they had less anxiety in a simulated public speaking test after taking CBD than after taking a placebo.

Four studies have suggested that cannabinoids may be helpful for anxiety in people with chronic pain; the study participants did not necessarily have anxiety disorders. Cannabinoids, primarily CBD, have been studied for the treatment of seizures associated with forms of epilepsy that are difficult to control with other medicines.

Epidiolex oral CBD has been approved by the FDA for the treatment of seizures associated with two epileptic encephalopathies: Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome. Epileptic encephalopathies are a group of seizure disorders that start in childhood and involve frequent seizures along with severe impairments in cognitive development.

Early treatment can often prevent severe loss of vision. Lowering pressure in the eye can slow progression of the disease. Studies conducted in the s and s showed that cannabis or substances derived from it could lower pressure in the eye, but not as effectively as treatments already in use.

One limitation of cannabis-based products is that they only affect pressure in the eye for a short period of time. A recent animal study showed that CBD, applied directly to the eye, may cause an undesirable increase in pressure in the eye.

This approval was based primarily on a study of people that assessed effects of dronabinol on appetite and weight changes. Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Inflammatory bowel disease is the name for a group of conditions in which the digestive tract becomes inflamed. Symptoms may include abdominal pain, diarrhea, loss of appetite, weight loss, and fever. The symptoms can range from mild to severe, and they can come and go, sometimes disappearing for months or years and then returning.

Some people using cannabis or cannabis oil had improvements in symptoms, but some had undesirable side effects. It was uncertain whether the potential benefits of cannabis or cannabis oil were greater than the potential harms.

A review examined 2 studies 92 participants that compared smoked cannabis or CBD capsules with placebos in people with active ulcerative colitis. In the CBD study, there was no difference between the two groups in clinical remission, but the people taking CBD had more side effects. In the smoked cannabis study, a measure of disease activity was lower after 8 weeks in the cannabis group; no information on side effects was reported.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Irritable bowel syndrome IBS is defined as repeated abdominal pain with changes in bowel movements diarrhea, constipation, or both. Movement Disorders Due to Tourette Syndrome. A review of 2 small placebo-controlled studies with 36 participants suggested that synthetic THC capsules may be associated with a significant improvement in tic severity in patients with Tourette syndrome.

Multiple Sclerosis. Evidence-based guidelines issued in by the American Academy of Neurology concluded that nabiximols is probably effective for improving subjective spasticity symptoms, probably ineffective for reducing objective spasticity measures or bladder incontinence, and possibly ineffective for reducing multiple sclerosis—related tremor.

Based on two small studies, the guidelines concluded that the data are inadequate to evaluate the effects of smoked cannabis in people with multiple sclerosis. A analysis of 3 studies participants of nabiximols in people with multiple sclerosis and spasticity found that nabiximols reduced subjective spasticity, usually within 3 weeks, and that about one-third of people given nabiximols as an addition to other treatment would have at least a 30 percent improvement in spasticity.

Nabiximols appeared to be reasonably safe. Nausea and Vomiting Related to Cancer Chemotherapy. A review of 23 studies 1, participants on the cannabinoids dronabinol or nabilone for treating nausea and vomiting related to cancer chemotherapy found that they were more helpful than a placebo and similar in effectiveness to other medicines used for this purpose.

More people had side effects such as dizziness or sleepiness, though, when taking the cannabinoid medicines. The research on dronabinol and nabilone for treating nausea and vomiting related to cancer chemotherapy was done primarily in the s and s and reflects the types of chemotherapy treatments and choices of antinausea medicines available at that time rather than current ones. In one very small study 10 people , the cannabinoid nabilone was more effective than a placebo at relieving PTSD-related nightmares.

Sleep Problems. Many studies of cannabis or cannabinoids in people with health problems such as multiple sclerosis, PTSD, or chronic pain have looked at effects on sleep.

Are cannabis and cannabinoids safe? Several concerns have been raised about the safety of cannabis and cannabinoids: The use of cannabis has been linked to an increased risk of motor vehicle crashes. Standard drug tests typically look for chemicals related to THC, so you can expect that THC would show up on a screen. The short answer is yes. Although almost negligible and such a small amount would never be enough to cause any of the psychoactive side effects, it is still likely to show up on a drug test.

But these two compounds have distinct properties that separate them from one another. THC is associated with the high feeling or psychoactive effects, and CBD is more well known for its health benefits.

Before using either, be sure to check with your doctor and consider how these will affect other medications you are already taking. August 13, By firstcrop. Side Effects CBD rarely exhibits any noticeable side effects, even when taken in very large doses. Related Posts.

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