LGBTQ+ Month – How Medical Cannabis Helps HIV Patients

February is LGBTQ+ history month and, with TV programme ‘It’s A Sin’ taking the UK by storm and highlighting the AIDS Crisis in the 80s, we wanted to take a moment to show our support for the LGBTQ+ community.

Thanks to medical research, a positive HIV result is no longer the death sentence that it used to be. A key area in which medical cannabis has useful clinical application is around the management of symptoms relating to a wide range of conditions, notably those that require extensive therapy, and often in cases of chronic disease.

While there is now an effective pharmaceutical approach to the treatment of HIV, cannabis has been investigated for its potential in managing both the direct symptoms of the disease, in addition to the side effects of frontline treatments. These are mostly concerned with improving appetite, reducing nausea and relieving neuropathic pain.

Studies have indicated that up to a third of HIV patients use medical cannabis, and of these a range of benefits were reported, including improved appetite (97%), muscle pain (94%), nausea (93%), anxiety (93%), nerve pain (90%), depression (86%), and paresthesia (85%).

These sorts of findings support a more comprehensive study of medical cannabis for HIV treatments, with the aim of determining whether or not they can be introduced into public healthcare.

If you’re sexually active, it’s important to get tested regularly. Catching any diseases early are key to treating them successfully. We’ll be continuing to share research on how medical cannabis has helped treat symptoms over the rest of the month, and are proud to stand with the LGBTQ+ community.