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According to a recent research, more than 500,000 US citizens have died from HIV/AIDS and more than 1 million Americans are living with the disease.

If you have been diagnosed with the disease, the symptoms may include loss of appetite, peripheral neuropathy, weight loss, and pain. The side effects of the medications may include vomiting, anxiety, trouble sleeping, pain, and nausea.

These symptoms are often unbearable, but you can reduce and manage them using medical marijuana. Evidence-based studies recognize medical marijuana as an effective treatment for symptoms of HIV/AIDS and the side effects related to other forms of medications.

Many HIV/AIDS patients are now using medical marijuana to help them manage the uncomfortable symptoms they may be experiencing from the condition or its treatment.

In fact, according to a study published in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, more than 60% of HIV/AIDS patients use marijuana as medicine. Is medical marijuana a suitable treatment option for you or a loved one?

To answer this question, you must first understand what HIV/AIDS is, its treatments, and also learn how cannabis for HIV/AIDS works.

What Is HIV/AIDS?

When you hear people mention HIV/AIDS, they are discussing two different yet interconnected conditions.

  • Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
  • Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS)

Symptoms of HIV may include mouth ulcers, sore throat, muscle aches, rash, night sweats, fever, fatigue, and swollen lymph nodes. When HIV is left untreated, it leads to AIDS.

Symptoms of AIDS may include profuse night sweats, loss of appetite, sores on the genitals, anus or mouth, neurological disorders, depression, memory loss, diarrhea lasting for more than a week, recurring fever, and extreme tiredness.

However, not all patients with HIV reach the AIDS stage.

HIV Treatments

There five main types of HIV treatments. They include;

  • Protease inhibitors
  • Reverse transcriptase (RT) inhibitors
  • Integrase inhibitors
  • Fusion inhibitors
  • Multi-drug combinations

Although these drugs show results, they can cause nausea, which then leads to loss of appetite and weight loss already associated with the condition. Over time, these symptoms can cause AIDS wasting syndrome, one of the leading causes of HIV/AIDS deaths.

HIV treatments also have potential side effects such as trouble sleeping, depression, mood changes, anxiety, and nerve ending pain. Medical cannabis can help you manage these symptoms.

Why Cannabis is An Effective Treatment

Many HIV patients experience uncomfortable symptoms due to their antiretroviral therapy. These symptoms are unbearable and can force some patients to abandon their antiretroviral therapy entirely. However, those who use medical marijuana alongside their HIV/AIDS treatments are more likely to continue with their conventional treatments.

Why? This is because marijuana deals with vomiting, appetite loss, and nausea associated with conventional treatments. In turn, this reduces the neuropathic pain that patients feel when undergoing drug therapy.

Previous studies also show that pot can inhibit the virus replicating within a patient’s body.

Taking the above into consideration, pot is a positive and useful addition to your conventional treatment.

What Symptoms Can Cannabis Treat?

  • Reduce peripheral neuropathy – peripheral neuropathy is a common form of pain associated with HIV/AID and occurs when the nerves outside the spinal cord and brain become damaged. Peripheral neuropathy leads to pain, impaired coordination, muscle loss, and paraesthesia. A study found out that peripheral neuropathy sufferers who use pot felt that cannabis reduced their nerve pain.
  • Reduce nausea – A survey carried out in 2005 indicates that 93% HIV-positive respondents experienced nausea relief from medical cannabis.
  • Improve mood and depression – Pot is known as a mood- booster. Therefore, if you suffer from anxiety, depression, or mood-swings, pot could go a long way towards helping you.
  • Stimulate appetite – Another study found that 97% of the 500 HIV-positive patients surveyed indicated that taking marijuana improved their appetite.

Best Strains Of Cannabis

There numerous strains of cannabis out there, but not all of them can help you cope with HIV/AIDS. Here are the best strains of pot that can help you manage HIV/AIDS symptoms;

  • Blue Diamond  – This strain makes HIV patients happier and doesn’t leave them feeling knocked out or tired.
  • Big Wreck – Can’t sleep? Well, this strain might help. Big Wreck puts you in a relaxed state of mind and will help you fall asleep.
  • Critical Sensi Star – This strain will help you reduce pain and nausea in addition to stimulating your appetite.
  • Diamond OG – This strain is useful when experiencing substantial pain and discomfort. The stain helps improve your mood and also reduces pain significantly.

Are you tired of the unending pains associated with HIV/AIDS? Visit our Boca Raton Medical Marijuana Clinic to pre-qualify for medical marijuana that will help reduce or manage HIV/AIDS symptoms. Call us today!

  • (561) 571-9076