Research from Stanford University found that dronabinol, a synthetic version of THC, helped mitigate night sweats in study subjects.
Cancer patients often experience increased body temperatures as a side effect of medical treatments. Some cancers, such as those affecting the breasts or prostate gland, can cause hormone production to go haywire, which can also cause more sweating.
Cannabis and its cannabinoid components can soothe inflammation in the body. By reducing the body’s immune response, body temperatures lower, too.
Night sweats may merely embarrass some folks, but for cancer patients, it can lead to chronic insomnia. Losing precious sleep interferes with a patient’s ability to function on a day-to-day basis, as well as lowers his or her immune system.
According to a blog post at NORML, the researchers concluded, “Once the patients experienced resolution of their night sweats, other symptoms such as anxiety and fatigue improved as well, which lead to an improvement of their overall quality of life.”
It took less than a week to see dronabinol’s effect on the study’s patients.
Does this mean sparking a joint before bed can keep the sweats at bay? Possibly. Dronabinol, sold under the brand name Marinol, only contains synthetic THC. The pharmaceutical spray does not contain the plant’s other compounds.
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