Cannabis Use Improves Retention and Virological Outcomes in Patients Treated for Hepatitis C
Diana L. Sylvestre, Barry J. Clements and Yvonne Malibu, "Cannabis use improves retention and virological outcomes in patients treated for hepatitis C," European Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology 18, issue 10 (October 2006): 1057-1063.
Treatment for the hepatitis C virus (HCV) utilizing the drugs ribavirin and interferon is known for its severe side effects, including nausea, vomiting, weight loss, sleeplessness, and depression, which cause many patients to discontinue the long, demanding regimen prematurely. In this study -- which focused on a difficult patient population: 71 recovering drug users receiving methadone maintenance while simultaneously being treated for HCV -- those using marijuana were significantly more likely to complete their treatment regimens. As a result, those who used marijuana were three times more likely to successfully clear the deadly virus from their systems. The researchers theorized that marijuana relieved the patients' medication side effects sufficiently to allow them to complete treatment.
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