Synthetic Marijuana May Ease Depression??

Kinder, Gentler Marijuana Reduces Anxiety

Reviewed By  Michael Smith, MD

Dec. 2, 2002 -- A distant chemical relative of marijuana may hold the promise of relieving depression and anxiety without the negative side effects of a marijuana high.

A new study shows the synthetic forms of the active ingredient in marijuana are gentler on the brains of animals and work much in the same way as popular antidepressants such as Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa, and Paxil.

Initial results from laboratory tests of the experimental new drugs appear on Nature Medicine's web site and will be published in the January 2003 issue of the journal.

Researchers say it's the first study to demonstrate how anxiety is controlled by a natural network of chemicals in the brain known as anandamides, which play a role in regulating pain, mood, and other psychological functions, and may pave the way for new treatments for mental disorders.

The active ingredient in marijuana, THC, is already known to affect this system of nerve transmitters, but at a price.

"THC reduces anxiety by binding directly to receptors in the brain and resulting in its familiar 'high' sensation," says study researcher Daniele Piomelli, PhD, of the department of pharmacology at the University of California, Irvine, in a news release. "The reaction is too strong, creating marijuana's side effects."

Side effects of THC include dizziness, lethargy, and in some cases miscarriage or stillbirth among women.

In this study, researchers identified two synthetic forms of THC, called URB532 and URB595, which worked in a gentler way than marijuana to relieve anxiety and depression.

Rather than acting directly on the receptors in the brain, the drugs inhibited the activity of an enzyme that breaks apart anandamide -- keeping levels of natural anti-depressant for many hours after a single dose without significant side effects.

Researchers say the effect is similar as that achieved by antidepressants known as SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) that act on serotonin, another natural antidepressant chemical in the brain.

Although the results are promising, the study authors stress that much more research is needed before these drugs can be tested on humans.

JOSH'S COMMENTS (Dec 9, 2002): Ummm okay? First off...if they have the same effects as the SSRI's, then why forget about the synthetic stuff here and prescrive the...umm, well, the SSRI's?! Seems like they're spending a lot of time and money to research a chemical that seems to be present in drugs that are ALREADY on the market! Secondly- they know it relieves depression and anxiety HOW? Did they ask the mice if they felt happier and less anxious? Anxiety and Depression are physiological aspects in the brain, but we cannot deny that they are also intangible and cannot be measured by science. There is more to our brains than what science can see and actively measure...so the rates that these chemicals are present says nothing. Scientists themselves will admit that they're not even POSITIVE that seratonin levels in the brain is actually the cause of depression and anxiety...but, it SEEMS to help relieve both, so they think that's what might cause it. Many people prescribe to the idea of the placeabo effect, yet the hosts of Indiana University's A Moment of Science said recently that science has never once confirmed that the placeabo effecte even exists, and that it is, thus far, a myth. But, doctors and scientists keep talking about the effect as tho it DOES exist, so it goes a long way to show you that you really can't put 100% of your trust into anything these guys say. You have to remember that some of these guys think their white lab coats are equal to know-it-all suits...but, we all know, they're not.