Marijuana withdrawal syndrome.“ he told Reuters Health van Previous research had shown that there is in fact a „. These new findings give some idea of its significance, Vandrey explained.

Van fromthis van It is not clear van whethermarijuana study de ontwenningsverschijnselen hinder many people die from successfully. quitting Van marijuanausers van However. Vandrey said that past surveys of de treatment have shown that people with ontwenningsverschijnselen in tend to have more failed quit attempts.

The men and women in the current study, published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, used marijuana four times a day, on average, and smoked an average of 20 cigarettes per day.

None was in treatment or had any plans to quit either drug.

Vandrey and his colleagues had the volunteers go through three separate five-day periods of abstinence: one in which they quit tobacco, one in which they quit marijuana and one in which they quit both.

Across the group as a whole, the researchers found, withdrawal from marijuana was as severe as nicotine withdrawal. De ontwenningsverschijnselen were not worse. however. when the volunteers quit both drugs at once.

The findings, according to Vandrey, should help give heavy marijuana users some idea of what to expect in terms of withdrawal.

He said other studies are looking at ways to ease these symptoms, such as treatment with an oral form of THC, the main active substance in marijuana. Sleep medication, Vandrey noted, could potentially help, since poor sleep is often part of withdrawal, but this has yet to be studied.

SOURCE: Drug and Alcohol Dependence, January 2008.

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