@thevinnys - we must be thinking along similar thought byways these days - but what I've come across is something a little different.
I have long covid. For the first time after years of making cannabis tinctures that are not decarboxylated (so have the cannabinoids in their acid form with little to no loss of terpenes), last week I decided to decarboxylate a 1:1 THC to CBD ratio strain before putting it into a glycerine based tincture. In other words, for those who thought I'd stopped speaking English there for a moment, for the first time, I started using a tincture with THC in it, as opposed to THCA and CBDA. Upon first use, I noticed a big improvement in what I've suspected for a while now is a mild case of OSA (waking up with a little gasp for air). But it didn't stop there. I also slept through the night without interruption and this has been the case for the three nights since.
So far, no big surprises, right? Especially for regulars on this forum: we all understand well that THC treats OSA: our flagship asset IHL-42x builds upon this by boosting that effect with the addition of acetazolamide which improves the condition via a separate pathway, with synergistic effect.
But what WAS surprising is that my long covid brain fog and circulation/clotting issues have greatly improved, especially the former. In a way it could be counterintuitive to some people: outwardly, stoned people can appear to have a kind of brain fog. But it makes good sense: covid brain fog is thought to be mostly caused by inflammation and THC is anti-inflammatory.
On a hunch, I did a search for "long covid and OSA", and lo-and behold, I found ample suggestions that OSA increases the risk of long-covid. My guess is night time chronic oxygen deprivation may exacerbate the low blood oxygen caused by covid, which in turn could contribute to the long term disruptions.
https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/obstructive-sleep-apnea-associated-increased-risks-long-covidThis is a bit of a breakthrough realization for my personal health situation, but also potentially for our investment.
Although my potential OSA is undiagnosed, the improvement from my tincture cements the notion that I probably do have at least mild OSA and to learn this in quick succession with the fact that it could be linked to long covid? And both have seen improvement thanks to the tincture? I'm really pleased with this development and look forward to increased well-being. I've roughly calculated a dosage that corresponds to about 3mg of THC, based on the 2.5mg optimal dosage used in IHL-42x - I don't have the acetazolamide, so I'm throwing in the extra half a mg of THC on the off-chance it might help (and probably won't hurt).
For our investment, one could expect diagnosis of OSA to become more diligent. Though we have made the decision that the pandemic is over, long covid remains a serious risk and can set in after the first infection, or after the 5th, and even after mild infections: we just don't understand enough about how it works to know precisely why. And when it does, it can cripple a person's life physically, emotionally, financially... I'm lucky to be in a situation where I was able to adapt to this condition, and in some ways it has led me to make very positive changes... but it has driven others to depression and suicide.
Better OSA diagnosis will lead to a bigger TAM, and better compliance. After all there is bound to be a segment of the population who gave up on CPAP and might decide that because they didn't drop dead as a result, they'll forgo treatment even if a pill comes along. If the doctor tells them they could be increasing their risk of long covid by not taking IHL-42x, I'd imagine that would be motivation enough for many to rethink things.
To conclude, I'm very encouraged to experience first hand the efficacy of THC for OSA: it is no joke, even without the synergistic benefit of the acetazolamide. And the overall increase in sleep quality has been remarkable - a bit of a game-changer, as much as I dislike that over-used expression: sometimes it really applies. When you consider our only real competition (Apnimed's AD109) causes
INSOMNIA in 15% of patients, among many other more or less severe potential side effects... my confidence in our drug candidate has just increased even further.
Good luck to all holders.
None of this is medical or financial advice, do your own research, own your decisions, etc, etc...
