Skip to main content

Tag: Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia Patients Experience Symptom Improvements, Reduce Prescription Use Following THC Treatment

Written by Frank Schuler on . Posted in Science.

Fibromyalgia is a serious health condition creating problems across the globe. It’s a condition that affects people of all ages. It is estimated that as many as one out of every twenty people on the planet suffers from the condition to some degree.

According to Mayo Clinic, “Fibromyalgia is a disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain accompanied by fatigue, sleep, memory and mood issues.”

Unfortunately, there is currently no known cure for fibromyalgia, however, researchers in Germany have found evidence that THC can be an effective treatment for some patients, and for some, lower their reliance on prescription drugs. Below is more information about it via a news release from NORML:

Burghausen, Germany: Patients with fibromyalgia (FM) respond favorably to the administration of oral THC, according to observational data published in the German medical journal Schmerz.

German researchers assessed the efficacy of oral THC capsules (dronabinol) in 62 patients hospitalized with fibromyalgia.

Compared to untreated patients, those consuming oral THC suffered from fewer bouts of depression and experienced “significant improvements” in their quality of life. Patients taking THC were also far more likely than others to either reduce or discontinue their use of pain medications – a finding that is consistent with numerous other studies of patient populations.

Authors concluded: “The results of the present analysis indicate, similar to other studies, that THC could be a medicinal alternative to the substances previously recommended in various guidelines.”

Their conclusions are consistent with those of prior studies finding that FM patients who begin using cannabis products report greater quality of life and reduce their levels of opioid consumption.

Full text of the study, “Tetrahydrocannabinol in patients with fibromyalgia: A retrospective study of changes in pain, psychometric variables, and analgesic consumption during inpatient and interdisciplinary multimodal pain therapy,” appears in Schmerz. Additional information on cannabis and FM is available from NORML’s publication, Clinical Applications for Cannabis and Cannabinoids.

Fibromyalgia pain doctor hospital Fibromyalgia pain doctor hospital

Cannabis May Be A “Useful Treatment Strategy” For Fibromyalgia Patients

Written by Frank Schuler on . Posted in Science.

Fibromyalgia is a serious problem across the globe, affecting people of all ages. It is estimated that as many as one out of every twenty people on earth suffer from the condition to some degree.

According to Mayo Clinic, “Fibromyalgia is a disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain accompanied by fatigue, sleep, memory and mood issues.”

Unfortunately, there is currently no known cure for fibromyalgia, however, researchers in Canada have found evidence that medical cannabis can be an effective treatment for some patients. Below is more information about it via a news release from NORML:

Montreal, Canada: Cannabis products are associated with symptom relief among fibromyalgia (FM) patients, according to data published in the journal Arthritis Care & Research.

Canadian researchers assessed the efficacy of medical cannabis products (flower or extracts) over a one-year period in a cohort of patients with FM. Investigators assessed patients’ levels of pain intensity, sleep quality, and depression/anxiety every three months. All of the subjects enrolled in the study were qualified to use medical cannabis products by their general practitioner.

Consistent with other studies, researchers reported an association between the consumption of medical cannabis and improvements in subjects’ sleep, depression/anxiety, and pain – with the greatest reduction in pain intensity (a mean decrease of 1.7 points on a zero to 10 scale) occurring within the first six-months of treatment.

Authors reported: “Our current findings are consistent with observations of pain relief, improved sleep, and alleviation of symptoms of anxiety and depression in other studies among patients with chronic pain using medical cannabis. Although preliminary, our findings suggest that improvements in negative affect and sleep might represent potential mechanisms of action underlying pain reductions among FM patients who are using medical cannabis.”

They concluded, “Medical cannabis may present a useful treatment strategy for patients with FM in light of an effect on the triad of symptoms of pain, negative affect, and sleep disturbances.”

Survey data reports that fibromyalgia patients frequently consume cannabis for therapeutic purposes. A recent review of the relevant literature concluded, “[T]he use of cannabinoids and cannabis carries limited side effects in the treatment of FM, and they can also improve some common and debilitating symptoms associated with FM, thus making them an adequate potential treatment option, when other treatment lines have been exhausted.”

Full text of the study, “Predictors of pain reduction among fibromyalgia patients using medical cannabis: A long-term prospective cohort trial,” appears in Arthritis Care & Research. Additional information on cannabinoids and FM is available from NORML.