Patients with fibromyalgia (FM) report symptom improvements following their use of medical cannabis preparations, according to observational data published in the Journal of Pain & Palliative Care Pharmacotherapy.
British researchers assessed the use of cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMPs) consisting of either flower or oil extracts in 148 patients enrolled in the UK Medical Cannabis Registry. (Since 2018, British specialists have been permitted to prescribe cannabis-based medicinal products to patients unresponsive to conventional medications.) Researchers assessed changes in patient-reported outcomes at one, three, six, and twelve months.
“Improvements in the generalized anxiety disorder-7 questionnaire, single-item sleep quality scale, fibromyalgia symptom severity score and EQ-5D-5L Index values [a descriptive scale assessing mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression] were observed at each follow up period compared to baseline,” investigators reported.
Study participants also significantly reduced their use of prescription opioids during the trial. The most frequently reported adverse events were fatigue, headache, and dry mouth.
The study’s authors concluded: “Positive associations between initiation of CBMP therapy and decreased fibromyalgia severity were observed at all time points. … These findings are complemented by the wider literature.”
Other observational studies assessing the use of cannabis products in patients enrolled in the UK Cannabis Registry have reported them to be effective for those suffering from chronic pain, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, depression, migraine, multiple sclerosis, osteoarthritis, inflammatory arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease.
Full text of the study, “Comparison of cannabis-based medicinal product formulations for fibromyalgia: A cohort study,” appears in the Journal of Pain & Palliative Care Pharmacotherapy. Additional information on cannabis and FM is available from NORML’s publication, Clinical Applications for Cannabis and Cannabinoids.