Transdermal Cannabis Mitigates Diabetic Neuropathy In Clinical Trial
Diabetic neuropathy is a form of nerve damage that can happen in patients who suffer from diabetes. International researchers estimate that roughly 536.6 million people worldwide have been diagnosed with diabetes.
Health investigators around the world are researching how medical cannabis products and diabetes interact at an ever-increasing rate, and many studies are finding that medical cannabis can help treat diabetes to some degree.
A team of researchers in Thailand recently conducted a clinical trial focusing on transdermal cannabis products and patients who suffer from diabetic neuropathy. Below is more information about the results of the study and its findings via a news release from NORML:
Khon Kaen, Thailand: The transdermal application of oil extracts containing plant-derived cannabinoids significantly reduces diabetic neuropathy, according to clinical data published in the journal Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids.
A team of Thai investigators conducted a Phase III, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial involving 100 patients diagnosed with diabetic neuropathy of the lower extremities. Participants received either transdermal formulations containing THC (3.20 mg/drop), CBD (0.32 mg/drop), and CBN (0.65 mg/drop) or a placebo (coconut oil) for 12 weeks. Subjects’ pain levels were assessed at baseline and at four, eight, and 12 weeks.
“Mean total NPSI-T (Neuropathic Pain Symptom Inventory) scores decreased markedly from 25.60 to 5.57 in the treatment cohort, contrasting with minimal reduction from 25.24 to 22.85 in the placebo group,” researchers reported. “GEE (Generalized Estimating Equation) analysis revealed significant pain amelioration at weeks 4, 8, and 12. The cannabis formulation exhibited an excellent safety profile, with only 10 percent of participants reporting mild adverse events, comparable to placebo group outcomes.”
The study’s authors concluded: “This novel transdermal medical cannabis formulation (consisting of THC, CBD, and CBN) demonstrated significant therapeutic efficacy in ameliorating painful DPN [diabetic peripheral neuropathy] symptoms while maintaining a favorable safety profile. These findings provide robust clinical evidence supporting its potential as an innovative therapeutic option for managing painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy.”
Prior studies have similarly shown that a wide range of cannabis formulations, including vaporized cannabis flower, oral CBD extracts, and aerosolized THC can mitigate neuropathic pain.
Full text of the study, “Efficacy and safety of transdermal medical cannabis (THC: CBD: CBN formula) to treat painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities,” appears in Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids.
