Study Finds Cannabis Provides Sustained Benefits For Fibromyalgia Patients
Fibromyalgia is a serious health condition involving widespread musculoskeletal pain accompanied by fatigue, sleep, memory, and mood issues. Ongoing research has determined that fibromyalgia amplifies painful sensations by affecting the way the suffering patient’s brain and spinal cord process painful and nonpainful signals.
According to a peer-reviewed study from January 2023, fibromyalgia “affects up to 5.0% of the world population” and “has a high female predominance, between 80 and 96%.” According to a separate study recently conducted in the United Kingdom, cannabis may provide sustained benefits for suffering fibromyalgia patients.
A team of British researchers affiliated with various academic and private entities assessed the use of cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMP) consisting of cannabis flower or oil extracts in 148 patients enrolled in the UK Medical Cannabis Registry. The researchers assessed changes in patient-reported outcomes at one, three, six, and twelve-month timelines.
The findings from the study were published in the Journal of Pain & Palliative Care Pharmacotherapy.
“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,” the researchers reported.
“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.” the study’s authors concluded.
“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.” NORML stated in a recent news release, adding additional context and resources about the topic.
