Bordeaux, France: Cannabis inhalation is associated with subjective relief from symptoms of restless legs syndrome (RLS), according to a series of case reports published in the journal Sleep and Breathing.
French researchers reported on the use of inhaled cannabis in 12 patients with refractory RLS. All but one of the patients "admitted total relief of symptoms following cannabis smoking." Among patients who acknowledged both smoking cannabis and taking sublingual extracts of CBD, inhaling cannabis was reported to be the more effective treatment option.
A previous case series of six patients similarly reported that cannabis provides subjective relief of RLS symptoms.
Authors concluded, "Altogether, these findings may open a new conceptual framework to understand the role of coordinated endocannabinoid signaling in the central nervous system, which may be relevant for the understanding of cannabis efficacy in RLS."
Full text of the study, "More evidence of cannabis efficacy in restless legs syndrome," appears in Sleep and Breath.