Charlottesville, VA: Patients suffering from peripheral neuropathy respond favorably to the use of botanical cannabis and other cannabis-based products, according to the findings of a systematic review published in The Journal of Hand Surgery.
Researchers affiliated with the University of Virginia reviewed data from 14 randomized clinical trials involving over 600 patients. Ten of the trials assessed the use of either botanical cannabis or Sativex, an oromucosal spray consisting of plant-derived cannabinoids.
“Of the included studies, 79 percent showed improvement in neuropathic pain following treatment with a cannabinoid,” investigators reported. “Improvements in secondary outcomes such as sleep quality, anxiety, sensory testing, and quality of life were also noted in several studies, consistent with prior literature. Most reported side effects were mild and well-tolerated.”
The study’s authors concluded, “Overall, the data demonstrate that cannabis-based medicines are a potentially effective emerging drug class in the treatment of peripheral neuropathy via reducing neuropathic pain and related symptoms.”
Data published in 2023 in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that nearly one in three patients with chronic pain use cannabis as an analgesic agent and many of those who do substitute it in place of opioids.
Full text of the study, “The use of cannabinoids in the treatment of peripheral neuropathy and neuropathic pain: A systematic review,” appears in The Journal of Hand Surgery. Additional information on cannabis and pain management is available from NORML’s publication, Clinical Applications for Cannabis & Cannabinoids.