Lismore, Australia: Fibromyalgia (FM) patients who consume cannabis extracts before bedtime experience clinically meaningful improvements in their symptoms – including reduced pain and better sleep, according to placebo-controlled clinical data published in the journal Pain Research and Management.
Australian researchers assessed the safety and efficacy of a plant-derived cannabis oil containing equal percentages of THC and CBD versus a placebo in 24 FM patients. Study participants consumed either the oil or the placebo once daily for 12 weeks.
“The treatment group showed promising improvements across fibromyalgia symptoms, including pain, sleep quality, quality of life and fibromyalgia impact parameters with medium to large effect sizes,” investigators reported. “Clinically meaningful pain relief – defined as a ≥ 30 percent reduction in ADPS (average daily pain score) – was achieved by 70 percent of the treatment group.”
Adverse events associated with cannabis treatment were described as “mild.” Most participants expressed a high degree of satisfaction with cannabis, and 83 percent said that they would “recommend” it to other patients.
The study’s authors concluded: “This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled feasibility study of 1:1 THC:CBD (10 mg/ml each) cannabis oil in fibromyalgia showed high retention and adherence. … The intervention appeared well tolerated with no serious AEs (adverse events) in this small sample. Secondary outcomes suggest potential benefits in pain, sleep, function and quality of life, though findings should be interpreted cautiously given the small sample size. … Larger, adequately powered trials with strategies to address recruitment barriers are needed to confirm efficacy and refine dosing.”
Their findings are consistent with numerous other studies and literature reviews determining that cannabis and various cannabinoid preparations reduce FM-related pain and enhance patients’ quality of life.
Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain syndrome characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue and multiple tender points in the neck, spine, shoulders and hips.
Full text of the study, “Feasibility, safety, and preliminary efficacy of 1:1 THC:CBD cannabis oil for fibromyalgia symptoms: Results from a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot trial,” appears in Pain Research and Management. Additional information on cannabis and FM is available from NORML’s publication, Clinical Applications for Cannabis and Cannabinoids.