Medical Marijuana significantly improves Fibromyalgia symptoms

A new study published in the Journal of Clinical Rheumatology reports that patients with fibromyalgia showed a significant favorable effect with few adverse effects when treated with medical cannabis.

Currently, there is no cure for fibromyalgia in most patients, and the main treatment is usually pain control medication. There are nearly no data on the effect of medical cannabis (MC) treatment on these patients.

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George Habib and Suheil Artul conducted a small retrospective study to report on the habits of cannabis consumption among fibromyalgia patients in Israel and obtained data from the registries of 2 hospitals in Israel (Laniado Hospital and Nazareth Hospital) on patients with a diagnosis of fibromyalgia who were treated with medical cannabis(MC). The patients were advised to complete the Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire regarding the period before and after MC treatment.

A total of 26 patients were included in the study out of which 19 were female patients (73%), and the mean age of the study group was 37.8 years. The mean dosage of MC was 26 g per month, and the mean duration of MC use was 10.4 months.

The study found that after commencing MC treatment, all the patients reported a significant improvement in every parameter on the questionnaire, and 13 patients (50%) stopped taking any other medications for the disease. Eight patients (30%) experienced very mild adverse effects.

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"These adverse effects appeared from the start of treatment. The first two were usually transient, lasting for few weeks, and mainly encountered with smoking," write the authors.

Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain syndrome characterized primarily by diffuse musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, and mood and sleep disturbances. It affects women more frequently than men and has a genetic preponderance. It is not uncommon, as its prevalence in the general population is estimated around 7 %.

For reference log on to https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/7829427