Cannabis could be a treatment option for fibromyalgia
pathology characterized by widespread painsmusculoskeletal problems, fatigue, poor sleep quality and cognitive difficulties, which to date does not appear to have specific causes and has no effective cure.
But hope could come from cannabis, after an observational study that lasted 6 months that involved 367 patients found a significant improvement in the intensity of pain and related symptoms.
“It is commonly accepted that chronic pain can be treated with cannabis, but there has been less evidence to support its role in treating fibromyalgia specifically,” said Lihi Bar-Lev Schleider, one of the study's lead authors and lead researcher at the Tikun Olam Research Department in Tel Aviv, Israel, where it was conducted.
«Our data indicate that medical cannabis could be a promising therapeutic option for the treatment of fibromyalgia, particularly for those who have failed standard drug therapies. We prove that medical cannabis is effective and safe if titrated slowly and gradually", concluded the study, published in June 2019 in the Journal of Clinical Medicine.
81.1% reported overall treatment success; 73.4% reported an improvement of sleep; 80.8% reported an improvement in symptoms related to the depression; 61.9% reported improved components of “quality of life” including appetite and sexual activity. 88% of participants reported a moderate improvement without side effects negative.
Bar-Lev Schleider noted that 59.7% of participants were taking opioids for pain at the start of the study. A follow-up survey of participants after six months found that 22% had stopped or reduced their use of opioids and benzodiazepines. “There are patients who will stop or take drugs in the future and their only treatment will be medical cannabis,” said Bar-Lev Schleider.
Source: cannabisterapeutica.info
