Widely used in the therapeutic field, cannabis boasts - among others - analgesic and anxiolytic properties. Abilities that see it at the center of numerous studies.
Among the most recent, one stands out research conducted by researchers fromImperial College Medical Cannabis Research Group at the Department of Surgery and Cancer in London, and published in the scientific journal Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics.
The work, which compared the effects of cannabis on two groups: 711 patients with chronic pain and anxiety and 543 patients with pain without anxiety, stated that cannabis, in addition to proving effective in both relieving pain and soothing anxiety in patients, simultaneously improved the quality of life.
Cannabis for chronic pain and anxiety: the study
There is growing evidence of the benefits of cannabis in the therapeutic field and the researchers themselves, aware "of the interaction between chronic pain and anxiety and of theeffectiveness of cannabis-based medications for both anxiety and pain", they wanted to compare the results of pain patients with and without anxiety after treatment with cannabis-based drugs.
The second phase instead included comparing, starting from data relating to health, the incidence of adverse events and changes in consumption of opioid drugs, the quality of life of patients undergoing cannabinoid therapy.
About the adverse events The researchers report that 91 (16.8%) participants in the non-anxiety cohort and 138 (19.4%) participants in the anxiety cohort experienced at least one adverse event. The most common in the first group (cohort without anxiety) were fatigue and drowsiness compared to fatigue and dry mouth in the second group (anxiety cohort).
Despite this, the scholars state that: "This cohort study of chronic pain patients with and without anxiety has demonstrated improvements in all patient-reported outcomes specific to pain in both cohorts and in those on the improvement of quality of life in the cohort with anxiety and without anxiety at 1, 3 and 6 months. The anxiety cohort achieved greater improvements in anxiety, sleep, and improved quality of life at 1, 3, and 6 months compared to the non-anxiety cohort.”
Finally, in addition to underlining that these are results that require further studies and experiments, the researchers believe the association between the start of treatment with cannabis and the improvement of pain and quality of life, the reduction of opioid consumption and a profile of adverse events eligible in both cohorts.
CBD: A Natural Remedy for Anxiety
CBD, or cannabidiol, is a cannabis cannabinoid that has no psychoactive effects and does not generate addiction, which has proven to be a valid ally for ease anxiety.
In 2015, for example, one review published in the magazine Neurotherapeutics of the studies conducted so far explains that: "Cannabidiol is a drug that in recent years has attracted growing interest as a treatment for a series of neuropsychiatric disorders. The purpose of this review is to determine the potential of CBD to treat anxiety-related disorders".
Scholars have confirmed the effectiveness ofCBD oil in reduce anxious behaviors in multiple disorders, such as: post-traumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and others, underlining the lack of anxiogenic effects.
And again, one study conducted in 2019, published on The Permanent Journal, highlighted how CBD can have benefits for anxiety-related disorders and sleep disorders.
The researchers explain that: "This study aims to determine whether CBD is useful for improving sleep and/or anxiety, also focusing on tolerability as the most notable benefit of cannabis as a treatment is the safety"
The 103 adult psychiatric patients, treated both with CBD for anxiety and sleep and with other psychiatric drugs included in normal patient care, almost all received 25 mg per day of CBD in the form of capsules. If anxiety disorders predominated, the dosage was administered every morning after breakfast; if, however, sleep disturbances were more evident, the dosage was administered every evening after dinner.
"The results of our clinical report support existing scientific evidence". The researchers confirm that they have not noticed any safety problems that would limit future studies, on the contrary: "CBD appears to be better tolerated compared to standard psychiatric medications and shows promise as a tool for reducing anxiety."
