Cannabis Significantly Improves Quality of Life in Women with Treatment-Resistant Fibromyalgia

Treatment method with hashish resulted in a small-time period advantageous impact on excellent of everyday living, regarding its influence on discomfort, snooze, psychological, and bodily domains, in girls with treatment method-resistant fibromyalgia, according to a review published in Suffering Exercise.¹

“As the around the globe use of cannabis rises, investigators question its part in treating fibromyalgia as a single of the most typical pain syndromes currently,” investigators defined. “Throughout background, diverse cultures utilised hashish to treat soreness. Present day medicine located the endocannabinoid system’s part in the pathophysiology of neuropathic soreness. Past scientific studies showed that cannabis is efficacious in advertising and marketing rest, deepening, and lengthening the rest cycle. Other rewards of cannabis cure contain fantastic discomfort reduction with no important side consequences.”

The potential cohort study employed the Planet Overall health Corporation Excellent of Daily life Bref questionnaire (WhoQoL-bref), a easy, validated tool that evaluates affected person-documented QoL, to much better realize the impression of therapy with cannabis in 30 gals aged 18-70 a long time with procedure-resistant fibromyalgia, described as obtaining exhausted pharmacological fibromyalgia treatment method. The WhoQoL-bref concentrated on 4 domains: psychological, actual physical well being, social associations, and natural environment. The questionnaire was crammed prior to cannabis initiation and at the 1-month follow-up. Clients ended up capable to choose their route of administration, these kinds of as smoking, vaporizing, or ingestion. Clients were excluded if they had been youthful than 18 or older than 70, experienced cognitive impairment, ended up pregnant, or have been now using cannabis remedy.

The imply age of participants was 46 a long time and were being suffering from discomfort and discomfort (3.77 ± 1.3), a dependence on treatment (3.07 ± 1.74), lousy QoL (1.47 ± .63), decreased actions of daily residing (1.47 ± .82), and very poor typical overall health (1.47 ± .78) at baseline prior to intervention. Environmental elements, which includes obtain to wellness and social care, monetary resources, transportation, and bodily ecosystem, ended up superior, indicating fibromyalgia-relevant morbidity as opposed to environmental restraints.

At the observe-up, treatment was joined to improvements in common excellent of daily life (1.97 out of a 5-level rating, p< 0.01), activities of daily living (2.13, p< 0.01), psychological domain (1.3, p< 0.01), general health (1.83, p< 0.01), physical health (1.5, p< 0.01), and reductions in pain and discomfort (p< 0.01) and pain and fatigue (1.57, p< 0.01). Improvements were also shown in the sub-domain fields within the psychological domain, including self-esteem (1.1 points, p< 0.01), recreation and leisure (0.97 points, p<0.01), memory and concentration (1.4 points, p< 0.01), positive feelings (1.07 points, p< 0.01), and sex(1.37 points, p< 0.01). Home environment (p= 0.31) and financial resources (p = 0.07) were not impacted by cannabis treatment.

The relatively small sample size, short follow-up period, and lack of a comparison group limited the study. Additionally, biases may include the pre- and post-study design and the possibility of selection bias. However, improvements in QoL following treatment were statistically significant. Future research should examine the mental effects of cannabis as well as a time- or dose-dependent waning of treatment.

“Further studies are still indicated to understand this potential and its long-term impact,” investigators concluded. “Future epidemiologic studies should examine other confounders such as body mass index (BMI), anxiety, depression, personality disorders or traits, chronic medical issues, and various regular medications.”

Reference:

Hershkovich O, Hayun Y, Oscar N, Shtein A, Lotan R. The role of cannabis in treatment-resistant fibromyalgia women [published online ahead of print, 2022 Nov 4]. Pain Pract. 202210.1111/papr.13179. doi:10.1111/papr.13179