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Study: Cannabis Provides Sustained Improvements in Patients With Post-Traumatic Stress

London, United Kingdom: Patients with post-traumatic stress report symptom improvements following their use of cannabis, according to observational data published in the journal Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids.

British researchers assessed the use of THC-dominant cannabis flower in 58 patients with post-traumatic stress. (Since 2018, British specialists have been permitted to prescribe either cannabis or cannabis-based medicinal products to patients unresponsive to conventional medications.) Researchers assessed changes in patient-reported outcomes measures at three months and at six months.

Participants, on average, attained a 16.8-point reduction in their symptom severity scores following six months of cannabis treatment. Patients also reported significant enhancements in general health, mood, and sleep quality.

The study’s authors concluded: “Results from this observational study suggest an association between treatment with THC-predominant cannabis flowers and symptomatic improvement for up to six months in a cohort of UK civilians diagnosed with PTSD. The treatment was safe and well tolerated and characterized by marked effects on quality of sleep, general mood, and severity of PTSD-associated symptoms. ... However, further research is needed to evaluate the long-term safety and outcomes of controlled inhalation of CBMP in patients naïve to cannabis.”

Other observational studies assessing the use of cannabis products in patients enrolled in the UK Medical Cannabis Registry have reported them to be effective for those suffering from chronic pain, anxiety, fibromyalgia, depression, migraine, multiple sclerosis, osteoarthritis, inflammatory arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease.

Full text of the study, “Controlled inhalation of tetrahydrocannabinol-predominant cannabis flowers mitigates severity of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and improves quality of sleep and general mood in cannabis-experienced UK civilians: A real-world, observational study,” appears in Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids.

Review: Clinical Trials Show Cannabis Improves Symptoms in Fibromyalgia Patients

Medellin, Colombia: The use of cannabis-based preparations, including flower, is associated with symptomatic improvements in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS), according to a systematic review of clinical trials published in the journal Exploratory Research in Clinical and Social Pharmacy.

An international team of investigators reviewed safety and efficacy data from 14 clinical studies and five review papers. They reported that cannabis-based products reduced pain and other symptoms in fibromyalgia patients and did not possess serious side effects.

The study’s authors concluded: “Cannabis-based products for medicinal use … can improve musculoskeletal, somatic, and psychiatric symptoms in patients with FMS, mainly pain, fatigue, and depression; also, these products could be considered as safe. ... There is a need to conduct more comprehensive studies and clinical trials to establish the real efficacy/effectiveness in terms of pain management, quality of life, and improvement of associated symptoms, as well as the effect on the use of other medications for managing chronic pain and safety concerns.”

Surveys report that fibromyalgia patients frequently consume whole-plant cannabis and CBD products to manage their disease symptoms.

Full text of the study, “Effectiveness of cannabis-based products for medical use in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome: A systematic review,” appears in Exploratory Research in Clinical and Social Pharmacy.

Study: Cannabis Use Associated With Fewer Sleep Problems in Young Adults With Anxiety, Depression

Los Angeles, CA: The use of cannabis is associated with improvements in sleep quality in young adults suffering from depression or anxiety, according to data published in the journal Addiction.

Researchers affiliated with the University of California, Los Angeles and Boston University’s School of Public Health assessed the relationship between cannabis use and sleep quality in a cohort of 1,926 participants between the ages of 20 and 23.

“Among participants with anxiety and/or depression and pre-existing sleep problems at baseline, using cannabis ≥ 20 days/month (versus never use) was associated with fewer sleep problems at follow-up,” researchers reported. By contrast, no positive relationship was identified for those without anxiety or depression.

“Our analyses suggest that cannabis use might impact sleep differently among different subgroups defined by underlying mental health issues and sleep quality,” the study’s authors concluded.

Full text of the study, “Cannabis use and sleep problems among young adults by mental health status: A prospective cohort study,” appears in the journal Addiction.

Study: CBD Oil Mitigates Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Alzheimer’s Patients

Medellin, Colombia: The daily consumption of plant-derived CBD oil relieves agitation, anxiety, depression, and other neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) in patients who have Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), according to data published in the journal Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids.

Colombian researchers assessed the long-term impact of CBD oil on NPS severity in a cohort of 65 patients with AD. Participants in the study were unresponsive to traditional medical treatments. Patients consumed CBD sublingually daily for up to 24 months.

Investigators reported that 95 percent of subjects achieved a reduction in their NPS severity scores by more than 30 percent following three months of CBD treatment. Their improvements were maintained for the length of the study.

The study’s authors concluded: “To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that evaluated the use of CBD as a treatment in NPS in AD with a sample greater than 50 patients and with a follow-up of more than 1 year. … This study shows that treatment with CBD-rich oil is effective and safe for patients with NPS secondary to AD at a median daily dose of 111 mg, independent of sex, age, time with AD, type of AChEIs [acetylcholinesterase inhibitors], and NPI-Q severity score before CBD treatment. … Further information derived from randomized controlled clinical trials is needed to confirm the findings presented in this article.”

Placebo-controlled clinical trial data has previously demonstrated that the daily administration of oral synthetic THC (dronabinol) and THC-dominant extracts similarly reduces Alzheimer’s-related agitation.

Full text of the study, “Treatment of neuropsychiatric symptoms in Alzheimer’s Disease with a cannabis-based magistral formulation: An open-label prospective cohort study,” appears in Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids.