Study: Cannabis Patients See Improvement in Pain Management, PTSD, and Sleep

Sep 24, 2021 at 01:00 pm by pj


 

By MICHAEL C. PATTERSON

 

A new study involving patients, mostly over 50 years old, shows improvements in the symptoms caused by chronic pain, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and sleep disorders after starting therapy with medical cannabis.

The study bolsters previous research that has shown cannabis has a positive impact, especially managing pain and improving sleep. It also provides scientific evidence why more seniors than ever are turning to medical marijuana to treat various ailments.

The study, conducted by Canadian and Italian researchers and published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health, found that more than 60 percent of patients reported improvements in their medical conditions after using cannabis. A link to the study is below:

 

Evaluation of Patient Reported Safety and Efficacy of Cannabis From a Survey of Medical Cannabis Patients in Canada (nih.gov)

 

 "This real-world data shows that a large proportion of medical cannabis patients report moderate to substantial benefits from cannabis, both in terms of their overall condition and general wellbeing," the researchers wrote.

The study involved 214 patients in Canada who self-completed web-based surveys between January 2020 and August 2020. After an initial survey that recorded their medical information, each patient began a six-week trial period of cannabis treatment. In follow-up visits, they reported any changes and what, if any, cannabis products they felt caused those changes.

Patients ranged in age from 17-79, but most of the patients were more than 50 years old. 

After six weeks, 76 percent of those who suffer from chronic pain reported improvement. Cannabis and CBD proved especially successful in treating two of the most common types of pain, nociceptive and neuropathic.

Patients also were evenly split about what type of treatment worked best. Among those who saw pain relief, 33 percent rated high CBD products as the most helpful, while 31 percent said the same of high THC products.

Those who suffer from PTSD, anxiety, and poor sleep at night also reported substantial improvements. The following lists four areas where people reported issues and the percentage who said they experienced improvements after six weeks of medical cannabis therapy.

  • Sleep disorder (92.6 percent)
  • Anxiety (84.8 percent)
  • PTSD (81.3 percent)
  • Arthritis (61.5 percent)

Patients also reported improvement in general wellbeing, with 89.8 percent reporting some level of improvement. Among those who experienced improvement, 42.1 percent reported feeling "better" or "a great deal better."

 "This real-world data shows that a large proportion of medical cannabis patients report moderate to substantial benefits from cannabis, both in terms of their overall condition and general wellbeing," the researchers wrote.

Furthermore, researchers commented the study provides "the scientific evidence healthcare practitioners routinely state they require" and can also help lawmakers in "the drafting of future regulatory guidelines surrounding medical cannabis use."

Analysis

As legalization of cannabis continues to expand across the planet, more research continues to come to light to validate anecdotal benefits of cannabis through objective research studies and objective patient data.  Objective studies and data on medical cannabis are slowly decreasing the stigma associated with the use and legality of cannabis. 

As someone who has worked in the multiple healthcare settings for over 25 years (SNF, ALF, Home Health, Pharmacy, Laboratory), I can tell you that Senior Citizens are tired of traditional pharmaceuticals and their side effects. With the average senior taking 13 prescription drugs per day in the USA, the amount of emergency room admissions related to not taking prescriptions properly (too many or too little) is high across the nation.

Also, the side effects related to traditional pharmaceutical drugs can be severe and permanent in some cases.  To be clear, I am not against traditional pharmaceutical medications.  However, medical cannabis needs to be a tool in the Physician “tool box”  he/she can use to assist seniors and other patients with a natural medication which demonstrates consistent, safe results and increases patients overall wellbeing, without harsh or permanent side effects.

 

 Michael C. Patterson, founder and CEO of U.S. Cannabis Pharmaceutical Research & Development of Melbourne, is a consultant for the development of the medical marijuana industry nationwide and in Florida. He serves as a consultant to Gerson Lehrman Group, New York and helps educate GLG partners on specific investment strategies and public policy regarding Medical Marijuana in the U.S. and Internationally. He can be reached at mpatterson@uscprd.com