STUDY CONFIRMS THAT CANNABIS MAY BE A VIABLE TREATMENT METHOD FOR FIBROMYALGIA!

Fibromyalgia is one of the most difficult conditions to treat. It affects about 10 million people within the US alone and treatment options are very limited. Unfortunately 75-90% of these patients are women, and just like others with Fm, they suffer from chronic pain. As those suffering from this chronic pain will tell you, cannabis can be of tremendous use.

In Israel, a survey was conducted and published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine. This survey was also covered in High Times and confirms that cannabis may be a viable treatment method for FM. “Safety and Efficacy of Medical Cannabis in Fibromyalgia,” is the study that looked at 367 FM patients’ use of cannabis during the study. This lasted for six months, and 301 of the patients involved were women. After the duration of six months, 261 patients remained involved in the study as some had been dropped due to ceasing the use of cannabis.

There were two goals in this survey. The first being: How well did the cannabis address the pain of Fibromyalgia, and the second being: What side effects, if any, do users experience?

High Times stated, “According to the study, patients began the six month trial with a baseline pain intensity of 9.0 on a scale of 0-10. At the end of the six month period, median pain intensity was assessed to be reduced to 5.0. Concluding, 194 patients or 81.1% of patients, experienced at least some improvement in their condition without serious side effects.”

This study also found some unexpected consequences: users were reducing or replacing their prescription medications with cannabis, as 22% of patients “stopped or reduced their dosages of opioids.” Also, the study shows that 20% of patients reduced their use of benzodiazepines.