Pain Freedom
The endocannabinoid system: the key to the effects of medicinal cannabis
Medical cannabis has established itself as a promising option for pain relief in recent years. Due to its natural properties and potential to relieve various types of pain, it is attracting growing interest from both patients and healthcare professionals.
One of the main components of cannabis that is responsible for its pain-relieving properties is cannabidiol (CBD). CBD interacts with the endocannabinoid system in the body and helps to regulate pain and inflammation. This makes it particularly valuable for people suffering from chronic pain caused by arthritis, neuropathy or fibromyalgia (1,2,3). Medicinal cannabis may therefore be particularly beneficial for those who do not respond well to conventional painkillers or have already experienced their side effects (3).
A recent study by Andreae et al., based on Bayesian analysis of five randomized trials, showed that inhaled cannabis provided short-term relief in 15-20% of patients with chronic neuropathic pain (4).
A very comprehensive study of over 338 patients with various chronic pain conditions investigated the effect of cannabis floss brew as an adjunct treatment over 12 months. The results showed statistically significant improvements in pain intensity, pain disability, anxiety and depression compared to the status at the beginning of the study (3).
In another observational study of 428 people suffering from osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis, the effectiveness of CBD on pain and arthritis symptoms was investigated based on the participants’ own assessments and whether the dosage of their other medications had changed after taking CBD. The results showed that some of the participants experienced improved pain relief as a result of treatment with CBD. Scored on a 10-point scale, 44% of the total group experienced an average pain relief of 2.58. In addition, 60.5% of respondents who took CBD for joint pain reported that they either reduced or discontinued other medications due to the positive effects of CBD (3).
Medical cannabis offers a promising route to pain relief, especially for people suffering from chronic pain. The potential efficacy of medical cannabis as an adjunct to existing analgesic therapies has been demonstrated by the studies. While more research is needed to fully understand the efficacy and safety of medical cannabis, it has the potential to provide relief and improve the quality of life for many patients.
References:
1 Boehnke, K. F., Gagnier, J. J., Matallana, L., & Williams, D. A. (2021). Substituting Cannabidiol for Opioids and Pain Medications Among Individuals With Fibromyalgia: A Large Online Survey. The journal of pain, 22(11), 1418–1428. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpain.2021.04.011
2 Guillouard, M., Authier, N., Pereira, B., Soubrier, M., & Mathieu, S. (2021). Cannabis use assessment and its impact on pain in rheumatologic diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Rheumatology (Oxford, England), 60(2), 549–556. https://doi.org/10.1093/rheumatology/keaa534
3 Leinen, Z. J., Mohan, R., Premadasa, L. S., Acharya, A., Mohan, M., & Byrareddy, S. N. (2023). Therapeutic Potential of Cannabis: A Comprehensive Review of Current and Future Applications. Biomedicines, 11(10), 2630. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines11102630
4 Andreae, M. H., Carter, G. M., Shaparin, N., Suslov, K., Ellis, R. J., Ware, M. A., Abrams, D. I., Prasad, H., Wilsey, B., Indyk, D., Johnson, M., & Sacks, H. S. (2015). Inhaled Cannabis for Chronic Neuropathic Pain: A Meta-analysis of Individual Patient Data. The journal of pain, 16(12), 1221–1232. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpain.2015.07.009
