A study published recently in the journal ACR Open Rheumatology reveals that a significant number of patients with rheumatic conditions in the U.S. and Canada are substituting medical marijuana for traditional medications.
Conducted by researchers from the University at Buffalo, McGill University, and the University of Michigan Medical School, the study analyzed responses from 763 participants who reported using medical cannabis (MC). Their objective was “to investigate the degree to which this substitution occurs among people with rheumatic conditions.”
Among 763 participants, “62.5% reported substituting MC products for medications, including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (54.7%), opioids (48.6%), sleep aids (29.6%), and muscle relaxants (25.2%)”, states the study.
Following substitution, “most participants reported decreases or cessation in medication use. The primary reasons for substitution were fewer adverse effects, better symptom management, and concerns about withdrawal symptoms.”
Substitution was associated with THC use and “significantly higher symptom improvements (including pain, sleep, anxiety, and joint stiffness) than nonsubstitution, and a higher proportion of substitutors used inhalation routes than those who did not.”
The study concludes:
Although the determination of causality is limited by our cross-sectional design, these findings suggest that an appreciable number of people with rheumatic diseases substitute medications with MC for symptom management. Inhalation of MC products containing some THC was most commonly identified among those substituting, and disease characteristics did not differ by substitution status. Further study is needed to better understand the role of MC for symptom management in rheumatic conditions.
