According to a new study being published in the December issue of the journal Exploratory Research in Clinical and Social Pharmacy, cannabis use can lead to “an important improvement in pain, quality of life, and sleep habits” among those with fibromyalgia.
Conducted by researchers rom the University of Antioquia in Colombia and the University of Granada in Spain, the study is titled Effectiveness and safety of cannabis-based products for medical use in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome: A systematic review. It was also published online by the US National Library of Medicine.
“There is a need to explore pharmacological options for syndrome (FMS), such as medical cannabis”, begins the study’s abstract. “The aim of this systematic review was to synthesize and analyze the available information about the effectiveness/efficacy and safety of cannabis-based products for medical use (CBPMs) and cannabis-based medicines (CBMs), in patients with FMS.”
Interventional or observational studies, systematic reviews and meta-analysis regarding the effectiveness and efficacy and safety of CBPMs and CBMs in patients with FMS were retrieved from the PubMed/Medline database until April 2024. Then, the information was summarized in tables, with the type of CBPM and CBM, the method used in the study and the effective-ness/efficacy and safety outcomes. 19 publications were selected from the search or form the relevant references. Different CBPM and CBM were used across the studies. Also, different instruments for measuring the effectiveness were used.
“In general, the use of CBPMs and CBM showed an important improvement in pain, quality of life, and sleep habits”, found researchers. “There were no serious adverse events.”
Researchers conclude:
The results show that CBMPs and CBMs could be effective and safe in patients with FMS; however, the evidence is limited and there is a need for high-quality clinical studies conducted with improved methodological design.
An observational study published last month in the Journal of Pain & Palliative Care Pharmacotherapy came to a similar conclusion, suggesting that patients with fibromyalgia (FM) experience significant symptom improvement when using cannabis-based medicinal products.
