In a new study published in the journal Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics, “cannabis-based medicinal products were associated with improvements in PTSD symptoms, anxiety, sleep, and health-related quality of life” over an 18-month period.
The study followed 269 PTSD patients who were prescribed cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMPs) for at least 18 months. Conducted by researchers from Imperial College London, the Curaleaf Clinic, and King’s College London, the observational cohort study examined changes in PTSD-related symptoms, anxiety, sleep quality, and overall quality of life.
Patients experienced statistically significant improvements across all measured outcomes at each follow-up interval—1, 3, 6, 12, and 18 months. This included reductions in PTSD symptoms based on the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), lower anxiety scores, better sleep quality, and enhanced health-related quality of life.
Notably, men were found to be less likely than women to report improvements in PTSD symptoms, with male gender associated with lower odds of symptom reduction.
Adverse events were reported by about one-quarter of participants. The most commonly reported side effects were insomnia (15.6%) and fatigue (14.9%).
“CBMPs [cannabis-based medicinal products] were associated with improvements in PTSD symptoms, anxiety, sleep, and HRQoL[health-related quality of life] at up to 18 months”, states the study. “Although the study’s observational nature limits causal conclusions, these findings support further assessment of medical cannabis.”
