Medical cannabis was associated with improvements in pain, sleep, quality of life and nighttime urinary symptoms among people with Parkinson’s disease, according to a new study published in Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research.

Researchers from Cleveland Clinic, Sheba Medical Center, the Technion–Israel Institute of Technology and Tel Aviv University conducted a prospective study involving 68 patients with Parkinson’s disease who were beginning medical cannabis treatment. Participants were evaluated at the start of the study and again three months later.

Patients used either cannabis oil extracts or cannabis flower products containing varying ratios of THC and CBD, with participants adjusting their own doses. Researchers assessed nonmotor symptoms using several validated measures covering pain, sleep, quality of life and urinary function. They also analyzed the cannabinoid composition of the products participants used.

Fifty participants completed the three-month follow-up, with an average age of 65.6 and 68% being male.

Medical cannabis use was associated with a significant improvement in overall nonmotor symptoms, as well as improvements in sleep, Parkinson’s-related pain and quality of life. Researchers also found an improvement in the urinary portion of the Non-Motor Symptoms Scale.

Nighttime urinary frequency declined by a median of 0.5 episodes, while researchers found no significant changes in daytime urinary measures.

The researchers did not find a relationship between treatment response and the cannabinoid composition of the products used, including whether products were relatively enriched in THC or CBD.

Overall, 26.5% of participants did not complete follow-up, primarily because they were lost to follow-up. Researchers said the self-titrated treatment appeared generally well tolerated during the short study period.

The researchers cautioned that the study was exploratory and open-label, meaning participants knew they were receiving medical cannabis and there was no placebo control group. They said randomized controlled trials using standardized dosing are needed to determine effectiveness, safety and optimal dosing.

The findings nevertheless suggest medical cannabis may have potential for addressing several nonmotor symptoms that can significantly affect people with Parkinson’s disease, particularly pain, sleep problems and nighttime urinary frequency.