The prescribed use of cannabis-based medicinal products for those with generalized anxiety disorder “is associated with clinically significant improvements in anxiety with an acceptable safety profile in a real-world setting.”
This is according to a study published in the journal Psychopharmacology and epublished online by the National Institute of Health. The study was conducted by researchers at Imperial College London, King’s College London, London’s Global University and Sapphire Medical Clinics.”
“Cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMPs) have been identified as novel therapeutics for generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) based on pre-clinical models; however, there is a paucity of high-quality evidence on their effectiveness and safety”, states the study’s abstract. “This study aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes of patients with GAD treated with dried flower, oil-based preparations, or a combination of both CBMPs.”
A prospective cohort study of patients with GAD (302 in total) enrolled in the UK Medical Cannabis Registry prescribed oil or flower-based CBMPs was performed.
The study states that “Improvements in anxiety, sleep quality and quality of life were observed at each time point. Patients receiving CBMPs had improvements in GAD-7 at all time points (1 month: difference -5.3 (95% CI -4.6 to -6.1), 3 months: difference -5.5 (95% CI -4.7 to -6.4), 6 months: difference -4.5 (95% CI -3.2 to -5.7)). Thirty-nine participants (12.9%) reported 269 adverse events in the follow-up period.
Researchers conclude that “Prescription of CBMPs in those with GAD is associated with clinically significant improvements in anxiety with an acceptable safety profile in a real-world setting. Randomised trials are required as a next step to investigate the efficacy of CBMPs.”