Nearly two-thirds of patients with rheumatic diseases switched to medical cannabis from medications such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and opioids, with substitution associated with greater self-reported improvement in symptoms than non-substitution.
METHODOLOGY:
- Researchers conducted a secondary analysis of a cross-sectional study to examine the prevalence of switching to medical cannabis from traditional medicines among patients with rheumatic diseases from the United States and Canada.
- The survey included questions about current and past medical cannabis use, sociodemographic characteristics, medications taken and substituted, substance use, and patient-reported outcomes.
- Of the 1727 patients who completed the survey, 763 patients (mean age 59 years; 84.1% women) reported current cannabis use and were included in this analysis.
- Participants were asked whether they had replaced medications with medicinal cannabis and were divided into subgroups accordingly.
- They also reported any changes in symptoms after starting cannabis, current and expected duration of medicinal cannabis use, method of intake, cannabinoid content and frequency of use.
TAKEAWAY:
- A total of 62.5% reported replacing certain medications with medical cannabis, including NSAIDs (54.7%), opioids (48.6%), sleep aids (29.6%), muscle relaxants (25.2%), benzodiazepines (15.5%) and gabapentinoids (10.5%). ).
- The most common reasons for replacing medical cannabis were fewer side effects (39%), better symptom control (27%) and fewer side effects (12%).
- Participants who replaced medical cannabis reported significant improvements in symptoms such as pain, sleep, joint stiffness, muscle spasms and inflammation, and in overall health, compared to those who did not replace it with medication.
- The substitution group used inhalation methods (smoking and vaporizing) more often than the non-substitution group; they were also more likely to use medicinal cannabis and preferred products containing delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol.
IN PRACTICE:
“The changing legal status of cannabis has allowed for greater openness, with more people willing to try cannabis for symptom relief. These encouraging results of medication reduction and the beneficial effect of (medical cannabis) require confirmation with more rigorous methods. At this time, the study information can be viewed as a signal of effect, rather than as solid evidence that could apply to people with musculoskeletal complaints in general,” the authors wrote.
SOURCE:
The study was led by Kevin F. Boehnke, PhD, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, and was published online in ACR Open Rheumatology.
LIMITS:
The cross-sectional nature of the study limited the determination of causality between medicinal cannabis use and symptom improvement. Additionally, the anonymous and self-reported nature of the survey at one point in time may have introduced a recall bias. The sample consisted primarily of older, white women, which may have limited the generalizability of the findings to other demographic groups.
DISCLOSURE:
Some authors received grant support from the National Institute Drug abuse and the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. Others received payments, honoraria, grants, consulting fees and travel expenses, and reported other ties to pharmaceutical companies and other institutions.
This article was created using various editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.