Cannabis, Pain and Opioid Pain Medication

Recently I came across an article regarding the use of medical cannabis in treating chronic pain. And, while I acknowledge there is research to support both sides of this conversation, in my experience, I have witnessed a decrease in patient opioid use and an an increase in overall patient quality of life.

According to the publication, using medical cannabis for 6 months reduces pain intensity and pain-related interference and improves quality of life. The study also showed that cannabis reduces pain and has opioid-sparing effects. However, large-scale longitudinal clinical studies on the effects of cannabis have yet to be conducted.

Here are the top point from the study:

-To assess the impact of cannabis on pain intensity and pain-related interference for patients consuming cannabis for up to 12 months, data from 757 participants were analyzed.

-Individuals with chronic disease who received medical cannabis documentation from a physician were included.

-Participants completed questionnaires regarding pain, quality of life, opioid use, and mental health at the initial visit and at 3, 6, and 12 months after baseline.

-Up to 88.9% of the participants sought cannabis for pain relief.

-Significantly more men than women were already using cannabis at baseline, but there was no significant difference in the outcome between baseline users and those who were not using cannabis at baseline.

-Among participants who reported seeking cannabis to alleviate pain, 42.1% reported being on opioid therapy at baseline. This dropped to 23.9% at 12 months.

-Of the people who reported taking opioids at baseline, 50.0% who completed the 12-month follow-up were still on opioids.

-Increased duration of cannabis use was significantly associated with improvements in pain intensity, pain-related interference, quality of life, and general health symptoms, irrespective of baseline use or reason for seeking medical cannabis.

-Women had significantly worse scores on pain severity, pain-related interference, anxiety, depression, quality of life, and general health symptoms. (This may be explained by previous studies that found men to be more likely than women to seek cannabis for recreational purposes whereas women primarily use cannabis for medicinal purposes.)

Therefore, the overall results of the study indicated that long-term cannabis use leads to improvement in pain measures, patient quality of life, and decreased opioid use.