Some people substitute medical cannabis for opioids and other pain medications, reporting that cannabis provides better pain relief and fewer side effects. However, there is far less data on CBD use.
“CBD is less harmful than THC, as it is non-intoxicating and has less potential for abuse,” said Kevin Boehnke, Ph.D., a research investigator in the Department of Anesthesiology and the Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Center.
“If people can find the same relief without THC’s side effects, CBD may represent a useful as a harm reduction strategy.”
“Fibromyalgia is not easy to treat, often involving several medications with significant side effects and modest benefits,” Boehnke explained. “Further, many alternative therapies, like acupuncture and massage, are not covered by insurance.”
The study was done on 878 people with fibromyalgia who said they used CBD to get more insight into how they used CBD products.
70% of people with fibromyalgia who used CBD substituted CBD for opioids or other pain medications. Of these participants, many reported that they either decreased use or stopped taking opioids and other pain medications as a result.
“I was not expecting that level of substitution,” said Boehnke, noting that the rate is quite similar to the substitution rate reported in the medical cannabis literature. People who said they used CBD products that also contained THC had higher odds of substitution and reported greater symptom relief.
Products containing only CBD also provided pain relief and were substituted for pain medications is promising and merits future study, noted Boehnke.
Widespread use of CBD is occurring without physician guidance and in the absence of relevant clinical trials. “Even with that lack of evidence, people are using CBD, substituting it for medication and doing so saying it’s less harmful and more effective,” he said.
Boehnke stressed the need for controlled study into how CBD may provide these benefits, and if these benefits may be due to the placebo effect.
Clinically, opening up lines of discussion around CBD use for chronic pain is imperative, said Boehnke, for medication safety reasons as well as for “enhancing the therapeutic alliance and improving patient care.”
Source: Medindia
