Can Cannabis Use Help in Fibromyalgia Treatment?

What is Fibromyalgia? 

Fibromyalgia, also called FMS (fibromyalgia syndrome), is a long-term condition that causes pain all over the body. Patients also suffer from fatigue coupled with cognitive and/or sexual dysfunction, therefore numerous symptoms might be at play, varying from case to case. Patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia often face limited treatment options, while the progression of the disease impacts their quality of life and overall well-being. It is estimated that this chronic pain-giving condition affects between 2% and 8% of the population, with women being more commonly affected than men. 

Conventional treatment options for fibromyalgia may include neuropathic and antidepressant medications, cognitive behavioral therapy as well as exercise therapy. Delivered results are not always favorable, which is why cannabis has been considered as one more therapy option. 

How Can Cannabis Use Benefit in Fibromyalgia Cases? 

Cannabis is extensively used in treating various types of chronic pain, and that is one of the main reasons why it has been on the radar for fibromyalgia, where widespread body pain is the main presentation of the disease. Health experts are saying that if cannabis can help with chronic pain disorders such as for muscle spasms in MS patients or pain relief in neuropathy, there must be something that it can do for fibromyalgia as well. 

According to one new study, which assessed cannabis use in 1336 patients with fibromyalgia at Mayo Clinic, most patients (82%) reported reduction in pain symptoms following cannabis use. In addition, participants reported relief from other symptoms, such as stress, anxiety, depression, and disturbed sleep. But there were also symptoms where cannabis couldn’t facilitate any significant relief. 

Cannabis May Not Treat All Fibromyalgia Symptoms 

The same study done with Mayo Clinic showed that nearly half of the participants reported cannabis use following their diagnosis with fibromyalgia, and before entering the study. This is a cohort of mostly younger patients with more significant impairments due to the disease, who have used both THC and CBD products. Which signals that fibromyalgia patients are aware of the medical potential of cannabis, and they are willing to try it out in treatment. 

However, the study - like most other studies on cannabis and fibromyalgia - also showed that cannabis cannot help with all symptoms related to the disease. Symptoms outlined where cannabis use did not help in fibromyalgia pathologies included sweating, sexual dysfunction and fatigue. 

A scientific review published in 2023 which examined a more significant number of studies on cannabis and fibromyalgia concludes that the effectiveness of both major cannabinoids - THC and CBD - is “uncertain,” because of the non-success to treat all symptomatology. 

The review acknowledges “the positive analgesic benefits reported by patients,” with most studies indicating that both THC and CBD options may facilitate pain reduction and improve sleep in fibromyalgia patients. However, effects on mood, libido, or appetite problems exhibited by patients, were largely inconsistent. 

Researchers Stress the Need for Personalized Cannabis Treatments in Fibromyalgia Cases 

There is still much to be learned about the use of cannabis in the treatment of fibromyalgia. While some studies point out to positive and optimistic results, others have been inconclusive or low-quality, or they demonstrate that different cannabis medicines may produce different outcomes in patients. 

It matters what kind of cannabis drugs are given to patients. For example, one of the research projects has focused on nabilone - a powerful synthetic analog form of THC. While this medication was found to be highly effective for disrupted sleep, it had little impact on pain or mood. 

Because every case of fibromyalgia is different, and patients may present with a variety of symptoms, researchers recommend personalizing treatments and finding out what cannabis drugs work for which person and for which health issue. That is one of the main lines onto which future cannabis research on fibromyalgia should be built in, along with exploring the medical potency of other cannabis compounds such as terpenes. 

Read more from Soft Secrets on related topics: 

• Terpenes Can Act as Opioids for Pain Reduction, Study

• Medicinal Cannabis in Combo with Other Meds

• Medical Cannabis and the Fight Against the Opioid Epidemic