Abstract
BackgroundThe use of cannabis for treating fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) has not been comprehensively investigated. Thus, we have assessed the efficacy and adverse events (AEs) of short- and long-term medical cannabis (MC) treatment for FMS.MethodsData were obtained from medical reports archived in the pain clinic of Ponderano (Italy; retrospective study). FMS patients, who were resistant to conventional therapy, received licensed MC with various Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) content, as powdered whole flowers (decoction or vaporization) or oil extracts. Demographic and clinical parameters, including Numerical Rating Scale (NRS), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Widespread Pain Index (WPI), Severity Score (SyS), and side effects, were obtained after 1, 3, and 12 months. Data were analyzed with Wilcoxon signed-rank tests for paired data.ResultsThirty-eight patients were included. Thirty, 18, and 12 patients continued therapy for 1, 3, and 12 months, respectively. Significant improvements (p < 0.01) were observed in NRS, ODI, WPI, and SyS at 1 month; in NRS, ODI, and WPI at 3 months; and in NRS, ODI, and SyS at 12 months. Therapy was interrupted by 17 patients (48.6%) owing to nonserious AEs according to the FDA. The most common side effects were mental confusion (37%), dizziness (14%), nausea/vomiting (14%), and restlessness/irritation (14%). The median daily dose of milled flowers administered as THC-dominant MC and hybrid MC (with similar THC/CBD ratio) was 200 mg/day and 400 mg/day, respectively. After 3 months of titration, the median content of THC administered with THC-dominant MC cultivars was 46.2 mg, and of THC + CBD administered as a hybrid MC cultivar, was 23.6 mg + 38 mg. At 3 months, median THC content administered in the oil extract of the THC-dominant MC cultivars was 9.7 mg, while that of THC + CBD administered in the oil extract of the hybrid MC cultivars was 1.8 mg + 2 mg.ConclusionsMC may represent an alternative treatment for patients with FMS who are unresponsive to conventional therapy. However, its application may be limited by the incidence of nonserious AEs.
Highlights
The use of cannabis for treating fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) has not been comprehensively investigated
The diagnostic criteria for FMS were revised by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) in 2010 (Wolfe et al 2010) and subsequently modified in 2011 (Wolfe et al 2011) and 2016 (Wolfe et al 2016), in which palpation of the 18 tender points was removed as a requirement for FMS diagnosis
Study design This was a retrospective study examining the analgesic efficacy of medical cannabis (MC) and adverse events (AEs) in adult Italian patients diagnosed with FMS who were deemed resistant to conventional drugs
Summary
The use of cannabis for treating fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) has not been comprehensively investigated. We have assessed the efficacy and adverse events (AEs) of short- and long-term medical cannabis (MC) treatment for FMS. Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a common chronic pain syndrome that significantly impacts patient qualityof-life. FMS is characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain, sleep and mood disorders, fatigue, cognitive disorders, and various somatic symptoms (Bellato et al 2012); it is not associated with signs of tissue inflammation, deformity, or damage. The polysymptomatic distress score (PDS) (Wolfe et al 2013; Wolfe et al 2015; Yaseen et al 2017; Wolfe et al 2018), which combines the scores from Widespread Pain Index (WPI) and the Symptom Severity Score (SSS), is included as diagnostic criteria
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