Half of all multiple sclerosis patients now use cannabis

According to a study by researchers at the University of Michigan, more than 40% of patients with multiple sclerosis have used cannabis or cannabinoid products in the past year. The study, titled "Cannabinoid Use Among Americans With MS: Current Trends and Knowledge Gaps," was recently published in the Multiple Sclerosis Journal - Experimental, Translational and Clinical.

To conduct the research, the University of Michigan researchers collected data from a statewide sample of more than 1,000 patients with multiple sclerosis. The study found that 42% of respondents said they had used cannabis or cannabinoid-based therapies such as cannabidiol (CBD) in the past year, a rate of use almost double that, according to the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) is like the national average. "These national survey data underscore the increasing prevalence of cannabinoid use among Americans with MS and the continued perception of the benefits for several chronic symptoms among users," the researchers wrote.

Of those surveyed who have used cannabis or cannabinoid products, 90% said their cannabis use was medicinal in nature. The researchers found that many patients with MS have chronic symptoms for which there are not enough quality treatment options. More than half of all patients suffer from chronic pain, which can also affect sleep. At least 60% have insomnia, which can lead to fatigue and other chronic symptoms. The lack of effective treatment options is causing many MS patients to seek alternative therapies, including cannabis and cannabinoid products like CBD.

However, little information is available on the proper use and dosage of cannabis required for effective treatment of MS, leading the study's authors to request more research on the subject. "Many Americans with MS use cannabinoids, and especially CBD-predominant products, to manage a wide range of symptoms on their own," they wrote. "These results highlight the critical gaps between community use and clinical care, and illustrate an immediate need for prospective, mechanistic studies focusing on the effects of cannabinoids on chronic MS symptoms, as well as the interactions between MS symptoms ".

Cannabis is effective for a range of MS symptoms The patients who used cannabis to treat their MS found that cannabis was most effective at improving sleep and reducing tremors, as well as relieving nausea and anxiety. The researchers found that most patients who chose cannabis to treat their MS wanted more information about cannabis use, but did not get such advice from their healthcare provider. "Interestingly, the overwhelming majority of respondents expressed a desire to receive more advice on cannabis use from health care providers, but less than 1% received information from their provider about the type of cannabinoid product they were consuming," the authors found. The researchers concluded that the popularity of cannabis use among MS patients and the perceived range of benefits of THC and CBD highlighted the need for more research and "personalized, evidence-based guidelines on cannabinoid use".

"Our results also show a growing discrepancy between cannabinoid use and clinical guidelines for use, underscoring the growing need to determine whether and how cannabinoids can be used more effectively to treat some of the most debilitating MS symptoms for which it is currently there are no high quality interventions, as well as the need to encourage more open educational discussions between providers and patients in order to optimize cannabinoid use, ”they wrote.