70 percent of dystonia patients find medical cannabis improves sleep – study

A new study revealed that consumption of medical cannabis in adults with dystonia may improve symptoms and alleviate pain related to the condition.

The study on dystonia was presented as part of the International Congress of Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Virtual Congress 2021 which was held between 17 to 22 September.

The researchers aimed to examine the effect of medical cannabis on dystonia muscle activity and related pain in patients with Israeli Ministery of Health (MOH) approved cannabis license.

Dystonia causes uncontrollable and often painful spasms associated with Parkinson’s Disease. It also causes uncontrollable blinking, shaking and can cause the body to twist into unusual positions. It is a lifelong condition but the symptoms can be controlled with medication.

Dystonia study

Researchers from Tel Aviv University contacted 23 patients with an approved license from the MOH to assess scale, demographics, cannabis use and treatment effects using a 5-point Likert scale. The Likert scale is a type of scale. It’s a question with a series of answers that range from one extreme to another. Patients self-report their answers as to where they fall on the scale.

The study consisted of 11 women and 12 men who reported using cannabis for a maximum of 3.5 years and a minimum of at least 1.5 years. The dose amounts ranged between approximately 42.7 and 2.5 per month. A total of 48 percent of the participants revealed they used cannabis oil extract while 47.8 smoked dried buds and a further 8.7 percent used both.

The results

A large percentage of participants at 70 percent said they found an improvement in their sleep. The self-report efficacy of medical cannabis was 3.3 out of five and for those experiencing pain, 3.7 out of five. Those who said they experienced an improvement also reported using a higher THC dose. They found smoking medical cannabis more effective than consuming oil.

The adverse effects reported included dry mouth, worsening mood, anxiety with hallucinations and suicidal ideation in three participants. these participants stopped receiving medical cannabis due to the effects.

The researchers recorded limitations as the inclusion of patients with differing dystonia symptoms, uncontrolled dosing and administration methods along with the small study size.

The concluded: “Medical cannabis seems to improve symptoms of dystonia and related pain. A higher daily dose of THC and smoking rather than sublingual oil are significantly more efficacious.”

Read more: Cannabis patients show an improvement in anxiety and pain