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Cannabis “more effective” than opioids for musculoskeletal pain, finds survey

Eighty-nine percent of participants said that cannabis was “more effective” than opioids for pain management.

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Cannabis “more effective” than opioids for musculoskeletal pain, finds survey

A new survey has revealed that patients with musculoskeletal disorders found cannabis to be more effective than opioids for pain management.

The findings of a new survey, led by researchers in Puerto Rico, demonstrate that patients perceive cannabis to be an effective pain management tool for musculoskeletal pain.

In addition, the majority of those who took part in the study found it to be a “better alternative” than opioids to attain adequate pain control.

Musculoskeletal conditions are a group of conditions that affect the bones, joints, muscles and spine, and are a common cause of severe long term pain and physical disability.

They include conditions such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia, which can be hard to treat and often rely on managing the symptoms with commonly prescribed painkillers, such as opioids.

Investigators surveyed 184 patients with chronic pain conditions regarding their use of medical cannabis.

Eighty-nine percent of survey participants said that cannabis was “more effective” than opioids for pain management.

Respondents suffering specifically from musculoskeletal conditions reported an average reduction of 4.47 points on the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) following cannabis administration.

Authors concluded: “This study showed that the use of medical cannabis among patients with musculoskeletal conditions effectively reduced pain levels based on their NRS reported scores. 

“In addition, most patients using medical cannabis consider that this drug represents a better option than narcotics (e.g., opioids) for adequate pain management. Additional studies on medical cannabis should evaluate whether the experience and perspective presented through this study could translate into satisfactory and consistent clinical outcomes.”

Existing research

The latest findings are consistent with those of previous studies.

Survey data from 2020 estimated that one in five Canadian patients battling musculoskeletal disorders used cannabis to ease their pain. 

Among pain patients enrolled in medical cannabis access programmes in the US, most subjects report decreasing or even eliminating their use of opiates.

Elsewhere, a recent review of preclinical and clinical research on the effect of cannabinoids on fibromyalgia also found that cannabis and cannabis-based medicines “show promise” therapeutically.

 

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Sarah Sinclair is an award-winning freelance journalist covering health, drug policy and social affairs. She is one of the few UK reporters specialising in medical cannabis policy and as the former editor of Cannabis Health has covered developments in the European cannabis sector extensively, with a focus on patients and consumers. She continues to report on cannabis-related health and policy for Forbes, Cannabis Health and Business of Cannabis and has written for The i Paper, Byline Times, The Lead, Positive News, Leafie & others. Sarah has an NCTJ accreditation and an MA in Journalism from the University of Sunderland and has completed additional specialist training through the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society in the UK. She has spoken at leading industry events such as Cannabis Europa.

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