Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is a serious chronic disease manifesting itself with various physical symptoms, such as muscle and bone pain, tiredness, and increased sensitivity to pressure around neck, spine, shoulders and hips.

Patients Find Hope in Cannabis

Many patients suffering with fibromyalgia turn to alternative forms of medicine and more and more of them claim that self-treatment with cannabis helps them manage the symptoms more effectively than all pharmaceuticals. Surveys show that physicians in states where cannabis has been already legalized recommend it to their musculoskeletal patients more frequently. Nevertheless, there is still a lack of clinical tests, which would confirm the efficiency of cannabinoids in the treatment of fibromyalgia.

Current State of Research

In 2006, the results of one pioneering clinical study were presented: For three months, a team of German scientists was observing analgesic effects of THC on a group of nine patients with fibromyalgia. Five of these patients later withdrew because they did not tolerate the psychoactive effects; however, the rest of them noted significant relief from pain.

Another research from 2011 conducted by Spanish scientists compared two groups of patients, one of which was administering cannabis. The participants using cannabis claimed that the plant helped them alleviate many of the symptoms including pain and muscle stiffness.

Earlier clinical and preclinical studies have shown that natural cannabinoids as well as endocannabinoids created in our body possess analgesic properties and thus are suitable for the treatment of pain, which is resistant to conventional therapy. Therefore, some experts claim that cannabis is an ideal treatment for disease associated with chronic pain, such as fibromyalgia.