CBD Remarkably Effective for Treating Fibromyalgia, Survey Finds
100% of patients using medical marijuana to treat fibromyalgia reported less pain or discomfort after being on CBD-rich cannabis therapy for at least 30 days according to a new survey published by Care By Design. 2,495 total patients were surveyed between March and August 2015 and findings are based on 621 completed surveys.
Below is a summary of the key findings for the 19% of survey respondents using CBD-rich cannabis for inflammatory conditions (including arthritis, general inflammation, rheumatism and Crohn’s disease) and for the 14% of survey respondents using it for conditions marked by pain (including fibromyalgia, neuropathic pain and headaches and migraines.
CBD-Rich Cannabis’ Impact on Overall Well-Being
“Patients with fibromyalgia, headaches and migraines, PTSD and anxiety reported the greatest improvement in general wellbeing (as compared to other patient groups.”
Average self-reported wellbeing ratings dropped from over 7 to just under 4 for the “pain” patient group and dropped from just over 6 to around 3.5 for those in the “inflammation” patient group. Wellbeing ratings based on a scale from 1 to 10 with 1 being “I Feel Great” and 10 being “I feel the worst imaginable.”
CBD-Rich Cannabis’ Impact on Pain and Discomfort
“All patients (100%) with headaches and migraines, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and spinal cord injury reported a decrease in pain or discomfort.”
Approximately 95% of those in the “pain” patient group reported less pain or discomfort after being on CBD-rich cannabis therapy for at least 30 days vs. 82% of those in the “inflammation” patient group.
CBD-Rich Cannabis’ Impact on Mood
Approximately 70% of those in the “pain” patient group reported an improved mood vs. 68% of those in the “inflammation” patient group.
CBD-Rich Cannabis’ Impact on Energy Levels
“The patients most likely to report increased energy levels were those with inflammation (64.0%), fibromyalgia (57.1%), and PTSD (55.6%). Patients with headaches or migraines were the most likely to report reduced energy levels (37.5%).”
Approximately 35% of those in the “pain” patienet group reported more energy vs. just under 40% of those in the “inflammation” patient group.
CBD versus THC: Ratios
“There was no significant correlation between the condition a patient was treating and the CBD:THC ratio they chose. Patients with pain and inflammation favored cannabis medicines with more equal levels of CBD and THC (CBD:THC ratios of 4:1, 2:1,1:1). “
Conclusion
“This report represents preliminary data based on less than one thousand patients. It is not meant to provide patients with guidance on dosing or medical treatment. Rather, it is meant to suggest possible areas for additional research.”
It should be noted that this survey was conducted by a company that sells medical marijuana products.