Medical Cannabis Offers Significant Relief for Neuropathic Pain, German Study Suggests

LOS ANGELES — Chronic neuropathic pain sufferers might find a beacon of hope in the medicinal properties of cannabis. A recent study out of Hamburg, Germany, indicates that cannabis inhalation can lead to notable improvements in pain and sleep for those battling chronic neuropathy.

Neuropathy arises from damaged peripheral nerves outside the brain and spinal cord. This damage often results in weakness, numbness, and pain primarily in hands and feet. The pain can also influence other bodily functions like digestion and urination.

The study, published in the journal Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids, leveraged anonymized data from Algea Care GmbH, a German telemedicine platform dedicated to treating chronic diseases with medical cannabis. This retrospective, observational research considered 99 patients with significant neuropathic pain symptoms eligible for cannabis treatments.

Patients primarily used vaporizers to inhale cannabinoids from heated cannabis flower. A smaller portion took oral THC extracts, and the frequency of inhalation varied between scheduled timings and instances of pain flare-ups.

Researchers collected data between July and September 2021, grading pain and sleep disturbances on a 0 to 10 scale. Those with scores over 6 were classified under “severe pain.”

The results were promising. At the outset, 96% of the patients were grappling with severe pain, evidenced by a median score of 7.5. Within six weeks from the therapy’s onset, there was a significant drop to a median score of 3.75. Subsequent consultations recorded a slight decline in pain scores, which eventually stabilized.

Sleep disturbances experienced a marked improvement too. Initially, with a median score of 8, this dropped to a substantial 2 during the first follow-up.

Regarding overall well-being, 90% of participants noted considerable enhancement. Throughout the half-year observation period, a staggering 97 patients recorded improved conditions. Only mild side effects like dry mucous tissue, fatigue, and increased appetite were reported, with rare incidents of dizziness, intoxication, restlessness, and nausea.

The research team concluded: “Medical cannabis offers an effective, sustainable, and safe treatment for chronic neuropathic pain.” They lauded the rapid pain relief achieved within six weeks, especially considering previous medications’ limited effects on the cohort.

The frequent follow-ups in the study underscored the lasting and consistent effects of cannabis in pain therapies. Researchers opined that sleep disturbance improvements probably arose due to the alleviation of pain. However, they did not discount the possibility of cannabis having a direct influence on sleep.

This study adds to the growing body of evidence highlighting cannabis’s therapeutic potential. A recent survey echoed the findings, and a January 2023 report in JAMA Network Open showed that roughly one-third of chronic pain patients now turn to cannabis for relief, with many replacing opioids with cannabis.

With these results, the medical community might be one step closer to harnessing the full therapeutic potential of cannabis for chronic neuropathic pain sufferers.