Study: CBD gives relief to arthritis patients

Published in August 2022 in the Journal of Cannabis Research, this study focused on the effects of CBD on three types of arthritis: osteo-, rheumatoid, and autoimmune. It is estimated that 23% of Americans suffer with arthritis.

The study was a self-selected anonymous sample of 428 arthritis patients recruited by The Arthritis Foundation and their partners between May 2020 and November 2020. It was granted Institutional Review Board approval at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research.

Most patients had tried other treatments like anti-inflammatories (91%), acetaminophen (66%), physical therapy (61%), intra-articular steroid injection (46%), and opioids (42%).

Overall, patients reported a 44% reduction in pain levels on average after CBD use. The osteoarthritis group reported the greatest improvements in pain percentage and point reduction.

The majority of the patients (60%) also reported a reduction in use of other medications such as anti-inflammatories, acetaminophen, and opioids.

CBD use was associated with improvements in pain (83%), physical function (66%), and sleep quality (66%)

The overall cohort reported a 44% reduction in pain after CBD use.

The osteoarthritis group had a greater percentage reduction and point reduction in pain compared to rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune arthritis.

Just 16% of patients reported moderate or severe side effects including: dry mouth, drowsiness/somnolence, increased or decreased appetite, dry eyes, impaired concentration , dizziness, headache, and digestive complaints.

The full text article is here at biomedcentral.com.