what type of marijuana products are beneficial to parkinsons

Medicinal cannabis improves outcomes in Parkinson's patients

With medicinal cannabis now legalized in many parts of the world, there is growing interest in its utilise to alleviate symptoms of many illnesses including Parkinson's disease (PD).

According to results of a survey of PD patients in Frg in the Journal of Parkinson'south Disease, over 8% of patients with PD reported using cannabis products and more than than half of those users (54%) reported a beneficial clinical effect.

Cannabis products containing THC (tetrahydrocannabinol, the main psychoactive compound of cannabis) tin can be prescribed in Germany when previous therapies are unsuccessful or not tolerated, and where cannabis can be expected with not a very unlikely chance to relieve disabling symptoms.

CBD (pure cannabidiol, derived directly from the hemp constitute, a cousin of the marijuana plant) is available without a prescription from pharmacies and on the internet.

Medical cannabis was legally approved in Frg in 2017 when approving was given for therapy-resistant symptoms in severely afflicted patients independent of diagnosis and without clinical evidence-based information. PD patients fulfilling these criteria are entitled to be prescribed medical cannabis, merely there are few data about which type of cannabinoid and which road of administration might be promising for which PD patient and which symptoms. Nosotros also lack information about the extent to which the PD community is informed most medicinal cannabis and whether they accept tried cannabis and, if and then, with what result."

Dr med. Carsten Buhmann, Study Atomic number 82 Investigator and Professor, Section of Neurology, Academy Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf

Investigators aimed to assess patient perceptions of medicinal cannabis as well as evaluate the experiences of patients already using cannabis products. They performed a nationwide, cross-sectional, questionnaire-based survey among members of the German Parkinson Association (Deutsche Parkinson Vereinigung east.V.), which is the largest consortium of PD patients in High german-speaking countries with nearly 21,000 members. Questionnaires were sent out in April 2019 with the clan's membership periodical and were also distributed in the investigators' clinic.

Over 1,300 questionnaires were analyzed; results showed that involvement in the PD community in medical cannabis was loftier, but noesis about unlike types of products was limited. Fifty-one percent of respondents were enlightened of the legality of medicinal cannabis, and 28% were aware of the diverse routes of administration (inhaling versus oral administration), but only ix% were aware of the difference between THC and CBD.

More than 8% of patients were already using cannabinoids and more than than one-half of these users (54%) reported that it had a benign clinical effect.

The overall tolerability was good. Over 40% of users reported that information technology helped manage hurting and muscle cramps, and more than 20% of users reported a reduction of stiffness (akinesia), freezing, tremor, depression, anxiety, and restless legs. Patients reported that inhaled cannabis products containing THC were more efficient in treating stiffness than oral products containing CBD but were slightly less well tolerated.

Patients using cannabis tended to be younger, living in large cities, and more aware of the legal and clinical aspects of medicinal cannabis. Sixty-five percent of non-users were interested in using medicinal cannabis, only lack of noesis and fear of side effects were reported as main reasons for not trying it.

"Our data confirm that PD patients have a high involvement in handling with medicinal cannabis but lacked knowledge virtually how to take it and especially the differences between the two primary cannabinoids, THC and CBD," noted Prof. Dr. med. Buhmann. "Physicians should consider these aspects when advising their patients virtually treatment with medicinal cannabis. The data reported hither may help physicians decide which patients could benefit, which symptoms could be addressed, and which type of cannabinoid and route of administration might be suitable."

"Cannabis intake might be related to a placebo event considering of high patient expectations and conditioning, simply fifty-fifty that tin exist considered every bit a therapeutic effect. Information technology has to be stressed, though, that our findings are based on subjective patient reports and that clinically appropriate studies are urgently needed," he concluded.

Bastiaan R. Bloem, Medico, PhD, Director, Radboudumc Center of Expertise for Parkinson & Movement Disorders, Nijmegen, The Netherlands, and Co-Editor-in Chief of the Journal of Parkinson's Disease, added: "These findings are interesting in that they ostend a widespread interest amongst patients in the utilise of cannabis as a potential treatment for people living with PD. It is important to emphasize that more research is needed before cannabis can be prescribed every bit a treatment, and that guidelines currently recommend confronting the use of cannabis, even as self-medication, considering the efficacy is not well established, and because in that location are safety concerns (adverse effects include among others sedation and hallucinations). Equally such, the present paper mainly serves to emphasize the need for carefully controlled clinical trials to further establish both the efficacy and safety of cannabis treatment."

Source:

Journal reference:

Ferhat, Y., et al. (2020) Cannabis in Parkinson's Disease: The Patients' View. Periodical of Parkinson's Disease. doi.org/10.3233/JPD-202260.

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Tags: Akinesia, Anxiety, Cannabidiol, Cannabinoid, Cannabis, Chemical compound, Depression, Efficacy, Mental Health, Motility disorders, Muscle, Neurology, Pain, Parkinson'south Disease, Placebo, Research, Tetrahydrocannabinol, Tremor