Study: THC/CBD Spray Provides Pain Relief to Multiple Sclerosis Patients
Sativex, a medical spray made from cannabis using equal parts THC and CBD, is effective in providing pain relief to those with multiple sclerosis, according to newly released research.
“Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)/cannabidiol (CBD) (nabiximols or Sativex®) is an oromucosal spray formulation containing THC and CBD at an approximately 1:1 fixed ratio”, states the abstract of the study, which was published by the open access journal Medicines. “Its administration for the treatment of pain in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) has been established. ”
Noting that “MS patients generally complain of different kinds of pain, including spasticity-related and neuropathic pain”, researchers “compared and evaluated pain modulation and thermal/pain threshold of MS patients before and after THC/CBD administration.” 19 MS patients underwent “clinical examination, numerical rating scale (NRS), quantitative sensory testing (QST), and laser-evoked potentials (LEPs) before and after 1 month of therapy.” Psychophysiological and neurophysiological data were compared to sex- and age-matched controls.
“Patients reported a significant reduction in pain”, states the study. “We found statistically significant differences in LEP parameters between patients and controls but no significant change in LEP measures after THC/CBD therapy. Cold and heat detection thresholds were altered in patients but did not change after THC/CBD therapy.” There was a significant increase in cold pain threshold by hand stimulation and “a significant reduction in abnormal cold perception thresholds.”
The study concludes by stating that “Our results indicate that Sativex® therapy provides pain relief in MS patients and suggest that it might modulate peripheral cold-sensitive TRP channels.”
The full study can be found by clicking here.