Does CBD Help With Pain?
September 6, 2019
Several studies have concluded that cannabidiol (CBD) can be effectively used to manage different types of pain, and many pain management experts and physicians are beginning to recommend CBD to patients.
Therapeutics and Clinical Risk Management: Cannabinoids in the management of difficult to treat pain
This study intended to determine the effectiveness of cannabinoids for managing pain for patients suffering from cancer as well as those with neuropathic and central pain conditions such as multiple sclerosis. These types of pain are notoriously difficult to manage, even with opiates.
Doctors, especially those treating patients with severe chronic pain issues, are increasingly scrutinized for their prescribing practices given the modern political climate and fears regarding opiate-based painkillers. This has led many physicians to seriously investigate alternative pain management solutions, including CBD.
Several randomized clinical trials performed during this study showed positive pain management outcomes for patients suffering from peripheral neuropathy, rheumatoid arthritis and pain associated with cancer.
PAIN: Attenuation of early phase inflammation by cannabidiol prevents pain and nerve damage in rat osteoarthritis
Although this study narrowly examined the effects of CBD on rat osteoarthritis, the research’s ultimate goal is to help bolster the case that CBD may be a safe and effective pain management option for treating the joint pain suffered by human patients with osteoarthritis. The authors were able to measure:
- The extent to which CBD blocked pain signals to the brain
- If the inflammation inhibiting attributes of CBD could prevent osteoarthritis joint neuropathy and pain
The study determined that there were significant and measurable reductions in joint inflammation for rats with end-stage osteoarthritis. They also found that the CBD prevented joint pain and had neuroprotective effects, meaning it helped prevent nervous system damage. The study’s authors concluded that local administration of CBD helped block osteoarthritis pain in the rats and prevented pain and nerve damage in the joints affected by osteoarthritis.
There’s Also Plenty of Anecdotal Evidence
People’s personal experiences with the beneficial effects of CBD aren’t scientific in nature, and aren’t derived from controlled studies, but the volume of them shouldn’t be discounted. The significantly increased interest by patients and the medical pain management community has caused many noteworthy organizations to begin testing the waters of CBD pain management.
The Arthritis Foundation recently published an article providing some advice to arthritis patients who want to try CBD for pain management, citing another study that showed CBD helped manage pain for patients with osteoarthritis of the knee. The Rheumatoid Arthritis Support Network also recently posted a relatively glowing endorsement of CBD oil for managing arthritis pain written by a doctor at UT Health San Antonio.
What Else Is CBD Prescribed to Treat?
There’s currently a lot of research going on as it pertains to CBD-derived medicine, in large part thanks to its significant medicinal potential and minimal side effects compared with addictive and potentially dangerous narcotics that are commonly prescribed for pain management and other conditions like anxiety and insomnia.
CBD is currently being studied as a potential treatment for:
- Epilepsy and seizures
- Anxiety
- Insomnia
- Schizophrenia
- Acne
- Cancer
- Type 1 Diabetes
- Smoking cessation
- Drug withdrawals
- Autism spectrum disorder
All of these treatments require further research, but the medical community is clearly interested in this particular cannabinoid for its many potential health care applications.
In fact, the first drug derived from marijuana to receive FDA approval was a CBD-based drug. Epidiolex is specifically administered as a treatment for Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome. Both conditions cause significant seizures, starting in childhood, and can have life-threatening and development-delaying and -inhibiting effects on sufferers.
Epidiolex is the only drug ever to receive FDA approval for the treatment of Dravet syndrome, making it an especially auspicious accomplishment.
Another telling aspect of the FDA’s announcement was their approval of Epidiolex for patients two years of age and older. Considering all the messaging around the dangers of marijuana for brain development and addiction risk for young people, it should be noteworthy that the FDA, a notoriously fastidious organization, felt CBD was safe enough for children that it green-lit a drug in part designed to be prescribed to toddlers.
Find Out If CBD Can Help Manage Your Pain
If you’re curious about CBD and are interesting in seeing if it can help manager your chronic pain, please speak with your physician and browse our website for more information.
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