Medical cannabis use in patients with chronic conditions significantly improves overall health-related quality of life and fatigue. Cannabis therapy was also associated with improvements in anxiety, depression and pain levels - although there were no changes in sleep disturbance levels. Australian patients with chronic conditions experienced significant improvements in overall health-related quality of life and levels of fatigue, as well as improvements in anxiety, depression and pain in the first three months after using medical cannabis.
Interestingly, cannabis therapy does not appear to improve reported sleep disorders, according to a study published September 6, 2023, in the open-access journal PLOSONE by Margaret-Ann Taiit of the University of Sydney, Australia, and colleagues.
Since 2016, Australia has begun approving the prescribing of medical cannabis to patients with health conditions that have not responded to other treatments. Tait and colleagues surveyed a cohort of Australian patients with chronic conditions prescribed medical cannabis to better understand whether patient-reported treatment outcomes changed after cannabis treatment in this population.
The authors used survey responses from 2327 Australian chronically ill patients prescribing medical cannabis (tetrahydrocannabinol and biodiesel dissolved in medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) carrier oil) between November 2020 and December 2021. Patients were surveyed on self-reported health-related quality of life, pain, sleep, anxiety and depression before starting cannabis treatment, two weeks after treatment, and monthly for three months.
Patient Demographics and Reported Outcomes
63% of patients surveyed were female, and the average age was 51 years (range, 18-97 years). The most commonly treated conditions were chronic pain (69%), insomnia (23%), anxiety (22%), and anxiety/depression (11%); half of patients received treatment for more than one condition. Over the three months surveyed, patients reported significant, clinically meaningful improvements in measures of health-related quality of life and fatigue. Patients also reported clinically meaningful relief from pain and significant improvements in moderate-severe anxiety and depression. However, although many patients are prescribed cannabis for insomnia, there is an overall lack of improvement in patient-reported sleep disturbances.
Limitations and further study
Although 30 patients formally withdrew from the study due to "unnecessary side effects," the authors did not measure adverse effects in the study. Regardless, these results suggest that medical marijuana can be effective in helping manage previously untreatable chronic conditions. The authors also note that more research and development of the cannabis oil products used in this study may be needed to successfully treat patients with insomnia and sleep disorders.
The authors added: "Within the first three months of receiving medicinal cannabis treatment, participants reported improvements in their health-related quality of life, fatigue, and health conditions related to anxiety, depression, and pain."