Medical Cannabis Linked to Improvements in Pain, Sleep and Nighttime Urination in Parkinson’s Patients
- Medical marijuana use in Parkinson’s patients was linked to improvements in pain, sleep, quality of life, and reduced nighttime urinary frequency according to a new study.
- The study involved 68 patients starting medical cannabis treatment, using cannabis oil or flower products with varying THC and CBD levels, assessed over three months.
- Significant improvements were found on scales measuring non-motor symptoms, sleep quality, pain, and overall quality of life, with nighttime urinary frequency decreasing but daytime frequency unchanged.
- No correlation was observed between cannabinoid composition and outcomes; the treatment was generally well tolerated, though randomized controlled trials are needed for further validation.
Medical marijuana use was associated with improvements in pain, sleep, quality of life and nighttime urinary frequency among patients with Parkinson’s disease, according to a new study published by *Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research* and available through the National Library of Medicine.
Researchers from the Glickman Urological Institute, Tel Aviv University and Cleveland Clinic conducted a single-center, open-label prospective cohort study involving 68 patients with Parkinson’s disease who were beginning medical cannabis treatment. Participants used either cannabis oil extract or cannabis flower products with varying THC and CBD ratios, with researchers assessing outcomes at baseline and again after three months.
Of the 68 patients enrolled, 50 completed the follow-up period. The average age was 65.6, and 68% were male.
Researchers found that medical cannabis use was associated with significant improvements across several validated measures, including the Non-Motor Symptoms Scale, Parkinson’s Disease Sleep Scale-2, King’s Parkinson’s Disease Pain Scale and Parkinson’s Disease Quality-of-Life Questionnaire-8.
The study also found improvement in the urinary domain of the Non-Motor Symptoms Scale, with nighttime urinary frequency decreasing, while daytime urinary measures remained unchanged.
No connection was found between the specific cannabinoid composition of products, or whether products were enriched with THC or CBD, and the likelihood of clinical improvement.
The dropout rate was 26.5%, mostly due to loss to follow-up. Researchers said short-term, self-titrated medical cannabis “was feasible and appeared generally well tolerated” in the open-label setting, while noting that the findings are exploratory.
They concluded that randomized controlled trials are needed to better determine efficacy, safety and optimal dosing, particularly for pain, sleep and nighttime urinary symptoms in Parkinson’s patients.