Author: Frank Schuler

Anyone that has experienced a headache knows that it is no fun at all. A headache is a painful sensation in any part of a person’s head, with pain ranging from minor to severe. According to the Mayo Clinic, “Chemical activity in your brain, the nerves or blood vessels surrounding your skull, or the muscles of your head and neck (or some combination of these factors) can play a role in primary headaches.”

For some patients, headaches can be very common. Patients that fit that description have a condition known as ‘headache disorder,’ which is characterized by recurrent headaches. Headache disorder is one of the most common disorders of the nervous system.

The cannabis plant may possess the power to help people effectively treat headache disorders, as demonstrated by a recent study from the United Kingdom. Below is more information about it via a news release from NORML:

London, United Kingdom: The use of cannabis products is associated with symptomatic improvements in patients with headache disorders, according to observational trail data published in the journal Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics.

British investigators assessed the safety and efficacy of cannabis-derived products in 97 patients diagnosed with migraine and other headache disorders. Study subjects were participants in the UK Medical Cannabis Registry, and each of them possessed a doctor’s authorization to access cannabis. Study participants consumed cannabis by either vaporizing marijuana flowers or by ingesting plant-derived extracts containing both THC and CBD. Researchers assessed subjects’ symptoms compared to baseline at one, three, and six-months.

Cannabis therapy was associated with sustained improvements in pain, anxiety, sleep, and other health-related outcomes. Fewer than one-in-five patients reported experiencing any adverse events from cannabis. Most events were perceived to be mild.

“[While] these results provide promise with respect to the changes in health-related quality of life experienced by those with primary headache disorders, there is a still a requirement for further RCTs [randomized placebo-controlled trials] to be conducted to understand the true efficacy of CBMPs [cannabis-based medicinal products] for this indication,” authors concluded. “However, whilst these are awaited, the present study outcomes with respect to safety and efficacy, provides useful insights to inform current clinical practice.”

According to a systematic review of the literature published in December, the inhalation of cannabis flowers is generally effective and well-tolerated among patients with migraine. Authors of the review concluded: “[M]edical marijuana has a significant clinical response by reducing the length and frequency of migraines. No severe adverse effects were noted. Due to its effectiveness and convenience, medical marijuana therapy may be helpful for patients suffering from migraines.”

Patients enrolled in the UK Medical Cannabis Registry with diagnoses of post-traumatic stress, depression, refractory epilepsy, and inflammatory bowel disease have also demonstrated symptomatic improvements following cannabis therapy.

Full text of the study, “UK Cannabis Registry: Assessment of clinical outcomes in patients with headache disorders,” appears in Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics. Additional information on cannabis and headaches is available from NORML’s publication, Clinical Applications for Cannabis & Cannabinoids.

Making healthcare decisions for a child is not an easy thing, as many factors have to be weighed and considered, not the least of which is the safety of the medicine/treatment. Being that children are still developing, special safety considerations have to be made.

Another major factor is the efficacy of the medicine and/or treatment. Many treatment regimens are perfectly safe in certain conditions, however, some parents experience cases in which their child’s condition is treatment-resistant. When that happens, parents have few places to turn, particularly from a safety standpoint.

One condition that results in cases of treatment-resistance in children is epilepsy. Fortunately, studies are finding that the cannabis plant may be able to help, including a recent study out of the United Kingdom. Below is more information about it via a news release from NORML:

London, United Kingdom: The daily administration of cannabis products is associated with reductions in seizure frequency among children with treatment-resistant epilepsy (TRE), according to observational trial data published in the journal Neuropediatrics.

British investigators assessed the safety and efficacy of cannabis-derived products in 35 patients diagnosed with pediatric epilepsy. Study subjects were participants in the UK Medical Cannabis Registry, and each of them possessed a doctor’s authorization to consume cannabis. Study participants consumed either CBD-dominant extract oils or a combination therapy containing both CBD and THC.

Researchers reported that over 90 percent of subjects treated with the combination therapy experienced a ≥50 percent reduction in seizure frequency at six months, whereas fewer than one-third of patients receiving CBD-only products did so. Investigators said that cannabis products exhibited an acceptable short-term safety profile in this patient cohort.

“The results show a promising signal toward the effectiveness of CBMPs [cannabis-based medicinal products] in children with TRE, particularly in the cohort of patients treated with delta-9-THC,” the authors concluded. They added: “The short term adverse effects appear well tolerated, but the long-term effects of CBMPs on neurodevelopment are still unknown. The results from this study could be utilized in the design of future phase II randomized controlled trials, particularly for dosing regimens.”

Subjects enrolled in the UK Medical Cannabis Registry who were diagnosed with a variety of other conditions, including post-traumatic stress, depression, and inflammatory bowel disease, have also demonstrated symptomatic improvements following cannabis therapy.

Survey data from Canada estimates that as many as one-third of epileptic patients consume cannabis products therapeutically.

In 2018, regulators with the United States Food and Drug Administration granted market approval for the plant-derived CBD prescription drug Epidiolex in the treatment of two rare forms of pediatric epilepsy, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, and Dravet syndrome. The drug is categorized as a Schedule V controlled substance. In 2020, FDA regulators expanded the prescription use of Epidiolex to patients with the genetic disorder tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC).

Full text of the study, “Clinical outcomes of children treated with cannabis based medicinal products for treatment resistant epilepsy: Analysis from the UK Medical Cannabis Registry,” appears in Neuropediatrics. Additional information on cannabis and epilepsy is available from NORML’s publication, Clinical Applications for Cannabis & Cannabinoids.

Borderline personality disorder is a serious mental health condition that significantly impacts the way sufferers think and feel about themselves and the world around them. Examples of the negative impact that the condition can have include self-esteem issues, difficulty managing feelings and actions, and a pattern of being involved in unstable relationships.

Borderline personality disorder can involve a big fear of abandonment, and patients may have difficulty being alone, which can be particularly difficult given the fact that the condition often results in people not wanting to be around the patient due to their condition.

The condition usually starts during early adulthood, although a diagnosis could happen at any time during the person’s life. Fortunately, a growing body of evidence is demonstrating that the cannabis plant may be able to help treat the condition.

Below is more information about a recent study from the United Kingdom which presents a recent example of the promising area of research per a news release from NORML:

London, United Kingdom: The use of cannabis products containing THC and CBD are safe and effective in mitigating symptoms in patients diagnosed with emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD), according to a case series reported in the journal Brain Sciences. Emotionally unstable personality disorder (a/k/a borderline personality disorder) is a common mental health disorder associated with a range of chronic and debilitating symptoms, including impaired social functioning, unstable mood, and risky, impulsive, or self-injurious behavior.

An international team of researchers assessed the use of cannabis products in a cohort of seven EUPD patients. Subjects consumed products containing both THC and CBD in varying ratios for one month.

Six of the seven participants reported “an improvement in symptoms,” and “none of the participants reported any adverse side effects.”

The study’s authors concluded: “To our knowledge, this case series represents the first medical evidence of the use of CBMPs [cannabis-based medicinal products] for the clinical management of patients with a diagnosis of EUPD. …  [O]ur results suggest that, when deployed in a rigorously controlled clinical environment, CBMPs can provide substantial improvement in symptoms associated with EUPD thus warranting the need for further research on this therapeutic strategy.”

Full text of the study, “Cannabis based medicinal products in the management of emotionally unstable personality disorder: A narrative review and case series,” appears in Brain Sciences.

Inflammatory bowel disease is an umbrella health term for two conditions – Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Both conditions are characterized by chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract.

It is still unknown exactly what causes inflammatory bowel disease, although it is tied in some way to a weakened immune system. Vitamins and supplements can help treat the condition, however, many patients are prescribed any number of pharmaceutical drugs to help treat the condition, many of which resulting in undesirable side effects.

The cannabis plant, and products derived from it, may possess the ability to successfully treat inflammatory bowel disease patients, as demonstrated by a recent study conducted in the United Kingdom. Below is more information about it via a news release from NORML:

London, United Kingdom: The daily administration of cannabis products is associated with symptom improvements in patients with inflammatory bowel disease, according to observational trial data published in the journal Expert Review of Gastroenterology & Hepatology.

British investigators assessed the safety and efficacy of cannabis products in 76 patients diagnosed with either Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. The study subjects were participants in the UK Medical Cannabis Registry and each of them possessed a doctor’s authorization to consume cannabis. Study participants consumed either cannabis extracts, THC-dominant flowers, or both for a period of three months.

Authors reported: “Initiation of CBMPs [cannabis-based medicinal products] was associated with an improvement in HRQoL [health-related quality of life] in the short term, with statistically significant improvements in IBD-specific and general HRQoL outcomes at 1 and 3 months after initiating treatment. Participants who previously consumed cannabis had greater improvements in HRQoL and fewer adverse events compared to naïve individuals. These findings highlight the potential utility of CBMPs as an adjunctive therapeutic option in the short term, especially in patients who continue to experience debilitating symptoms despite maximal medical therapy.”

Longitudinal data from Israel has similarly reported that the long-term use of whole-plant cannabis is associated with both symptom improvement and the reduced use of prescription medications in patients with treatment-resistant inflammatory bowel disease.

Subjects enrolled in the UK Medical Cannabis Registry with either post-traumatic stress or depression have also demonstrated symptomatic improvements following cannabis therapy.

Full text of the study, “The effect of medical cannabis on inflammatory bowel disease: Analysis from the UK Medical Cannabis Registry,” appears in Expert Review of Gastroenterology & Hepatology. Additional information on cannabis and inflammatory bowel disease is available from NORML’s publication, Clinical Applications for Cannabis & Cannabinoids.