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Using marijuana for fibromyalgia is something that brings many fibromyalgia patients relief. And the benefits of medical marijuana are becoming more and more obvious to scientists and doctors all over the world. But in many places, marijuana is not approved for medical use, leaving patients without access to this treatment option.
But how effective is using marijuana for fibromyalgia, and why is it such a controversial treatment option?
Marijuana For Fibromyalgia
You’ve probably heard that marijuana is an effective treatment for a number of diseases. In fact, one of your friends or family members may be using marijuana to treat a chronic condition right now. And if so, they might talk about how effective it is for their condition, which might have made you curious about whether it can treat your fibromyalgia.
Well, some researchers have claimed that marijuana is more effective in treating fibromyalgia than any of the drugs currently approved by the FDA. So is that true?
The answer is: it’s complicated.
It certainly seems that patients who use marijuana for fibromyalgia think it helps. And there are people out there who say that using medical marijuana for fibromyalgia changed their life. In studies where patients who use medical marijuana are asked to self-report their outcomes, it seems like patients consistently feel that marijuana has some significant benefits. Now, those are hardly scientific studies, but there is something to be said for just asking people if they think what they are doing helps their fibromyalgia.
Not to mention that until more studies on the benefits of marijuana for fibromyalgia are done, this is some of the only evidence out there in large quantities. So if you ask someone who uses marijuana for their fibromyalgia, they will likely say it benefits them a lot.
And there here are doctors who agree. Many report that their patients frequently ask about marijuana and state that they have found it benefited them. That makes sense because marijuana is known to reduce pain.
See, marijuana actually triggers the release of endorphins in your brain, which are proven to help reduce the sensation of pain in people with fibromyalgia or any chronic pain condition. Though, before you go looking for a prescription you might want to consider the risks versus the benefits.
Risks Of Marijuana
Many doctors are a bit more skeptical of the benefits of marijuana. While they know that it can help reduce pain, so do things like opium. Anything that releases endorphins in your brain will deaden the sensation of pain. That doesn’t necessarily make it a good long-term treatment, though.
And there are risks associated with marijuana use, in spite of what many marijuana users will tell you about it being completely safe. It’s known to negatively affect the development of younger users, who are more likely to suffer cognitive effects than older users. And heavy, long-term use can make pre-existing mental illness much worse.
Finally, there are many different chemicals in marijuana smoke, many of which haven’t been studied. And the lack of understanding about their effects makes doctors hesitant to prescribe marijuana for fibromyalgia.
With that being said, there are safer means of using medical marijuana than smoking it.
Cannabis Based Medications
There are a number of new medications based on some of the ingredients of marijuana that are being used to treat conditions like fibromyalgia. Many are based on cannabidiol, a compound found in cannabis that helps control inflammation.
These include things like CBD oil, which is already being used to treat fibromyalgia in many places. And often quite effectively, according to anecdotal evidence.
The unfortunate truth is that when it comes to using marijuana for fibromyalgia, there just hasn’t been enough good research on the subject. So any decision you make to use marijuana for your fibromyalgia will be a bit of a risk. We don’t know how it affects the disease completely yet, and the side effects of marijuana, not to mention the legal ramifications in many places, make it tough to say if it will really be the right choice for you.
It’s a decision you have to make on your own, but many people with fibromyalgia who have used cannabis have said that it is an effective treatment for them.
But let us know. Do you use marijuana for fibromyalgia? Is it an effective treatment for you? What made you decide to use it, and how has it changed your life? Let us know in the comments. Your experience could help other people with their disease.
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