Fibromyalgia is a condition affecting the bones and muscles. Characterized by symptoms including pain in muscles and joints, the condition has no cure but its symptoms can be managed by a combination of medications, healthy habits, exercise, and proper stress management.
CBD is a natural medication used to treat various health conditions including the ones associated with severe pain symptoms. Can CBD be used to treat fibromyalgia? Let us find out in this article.
What Are The Causes Of Fibromyalgia?
The exact causes of fibromyalgia remain unknown. The possible risk factors of the condition include:
Other diseases: Going through a painful condition like arthritis or an infection could increase the risk of getting fibromyalgia.
Genes: Genes linked to fibromyalgia can be carried across generations.
Emotional or physical abuse: Children that go through physical and mental abuse might develop fibromyalgia in the future because abuse can change the way body handles pain and stress.
Gender: The condition is more reported among women than men.
Less physical activity: Being less active physically might contribute to the risk of getting fibromyalgia.
How Is CBD Effective For Treating Fibromyalgia?
There hasn’t been extensive research studying the impact of CBD on fibromyalgia. Hence the exact reasons for the compound being useful in handling fibromyalgia symptoms are not known clearly.
Pain is the most important symptom of fibromyalgia. Being an analgesic, CBD can help you handle the extreme pain symptoms associated with the condition.
All therapeutic effects are attributed to its interaction with the endocannabinoid system. CBD interacts with the receptors of the ECS to generate various effects contributing to better physical and mental health of the user.
CBD may also cause the body to produce more endocannabinoids. This feature is very relevant in the case of fibromyalgia as a 2016 study has suggested that a lack of endocannabinoids could cause chronic pain syndromes like fibromyalgia and migraine.
Studies On The Effect Of CBD On Fibromyalgia
Although the exact mechanism by which CBD works to handle fibromyalgia symptoms remain unknown, the results of many studies seem to be promising.
In 2011, a study was conducted on 56 people with fibromyalgia. The participants were mostly women.
The participants comprised two groups; a group of 28 participants that weren’t cannabis users and another group of 28 participants that were cannabis users. The frequency of their cannabis use and their dosages varied.
The group that comprised cannabis users reported that they experienced reduced pain and stiffness two hours after they used cannabis. They also reported they felt sleepy after using cannabis.
In 2019, a study was conducted in Israel involving hundreds of people with fibromyalgia over a period of six months. Women participants were higher in number. 82 percent of the study participants were women.
The participants used medical cannabis after getting correct guidance from nurses. The nurses gave them advice on dosage, delivery methods, and various cannabis strains.
The participants started with a low dosage and then increased it gradually during the study. The study had some limitations because the researchers couldn’t follow up with 30% of the participants. Moreover, it was difficult to weigh the effects of THC-rich and CBD-rich cannabis strains against each other. However, researchers concluded that cannabis was an effective treatment for fibromyalgia.
A 2017 study suggests that CBD may help counteract the sensitivity of the cells that surround the nerves of people suffering from chronic pain conditions including fibromyalgia.
A randomized study conducted in 2019 studied the effects of Bediol, a drug consisting of CBD and THC, in fibromyalgia patients. It was found that people who took Bediol experienced pain scores that were 30% lesser than the intensity of the pain scores experienced by people who took a placebo.
How To Take CBD?
CBD is available in different forms and you can choose one based on the intake method you like.
Here are some intake methods of CBD:
Sublingual intake: CBD oils and tinctures are often taken sublingually. In this method, you place the CBD oil or tincture drops under your tongue for a minute. This will let the cannabinoid content in the oil or tincture to be absorbed into the bloodstream through the glands presrnt under the tongue.
Vaping or smoking: In vaping, you heat the CBD vape oil and inhale the vapors generated. When you smoke CBD, the smoke formed by burning the CBD flower is inhaled. Smoking and vaping are quick-acting methods.
Edibles: CBD-infused edibles offer a convenient method for getting your daily CBD dose. When you eat CBD edibles, it takes an hour or two for the CBD to kick in because the edible has to be digested before its content can be released into your bloodstream. Edibles offer longer-lasting effects as their contents are released slowly into our system.
Above shared are the details of the effect of CBD in fibromyalgia patients. More studies would be required to explore the effectiveness of CBD in treating fibromyalgia.