Chronic pain is a debilitating condition that affects people of all ages and backgrounds around the world. In the United States alone, chronic pain was reported to affect 20.4% of adults in the United States as of 2019. For those with more severe chronic pain, 7.4% of adults suffered in a way that inhibited their day-to-day life. It’s our goal at Hempzilla to educate our customers and share the latest research and CBD news with you so you can make informed decisions as a consumer.
Is CBD as a treatment for chronic pain?
Before we discuss the clinical study on CBD as a treatment for chronic pain, let’s talk about opioid use for chronic pain. with In order to help with the treatment and management of chronic pain, many patients are prescribed opioids. Opioids are a class of drugs that bind to opioid receptors in the brain and central nervous system. When interacting with these receptors, opioids have the potential to create feelings of pleasure or excitement, and aid in pain relief. While there are potential benefits to opioids (such as analgesia, aka pain relief), they can also have major adverse effects such as respiratory depression, sedation, tolerance, physical dependence, addiction, and overdose. As a result, there has been an increase in efforts to find potential alternatives.
In recent years, the use of cannabidiol (CBD) for treating chronic pain has become one popular alternative. CBD is an active ingredient from in cannabis plants but unlike traditional marijuana, it contains no traces of THC and is not psychoactive in nature. The study highlighted in this post aims to show how CBD can be used as a safer, more effective alternative to opioids and ultimately improve the quality of life in patients suffering from bouts of chronic pain. CBD is a potentially useful alternative because it does not have the risks that opiods have such as respiratory depression, sedation, physical dependence, addiction, and overdoseing. There are a lot of people that could be helped by CBD use on a regular basis. Let’s learn more about the clinical study lead by Alex Capano
The study, which took place over the course of eight weeks, involved 97 patients (ages 30 to 65) who had been using opioids to treat chronic pain for at least one year. The effectiveness of CBD was measured by seeing how it impacted opioid use and the following four areas: Pain Disability Index (PDI-4); Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Pain Intensity and Interference (PEG); and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-4).
Notable Results from the CBD Clinical Study:
- Over half of chronic pain patients (53%) reduced or eliminated their opioids within 8 weeks after adding CBD-rich hemp extract to their regimens.*
- Almost all CBD users (94%) reported quality of life improvements. The results indicated a significant relationship between CBD and PSQI (p = 0.003), and PEG (p = 0.006). There was a trend toward improvement but no significant relationship between CBD use and PHQ and PDI.*
Conclusion of the CBD study for chronic pain use
CBD could significantly reduce opioid use and improve chronic pain and sleep quality among patients who are currently using opioids for pain management.*
Many believe cannabidiol (CBD) hemp extract has the potential to assist those with chronic pain
Whether that means breaking away from opioid use or improving their ability to complete everyday tasks. CBD hemp products are also legal in all 50 states as long as they contain less than 0.3% THC, making them a more accessible solution. This study shows that CBD can serve a potentially successful alternative for managing chronic pain due to its ability to reduce or eliminate opioid use in chronic pain patients. If you want to learn more and stay updated on the latest verified clinical research by doctors and scientists about CBD, check back with our CBD blog.
* To read the complete study, visit: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31711352/