Medicinal Cannabinoid Uses

Discover some of the uses for medicinal cannabinoid (MC) products. You will find summaries for pain, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and other uses including anxiety and sleep disorders.

Chronic Pain

So many Kiwis suffer from chronic pain it is hardly surprising that there is so much interest in the potential for Medicinal cannabinoids to provide additional relief.

Chronic pain cycle

Chronic pain is often described as a cycle where your pain causes feelings of anxiety, low mood, fatigue and sleeplessness, which results in increased pain. The increased pain then causes you to have more low mood, tiredness and stress, so you can get caught in an endless cycle. The good news is that means there are a number of ways you can approach managing chronic pain to get improved wellbeing.

How MC could help

Most of the studies conducted with medical cannabis so far have included the psychoactive component THC either alone or along with CBD. More studies are needed but CBD seems to have a number of complex interactions and effects in the body which help explain some of its observed pain relief, anti-inflammatory activity and anti-anxiety effects.

Talk with your doctor

The clinical studies that doctors rely upon for guidance lack consistency of results especially for individual cannabinoids like CBD as opposed to medicinal cannabinoids overall. The lack of consistency for some individual cannabinoids probably reflects the small number of trials and their small sample sizes. Discuss with your doctor whether a trial of MC may be a good choice for you.

Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a disorder of the central nervous system which includes the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. It is estimated about 4,000 people in New Zealand have been diagnosed with MS.

MC and MS

Increasing interest in Medicinal Cannabinoids for managing pain and spasticity in MS and other chronic conditions led Multiple Sclerosis NZ and Motor Neurone New Zealand to jointly commission their own report.

How MC could help

Unlike in most potential uses for medicinal cannabinoids there is one registered medicine containing CBD (and THC) which is indicated for use in treating the symptoms of spasticity in some MS patients. It is not currently funded by PHARMAC.

Talk with your doctor

The clinical studies that doctors rely upon for guidance lack consistency of results especially for individual cannabinoids like CBD as opposed to medicinal cannabinoids overall. The lack of consistency for some individual cannabinoids probably reflects the small number of trials, their small sample sizes and the variety of different symptoms that MS patients can suffer. Discuss with your doctor whether a trial of MC may be a good choice for you.

Epilepsy

Epilepsy is an area where there is the most clinical evidence of the benefits of medicinal cannabinoids for patients thanks to a CBD medicine that is approved for use in the USA.

Quality of life

The role of medicines in treating epilepsy is primarily focused on reducing seizure frequency, with the ultimate goal of achieving complete seizure freedom. Quality of life for the epilepsy patient is a critical goal.

How MC could help

Research with a CBD product in the USA has led to a registered medicine in that country that has provided much of the clinical trial information. The results show a reduction in the frequency of seizures with one analysis showing that almost half of the patients treated had a 50% reduction or more in the number of seizures.

Talk with your doctor

Most of the published clinical trial information on the effectiveness of medical cannabis in epilepsy is with CBD. Its role in treatment is as an add-on treatment to current treatment in patients where other medical treatments have not controlled the epilepsy. Discuss with your doctor whether a trial of MC may be a good choice for you.

Other Uses

We are discovering more and more about the Endocannabinoid system and its myriad impacts on our bodies and health. There are many different areas where the use of MC has potential - we note some of them below. In most cases more study will help enable more definitive recommendations.

Addiction

Addiction is the inability to consistently abstain from a substance or behaviour, despite the risk of substantial harm to yourself or loved ones.

A limited number of studies suggest CBD may have therapeutic properties on opioid, cocaine and psychostimulant addiction. This might even include alcohol, cannabis and tobacco addiction.

Anxiety

Anxiety disorders are excessive nervousness, fear, apprehension, and worry that is out of proportion to the actual danger.

A study in people with a social anxiety disorder showed that pre-treatment with CBD can substantially reduce the impairment and discomfort associated with public speaking.

Arthritis

Arthritis is an inflammation of one or more of your joints. There are many different types, including osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Symptoms can include joint pain, stiffness, or swelling. 

A preliminary study with the medical cannabis medicine Sativex (which contains both CBD and THC) showed that that the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis were improved compared to placebo in terms of pain and quality of sleep.

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism Spectrum Disorder, or ASD, is a complex neurobehavioral condition that includes impairments in social interaction, language, and communication skills combined with rigid, repetitive behaviors.

A study which reviewed the impact of Medical Cannabis (mostly CBD with a very small amount of THC) on 188 ASD patients indicated that after 6 months 30% reported a significant improvement and just over 50% a moderate one. The product was reasonably well tolerated.

Sleep Disorders

Sleep disorders are conditions that disturb your normal sleep patterns. There are many different sleep disorders. Difficulty falling or staying asleep is the most common.

More study is needed on the role of CBD in sleep. One way it may help is in easing anxiety allowing for better sleep. There are many anecdotal reports of this including a case report showing the benefit of CBD in a child with post traumatic stress disorder.