Cannabis and its components appear to play a role in alleviating the symptoms of restless leg syndrome (RLS), according to a new scientific review.<\/p>\n
RLS is a neurological disorder that involves an urge to move the legs and that sometimes involves sensations like tingling or aching.<\/p>\n
\u201cCannabinoids\u2014particularly CBD\u2014may hold therapeutic promise in RLS through multi-system neurobiological effects,\u201d the study, published in the Annals of Indian Academy of Neurology, said.<\/p>\n
Researchers at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences conducted a comprehensive search of previously published studies on the issue, ultimately deciding to include seven papers in their review.<\/p>\n
Current evidence indicates that cannabis, in various forms, may alleviate or prevent symptoms of RLS through multiple mechanisms,\u201d they concluded, though they also cautioned that studies published to date are \u201climited to case reports, cross-sectional surveys, and post hoc analyses.\u201d<\/p>\n
High-quality randomized controlled trials will be needed to support more sweeping conclusions and recommendations about the use of medical marijuana to treat RLS, they said.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThe evidence suggests that cannabis or cannabidiol may improve or prevent RLS symptoms.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
That said, the scientific review includes a number of existing studies that provide initial evidence for cannabinoids\u2019 efficacy in addressing RLS.<\/p>\n
Every patient in one study saw \u201ccomplete relief in their symptoms\u201d after starting cannabis.<\/p>\n
Another study found that \u201call patients, except one, reported complete or near-complete improvement in symptoms of RLS with marijuana smoking.\u201d<\/p>\n
A third study found that half of patients who also had end-stage renal disease reported complete relief from RLS symptoms after using cannabis.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cTopical application of CBD improved RLS significantly after two weeks, and smoked marijuana had better relief in symptoms of RLS compared to medical cannabis.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\u201cThis scoping review shows that use of illicit or medical cannabis can either prevent or improve symptoms of RLS, including refractory RLS,\u201d the authors of the new paper concluded, though they reiterated that the existing evidence base is of \u201clow quality\u201d due to the lack of randomized controlled trials.<\/p>\n
\u201cDespite these limitations, existing evidence indicates a potential role for cannabis in the management of RLS, primarily when available therapies do not provide optimal relief, lose efficacy over time, or have some disabling adverse effects,\u201d they said, adding that the results of their review<\/a> \u201cinvite cautious optimism regarding the role of cannabis and cannabinoids in RLS.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe current evidence positions cannabis and cannabinoids as a potential adjunct rather than a replacement for established therapies. They may be worth considering in carefully selected patients\u2014particularly those with refractory symptoms or intolerance to standard treatments\u2014but only with a clear understanding of the uncertainties involved.\u201d<\/p>\n
A separate recently published study concluded that people with RLS could find \u201csignificant\u201d long-term relief with cannabis treatment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
That research found that a cannabis product containing 2.7mg THC and 2.5mg CBD \u201cwas effective in reducing RLS severity\u201d among patients with multiple sclerosis and \u201cassociated idiopathic RLS.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cImprovements were observed after 1 and 3 months of treatment and were maintained after 1 year among patients who continued therapy,\u201d the study of 18 patients with RLS showed. For those that remained on treatment after one year, 67 percent \u201ccontinued to show sustained improvement.\u201d<\/p>\n
Photo courtesy of Mike Latimer.<\/em><\/p>\n
The post Cannabis Has \u2018Therapeutic Promise\u2019 For People With Restless Leg Syndrome, Scientific Review Concludes<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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\nRead More: Cannabis Has \u2018Therapeutic Promise\u2019 For People With Restless Leg Syndrome, Scientific Review Concludes<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Cannabis and its components appear to play a role in alleviating the symptoms of restless leg syndrome (RLS), according to a new scientific review. RLS is a neurological disorder that involves an urge to move the legs and that sometimes involves sensations like tingling or aching. \u201cCannabinoids\u2014particularly CBD\u2014may hold therapeuticContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":459,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,15462],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86786"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/459"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86786"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86786\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86787,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86786\/revisions\/86787"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86786"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86786"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86786"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}