Using Marijuana to Treat Chronic Pain
Can medical marijuana ease chronic pain? A little, in some studies, and the numbers are below.
Severe, chronic pain.
Maybe you felt it before you even got out of bed. Or maybe it was so bad, you hardly slept during the night.
Whatever the case, you know this much: you want the pain to go away.
If that sounds like your morning, here is what the research says:
Studies suggest medical marijuana may ease chronic pain a little: in a 2018 review of 47 studies, 29% of people on cannabinoids had their pain cut by at least 30%, versus 26% on placebo.
Why We Feel Pain In the First Place
In a previous post, we compared anxiety to having your own personal alarm system inside your body, warning you of possible danger.
But if anxiety is an early-warning detection system, pain is like an intrusion alarm. Pain means your body is taking damage, and you need to do something about it quickly.
It is a useful system: it keeps you from touching hot pans and other things that could harm you.
In fact, pain is often what sends us to the doctor in the first place. We want to find out why we’re in pain and how to make it stop. And we expect our physician to give us those answers.
So yes, pain has a purpose: it helps us stay alive.
But What Do You Do When the Pain Won’t Go Away?
Even after you’ve removed yourself from the harmful situation…
And after you’ve seen the doctor, followed his/her advice and taken the necessary medication…
And even after you’ve had the operation that was supposed to fix the condition you were suffering from…
Sometimes, the pain just won’t go away.
And if it’s left untreated, chronic pain can
- Prevent you from being able to perform daily activities
- Affect your job performance
- Disrupt your sleep pattern
- Cause mental and emotional distress/depression
Pain that lasts can affect work, sleep and mood all at once.
At that point, your pain is no longer helping you function safely. It’s not warning you of an underlying condition.
Chronic pain itself becomes the condition that needs to be treated.
Why Not Just Take Over-The-Counter Pain Medication?
Oftentimes, over-the-counter painkillers aren’t strong enough to treat the severe, chronic pain.
You should never increase the recommended dosage of an over-the-counter pain medication in order to treat your chronic pain. Especially without consulting your doctor.
- Acetaminophen overdose is a serious risk: taking too much can damage the liver, sometimes badly enough to need a transplant.
- A 2006 national analysis estimated about 56,000 emergency visits, 26,000 hospitalizations and 458 deaths a year from acetaminophen overdoses.
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen carry risks too: stomach ulcers and bleeding, and, for NSAIDs other than aspirin, a higher chance of heart attack and stroke.
- These risks can appear at any time during treatment, and MedlinePlus says they may be higher in older adults and with long-term use.
- NSAID ulcers and bleeding can happen without warning symptoms and can be fatal.
The Problem With Opioid Painkillers
In certain cases, physicians may prescribe opioid painkillers to treat patients suffering from severe, chronic pain
But opioid drugs come with significant side effects such as
- Nausea
- Constipation
- Respiratory depression
- Dependency/Addiction
We’ve written before about the opioid crisis. In 2023, 79,358 Americans died from overdoses involving opioids, down from 81,806 in 2022.
Medical Marijuana for Chronic Pain: What Does the Evidence Show?
- Cannabis has been used as a medicine for at least 3,000 years, the National Cancer Institute notes, though modern pain trials are recent.
- Marijuana’s cannabinoids act on the endocannabinoid system, one of several body systems involved in how pain signals are processed.
- Cannabinoids such as THC bind to receptors in the nervous system, which is why they are studied for pain, though results in trials are modest.
- Some veterans, athletes and people with fibromyalgia say medical marijuana helps their chronic pain, but personal reports are not trial evidence.
In the video below, a physician who studies cannabis medicine discusses the subject:
Is Marijuana Safe for Chronic Pain? Side Effects to Know
- Marijuana does have side effects such as
- Increased appetite
- Drowsiness
- Dry mouth
- Impaired motor skills
- Increased anxiety
- How strong these effects are depends on the amount and the product, and a 2022 analysis of commercial cannabis in six states found that strain names do not reliably predict what is in a product. Ask your doctor before you start and mention your other medicines.
- Cannabis has its own risks: about 3 in 10 people who use it have cannabis use disorder, CDC says, and use is linked to psychosis in some people.
- We’re not saying people shouldn’t use acetaminophen, NSAIDs or opioids; used as directed, they can work well. Any pain plan, cannabis included, is worth weighing with your doctor.
- Some people hope cannabis will let them take fewer opioids, but a 2017 review of 9 studies with 750 people found no high-quality trial showing cannabinoids cut opioid use. Never change an opioid dose without your prescriber.
In this video, a medical marijuana patient describes her own experience using medical marijuana along with opioid medication (her interview begins around the 1:34 mark). Her account is personal, not medical advice:
Severe or Chronic Pain in Nevada and Florida: Who May Qualify for Medical Marijuana
Nevada lists severe or chronic pain, and a Nevada-licensed provider responsible for your care must sign. In Florida, chronic pain counts when a qualifying condition causes it or it originates from one; Florida residents can schedule an appointment with us online for an in-person evaluation at our Fort Myers office.
If you have questions about chronic pain and Florida’s rules, you can reach us on social media or through our website.
SOURCES:
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Cannabis (Marijuana) and Cannabinoids: What You Need To Know. Updated November 2019. nccih.nih.gov.
