IBD Patients Report Cannabis Helps With Pain, Nausea, and Anxiety, With Some Reducing Opioid Use
A survey of 93 IBD patients found 54% used cannabis, with over 50% of users reporting relief from abdominal pain, stress, anxiety, depression, and nausea, and nearly 20% reporting decreased opioid use.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
53.8% of IBD patients used cannabis (vs. 45.5% controls). 86.8% of IBD patients supported medical cannabis. 63.2% believed cannabis was somewhat-to-extremely beneficial for IBD. Over 50% of cannabis-using IBD patients reported relief from abdominal pain, other pain, stress, anxiety, depression, and nausea. 19.4% reported decreased opioid use. 14.5% reported cannabis-induced remission. Crohn's patients reported more relief than UC patients for certain symptoms.
Key Numbers
93 IBD patients; 53.8% used cannabis; 86.8% supported medical use; 19.4% reduced opioids; 14.5% reported remission; >50% reported relief across 6 symptom categories.
How They Did This
Cross-sectional 37-question survey of 139 participants (93 IBD, 33 controls). Assessed cannabis and CBD oil usage, beliefs, symptom impact, quality of life, and opioid use.
Why This Research Matters
IBD patients increasingly use cannabis for symptom management, often without clinical guidance. This survey captures what patients actually experience, providing data that can inform clinical conversations and identify research priorities.
The Bigger Picture
Patient-reported outcomes often diverge from clinical trial results. The high self-reported benefit rates and strong support for medical cannabis among IBD patients suggest either genuine therapeutic effects or significant placebo/expectation effects, both worth investigating.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Self-reported and uncontrolled. Small sample. Selection bias (survey respondents may over-represent cannabis users/supporters). Remission claims not verified clinically. No dose or product standardization.
Questions This Raises
- ?Would controlled trials confirm the symptom relief rates reported by patients?
- ?Is the opioid reduction finding clinically significant and replicable?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- 19.4% of IBD cannabis users reported decreased opioid use
- Evidence Grade:
- Provides useful patient-reported data but uncontrolled design and small sample limit conclusions.
- Study Age:
- 2025 survey study of IBD patient cannabis experiences.
- Original Title:
- Inflammatory bowel disease patients believe cannabis and cannabidiol oil relieve symptoms.
- Published In:
- Academia medicine, 2(2) (2025)
- Database ID:
- RTHC-06888
Evidence Hierarchy
A snapshot of a population at one point in time.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Does cannabis help with IBD symptoms?
Over 50% of IBD patients who used cannabis reported relief from pain, nausea, anxiety, and other symptoms. However, this is self-reported data without a control comparison.
Can cannabis replace opioids for IBD pain?
Nearly 20% of IBD cannabis users in this survey reported reducing their opioid use, but this finding needs confirmation in controlled studies.
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Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-06888APA
Lala, Ayati; Rodriguez-Palacios, Alexander; Cominelli, Fabio; Basson, Abigail Raffner. (2025). Inflammatory bowel disease patients believe cannabis and cannabidiol oil relieve symptoms.. Academia medicine, 2(2). https://doi.org/10.20935/acadmed7773
MLA
Lala, Ayati, et al. "Inflammatory bowel disease patients believe cannabis and cannabidiol oil relieve symptoms.." Academia medicine, 2025. https://doi.org/10.20935/acadmed7773
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Inflammatory bowel disease patients believe cannabis and can..." RTHC-06888. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/lala-2025-inflammatory-bowel-disease-patients
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.