Medical cannabis significantly reduced pain scores in fibromyalgia patients over six months

Pain intensity decreased from median 9.0 to 5.0 (p < .001). Treatment response was achieved by 81.1% of patients. Age over 60 was associated with lower odds of response (OR 0.34). Prior cannabis experience predicted better outcomes (OR 2.46). Only 7.6% discontinued before six months. Most common adverse effects were mild: dizziness (7.9%), dry mouth (6.7%), GI symptoms (5.4%).

Prospective observational study at a specialized medical cannabis clinic in Israel (2015-2017). 367 fibromyalgia patients followed for six months with questionnaire-based assessments. Response rate was 70.8%.

Fibromyalgia is notoriously difficult to treat. This is one of the larger prospective studies showing that medical cannabis can provide meaningful, sustained pain relief with an acceptable safety profile.

Fibromyalgia patients often cycle through multiple medications with limited success. Medical cannabis may offer a viable option, though the lack of a control group means some of this improvement could be due to expectation effects.

Observational study with no placebo control or blinding. Self-selected patient population at a cannabis clinic. 29.2% did not respond to the six-month follow-up, introducing potential bias.