Cannabis Products Improved Anxiety, Sleep, and Symptoms in Fibromyalgia Patients Over 12 Months

Q: Does cannabis help fibromyalgia?

This registry study found improvements in anxiety, sleep, symptom severity, and quality of life over 12 months, but without a placebo control, the improvements cannot be definitively attributed to cannabis.

Q: Does the type of cannabis product matter?

No significant differences were found between oils, dried flower, or combination formulations, suggesting the specific product form may be less important than the cannabinoid content.

Among 148 UK fibromyalgia patients prescribed cannabis products, improvements in anxiety, sleep, symptom severity, and quality of life were observed across all formulations over 12 months.

Sridharan, Surya et al.·Journal of pain & palliative care pharmacotherapy·2025·Moderate EvidenceObservational

fibromyalgia (2)Medical Cannabis (1546)clinical-outcomes (24)

Quick Facts

Study Type

Observational

Evidence

Moderate Evidence

Sample

N=77

What This Study Found

Improvements in GAD-7, sleep quality, fibromyalgia symptom severity, and EQ-5D-5L scores were observed at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months compared to baseline (all p<0.050). No differences were found between oils, dried flower, or combination formulations. 24.32% experienced adverse events (648 total), more likely in cannabis-naive patients.

Key Numbers

148 patients. Oils: 52%, flower: 9.5%, both: 38.5%. All formulations improved: GAD-7, sleep, symptom severity, quality of life (all p<0.050). 36 patients (24.3%) reported 648 adverse events. Cannabis-naive patients had more AEs.

How They Did This

Cohort study of 148 fibromyalgia patients from the UK Medical Cannabis Registry prescribed Adven products (oils n=77, dried flower n=14, both n=57). Patient-reported outcomes collected at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months.

Why This Research Matters

By using a homogeneous set of cannabis products from a single manufacturer, this study reduces product variability that confounds many cannabis studies. The finding that formulation type did not matter simplifies treatment decisions.

The Bigger Picture

While encouraging, the lack of a placebo control means improvements could reflect natural symptom fluctuation, placebo effects, or regression to the mean. The high adverse event count per affected patient (averaging ~18 per affected patient) warrants attention.

What This Study Doesn't Tell Us

No control group or blinding. Registry data with potential selection bias. Dried flower group very small (n=14). Patient-reported outcomes only. High adverse event count in affected patients. UK-specific regulatory context.

Questions This Raises

?Would a placebo-controlled trial confirm these improvements?
?Why do cannabis-naive patients experience more adverse events?

Trust & Context

Key Stat:
Evidence Grade:: Registry cohort with standardized products and 12-month follow-up, but no control group and potential selection bias limit to moderate.
Study Age:: Data from the UK Medical Cannabis Registry.
Original Title:: Comparison of Cannabis-Based Medicinal Product Formulations for Fibromyalgia: A Cohort Study.
Published In:: Journal of pain & palliative care pharmacotherapy, 39(1), 24-37 (2025)
Authors:: Sridharan, Surya, Erridge, Simon(22), Holvey, Carl(10), Coomber, Ross, Holden, Wendy, Rucker, James J, Platt, Michael, Sodergren, Mikael H
Database ID:: RTHC-07711

Evidence Hierarchy

Meta-Analysis / Systematic Review

Randomized Controlled Trial

Cohort / Case-Control

Cross-Sectional / ObservationalSnapshot without intervening

This study

Case Report / Animal Study

Watches what happens naturally without intervening.

What do these levels mean? →

Frequently Asked Questions

Does cannabis help fibromyalgia?

This registry study found improvements in anxiety, sleep, symptom severity, and quality of life over 12 months, but without a placebo control, the improvements cannot be definitively attributed to cannabis.

Does the type of cannabis product matter?

No significant differences were found between oils, dried flower, or combination formulations, suggesting the specific product form may be less important than the cannabinoid content.

Cite This Study

RTHC-07711·https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-07711

APA

Sridharan, Surya; Erridge, Simon; Holvey, Carl; Coomber, Ross; Holden, Wendy; Rucker, James J; Platt, Michael; Sodergren, Mikael H. (2025). Comparison of Cannabis-Based Medicinal Product Formulations for Fibromyalgia: A Cohort Study.. Journal of pain & palliative care pharmacotherapy, 39(1), 24-37. https://doi.org/10.1080/15360288.2024.2414073

MLA

Sridharan, Surya, et al. "Comparison of Cannabis-Based Medicinal Product Formulations for Fibromyalgia: A Cohort Study.." Journal of pain & palliative care pharmacotherapy, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1080/15360288.2024.2414073

RethinkTHC

RethinkTHC Research Database. "Comparison of Cannabis-Based Medicinal Product Formulations ..." RTHC-07711. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/sridharan-2025-comparison-of-cannabisbased-medicinal

Access the Original Study

View on PubMed View via DOI

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.

← Back to Research Database