Adding medical cannabis to standard pain treatment improved outcomes in fibromyalgia patients
In 31 fibromyalgia patients with low back pain, adding medical cannabis to standard analgesic therapy led to significantly greater improvement in pain, function, and range of motion compared to standard treatment alone.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Standard analgesic therapy (oxycodone/naloxone + duloxetine) produced minor improvement over baseline. Adding medical cannabis allowed significantly higher improvement in all patient-reported outcomes (FIQR, VAS, ODI, SF-12) at 3 months, maintained at 6 months. Lumbar range of motion improved after 3 months of cannabis therapy and continued improving at 6 months.
Key Numbers
31 patients. Standard therapy: oxycodone/naloxone 5/2.5mg BID + duloxetine 30mg daily for 3 months. Cannabis therapy: minimum 6 months. Improvement in all PROs at 3 and 6 months of cannabis. ROM improved progressively.
How They Did This
Observational cross-over study of 31 patients. After screening, patients received 3 months of standardized analgesic therapy (oxycodone/naloxone 5/2.5mg twice daily plus duloxetine 30mg daily), then could opt into medical cannabis therapy for a minimum of 6 months.
Why This Research Matters
Fibromyalgia with low back pain is difficult to treat, and standard medications often provide incomplete relief. This cross-over design allows within-patient comparison.
The Bigger Picture
The cross-over design is a strength, as each patient serves as their own control, but the lack of blinding and potential placebo effects are important caveats.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Not randomized or blinded. Patients self-selected into cannabis arm (bias toward those expecting benefit). No placebo cannabis control. Small sample. Cannot separate cannabis effects from placebo or time effects.
Questions This Raises
- ?How much of the improvement is due to placebo effect or patient expectation?
- ?Would a blinded trial show the same magnitude of benefit?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Significant improvement in all outcome measures with added cannabis
- Evidence Grade:
- Observational cross-over without blinding or randomization; patient self-selection introduces significant bias.
- Study Age:
- 2019 study.
- Original Title:
- Effect of adding medical cannabis to analgesic treatment in patients with low back pain related to fibromyalgia: an observational cross-over single centre study.
- Published In:
- Clinical and experimental rheumatology, 37 Suppl 116(1), 13-20 (2019)
- Authors:
- Yassin, Mustafa(3), Oron, Amir, Robinson, Dror(3)
- Database ID:
- RTHC-02360
Evidence Hierarchy
Watches what happens naturally without intervening.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Does medical cannabis help fibromyalgia pain?
In this observational study, adding medical cannabis to standard pain medication improved pain scores, function, and range of motion in 31 fibromyalgia patients, though the study lacked blinding and a placebo control.
Can cannabis replace opioids for fibromyalgia?
This study added cannabis to existing opioid therapy rather than replacing it. Patients showed greater improvement with the combination than with standard analgesics alone.
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Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-02360APA
Yassin, Mustafa; Oron, Amir; Robinson, Dror. (2019). Effect of adding medical cannabis to analgesic treatment in patients with low back pain related to fibromyalgia: an observational cross-over single centre study.. Clinical and experimental rheumatology, 37 Suppl 116(1), 13-20.
MLA
Yassin, Mustafa, et al. "Effect of adding medical cannabis to analgesic treatment in patients with low back pain related to fibromyalgia: an observational cross-over single centre study.." Clinical and experimental rheumatology, 2019.
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Effect of adding medical cannabis to analgesic treatment in ..." RTHC-02360. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/yassin-2019-effect-of-adding-medical
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.