Cannabis Reduces Symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis in Britsh Study

Cannabis reduces symptoms of multiple sclerosis, large British study shows

The biggest study of the use of cannabis and THC (dronabinol) to relieve symptoms of multiple sclerosis produced mixed results but doctors said there is enough evidence to warrant licensing the treatment for the illness.

Although there was no objective evidence that cannabis relieved spasticity, or muscle stiffness, caused by the disease, patients reported improvements in pain relief and rigidity. Mobility was improved as well.

657 patients with stable MS and muscle spasticity received either a capsulated cannabis extract, THC or a placebo. Cannabis capsules contained 2.5 mg THC and 1.25 mg cannabidiol (CBD). The trial lasted 15 weeks. It started with a 5-week dose titration phase: During this period, patients were asked to increase their dose by one capsule twice daily at weekly intervals up to a maximum daily dose of 10-25 mg THC (depending on body weight). If side effects developed, patients were advised not to increase the dose.

The medication was generally well tolerated. There was no objective evidence, that spasticity measured by the spasticity scale according to Ashworth was improved. However, there was a trend towards a small improvement with cannabis and THC, with a mean reduction in total Ashworth score for cannabis of 0.32 and for THC of 0.42 compared to placebo. There was evidence of a treatment effect on some subjective symptoms. 61 and 60 percent, respectively, of patients receiving cannabis extract or THC reported an improvement in spasticity, compared to only 46 percent with placebo. Corresponding figures for pain were 42, 35 and 26 percent respectively. There was also evidence of an improvement of walking ability with cannabis and THC for mobile patients.

“There is a range of positives and a range of negatives. Overall, I think there is enough evidence to take this forward with the licensing and regulatory authorities,” Dr. John Zajicek, who headed the study, told Reuters. He said the research raises questions about what's more important: a doctor's measurements or the patient's perspective.

"I think if there's a conflict, it's what the patient feels which is important, so I think it's quite encouraging," Dr. Roger Pertwee, a professor of neuropharmacology at University of Aberdeen, who was not connected with the study, told Associated Press.

One explanation for the mixed results could be the muscle test, called the Ashworth scale, is not sensitive enough to detect changes that are meaningful to patients. "It is very far removed from everyday life. Moving someone's leg up and down when he is lying flat on a table doesn't necessarily translate very well into what happens when they get up and try to walk around or do the housework or whatever," Dr. Alan Thompson, professor of neurology from London, said.

(Sources: Zajicek J, Fox P, Sanders H, Wright D, Vickery J, Nunn A, Thompson A, on behalf of the UK MS Research Group. Cannabinoids for treatment of spasticity and other symptoms related to multiple sclerosis (CAMS study): multicentre randomised placebo-controlled trial. Lancet 2003; 362(9385): 1517- 1526. Reuters of 7 November 2003, Associated Press of 6 November 2003)

*Industrial-Hemp has no psychoactive properties following definition of the European Economic Community (EEC); THC content is less than 0.3%. In general, low THC-seed varieties without psychoactive properties are those that have a THC content of less than 1%. (See also No-THC Hemp-seed.) THC= Delta-9 TetraHydroCannabinol.