New Study Medical Cannabis for Patients Over Age 50: Safe, Effective Treatment For Pain And Sleep

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In new Cannabis study titled  Medical Cannabis for Patients Over Age 50: A Multi-site, Prospective Study of Patterns of Use and Health Outcomes by  Blake Pearson, Greenly Medical Consulting , Mariah Walker, Tilray, Canada, Leamington, ON, Jose Tempero, Tilray, Deutschland,  Kaye Ong, Tilray Canada, Nanaimo BC, Philippe Lucas, Social Dimensions of Health, University of Victoria, it concludes that the use of medical marijuana by older patients; age 50 and above to be a safe and effective treatment for pain and other conditions.

Most patients experienced clinically significant improvements in pain, sleep, and quality of life and reductions in co-medication,” the study says.

Published late last month in the journal Cannabis, the study evaluated 229 participants in British Columbia and Ontario, Canada, with an average age of 66.7 years. The bulk of participants—around 90 percent—used medical marijuana to treat pain-related conditions, including chronic pain and arthritis. About two thirds (66.2 percent) were female.

Nearly all patients used products consumed orally, such as edibles and extracts, as opposed to smoked or vaporized cannabis, and most preferred products high in CBD and relatively low in THC.

Inclusion criteria were met by 299 participants. Average age of participants was 66.7 years, and 66.2% of respondents identified as female. Approximately 90% of patients used medical cannabis to treat pain-related conditions such as chronic pain and arthritis. Almost all patients reported a preference for oral cannabis products (e.g., extracts, edibles) rather than inhalation products (e.g., flower, vapes), and most preferred oral formulations high in cannabidiol and low in tetrahydrocannabinol.

Over the six-month study period, significant improvements were noted in pain, sleep, and quality of life measures, with 45% experiencing a clinically meaningful improvement in pain interference and in sleep quality scores. Additionally, nearly 50% of patients taking co-medications at baseline had reduced their use by the end of the study period, and quality of life improved significantly from baseline to M3 and from baseline to M6, with an incremental cost per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) of $25,357.20. No serious adverse events (SAEs) were reported.

Conclusions: In this cohort of older patients, most of whom suffered from pain-related conditions, medical cannabis seemed to be a safe and effective treatment. Most patients experienced clinically significant improvements in pain, sleep, and quality of life and reductions in co-medication. The cost per QALY was well below the standard for traditional pharmaceuticals, and no SAEs were reported, suggesting that cannabis is a relatively safe and cost-effective therapeutic option for adults dealing with age-related health conditions.

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