Medical Cannabis Aids In Easing Out Parkinson’s Disease

More than half of patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) who use medical cannabis have self-reported beneficial clinical effects as per a survey in Germany, published in, “Cannabis in Parkinson’s Disease: The Patients’ View,” Journal of Parkinson’s Disease. Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that primarily affects movement due to loss of nerve cells – neurons that produce a chemical messenger (neurotransmitter) in the brain called dopamine (black substance). It is characterized by the formation of inclusion proteins called Lewy bodies.

“Medical cannabis was legally approved in Germany in 2017 when approval was given for therapy-resistant symptoms in severely affected patients independent of diagnosis and without clinical evidence-based data. PD patients fulfilling these criteria are entitled to be prescribed medical cannabis, but there are few data about which type of cannabinoid and which route of administration might be promising for which PD patient and which symptoms. We also lack information about the extent to which the PD community is informed about medicinal cannabis and whether they have tried cannabis and, if so, with what result", says Dr med. Carsten Buhmann, Study Lead Investigator, and Professor, Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf.

Medical Cannabis in Parkinson’s Disease

The team analyzed 1,300 patients among the members of the German Parkinson Association using a nationwide survey for their knowledge, perceptions, and their experiences on using cannabis for Parkinson’s disease.

It was revealed that over 8% of patients with PD reported using cannabis products. Among them 54% reported a beneficial clinical effect.

28% of the patients reported awareness of its various routes of administration, such as oral and inhaled. Better management of pain and muscle cramps were reported by more than 40% of users, and more than 20% had a reduction in stiffness, freezing, tremor, depression, anxiety, and restless legs.

According to the American Parkinson Disease Association, “freezing” involves sudden, short, transient episodes preventing initiating movement such as walking.

Most of the non-users (65%) indicated that the fear of side effects and a lack of knowledge on legalized medicinal uses of cannabis — often known best for THC (its main psychoactive ingredient), had stopped them from trying it.

THC –tetrahydrocannabinol, is a psychoactive cannabinoid found in cannabis. THC works quite similar to the Endocannabinoids, that is an important regulatory system of physiological, mental, and emotional status in the body. When Endocannabinoids are produced inefficiently in the body, these THCs can “plug in” to the Endocannabinoids receptors and fill the gap for restoring the body balance.

Although the present study revealed positive effects of medical cannabis for many patients who are using it, it’s difficult to fully distinguish its potential benefits from the placebo effect — the perception of improvement based on its high patient expectation. This calls for rigorous research to establish its therapeutic effects.

“The present paper mainly serves to emphasize the need for carefully controlled clinical trials to further establish both the efficacy and safety of cannabis treatment,” says Bloem, the director of the Radboudumc Center of Expertise for Parkinson & Movement Disorders, in the Netherlands.

Source-Medindia