Highlights
- •Large survey of cannabidiol (CBD) use among N = 2701 participants with fibromyalgia.
- •Around 60% of participants with fibromyalgia had tried CBD in the past or currently used CBD.
- •Around 32% of participants currently used CBD, mostly for pain, anxiety, and sleep.
- •Around 30 to 40% reported much or very much relief across symptom domains.
- •Participants typically tried CBD due to inadequate relief from other medications.
Abstract
Cannabidiol (CBD) is widely advertised as helpful for chronic pain management but
research is limited. Using a cross-sectional, anonymous survey, we examined patterns
of naturalistic CBD use among individuals with fibromyalgia (FM) and other chronic
pain conditions. Our objective was to better understand rates of CBD use, reasons
for use and discontinuation, communication with healthcare professionals about CBD,
and perceptions of CBD effectiveness and safety among people with FM. After excluding
incomplete surveys, our study population consisted of N = 2,701 participants with
fibromyalgia, primarily in the United States. Overall, 38.1% reported never using
CBD, 29.4% reported past CBD use, and 32.4% reported current CBD use. Past-year cannabis
use was strongly associated with past or current CBD use. Those using CBD typically
did so due to inadequate symptom relief, while those not using CBD typically cited
safety concerns as their reason for not using CBD. Two-thirds of participants disclosed
CBD use to their physician, although only 33% asked for physician advice on using
CBD. Participants used CBD for numerous FM-related symptoms (most commonly pain),
and generally reported slight to much improvement across symptom domains. Around half
of participants reported side effects, which were typically minor. Our findings are
limited by selection bias and our cross-sectional design, which prevents causal associations.
In conclusion, CBD use is common among individuals with FM and many individuals using
CBD report improvements across numerous FM-related symptoms. Our findings highlight
the need for additional rigorous studies to better understand CBD's potential for
FM management.
Perspective
This article indicates that CBD use is common among people with fibromyalgia, and
the results suggest that many derive benefit from using CBD across multiple symptoms
domains. Clinicians should discuss CBD use with fibromyalgia patients, and future
studies are needed to rigorously assess CBD's therapeutic value for fibromyalgia symptoms.
Key words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: January 02, 2021
Accepted:
December 28,
2020
Received in revised form:
November 20,
2020
Received:
September 29,
2020
Footnotes
Disclosures: Dr. Boehnke sits on a data safety and monitoring board for an ongoing clinical trial with Vireo Health (unpaid). Dr. Gagnier consults for Bartimus Frickleton Robertson Rader P.C., and for the Law Office of Robert J. Krakow, P.C., on topics unrelated to the content of this manuscript. Dr. Williams is a consultant to Community Health Focus Inc. Ms. Matallana founded the National Fibromyalgia Association and is the CEO of Community Health Focus Inc. The National Fibromyalgia Association provided funding support for recruitment efforts.
Identification
Copyright
© 2021 by United States Association for the Study of Pain, Inc.
