Study, Sep/19: Reduction of Benzo Use in Patients Prescribed Medical Cannabis

[[La...]]

The full title of this Canadian study is "Reduction of Benzodiazepine Use in Patients Prescribed Medical Cannabis".

 

Abstract:

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31559336 

 

Abstract

 

Background: Benzodiazepines are a class of medication with sedative properties, commonly used for anxiety and other neurological conditions. These medications are associated with several well-known adverse effects. This observational study aims to investigate the reduction of benzodiazepine use in patients using prescribed medical cannabis. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on a cohort of 146 medical cannabis patients (average age 47 years, 61% female, 54% reporting prior use of cannabis) who reported benzodiazepine use at initiation of cannabis therapy. These data are a part of a database gathered by a medical cannabis clinic (Canabo Medical). Descriptive statistics were used to quantify associations of the proportion of benzodiazepine use with time on medical cannabis therapy. Results: After completing an average 2-month prescription course of medical cannabis, 30.1% of patients had discontinued benzodiazepines. At a follow-up after two prescriptions, 65 total patients (44.5%) had discontinued benzodiazepines. At the final follow-up period after three medical cannabis prescription courses, 66 total patients (45.2%) had discontinued benzodiazepine use, showing a stable cessation rate over an average of 6 months. Conclusion: Within a cohort of 146 patients initiated on medical cannabis therapy, 45.2% patients successfully discontinued their pre-existing benzodiazepine therapy. This observation merits further investigation into the risks and benefits of the therapeutic use of medical cannabis and its role relating to benzodiazepine use.

 

Full Study:

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6757237/

[[Fi...]]

Does this mean: based upon this study, cannabis may appear to be a useful adjunct medication during benzo w/d?

[[th...]]

Does this mean: based upon this study, cannabis may appear to be a useful adjunct medication during benzo w/d?

 

No, I think it means that, based upon this study, some people were able to use cannabis instead of benzos as treatment.

[[La...]]

Does this mean: based upon this study, cannabis may appear to be a useful adjunct medication during benzo w/d?

 

It might be worthwhile to read the full study to see what the details are, Fi. I didn't get a chance to do so.

[[Qu...]]

It made the point that there was no causal argument. It was based on questionaires people filled out when getting their prescriptions for pot filled. I don’t think they asked about length of use or dose. They weren’t studying if weed could replace benzos, they just noticed that, according to self reporting, an interestingly large number of people stopped after getting prescription marijuana. It’s pretty readable. My poor brain could have missed some details so people should give it a good look. It’s one of those things that’s interesting and suggestive, but anything more....?

 

 

[[th...]]

It made the point that there was no causal argument. It was based on questionaires people filled out when getting their prescriptions for pot filled. I don’t think they asked about length of use or dose. They weren’t studying if weed could replace benzos, they just noticed that, according to self reporting, an interestingly large number of people stopped after getting prescription marijuana. It’s pretty readable. My poor brain could have missed some details so people should give it a good look. It’s one of those things that’s interesting and suggestive, but anything more....?

 

Yeah, I came to the conclusion that people were stopping benzos in favor of cannabis. At least that's what you might infer if people getting prescriptions for cannabis were not getting prescriptions for benzos filled whereas people that did not get cannabis prescriptions, were getting their prescriptions for benzos filled. Or something like that...

 

But yes, interesting and suggestive.

[[La...]]

There's also this related study (which I posted earlier in the News section):

 

"Pills to Pot: Observational Analyses of Cannabis Substitution Among Medical Cannabis Users With Chronic Pain"

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30690169

 

Abstract

 

Chronic pain is common, costly, and challenging to treat. Many individuals with chronic pain have turned to cannabis as an alternative form of pain management. We report results from an ongoing, online survey of medical cannabis users with chronic pain nationwide about how cannabis affects pain management, health, and pain medication use. We also examined whether and how these parameters were affected by concomitant recreational use, and duration of use (novice: <1 year vs experienced: ≥1 year). There were 1,321 participants (59% female, 54% ≥50 years old) who completed the survey. Consistent with other observational studies, approximately 80% reported substituting cannabis for traditional pain medications (53% for opioids, 22% for benzodiazepines), citing fewer side effects and better symptom management as their rationale for doing so. Medical-only users were older (52 vs 47 years old; P < .0001), less likely to drink alcohol (66% vs 79%, P < .0001), and more likely to be currently taking opioids (21% vs 11%, P < .0001) than users with a combined recreational and medical history. Compared with novice users, experienced users were more likely to be male (64% vs 58%; P < .0001), take no concomitant pain medications (43% vs 30%), and report improved health (74% vs 67%; P = .004) with use. Given that chronic pain is the most common reason for obtaining a medical cannabis license, these results highlight clinically important differences among the changing population of medical cannabis users. More research is needed to better understand effective pain management regimens for medical cannabis users. Perspective: This article presents results that confirm previous clinical studies suggesting that cannabis may be an effective analgesic and potential opioid substitute. Participants reported improved pain, health, and fewer side effects as rationale for substituting. This article highlights how use duration and intentions for use affect reported treatment and substitution effects.