Can medical cannabis therapy help reduce the use of other medications?

A new study conducted in Germany by Bloomwell analyzed the experiences of 3,528 patients who received medical cannabis therapy. Its goal was to assess how the use of other prescribed medications changed after treatment began.

According to the study’s findings, 58.9% of patients reported that they had completely stopped taking at least one previously prescribed medication, and the average reduction in medication use was 84.5%.

The most notable changes were observed among patients who, prior to starting therapy, were taking opioids, antidepressants, sleeping pills, sedatives, and medications for ADHD:

•  61% completely stopped taking opioids;

•  75.5% completely stopped taking sleeping pills;

•  93.4% reduced their dose of sedatives by at least 50% 

In addition, more than 60% of study participants reported that after starting medical cannabis therapy, they no longer experienced side effects previously associated with taking other medications.

At the same time, the authors emphasize that the study is based on patient self-reports and is observational in nature. This means that the results demonstrate an association between medical cannabis therapy and changes in the use of other medications, but do not prove a direct cause-and-effect relationship.

For the medical community, this study provides yet another argument in favor of further research into the role of medical cannabis in comprehensive therapy. Of particular interest is its potential to reduce the medication burden on patients who are taking multiple medications simultaneously.