Cannabis may be helpful for endometriosis pain

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2021-10-29 12:00

Australia; NSW; VIC

Cannabis could be helpful in reducing pain associated with endometriosis, according to a small study by Aussie and international researchers which found effectiveness changed depending on whether the weed was smoked or ingested. The team identified 252 participants with endometriosis and recorded 16,193 cannabis-use sessions. The participants self-reported effectiveness on endometriosis symptoms, and the team found cannabis appears to be effective for pelvic pain, gastrointestinal issues and mood. Inhaled forms seemed to be better for pain (likely due to the rapid onset of pain relief), while edibles were better for mood and gastrointestinal symptoms (likely due to the slower onset of the effects). While these findings are interesting, the results are self-reported, so the researchers say more thorough clinical trials are urgently required.

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conference: PLOS One

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Organisation/s: Western Sydney University, The University of New South Wales, The University of Melbourne

Funder: Funding: The author(s) received no specific funding for this work. Competing interests: I have read the journal’s policy and the authors of this manuscript have the following competing interests: As a medical research institute, NICM Health Research Institute receives research grants and donations from foundations, universities, government agencies, individuals and industry. Sponsors and donors also provide untied funding for work to advance the vision and mission of the Institute. The authors declare no competing financial interests. JS is the recipient of a Western Sydney University Postgraduate Research Scholarship. J.Sarris has received either presentation honoraria, travel support, clinical trial grants, book royalties, or independent consultancy payments from: Australian Natural Therapeutics Group (being a scientific advisor to Australian Natural Therapeutics Group: a cannabis grower and manufacturer), Integria Healthcare & MediHerb, Pfizer, Scius Health, Key Pharmaceuticals, Taki Mai, Fiji Kava, FIT-BioCeuticals, Blackmores, Soho-Flordis, Healthworld, HealthEd, HealthMasters, Kantar Consulting, Angelini Pharmaceuticals, Grunbiotics, Polistudium, Research Reviews, Elsevier, Chaminade University, International Society for Affective Disorders, Complementary Medicines Australia, SPRIM, Terry White Chemists, ANS, Society for Medicinal Plant and Natural Product Research, Sanofi-Aventis, Omega-3 Centre, the National Health and Medical Research Council, CR Roper Fellowship. This does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.

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