UK medical cannabis registry: an updated clinical outcomes analysis of patients with post-traumatic stress disorder

Summary & key facts

This observational study followed 269 people with PTSD who were prescribed cannabis-based medical products for at least 18 months. The group showed statistically significant improvements in PTSD symptoms, anxiety, sleep, and overall quality of life at 1, 3, 6, 12 and 18 months (p < 0.001). About 26% of patients reported at least one adverse event; the most common were insomnia (15.6%) and fatigue (14.9%). Because this was an observational registry study and not a clinical trial, the results show associations but cannot prove that the cannabis products caused the improvements.

Key facts:

• The study included 269 patients with PTSD who were in the UK Medical Cannabis Registry and followed for at least 18 months.
• PTSD symptoms (measured by IES-R), anxiety (GAD-7), sleep quality (SQS), and overall health-related quality of life (EQ-5D-5L) all improved at each follow-up point; these changes had p values < 0.001.
• 26.02% of patients (70 of 269) reported at least one adverse event during follow-up.
• Insomnia was reported by 42 patients (15.61%) and fatigue by 40 patients (14.87%).
• Male patients were less likely to report improvement in PTSD symptoms on multivariate analysis (odds ratio 0.51; 95% CI 0.28–0.94; p = 0.034).
• The authors note the study is observational and not a registered clinical trial, so it cannot establish cause and effect and may be affected by other factors not controlled for in the registry.

Abstract

This is an observational study and is not registered as a clinical trial.

Topics

Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research Homelessness and Social Issues Prenatal Substance Exposure Effects

Categories

Health Sciences Medicine Pharmacology

Tags

Cannabis Medical cannabis Medicine Psychiatry Psychology Traumatic stress

Substances

Cannabis medical cannabis

Conditions & symptoms

Anxiety PTSD Sleep disorder Anxiety or worry Lack of energy or motivation Poor sleep