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Canna~Fangled Abstracts

Clinical outcome data of anxiety patients treated with cannabis-based medicinal products in the United Kingdom: a cohort study from the UK Medical Cannabis Registry

By June 14, 2023No Comments

. 2023 Jun 14.

doi: 10.1007/s00213-023-06399-3.

Online ahead of print.
Raphael Rifkin-Zybutz 1 2 3, Simon Erridge 1 4, Carl Holvey 4, Ross Coomber 4 5, Jessica Gaffney 2, Will Lawn 3 6, Daniela Barros 4, Urmila Bhoskar 4, Gracia Mwimba 4, Kavita Praveen 4, Chris Symeon 4, Simmi Sachdeva-Mohan 4, James J Rucker 2 4 7, Mikael H Sodergren 8 9
Affiliations 

Abstract

Rationale: Cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMPs) have been identified as novel therapeutics for generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) based on pre-clinical models; however, there is a paucity of high-quality evidence on their effectiveness and safety.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes of patients with GAD treated with dried flower, oil-based preparations, or a combination of both CBMPs.

Methods: A prospective cohort study of patients with GAD (n = 302) enrolled in the UK Medical Cannabis Registry prescribed oil or flower-based CBMPs was performed. Primary outcomes were changes in generalised anxiety disorder-7 (GAD-7) questionnaires at 1, 3, and 6 months compared to baseline. Secondary outcomes were single-item sleep quality scale (SQS) and health-related quality of life index (EQ-5D-5L) questionnaires at the same time points. These changes were assessed by paired t-tests. Adverse events were assessed in line with CTCAE (Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events) v4.0.

Results: Improvements in anxiety, sleep quality and quality of life were observed at each time point (p < 0.001). Patients receiving CBMPs had improvements in GAD-7 at all time points (1 month: difference -5.3 (95% CI -4.6 to -6.1), 3 months: difference -5.5 (95% CI -4.7 to -6.4), 6 months: difference -4.5 (95% CI -3.2 to -5.7)). Thirty-nine participants (12.9%) reported 269 adverse events in the follow-up period.

Conclusions: Prescription of CBMPs in those with GAD is associated with clinically significant improvements in anxiety with an acceptable safety profile in a real-world setting. Randomised trials are required as a next step to investigate the efficacy of CBMPs.

Keywords: Anxiety; Cannabidiol; Cannabis; Generalised anxiety disorder; Tetrahydrocannabinol.

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