Medical Marijuana and MS

Some forms of medical marijuana may help alleviate certain symptoms in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to new guidelines published in the journal Neurology.

Complementary or alternative medicine (CAM) therapies, such as medical marijuana, are popular among patients with MS, who often seek them out to help alleviate symptoms or pain associated with their disease. However, few guidelines exist to help patients determine the effectiveness of these therapies, according to study author Dr. Pushpa Narayanaswami.

“We wanted to review the literature well and see where we went with it, to guide patients and physicians as well,” Narayanaswami, an assistant professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School, told FoxNews.com. “There’s nothing out there that looks at all of these to see how effective and safe they are.”

The researchers examined a wide array of CAM therapies, drawing from a list created by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a subsidy of the National Institutes of Health. In addition to medical marijuana, the researchers also studied other remedies including ginkgo biloba, magnetic therapy, bee sting therapy, omega-3 fatty acids and reflexology.

In a review of 2,608 studies, the researchers were able to assess which forms of CAM therapies had sufficient evidence to indicate that they may be effective for patients with MS. Overall, researchers discovered that certain forms of medical marijuana – a spray form and a pill form – appeared to have the most evidence indicating they may be helpful in patients with MS.

“What we learned are these specific forms of medical marijuana can ease patients’ symptoms – specific symptoms of spasticity, or muscle stiffness … and helped with frequent urination,” Narayanaswami said.

While medical marijuana provided relief for some symptoms, it did not alleviate other effects of MS, including tremors or urinary incontinence. Medical marijuana also carried some negative side effects, including dizziness, drowsiness, being off balance and cognitive problems in some people, researchers noted.

While spray forms of medical marijuana are only available in Europe and Canada, some pill forms of medical marijuana have been approved in the U.S. to treat nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy.

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