Manaus, Brazil: The administration of oral doses of CBD is ineffective at reducing the severity of restless legs syndrome (RLS) in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD), according to clinical trial data published in the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research.
Brazilian researchers compared the use of CBD versus a placebo over a 14-week period. Patients in the CBD arm of the trial received up to 300mgs of cannabidiol.
Patients who were administered CBD demonstrated no improvements compared to those receiving placebo.
“CBD showed no reduction in the severity of RLS manifestations in patients with PD and RBD,” authors concluded.
By contrast, a series of case reports published in 2020 and in 2017 reported that cannabis inhalation is associated with perceived efficacy in patients with refractory restless legs syndrome.
Full text of the study, “Cannabidiol for restless legs syndrome/Willis-Ekbom disease in Parkinson’s disease patients with REM sleep behavior disorder: A post hoc exploratory analysis of a phase 2/3 clinical trial,” appears in Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research.
Source: NORML – make a donation