Albuquerque, NM: The inhalation of cannabis is associated with perceived decreases in fatigue, according to data published in the journal Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids.
A team of researchers affiliated with the University of New Mexico assessed the effects of smoked cannabis on fatigue intensity levels in 3,922 subjects over a 3+ year period. Study participants self-administered cannabis at home and reported symptom changes in real time on a mobile software application.
“On average, 91.94 percent of people experienced decreased fatigue following consumption with an average symptom intensity reduction of 3.48 points on a zero-to-10 visual analog scale,” investigators reported. They added: “While labeled plant phenotypes (‘C. indica,’ ‘C. sativa,’ or ‘hybrid’) did not differ in symptom relief, people that used joints to combust the flower reported greater symptom relief than pipe or vaporizer users. Across cannabinoid levels, tetrahydrocannabinol, and cannabidiol levels were generally not associated with changes in symptom intensity levels.”
They concluded: “Using the largest database of real-time effects of cannabis usage in the USA, we found that combusting whole, dried cannabis flower has a generally fast-acting and energetic effect for the majority of people that have symptoms of fatigue. While some user sessions resulted in increased fatigue or fatigue-related side-effect experiences, the vast majority of people reported an overall decrease in their perceived fatigue intensity levels. … Future research would benefit from investigating real-time effects of cannabis usage on behavioral and mental fatigue under altered bodily states and how different phytochemicals in the cannabis plant aggregate and/or interact in its mental and physical effects in healthy people and clinical populations.”
Using similar methods, UNM researchers have previously reported that cannabis exposure is associated with real-time reductions in migraine symptoms, pain intensity, stress, depressive symptoms, and nausea, among other symptoms.
Full text of the study, “The effect of consuming cannabis flower for treatment of fatigue,” appears in Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids.
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