The cannabis-derived substance provides fewer side effects, with less potential for abuse.
For this study, the team focused on 878 people with fibromyalgia who said they used CBD to get more insight into how they used CBD products. The U-M team found that more than 70% of people with fibromyalgia who used CBD substituted CBD for opioids or other pain medications. Of these participants, many reported that they either decreased use or stopped taking opioids and other pain medications as a result.
“I was not expecting that level of substitution,” said Boehnke, noting that the rate is quite similar to the substitution rate reported in the medical cannabis literature. People who said they used CBD products that also contained THC had higher odds of substitution and reported greater symptom relief.