Muscle Spasms and Cannabis

Muscle spasms occur for a myraid of reasons. Dehydration, medications, and/or electrolyte abnormalities can cause short term spasms. Long term, serious conditions can relate to multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, fibromyalgia, muscular dystrophy, or myopathy. Many patients who suffer from muscle spasms report that cannabis helps with muscle spasms.

Muscle spasm pain can increase over time. One spasm can produce another, creating a continual cycle that self-perpetuates. Muscle relaxants, anti-anxiety, pain, and anti-seizure medications are used to treat spasms but they can have adverse side effects. Cannabis, acupuncture, and massage are more natural ways of reducing the pain and spasms with fewer side effects. (Source)

Muscle spasm research with cannabis is ongoing and slow due to regulations. A research study from the San Diego School of Medicine tested thirty multiple sclerosis patients with muscle spasms. One third of patients felt relief from muscle spasms and a 50% reduction in pain perception. (Source) A 2004 study with Parkinson's disease patients found that 45.9% of those who used cannabis saw benefits; most saw improvement after two months of use. (Source) GW Pharmaceuticals’ researchers discovered that multiple sclerosis patients found relief with 2-3 puffs of a cigarette, allowing for the marijuana to treat symptoms in seconds rather than minutes. (Source)

Research with the cannabis prescription drug Sativex has shown substantial confirmation of the benefits of marijuana in regards to muscle spasms. (Source) Other studies on cannabis reveal that other spasm-related events, like menstrual cramps and Tourette's Syndrome, can be positively affected through cannabis use. (Source)

Source:

http://www.medicann.com/muscle-spasms/

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/study-smoking-pot-may-ease-pain-muscle-spasms-in-people-with-multiple-sclerosis/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20307378