More Than Half of Arthritis Patients Have Tried Medical Marijuana or CBD Products

On June 13, CreakyJoints®,
a Global
Healthy Living Foundation patient community, will present a poster
at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR 2019) meeting in
Madrid, Spain. Two additional abstracts were accepted for publication.

The poster titled, “Patients’
Perceptions and Use of Medical Marijuana,” found that more than
half (57.3%) of arthritis patients (N=1,059) have reported trying
marijuana (THC) and/or cannabidiol (CBD) products for a purpose they
perceived as medical. Of those who use THC regularly for medical reasons
62 percent reportedly use THC at least once daily. Among the most
commonly cited reasons for stopping use were illegality (31.2%) of THC
and cost (32.5%) of CBD. Despite those barriers, most participants who
tried THC or CBD said that it improved their symptoms (THC= 97.1%,
CBD=93.7%) and/or their condition (THC= 96.1%, CBD=93.1%). Pain and
sleep disturbance were the main symptoms participants sought to relieve
with these products and many used them in lieu of prescribed or
over-the-counter medications.

“Despite best efforts by rheumatologists and patients to find an
effective arthritis treatment and management strategy, there are still
many patients who seek additional relief for chronic symptoms,” stated
W. Benjamin Nowell, Ph.D., Director of Patient-Centered Research at
CreakyJoints and an ArthritisPower co-principal investigator and poster
author. “It’s alarming that so many arthritis patients use medical
marijuana and cannabidiol products in the absence of high quality
evidence about their safety, effectiveness, and appropriate dosing. This
underscores the urgent need to conduct randomized, controlled trials to
study their effectiveness at addressing symptoms common to arthritis as
well as their potential to interact with other medications. Moreover,
it’s concerning that patients may not be discussing their use of these
products to augment or replace other arthritis treatments with their
health care team.”

The survey found that only two-thirds (64.6%) of participants reported
telling their HCP about their THC or CBD use and of those more than half
did not receive any information from their healthcare provider about
safety, effectiveness or dosing, possibly because such little research
is available. Of those that did receive advice, most reported that their
HCP did not consider their use of THC or CBD when making other treatment
changes. Whether they had used THC or CBD for medical reasons or not,
most patients (THC=65.5%, CBD=55.6%) expressed wanting more information
about them, including on their effectiveness and interaction with other
medications from their health care provider or online educational
resources.

Utilizing the ArthritisPower® research registry, which now includes more
than 19,000 consented participants, the 77-item survey included 1,059
participants who were ≥ 19 years old, lived in the United States, and
reported physician-diagnosed rheumatoid or musculoskeletal disease. The
survey also required participants to report their current health status
(NIH PROMIS Global Health), use and perceptions of THC/CBD, and related
information needs. The complete survey results are available in the
poster, upon request.

Overview of CreakyJoints Data at EULAR 2019

• Patients’
  Perceptions and Use of Medical Marijuana
  Identifier:
  THU0644
  Poster presentation: June 13, 2019 at 11:45 a.m. CET

• The
  Patient Experience: A Process Evaluation of a Pilot Pragmatic Using
  Remote Monitoring of Symptoms
  Identifier: AB1284,
  published abstract

• Patient
  Preferences for the Use of Digital Tools and Social Media in Diet and
  Exercise Interventions
  Identifier: AB1222, published
  abstract

About ArthritisPower®

Created by CreakyJoints®
and supported by a multiyear, multimillion dollar investment by the
Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), ArthritisPower®
is the first-ever patient-centered research registry for joint, bone,
and inflammatory skin conditions. The free ArthritisPower mobile and
desktop application allows patients to track and share their symptoms
and treatments while also participating in voluntary research studies in
a secure and accessible manner. ArthritisPower Patient Governors serve
as gatekeepers for researchers who seek to access registry data or
solicit the community to participate in unique, voluntary studies. To
learn more and join ArthritisPower, visit www.ArthritisPower.org.

About CreakyJoints®

CreakyJoints is a digital community for millions of arthritis patients
and caregivers worldwide who seek education, support, advocacy, and
patient-centered research. We represent patients through our popular
social media channels, our website www.CreakyJoints.org,
and the 50-State
Network, which includes more than 1,500 trained volunteer patient,
caregiver and healthcare activists.

As part of the Global
Healthy Living Foundation, CreakyJoints also has a patient-reported
outcomes registry called ArthritisPower® with more than 19,000 consented
arthritis patients who track their disease while volunteering to
participate in longitudinal and observational research. CreakyJoints
also publishes the popular “Raising
the Voice of Patients” series, which are downloadable
patient-centered navigational tools for managing chronic illness. For
more information and to become a member (for free), visit www.CreakyJoints.org.

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