The highest three signs that individuals mentioned had been alleviated by hashish had been sleep issues, temper or anxiousness problems, and low libido. Respondents additionally used the drug to alleviate sizzling flashes, evening sweats, physique aches, vaginal dryness and ache, and to extend pleasure throughout intercourse. Some girls took medical hashish whereas others used leisure types. They reported each smoking and the usage of edibles as the commonest types of use for self-medication of menopausal signs.
“These are vital targets for future scientific trials,” mentioned examine writer Staci. Gruber, director of the Marijuana Investigations for Neuroscientific Discovery program at McLean Hospital and affiliate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical Faculty. “How can the info inform our subsequent steps to optimize remedy choices for individuals with these signs?” »
The examine didn’t look at frequency of use, dose, or whether or not the ladies had tried different remedies. One other limitation is that a lot of the individuals had beforehand used medicine, so the outcomes might not apply to girls who’ve by no means used hashish earlier than.
One of many causes hashish may match for these girls is that the substances in hashish might mimic a chemical compound, anandamide, produced by the ovaries whose manufacturing drops throughout menopause, Gruber mentioned.
Anandamide is an endocannabinoid, that are molecules produced by the physique which might be structurally just like cannabinoids, the substances current within the hashish plant. Endocannabinoids are a part of the physique’s endocannabinoid system, which regulates features corresponding to emotional processing, sleep, and temperature management. It is usually identified to affect the the female reproductive system. For instance, anandamide ranges have been proven to correlate with estrogen ranges, which decline throughout perimenopause and set off the onslaught symptoms.
Javier Mejia-Gomez, gynecologist-oncologist on the Mature Girls’s Well being and Menopause Clinic at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, has observed a rise in sufferers utilizing hashish to handle their signs in recent times. The pattern prompted him to seek for printed analysis on the topic, however he discovered little or no. Of 564 research mentioning menopause and hashish that he initially reviewed, solely three ended up making the lower for his Systematic review. The remaining had been both animal research, of poor high quality, or didn’t straight examine the affect of hashish on menopausal signs.
“As a result of lack of analysis and evidence-based drugs on this subject, it’s troublesome for us to precisely counsel our sufferers on the usage of hashish for the administration of their menopausal signs,” Mejia-Gomez mentioned.
Vanessa Fleeton, 53, mentioned she discovered solace for a flurry of debilitating perimenopause and menopause signs corresponding to sleep issues, physique aches, anxiousness and mind fog due to an sudden – and scientifically unfaithful – treatment confirmed. “Medical marijuana is significantly better than something I’ve tried for menopause,” she mentioned.
The simplest remedy for lowering or eliminating the signs of menopause is hormone remedy. However the remedy, which might embrace estrogen alone or estrogen mixed with a progestogen, comes with an elevated danger of blood clots, stroke and breast most cancers. An antidepressant, paroxetine, has additionally been authorised by the Meals and Drug Administration to deal with sizzling flashes.
However many ladies do not wish to use hormones or take antidepressants. Some attempt unproven remedies corresponding to over-the-counter dietary supplements and natural cures, chiropractic procedures, and acupuncture.
Nola Blackburn, 49, mentioned she does not wish to use hormones, so she takes hashish in tablet type every day for her menopausal signs. “I discover that I sleep higher and have fewer nightmares as a result of anxiousness brought on by hormonal fluctuations,” mentioned Blackburn, of West Kelowna, British Columbia.
Ilse Blommers, 53, who lives in Bangkok, eats half a hashish brownie earlier than going to mattress. Her perimenopause started 4 years in the past and resulted in evening sweats that woke her up at 3am. She determined to attempt hashish. “I sleep like a child,” Blommers mentioned. “My again ache and temper swings are so significantly better.”
Consultants warn that girls concerned with hashish for his or her menopause-related signs ought to proceed with warning. Rigorous scientific trials to show its efficacy and security are wanted, mentioned Stephanie. FaubionDirector of the Heart for Girls’s Well being at Mayo Clinic.
“Everyone seems to be leaping on the hashish bandwagon, and I feel we have to take a step again,” mentioned Faubion, who was not concerned within the examine. “There isn’t any proof that it really works or is secure, so warning must be exercised.”
