Cannabis for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: What Patients Report

Cannabis for chronic fatigue: what patients report

There's little clinical research on cannabis for chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), but many patients report it eases symptoms like poor sleep, muscle and joint pain and low mood, often with energizing, sativa-leaning strains. CFS is a complex condition defined by severe fatigue that doctors can't explain with any underlying medical disorder.

CFS symptoms often come on suddenly, though some people develop them over weeks or months. They can shift throughout the day or change from one week to the next, and they can go into remission and then flare up again. The condition is also called myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), which is why you'll often see it written as ME/CFS.

Nobody knows exactly what causes chronic fatigue syndrome, though there are plenty of theories, from psychological stress to viral infections. Some experts believe a combination of factors may trigger it.

Cannabis may help some people manage chronic fatigue syndrome and its symptoms. There are plenty of medical cannabis strains patients use for chronic fatigue, depending on which symptoms they're dealing with.

There aren't many clinical trials or empirical studies looking specifically at whether medical cannabis improves ME/CFS symptoms, but many patients report relief from some of their symptoms when they use cannabis as a treatment.

Unrefreshing or disrupted sleep, muscle and joint pain, emotional ups and downs and depression are some of the CFS symptoms patients say medical cannabis helps with. Most credit sativa-dominant strains for their energizing effects.

Conventional treatments can relieve some chronic fatigue symptoms, but they can also come with side effects of their own. Patients who use cannabis for chronic fatigue often say it helps with both their CFS symptoms and the side effects of their other treatments

Several studies have looked at cannabis and sleep, and some suggest that even though it cuts REM sleep, weed may increase deep sleep, which some users say leaves them feeling more rested overall.

Another potential benefit is chronic pain relief. Cannabis is widely used for many types of pain, including neuropathic pain, which is caused by nerve damage or dysfunction, and patients often report relief.

Other studies have explored cannabis for cognitive problems and depression, with results that depend on how often it's used, the dose and environmental and genetic factors.

Sometimes fatigue comes from one or more medications you're already taking for a different condition. Steroids, antidepressants and sedatives, for example, can all cause varying levels of fatigue.

Other chronic fatigue symptoms patients say cannabis helps with include exhaustion, headaches, joint pain and muscle weakness, and many say it gives them an energy boost.

The best way to treat fatigue is to figure out the underlying problem and treat that. In general, sativas and sativa-dominant hybrids are the go-to picks for fatigue thanks to their energizing, mentally stimulating effects. Some popular choices are Super Silver Haze, Jack Herer and Green Crack. 

Smoking is a popular way to use medical cannabis for chronic fatigue, but it's not the only one. Patients also go for capsules, tinctures, vapes and edibles.

There's a lot of information out there about medical cannabis, its uses and its benefits, but whenever you're using it for a health condition, it's essential to talk to a specialist first, because every body is different and what works for one patient may not work for another.