Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Apr 16;7(1):80-85.
doi: 10.1159/000538694. eCollection 2024 Jan-Dec.

Relief in Gastrointestinal Symptoms with Medical Marijuana Over 1 Year

Matthew P Wallingford  1 , Erin L Kelly  2 , Allison Herens  3 , Daniel Hanna  4 , Emily Hajjar  5 , Brooke Worster  3
Affiliations

Relief in Gastrointestinal Symptoms with Medical Marijuana Over 1 Year

Matthew P Wallingford et al. Med Cannabis Cannabinoids. .

Abstract

Introduction: Subjective improvement in gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms was assessed among patients using medical marijuana (MMJ).

Methods: Participants completed surveys at 0 days, 30 days, 6 months, and 12 months with questions about the severity of their GI symptoms on a scale from 1 (mild) to 3 (severe).

Results: In each survey, participants reported a significant decrease in GI symptom severity when using MMJ versus when not using MMJ (p < 0.05). The most common self-reported side effects from using MMJ were increased appetite (12-21.4%), fatigue (6-16.7%), anxiety (4-11.9%), cough (4-11.9%), headache (6-7.9%), and dry mouth (4-7.1%).

Conclusion: In patients with chronic GI symptoms, MMJ may provide persistent symptom severity improvement. Limited product availability and mild to moderate side effects are factors to consider before trialing MMJ.

Keywords: Adverse effects; Cannabis; Gastrointestinal symptoms; Integrative medicine; Medical cannabis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Dan Hanna has worked for a MMJ dispensary in PA, USA Brooke Worster is an advisory board member for PAX Therapeutics.

References

    1. Almario CV, Ballal ML, Chey WD, Nordstrom C, Khanna D, Spiegel BMR. Burden of gastrointestinal symptoms in the United States: results of a nationally representative survey of over 71,000 Americans. Am J Gastroenterol. 2018;113(11):1701–10. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Choi MG, Jung HK. Health related quality of life in functional gastrointestinal disorders in Asia. J Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2011;17(3):245–51. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Whitfield KL, Shulman RJ. Treatment options for functional gastrointestinal disorders: from empiric to complementary approaches. Pediatr Ann. 2009;38(5):288–94, 292-4. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Freedberg DE, Lebwohl B, Abrams JA. The impact of proton pump inhibitors on the human gastrointestinal microbiome. Clin Lab Med. 2014;34(4):771–85. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Gotfried J, Naftali T, Schey R. Role of cannabis and its derivatives in gastrointestinal and hepatic disease. Gastroenterology. 2020;159(1):62–80. - PubMed