Cannabis Use Disorder Increasing Among Patients With Multiple Sclerosis

The feasibility of home-based transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) paired with mindfulness meditation is being investigated as an intervention for the growing problem of cannabis use disorder among women diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to researchers who presented a poster describing their study at the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum 2024 Annual Meeting, held in West Palm Beach, Florida, from February 29 to March 2, 2024.

Researchers from NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York City are conducting a nationally enrolling, ongoing, sham-controlled pilot study in women with relapsing-remitting MS seeking to reduce their cannabis use. Eligible patients had to fulfill the criteria for cannabis use disorder but could not have concurrent substance use disorders, psychiatric conditions, or significant psychological distress as measured by the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10). Upon acceptance into the study, patients received a kit containing a laptop for live supervision and a tDCS device programmed for a double-blind comparison between active vs placebo conditions. They underwent 20 tDCS 20-minute sessions targeting the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (2.0 mA, with the anode positioned over F3 and the cathode over F4), in conjunction with audioguided mindfulness tracks titled “10 Minute Mind.”

Currently 42 patients are enrolled in the study. Average (SD) patient age is 43.0 (10.7) years, 45% of patients are White, 33% are Black or African American, and 29% are Hispanic/Latino. Median disease duration is 9.6 (7.8) years, and the median Patient-Determined Disease Steps (PDDS) score is 3.0. All of the women confirmed cannabis use via a single-panel urine drug test and reported experiencing mild to moderate distress, averaging a score of 20.8 (7.6).

Following their diagnosis of MS, 66% of the enrolled women started consuming cannabis, with 75% inhaling or smoking it, 17% consuming edibles, and 9% using other methods of ingestion over an average period of 11.6 (9.2) years. The most common methods of cannabis consumption were joints (31.4%) and hand pipes (17.1%).

The study has maintained an 88% participant retention rate. Of the 34 participants who have completed the intervention to date, 85% attended at least 15 out of 20 sessions, with an overall average of 19.7 (3.2) sessions completed.

The researchers concluded, “A one-month all-remote intervention of tDCS combined with mindfulness meditation may provide an option for accessible and effective intervention to support reduced or discontinued cannabis use.”

This article originally appeared on Clinical Pain Advisor