CBD for Hemophilia - April 2024

Why Some People Are Taking CBD for Hemophilia Symptoms

CBD may not be a recommended treatment for hemophilia. However, CBD’s purported therapeutic characteristics may be useful in treating some of the symptoms commonly linked to hemophilia, such as pain, inflammation, nausea, vomiting, and seizures.

According to the Hemophilia Federation of America (HFA), joint disease is the most common complication of hemophilia. A joint is where two bones are held together. 

People with hemophilia can bleed into the joint space after an injury or, at times, without an apparent cause. The pressure of blood filling the joint cavity causes significant pain and can lead to chronic swelling and deformity ⁽⁴⁾. 

CBD may help in the treatment of different types of chronic pain ⁽⁵⁾. Thus, CBD may help provide much-needed pain relief when dealing with joint problems.

Meanwhile, CBD’s anti-inflammatory characteristics have been shown in several human and animal studies, like that of a 2014 study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation and a 2012 research conducted by authors from the Department of Pathology, School of Veterinary Medicine in the University of São Paulo, Brazil ⁽⁶⁾.

In addition, research published in the Free Radical Biology & Medicine Journal by George Booz of the University of Mississippi Medical Center showed that CBD, which may interact with the endocannabinoid system, is a promising prototype for anti-inflammatory drug development ⁽⁷⁾.

Those with hemophilia can have bleeding in and around the brain, after an injury or without a known cause. Head bleeds may result in permanent brain damage or even death ⁽⁸⁾. 

Signs of having a head bleed include:

• • a persistent headache or one that gets worse with time
  • difficulty in paying attention
  • drowsiness
  • loss of consciousness
  • lethargy (trouble waking up or keeping awake)
  • sudden and forceful vomiting
  • seizures.

CBD may be able to help alleviate some of those symptoms.

A 2011 study published in the British Journal of Pharmacology revealed the antiemetic effects of cannabinoids in response to a toxic challenge. Cannabidiol (CBD), the primary non-psychoactive compound in cannabis, was shown to suppress nausea and vomiting within a limited dose range ⁽⁹⁾.

CBD may also help reduce muscle spasms, a feature of neuropathic damage which often manifests in painful, uncontrolled muscle twitches ⁽¹⁰⁾. 

However, the most substantial scientific evidence is for CBD’s effectiveness in treating some epilepsy syndromes, like Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS), which typically do not respond to antiseizure medications ⁽¹¹⁾. 

Epidiolex, which contains CBD, was the first drug ever approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for those conditions ⁽¹²⁾.

Conclusion

Cannabidiol (CBD) is certainly not a replacement for traditional hemophilia treatment. Still, CBD’s therapeutic health benefits may help relieve some of the symptoms linked to hemophilia, such as nausea, vomiting, pain, inflammation, and seizures.

However, a consultation with a doctor experienced in cannabis use is essential before using CBD as a treatment for any symptom or disorder or using CBD as an adjunct therapy.

Medically reviewed DR. WIEGMANN on 06-22-2020

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