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CBD (Cannabidiol) oil: Why individuals with Multiple Sclerosis choose to use it and its perceived impact on health and well-being.

Trial Status: Open

The popularity of CBD and its claimed health benefits have led to numerous CBD products being available to buy over the counter across the globe and has led to an increase in interest regarding its medical benefits. It has been suggested anecdotally by both people with MS and clinicians, that CBD oil may have positive effects for individuals with MS, however no clinical trials to date have been conducted to explore this. The only trials that have been carried out relate to Sativex, a medically licensed drug that contains both CBD and the psychoactive cannabidiol compound
THC. Since the approval of Sativex, very few prescriptions have been made, causing individuals with MS to seek treatment through over-the-counter CBD products. Given there is no previous research in this area, the focus of this research will be exploratory, looking into the use of CBD oil products for people with MS. The aim of this research is to gain in-depth knowledge into why individuals with MS use over the counter CBD oil products and the perceived impact they believe it has on their physical and mental wellbeing.
The study will involve a mixed methods design. The first stage will be structured interviews, conducted with up to 10 patients with MS who have reported taking over the counter CBD oil products in the past, recruited from the West Midland Rehabilitation Centre, asking a series of questions to gain insight into why individuals with MS choose to use CBD products and the perceived impact it has on their physical and mental well-being. The interviews will be analysed using Braun and Clark’s (2006) Thematic analysis and the resulting themes will used to generate a series of
statements for a survey for stage 2. The survey will be sent out to a wider group of individuals with MS, recruited through the West Midlands Rehabilitation Centre. The findings of this research will be used to inform the design of a clinical research trial of CBD oil for people with a diagnosis of MS.