Many people living with chronic nerve pain, also known as neuropathic pain, are searching for better ways to manage their symptoms.
Traditional medications often don’t work well for most patients, leading some to try alternative options like cannabis-based treatments. However, a new report suggests these treatments might not be as effective as many hope.
An updated review from the respected Cochrane organization has found that cannabis-based medicines still don’t provide clear or meaningful relief for people with chronic nerve pain.
The researchers looked at the results of 21 clinical trials involving more than 2,100 adults. These studies tested different cannabis products against placebos, or “fake” treatments, over periods ranging from two weeks to six months.
Neuropathic pain happens when nerves are damaged, which can lead to long-term pain that is hard to treat. Because regular painkillers often don’t work well for this kind of pain, interest in cannabis-based treatments has grown.
These products come in many forms, such as herbal cannabis, sprays for the mouth, pills, creams, and skin patches. Some contain mostly THC—the part of cannabis that causes a “high.” Others contain CBD, which does not make people feel high. Some products contain a mix of both THC and CBD.
In this review, researchers grouped the products into three types: those with mostly THC, those with mostly CBD, and those with a balanced mix of both.
After carefully comparing all the studies, they found that none of the products consistently worked better than a placebo. While a small number of people using the mixed THC-CBD products said they felt slightly better, the improvements were too small to matter in real life.
The researchers also looked at side effects. Unfortunately, the studies didn’t always report side effects clearly or in the same way, making it hard to say how safe the products really are. In general, the team found that THC-based products were more likely to cause dizziness and sleepiness. Some people stopped taking the treatment because of these problems.
Dr. Winfried Häuser, a pain specialist and one of the lead authors of the review, explained that the current research has many problems. Most of the studies were small or not well designed.
He says that to understand whether cannabis-based medicines really help, future studies need to be larger and longer, lasting at least 12 weeks. These studies should also include people with other health issues, both physical and mental, because that better reflects real-world patients.
For now, the authors say that the evidence supporting cannabis-based medicines for nerve pain is weak and uncertain. While some people may still choose to try these treatments, doctors and patients should be aware that strong, reliable proof of their benefit is still missing.
This updated Cochrane review shows that we still have a long way to go before cannabis-based treatments can be trusted as a standard option for chronic nerve pain. Better studies are needed to truly understand if these products can help—and if so, for whom.
If you care about arthritis, please read studies about extra virgin olive oil for arthritis, and pomegranate: A natural treatment for rheumatoid arthritis.
For more information about arthritis, please see recent studies about how to live pain-free with arthritis, and results showing medical cannabis may help reduce arthritis pain, back pain.
The study is published in Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.
Copyright © 2025 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
