Motor Neurone Disease
Medical cannabis for motor neurone disease (MND) may help by alleviating muscle spasticity, reducing pain, and improving overall comfort and relaxation.
Motor neurone disease (MND) is a condition that affects nerves in the brain and spinal cord, leading to progressive muscle weakness over months or years. It causes mobility and movement issues, trouble with speech and communication, and difficulty breathing or swallowing. There are around 5,000 adults living with MND in the UK, and the most common type is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Symptoms
Symptoms often include stiffness or weakness, twitches, spasms or muscle cramps. A person with MND will eventually have trouble breathing, swallowing and speaking, and need a wheelchair and/or ventilator.
Treatments
There’s no cure for motor neurone disease, but treatments help to ease symptoms. These include physiotherapy, medications to slow its progression, and medications to ease muscle stiffness and breathing troubles.
Medical cannabis offers another way to help manage MND symptoms, showing promise for cramps and emotional symptoms like depression. Many people with MND experience pain, and research on cannabis for pain has found positive results.
21.7%
A 2023 survey found 21.7% of people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis manage symptoms with cannabis
2-3 hours
Some people with ALS use cannabis to manage appetite loss, pain, spasticity and depression, with depression relief reported to last 2-3 hours
84%
A 2019 study found 84% of patients with ALS expressed high satisfaction in the results and convenience of cannabis to manage their condition
Get high quality medicinal cannabis fromthe doctor to your door.
Word from our expert
Dr Sunil Arora Chief Medical Officer
For people living with motor neurone disease, medical cannabis may help ease some of the burdensome symptoms—like spasticity, pain, and sleep disturbance—that impact quality of life.
At Emerald, our team of experts can help you explore medical cannabis treatments for motor neurone disease that work for you, providing you with a safe, natural option to restore balance in your life.
