Objective: We aimed to assess the efficacy of cannabinoids in painful dystonia of corticobasal syndrome (CBS) patients

Background: The clinical phenotype of CBS includes limb dystonia, which can be associated with severe pain frequently difficult to treat despite numerous therapeutic attempts. Cannabinoids are increasingly used to treat pain and some reports suggest a potential benefit in dystonia.

Method: Three patients with CBS complained painful limb dystonia. All three patients were treated with different pain medication, without achieving satisfactory pain relief. Therefore, we added cannabis-based oily solutions to the therapy, collecting Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) values for pain before and after three months from the start.

Results: Case 1 presented main involvement of the right arm. Her therapy included botulinum toxin injections, amitriptyline, clonazepam and baclofen. She started Bedrolite® oil (THC 1%, CBD 9%, 20 drops/die) therapy, and the NRS value changed from 8 to 3. Case 2 presented main involvement of the left arm. Her therapy included botulinum toxin injections, amitriptyline, clonazepam, baclofen and oxycodone. She started Bediol® oil (THC 6.5%, CBD 8%, 25 drops/die) therapy, and the NRS value decreased from 10 to 1. Case 3 presented main involvement of the right leg. His therapy included botulinum toxin injections, clonazepam, pregabalin, baclofen and oxycodone. He started Bedrolite® oil (60 drops/die) therapy, and the NRS value decreased from 9 to 2. The therapy was well tolerated in all patients.

Conclusion: Cannabinoids should be considered as a useful add-on therapy for painful dystonia in CBS patients.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/cannabinoids-for-painful-dystonia-in-corticobasal-syndrome-a-report-of-three-patients/