Using Cannabis to Treat Restless Legs Syndrome
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: Cannabis oil, Cannabis placebo.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS). Basic parameters: from 25 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Canada
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
Unsure about the terms? Read our patient guide →
Official title
Using Cannabis to Treat Restless Legs Syndrome: A Randomized Placebo Controlled Pilot Safety and Feasibility Trial
Overview
Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) is a disorder that causes painful and uncomfortable sensations in the legs, and its symptoms have a significant impact on sleep and quality of life. Cannabis has been used by some RLS patients as a treatment due to its painkilling and drowsiness effects, however there has never been a clinical research trial investigating cannabis in patients with RLS. A controlled trial is needed to establish how safe and feasible cannabis is as a treatment for RLS. The investigators plan to randomize 30 participants with moderate-to-severe RLS to receive either cannabis or placebo for 8 weeks. The investigators will measure patients sleep quality and quality of life at baseline and 8-week follow-up. The investigators will also monitor patients for any adverse reactions to the study drug.
Interventions
- Drug Cannabis oil
5:1 CBD:THC oral formulation with a concentration of 25 mg/g CBD and 5 mg/g THC in a pharmaceutical grade medium chain triglyceride (MCT) oil. - Drug Cannabis placebo
Placebo oil
Primary outcome measures
- Incidence of Adverse Events and Serious Adverse Events [Time frame: 8 weeks]
- Rate of Study Completion [Time frame: 8 weeks]
Secondary outcome measures (9)
- Change from Baseline in Restless Legs Syndrome Quality of Life (RLSQoL) at 8 Weeks [Time frame: 8 weeks]
- Change from Baseline in Self-Reported Quality of Life on the Short Form-36 (SF-36) Health Survey Questionnaire at 8 Weeks [Time frame: 8 weeks]
- Change in Restless Legs Syndrome Severity using the International RLS Study Group Rating Scale from Baseline to Follow-up [Time frame: 8 weeks]
- Change in Sleep Quality as assessed by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index from Baseline to Follow-Up [Time frame: 8 weeks]
- Change in Daytime Sleepiness as assessed by the Epworth Sleepiness Scale from Baseline to Follow-Up [Time frame: 8 weeks]
- Change in Mood as assessed by the Beck Depression Inventory from Baseline to Follow-Up [Time frame: 8 weeks]
- Change in Objective Sleep Quality as Measured by Actigraphy from Baseline to Follow-Up [Time frame: 8 weeks]
- Change in Leg Movements as Measured by Ankle Actigraphy from Baseline to Follow-Up [Time frame: 8 weeks]
- Change in Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) Severity (as measured by the apnea-hypopnea index) from Baseline to Follow-Up [Time frame: 8 weeks]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- ≥25 years of age
- diagnosis of RLS based on the International RLS Study Group criteria
- refractory RLS symptoms despite use of dopaminergic and/or alpha-2-delta ligand therapy
- onset of RLS at least 6 months before screening
Exclusion criteria
- sleep disordered breathing, or sleep disordered breathing that is not adequately controlled on therapy (apnea-hypopnea index of >15)
- cannabis use within 4 weeks of study enrollment
- known allergy to cannabis, cannabinoids or palm/coconut oil
- Currently pregnant or breast-feeding (a negative urine pregnancy test must be obtained for women of childbearing potential during pretreatment evaluation)
- Active substance abuse
- Ischemic heart disease with unstable angina or recent acute coronary syndrome in the last 3 months, uncontrolled arrhythmias, poorly controlled hypertension
- Serious liver disease
- History of schizophrenia or any other psychotic disorder
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: No
Study design
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Model
- Parallel assignment
- Masking
- Quadruple blind
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
Study locations
Canada · 2 centers
- Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre — Toronto
- University Health Network — Toronto
Identifiers
NCT: NCT06863740 · 4752