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CBD for restless legs syndrome

No trial has tested CBD on its own for restless legs syndrome. A small analysis in Parkinson's patients found 75 to 300 mg a day no better than placebo.

Facts checked 13 November 20265 min readHow we research
Not enough evidence

No dedicated trial of CBD for restless legs syndrome; one small post hoc analysis (6 people on 75 to 300 mg a day) found no benefit, and the rest is case reports and a survey of people using cannabis, which contains THC.

How we grade evidence

CBD has not been properly tested for restless legs syndrome. No completed trial was designed to study it, and the only controlled data, from 6 people in a Parkinson’s disease trial, showed no benefit. Interest comes mainly from a few patients who said using cannabis helped.

Restless legs syndrome is a long-term condition that causes an urge to move the legs, often with unpleasant sensations. It usually comes on or gets worse at rest, especially in the evening and at night, and eases with movement.1

What the research shows

The only controlled data (de Almeida 2023)

Brazilian researchers ran a placebo-controlled trial of CBD for a sleep problem in people with Parkinson’s disease. Afterwards they looked back at the 18 participants who also had restless legs syndrome. Six had been randomly given CBD at 75 to 300 mg a day and twelve had been given placebo, for 14 weeks.2

CBD showed no difference from placebo on the main restless legs rating scale or on any secondary measure. The authors concluded that CBD “showed no reduction in the severity” of restless legs in these patients.2

This is weak evidence either way. A post hoc analysis (one done after the trial, on a question it was not designed to answer) of six people cannot prove CBD does not work. It does mean there is no controlled evidence that it does.

Case reports of cannabis use

Report Who What they used What was reported
Megelin and Ghorayeb 2017, France 6 patients Cannabis (marijuana) Patients reported relief of symptoms3
Ghorayeb 2020, France More patients, extending the 2017 series Cannabis Further reports of symptom relief4
Samaha 2020, Canada 192 people on kidney dialysis surveyed Any cannabis Of 15 who used cannabis for restless legs or itch, 9 said it helped5

The French neurologist behind the case reports wrote that some patients described “a remarkable and total remission” after cannabis use, and that this should be tested “by robust clinical trials”.1 Marijuana contains THC, so these reports say nothing about CBD on its own. Personal reports also cannot rule out the placebo effect. See how we grade the evidence.

Trials under way

Registered trial Product Status as of November 2026
Canada (NCT06863740) Oral cannabis with CBD and THC in a 5:1 ratio, against placebo, 8 weeks, 30 people Recruiting6
USA (NCT07224932) High-CBD cannabis extract with less than 0.3% THC, against placebo, 60 people Not yet recruiting7

The first trial includes THC, so even a positive result would not show what CBD alone does.

What doses were tested

The only CBD data used 75 to 300 mg a day by mouth.2 For comparison, the Australian limit for pharmacist-only (Schedule 3) CBD is 150 mg a day.8 No dose of CBD has been shown to help restless legs. See CBD dosage: what trials used.

What Australian medical bodies say

We found no Australian clinical body with a specific statement on CBD for restless legs syndrome.

  • RACGP. The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners says medicinal cannabis should only be considered after first-line, evidence-based treatments have been exhausted.9
  • TGA. The Therapeutic Goods Administration’s guidance says medicinal cannabis should be considered only when registered medicines have been tried, and treatment stopped if benefit is not shown.10

Risks to know about

  • Drowsiness and other medicines. CBD adds to the sleepiness caused by opioids, benzodiazepines, other sedatives and alcohol, and it blocks liver enzymes that break down many medicines.11 Opioids and anticonvulsants are among the medicines used for restless legs.1 See CBD drug interactions.
  • Side effects. In trials, CBD is most often linked to diarrhoea and sleepiness.12 See CBD side effects.
  • Liver. At 350 to 400 mg a day, 5.6% of healthy adults had large liver enzyme rises within four weeks.13 See CBD and the liver.
  • THC. Products with THC impair driving. The TGA says patients should be advised they are not able to drive while being treated with medicinal cannabis.10 See CBD and driving.
  • Pregnancy. The TGA says medicinal cannabis is not appropriate for women who are pregnant, planning pregnancy or breastfeeding.14 See CBD in pregnancy and breastfeeding.

If you are considering it

  • See your GP. Ask whether anything could be making your symptoms worse and what the established treatment options are for you.
  • If your symptoms have not responded to treatment, ask about referral to a sleep or neurology specialist.
  • If you are thinking about CBD, ask what evidence supports it. As of November 2026, no trial designed for restless legs has reported.

See talking to your GP about CBD.

Footnotes

  1. Ghorayeb I. Cannabis for restless legs syndrome. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, 2021. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33537945/ ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  2. de Almeida CMO, et al. The effect of cannabidiol for restless legs syndrome/Willis-Ekbom disease in Parkinson’s disease patients with REM sleep behavior disorder: a post hoc exploratory analysis of phase 2/3 clinical trial. Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, 2023. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35749710/ ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  3. Megelin T, Ghorayeb I. Cannabis for restless legs syndrome: a report of six patients. Sleep Medicine, 2017. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28655453/ ↩

  4. Ghorayeb I. More evidence of cannabis efficacy in restless legs syndrome. Sleep and Breathing, 2020. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31820197/ ↩

  5. Samaha D, Kandiah T, Zimmerman D. Cannabis use for restless legs syndrome and uremic pruritus in patients treated with maintenance dialysis: a survey. Canadian Journal of Kidney Health and Disease, 2020. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32963792/ ↩

  6. ClinicalTrials.gov. Using cannabis to treat restless legs syndrome (NCT06863740). https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06863740 ↩

  7. ClinicalTrials.gov. Tolerability and efficacy of CBD extract for RLS treatment (NCT07224932). https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07224932 ↩

  8. Therapeutic Goods Administration. Final decision on down-scheduling of low-dose cannabidiol, 2020. https://tga.gov.au/node/284859 ↩

  9. Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. Position statement: use of medicinal cannabis products in Australia (2019 update). https://www.racgp.org.au/advocacy/position-statements/view-all-position-statements/clinical-and-practice-management/medical-cannabis ↩

  10. Therapeutic Goods Administration. Guidance for the use of medicinal cannabis in Australia: overview. https://www.tga.gov.au/resources/resource/guidance/guidance-use-medicinal-cannabis-australia-overview ↩ ↩2

  11. US National Library of Medicine, DailyMed. Epidiolex (cannabidiol) oral solution prescribing information, revised 2026. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=8bf27097-4870-43fb-94f0-f3d0871d1eec ↩

  12. Chesney E, et al. Adverse effects of cannabidiol: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised clinical trials, 2020. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32268347/ ↩

  13. EurekAlert. News release on Florian et al., cannabidiol and liver enzyme elevations in healthy adults, JAMA Internal Medicine, July 2025. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1089832 ↩

  14. Therapeutic Goods Administration. Guidance for the use of medicinal cannabis in Australia: patient information. https://www.tga.gov.au/sites/default/files/guidance-use-medicinal-cannabis-australia-patient-information.pdf ↩

Common questions

Does CBD help restless legs?

There is no good evidence that it does. The only controlled data come from a small re-analysis of a Parkinson's trial, where 6 people with restless legs took CBD and 12 took placebo, and CBD showed no difference. Proper trials are only now being set up.

Why do people say cannabis helps restless legs?

A French neurologist reported six patients in 2017, and more in 2020, who said their symptoms went away after using cannabis. These were personal reports from people using marijuana, which contains THC, with no comparison group. The neurologist himself called for robust clinical trials.

Will CBD help me sleep if I have restless legs?

Not proven. Restless legs often disrupts sleep, but the only published placebo-controlled trial of CBD alone for insomnia that we found, an Australian study of 150 mg a night, found it similar to placebo on most sleep measures. It did not study people with restless legs.

Is it safe to take CBD with restless legs medicines?

Check with your doctor or pharmacist first. CBD adds to the drowsiness from sedating medicines, opioids and alcohol, and it affects liver enzymes that break down many drugs. Some medicines used for restless legs, such as opioids and certain anticonvulsants, can cause drowsiness themselves.

This page is general information, not medical or legal advice. Laws and evidence change; we show the date we last checked the facts at the top of every page. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.

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