DISCUSSION Although cannabinoids are now being used to manage different pain conditions , the evidence for the clinical effects are unclear .
INTRODUCTION Pain is a frequent clinical symptom with significant impact on the patient 's well-being .
Therefore , adequate pain management is of utmost importance .
While cannabinoids have become a more popular alternative to traditional types of pain medication among patients , the quality of evidence supporting the use of cannabinoids has been question ed .
The beneficial and harmful effects of cannabinoids in patients with pain is unknown .
Accordingly , we aim to assess the efﬁcacy , tolerability and safety of cannabinoids ( herbal , plant-derived extracts and synthetic ) compared with placebo or no intervention for any type of pain .
Empirically derived criteria cast doubt on the clinical significance of antidepressant-placebo differences.
Meta-analyses indicate that antidepressants are superior to placebos in statistical terms , but the clinical relevance of the differences has not been established . Previous suggestions of clinical ly relevant effect sizes have not been supported by empirical evidence . In the current paper we apply an empirical method that consists of comparing scores obtained on the Hamilton rating scale for depression ( HAM-D ) and scores from the Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement ( CGI-I ) scale . This method reveals that a HAM-D difference of 3 points is undetectable by clinicians using the CGI-I scale . A difference of 7 points on the HAM-D , or an effect size of 0.875 , is required to correspond to a rating of ' minimal improvement ' on the CGI-I. By these criteria differences between antidepressants and placebo in r and omised controlled trials , including trials conducted with people diagnosed with very severe depression , are not detectable by clinicians and fall far short of levels consistent with clinical ly observable minimal levels of improvement . Clinical significance should be considered alongside statistical significance when making decisions about the approval and use of medications like antidepressants
DISCUSSION Although cannabinoids are now being used to manage different pain conditions , the evidence for the clinical effects are unclear .
INTRODUCTION Pain is a frequent clinical symptom with significant impact on the patient 's well-being .
Therefore , adequate pain management is of utmost importance .
While cannabinoids have become a more popular alternative to traditional types of pain medication among patients , the quality of evidence supporting the use of cannabinoids has been question ed .
The beneficial and harmful effects of cannabinoids in patients with pain is unknown .
Accordingly , we aim to assess the efﬁcacy , tolerability and safety of cannabinoids ( herbal , plant-derived extracts and synthetic ) compared with placebo or no intervention for any type of pain .