Most trials showed improvement in symptoms associated with cannabinoids but these associations did not reach statistical significance in all trials .
There was an increased risk of short-term AEs with cannabinoids , including serious AEs .
Common AEs included dizziness , dry mouth , nausea , fatigue , somnolence , euphoria , vomiting , disorientation , drowsiness , confusion , loss of balance , and hallucination .
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE There was moderate- quality evidence to support the use of cannabinoids for the treatment of chronic pain and spasticity .
There was low- quality evidence suggesting that cannabinoids were associated with improvements in nausea and vomiting due to chemotherapy , weight gain in HIV infection , sleep disorders , and Tourette syndrome .
Cannabinoids were associated with an increased risk of short-term AEs
IMPORTANCE Cannabis and cannabinoid drugs are widely used to treat disease or alleviate symptoms , but their efficacy for specific indications is not clear .
OBJECTIVE To conduct a systematic review of the benefits and adverse events ( AEs ) of cannabinoids .
A multi-institutional Phase III study of nabilone vs. placebo in chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.
Summary A prospect i ve , r and omized , double-blind , crossover study of nabilone versus placebo was undertaken in three university cancer centers to determine the antiemetic efficacy and toxicity of nabilone in patients experiencing nausea and vomiting due to cancer chemotherapy . Identical study drug ( 2 mg of nabilone or placebo ) was given the evening before and the morning of chemotherapy and for at least 24 h afterwards on a b.i.d . schedule . Careful assessment of nausea , vomiting and finally patient preference for study drug was carried out on each of two identical courses of combination chemotherapy . Fifty-four patients were entered . Of the 24 patients fully evaluable for efficacy , nabilone significantly reduced the mean number of vomiting episodes ( 7 vs. 19 , P P P = 0.001 ) . Side effects were common with nabilone but acceptable and in 49 patients who were evaluable for toxicity consisted primarily of dizziness ( 65 % ) , drowsiness ( 51 % ) , dry mouth ( 31 % ) , sleep disturbance ( 14 % ) , ataxia ( 8 % ) , nausea ( 8 % ) and euphoria ( 6 % ) . Nabilone is an effective antiemetic agent for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting
Most trials showed improvement in symptoms associated with cannabinoids but these associations did not reach statistical significance in all trials .
There was an increased risk of short-term AEs with cannabinoids , including serious AEs .
Common AEs included dizziness , dry mouth , nausea , fatigue , somnolence , euphoria , vomiting , disorientation , drowsiness , confusion , loss of balance , and hallucination .
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE There was moderate- quality evidence to support the use of cannabinoids for the treatment of chronic pain and spasticity .
There was low- quality evidence suggesting that cannabinoids were associated with improvements in nausea and vomiting due to chemotherapy , weight gain in HIV infection , sleep disorders , and Tourette syndrome .
Cannabinoids were associated with an increased risk of short-term AEs
IMPORTANCE Cannabis and cannabinoid drugs are widely used to treat disease or alleviate symptoms , but their efficacy for specific indications is not clear .
OBJECTIVE To conduct a systematic review of the benefits and adverse events ( AEs ) of cannabinoids .