There was an increased risk of non-serious AEs with cannabinoids compared with placebo .
Conclusions There was moderate evidence to support cannabinoids in treating chronic , non-cancer pain at 2 weeks .
Similar results were observed at later time points , but the confidence in effect is low .
There is little evidence that cannabinoids increase the risk of experiencing serious AEs , although non-serious AEs may be common in the short-term period following use
Background For patients with chronic , non-cancer pain , traditional pain-relieving medications include opioids , which have shown benefits but are associated with increased risks of addiction and adverse effects .
Medical cannabis has emerged as a treatment alternative for managing these patients and there has been a rise in the number of r and omized clinical trials in recent years ; therefore , a systematic review of the evidence was warranted .
Objective To analyze the evidence surrounding the benefits and harms of medical cannabinoids in the treatment of chronic , non-cancer-related pain .
Dronabinol Is a Safe Long-Term Treatment Option for Neuropathic Pain Patients
Treatment of neuropathic pain ( NP ) symptoms associated with multiple sclerosis ( MS ) is frequently insufficient . Yet , cannabis is still rarely offered for treatment of pain . This clinical trial aim ed at showing the positive benefit-risk ratio of dronabinol .  Two hundred forty MS patients with central NP entered a 16-weeks placebo-controlled phase-III study followed by a 32-weeks open-label period . One hundred patients continued therapy for overall up to 119 weeks . Primary endpoint was change of pain intensity on the 11-point Numerical Rating Scale over a 16-weeks treatment period . Safety was assessed on the basis of adverse reactions ( ARs ) , signs of dependency and abuse . Pain intensity during 16-weeks dronabinol and placebo treatment was reduced by 1.92 and 1.81 points without significant difference in between ( p = 0.676 ) . Although the proportion of patients with ARs was higher under dronabinol compared to placebo ( 50.0 vs. 25.9 % ) , it decreased during long-term use of dronabinol ( 26 % ) . No signs of drug abuse and only one possible case of dependency occurred . The trial results demonstrate that dronabinol is a safe long-term treatment option
There was an increased risk of non-serious AEs with cannabinoids compared with placebo .
Conclusions There was moderate evidence to support cannabinoids in treating chronic , non-cancer pain at 2 weeks .
Similar results were observed at later time points , but the confidence in effect is low .
There is little evidence that cannabinoids increase the risk of experiencing serious AEs , although non-serious AEs may be common in the short-term period following use
Background For patients with chronic , non-cancer pain , traditional pain-relieving medications include opioids , which have shown benefits but are associated with increased risks of addiction and adverse effects .
Medical cannabis has emerged as a treatment alternative for managing these patients and there has been a rise in the number of r and omized clinical trials in recent years ; therefore , a systematic review of the evidence was warranted .
Objective To analyze the evidence surrounding the benefits and harms of medical cannabinoids in the treatment of chronic , non-cancer-related pain .