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 .
Nabilone: an alternative antiemetic for cancer chemotherapy.
A prospect i ve r and omised double blind crossover trial was conducted comparing the new synthetic cannabinoid nabilone with oral domperidone in a group of children receiving repeated identical courses of emetogenic chemotherapy for a variety of malignant diseases . Eighteen of 23 consecutive eligible children , aged 10 months to 17 years , completed the trial . When taking nabilone they experienced significantly fewer vomiting episodes and less nausea , and two thirds expressed a preference for the drug . The most common side effects of treatment with nabilone were somnolence and dizziness , with one patient being disturbed by hallucinations . The results indicate that nabilone is an effective antiemetic for children having chemotherapy , even for young children . It seems to be superior in this respect to domperidone , and although it has a higher incidence of side effects , these are mostly acceptable to patients . It can be recommended as an alternative to conventional antiemetic treatment throughout childhood
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 .