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 .
Superiority of nabilone over prochlorperazine as an antiemetic in patients receiving cancer chemotherapy.
Two double-blind , crossover trials comparing the antiemetic effectiveness of nabilone , a new synthetic cannabinoid , with that of prochlorperazine were conducted in patients with severe nausea and vomiting associated with anticancer chemotherapy .  Of 113 patients evaluated , 90 ( 80 per cent ) responded to nabilone therapy  , whereas only 36 ( 32 per cent ) responded to prochlorperazine ( P less than 0.001 ) . Complete relief of symptoms was infrequent , occurring only in nine patients ( 8 per cent ) given nabilone . When both drugs were compared , both nausea ( P less than 0.01 ) and vomiting episodes ( P less than 0.001 ) were significantly lower in patients given nabilone . Moreover , patients clearly favored nabilone for continued use ( P less than 0.001 ) . Predominant side effects noted by patients were similar for both agents and included somnolence , dry mouth and dizziness but were about twice as frequent and more often severe in patients receiving nabilone . In addition , four patients ( 3 per cent ) taking nabilone had side effects ( hallucinations in three , hypotension in one ) that required medical attention . Euphoria associated with nabilone was infrequent ( 16 per cent ) and mild
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 .