Pain intensity of chronic non-cancer patients was reduced by cannabinoids consumption , but effect sizes were small .
Efficacy for neuropathic and non-neuropathic pain was similar
There is growing interest in using cannabinoids for chronic pain .
We performed a systematic review and meta- analysis of r and omized controlled trials to evaluate the analgesic efficacy and adverse effects of cannabinoids for chronic non-cancer pain .
Nabilone for the treatment of medication overuse headache: results of a preliminary double-blind, active-controlled, randomized trial
Medication overuse headache ( MOH ) is a severe burden to sufferers and its treatment has few evidence -based indications . The aim of this study is to evaluate efficacy and safety of nabilone in reducing pain and frequency of headache , the number of analgesic intake and in increasing the quality of life on patients with long-st and ing intractable MOH . Thirty MOH patients were enrolled at the University of Modena ’s Interdepartmental Centre for Research on Headache and Drug Abuse ( Italy ) in a r and omized , double-blind , active-controlled , crossover study comparing nabilone 0.5 mg/day and ibuprofen 400 mg . The patients received each treatment orally for 8 weeks ( before nabilone and then ibuprofen or vice versa ) , with 1 week wash-out between them . R and omization and allocation ( ratio 1:1 ) were carried out by an independent pharmacy through a central computer system . Participants , care givers , and those assessing the outcomes were blinded to treatment sequence . Twenty-six subjects completed the study . Improvements from baseline were observed with both treatments . However , nabilone was more effective than ibuprofen in reducing pain intensity and daily analgesic intake ( p < 0.05 ) ; moreover , nabilone was the only drug able to reduce the level of medication dependence ( −41 % , p < 0.01 ) and to improve the quality of life ( p < 0.05 ) . Side effects were uncommon , mild and disappeared when nabilone was discontinued . This is the first r and omized controlled trial demonstrating the benefits of nabilone on headache , analgesic consumption and the quality of life in patients with intractable MOH . This drug also appears to be safe and well-tolerated . Larger scale studies are needed to confirm these preliminary findings
Pain intensity of chronic non-cancer patients was reduced by cannabinoids consumption , but effect sizes were small .
Efficacy for neuropathic and non-neuropathic pain was similar
There is growing interest in using cannabinoids for chronic pain .
We performed a systematic review and meta- analysis of r and omized controlled trials to evaluate the analgesic efficacy and adverse effects of cannabinoids for chronic non-cancer pain .