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 effective antiemetic in patients receiving cancer chemotherapy.
Eighty evaluable patients receiving chemotherapy were entered on a r and om prospect i ve double-blind study to evaluate the effectiveness of nabilone , a synthetic cannabinoid , compared to prochlorperazine . Most of these patients received cisplatin , a drug that universally produces severe nausea and vomiting , as part of a combination chemotherapy regimen . The patients served as their own controls , receiving either nabilone or prochlorperazine during two consecutive treatment courses with the identical chemotherapy . Side effects consisting of hypotension and lethargy were more pronounced with nabilone .  Toxicity , in general , did not preclude antiemetic treatment and in no way interfered with chemotherapy . Sixty patients ( 75 per cent ) reported nabilone to be more effective than prochlorperazine for relief of nausea and vomiting . Of these 60 patients , 46 required further chemotherapy and continued taking nabilone as the antiemetic of choice
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 .