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 .
Effect of Dronabinol on Nutritional Status in HIV Infection
OBJECTIVE : To examine the effect of dronabinol ( delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol ) on appetite and nutritional status in patients with symptomatic HIV infection and weight loss . DESIGN : Double-blind , r and omized , placebo-controlled , crossover trial with two five-week treatment periods separated by a two-week washout period . Patients received dronabinol 5 mg twice daily before meals or placebo . SETTING : A university-based HIV/AIDS clinic and a large infectious disease private practice largely devoted to care of patients with HIV . PARTICIPANTS : Twelve HIV-infected patients who had had at least a 2.25-kg weight loss participated in the study . Five patients completed the protocol , and seven withdrew ( two because of drug intolerance , two because of disease progression , two because of noncompliance , and one because of experimental antiretroviral therapy ) . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES : Main outcome measures included caloric intake , weight , percent body fat , serum prealbumin , and symptom distress . RESULTS : During dronabinol treatment , subjects experienced increased percent body fat ( one percent , p=0.04 ) ; decreased symptom distress ( p=0.04 ) ; and trends toward weight gain ( 0.5 kg , p=0.13 ) , increased prealbumin ( 29.0 mg/L , p=0.11 ) , and improved appetite score ( p=0.14 ) . CONCLUSIONS : In a selected group of HIV-infected patients with weight loss , short-term treatment with dronabinol may result in improvement in nutritional status and symptom distress
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 .