There was an increased risk of non-serious AEs with cannabinoids compared with placebo .
Conclusions There was moderate evidence to support cannabinoids in treating chronic , non-cancer pain at 2 weeks .
Similar results were observed at later time points , but the confidence in effect is low .
There is little evidence that cannabinoids increase the risk of experiencing serious AEs , although non-serious AEs may be common in the short-term period following use
Background For patients with chronic , non-cancer pain , traditional pain-relieving medications include opioids , which have shown benefits but are associated with increased risks of addiction and adverse effects .
Medical cannabis has emerged as a treatment alternative for managing these patients and there has been a rise in the number of r and omized clinical trials in recent years ; therefore , a systematic review of the evidence was warranted .
Objective To analyze the evidence surrounding the benefits and harms of medical cannabinoids in the treatment of chronic , non-cancer-related pain .
Sativex successfully treats neuropathic pain characterised by allodynia: A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial
Abstract Cannabinoids are known to have analgesic properties . We evaluated the effect of oro‐mucosal sativex , ( THC : CBD ) , an endocannabinoid system modulator , on pain and allodynia , in 125 patients with neuropathic pain of peripheral origin in a five‐week , r and omised , double‐blind , placebo‐controlled , parallel design trial . Patients remained on their existing stable analgesia . A self‐titrating regimen was used to optimise drug administration . Sixty‐three patients were r and omised to receive sativex and 62 placebo .  The mean reduction in pain intensity scores ( primary outcome measure ) was greater in patients receiving sativex than placebo ( mean adjusted scores −1.48 points vs. −0.52 points on a 0–10 Numerical Rating Scale ( p = 0.004 ; 95 % CI : −1.59 , −0.32 ) . Improvements in Neuropathic Pain Scale composite score ( p = 0.007 ) , sleep NRS ( p = 0.001 ) , dynamic allodynia ( p = 0.042 ) , punctate allodynia ( p = 0.021 ) , Pain Disability Index ( p = 0.003 ) and Patient ’s Global Impression of Change ( p < 0.001 ) were similarly greater on sativex vs. placebo . Sedative and gastrointestinal side effects were reported more commonly by patients on active medication . Of all participants , 18 % on sativex and 3 % on placebo withdrew during the study . An open‐label extension study showed that the initial pain relief was maintained without dose escalation or toxicity for 52 weeks
There was an increased risk of non-serious AEs with cannabinoids compared with placebo .
Conclusions There was moderate evidence to support cannabinoids in treating chronic , non-cancer pain at 2 weeks .
Similar results were observed at later time points , but the confidence in effect is low .
There is little evidence that cannabinoids increase the risk of experiencing serious AEs , although non-serious AEs may be common in the short-term period following use
Background For patients with chronic , non-cancer pain , traditional pain-relieving medications include opioids , which have shown benefits but are associated with increased risks of addiction and adverse effects .
Medical cannabis has emerged as a treatment alternative for managing these patients and there has been a rise in the number of r and omized clinical trials in recent years ; therefore , a systematic review of the evidence was warranted .
Objective To analyze the evidence surrounding the benefits and harms of medical cannabinoids in the treatment of chronic , non-cancer-related pain .