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 .
Efficacy of dronabinol as an adjuvant treatment for chronic pain patients on opioid therapy.
UNLABELLED We assessed the efficacy of dronabinol ( Marinol capsules ; Solvay Pharmaceuticals , Brussels , Belgium ) , a synthetic Delta(9)-THC ( tetrahydrocannabinol ) , in 30 patients taking opioids for chronic pain to determine its potential analgesic effects as an adjuvant treatment . Phase I of this 2-phase study was a r and omized , single-dose , double-blinded , placebo-controlled , crossover trial in which subjects were r and omly administered either 10 mg or 20 mg of dronabinol or identical placebo capsules over the course of three , 8-hour visits . Baseline self-report measures , hourly ratings of pain intensity , pain relief , pain bothersomeness , treatment satisfaction , mood , side effects , and blood serum levels were obtained . Phase II was an extended open-label titrated trial of dronabinol as add-on medication to patients on stable doses of opioids . Results of the Phase I study showed that patients who received dronabinol experienced decreased pain intensity and increased satisfaction compared with placebo . No differences in benefit were found between the 20 mg and 10 mg doses . In the Phase II trial , titrated dronabinol contributed to significant relief of pain , reduced pain bothersomeness , and increased satisfaction compared with baseline . The incidence of side effects was dose-related . Overall , the use of dronabinol was found to result in additional analgesia among patients taking opioids for chronic noncancer pain . PERSPECTIVE This study examines the effect of adding a cannabinoid to the regimen of patients with chronic pain who report significant pain despite taking stable doses of opioids . The results of our preliminary study suggest that dronabinol , a synthetic THC , may have an additive effect on pain relief
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 .