Conclusions and Relevance Cannabinoid drugs may prevent the onset of pain by producing small increases in pain thresholds but may not reduce the intensity of experimental pain already being experienced ; instead , cannabinoids may make experimental pain feel less unpleasant and more tolerable , suggesting an influence on affective processes .
Cannabis-induced improvements in pain-related negative affect may underlie the widely held belief that cannabis relieves pain
Importance Cannabinoid drugs are widely used as analgesics , but experimental pain studies have produced mixed findings .
The analgesic properties of cannabinoids remain unclear .
Objective To conduct a systematic review and meta- analysis of the association between cannabinoid drug administration and experimental pain outcomes in studies of healthy adults .
Dose-dependent Effects of Smoked Cannabis on Capsaicin-induced Pain and Hyperalgesia in Healthy Volunteers
Background : Although the pre clinical literature suggests that cannabinoids produce antinociception and antihyperalgesic effects , efficacy in the human pain state remains unclear . Using a human experimental pain model , the authors hypothesized that inhaled cannabis would reduce the pain and hyperalgesia induced by intradermal capsaicin . Methods : In a r and omized , double-blinded , placebo-controlled , crossover trial in 15 healthy volunteers , the authors evaluated concentration – response effects of low- , medium- , and high-dose smoked cannabis ( respectively 2 % , 4 % , and 8 % 9-&dgr;-tetrahydrocannabinol by weight ) on pain and cutaneous hyperalgesia induced by intradermal capsaicin . Capsaicin was injected into opposite forearms 5 and 45 min after drug exposure , and pain , hyperalgesia , tetrahydrocannabinol plasma levels , and side effects were assessed . Results : Five minutes after cannabis exposure , there was no effect on capsaicin-induced pain at any dose . By 45 min after cannabis exposure , however , there was a significant decrease in capsaicin-induced pain with the medium dose and a significant increase in capsaicin-induced pain with the high dose . There was no effect seen with the low dose , nor was there an effect on the area of hyperalgesia at any dose . Significant negative correlations between pain perception and plasma & dgr;-9-tetrahydrocannabinol levels were found after adjusting for the overall dose effects . There was no significant difference in performance on the neuropsychological tests . Conclusions : This study suggests that there is a window of modest analgesia for smoked cannabis , with lower doses decreasing pain and higher doses increasing pain
Conclusions and Relevance Cannabinoid drugs may prevent the onset of pain by producing small increases in pain thresholds but may not reduce the intensity of experimental pain already being experienced ; instead , cannabinoids may make experimental pain feel less unpleasant and more tolerable , suggesting an influence on affective processes .
Cannabis-induced improvements in pain-related negative affect may underlie the widely held belief that cannabis relieves pain
Importance Cannabinoid drugs are widely used as analgesics , but experimental pain studies have produced mixed findings .
The analgesic properties of cannabinoids remain unclear .
Objective To conduct a systematic review and meta- analysis of the association between cannabinoid drug administration and experimental pain outcomes in studies of healthy adults .