People who use dronabinol have mixed experiences. This is because of the variability in how the oral drug gets into the bloodstream, or perhaps to an individuals' point of view and how they feel about such sensations. Smoking marijuana, or using edible forms of it, may be a more efficient way to get THC throughout the body. For people living with HIV, marijuana may have other uses besides stimulating the appetite. The exact reason why it works is unknown.
Dronabinol is approved to ease nausea in people undergoing chemotherapy.
Marijuana, therefore, may be a realistic alternative for people who don't benefit from standard anti-nausea medication. This could be an important benefit because so many people report difficulties with nausea when using anti-HIV therapies. Marijuana has been shown to be an effective treatment for general pain associated with illness or serious injury. As with nausea, how marijuana relieves mild pain is not known. New studies suggest that marijuana may have anti-inflammatory effects.