This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages without signing in

Long-term and serious harms of medical cannabis and cannabinoids for chronic pain

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Long-term and serious harms of medical cannabis and cannabinoids for chronic pain

Use of cannabis for chronic pain:

  • delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)
    • THC binds to cannabinoid receptors types 1 and 2, is an analogue to the endogenous cannabinoid, anandamide and has shown psychoactive, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antipruritic, antispasmodic and muscle-relaxant activities.
  • cannabidiol (CBD)
    • CBD directly interacts with various ion channels to produce analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anticonvulsant and anxiolytic activities, without the psychoactive effects of THC

In an analysis of data involving 12143 adult patients the authors conclude that:

  • 26% (95%CI: 13.2 to 41.2%) of patients experience adverse drug reactions (ADR) of which over half are psychiatric (13.5% -2.6% to 30.6%) and about 1 in 20 patients experience serious ADRs (1)
  • ".. is very low certainty evidence that adverse events are common among people living with chronic pain who use medical cannabis or cannabinoids, but that few patients experience serious adverse events.."

Reference:


Create an account to add page annotations

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.