Cluster attacks responsive to recreational cannabis and dronabinol.

Abstract

Pharmacological preparations of cannabinoid compounds have a variety of therapeutic uses in medicine, including different pain syndromes, but have not been previously reported as beneficial for cluster headache. We present a patient with cluster headache who was refractory to multiple acute and preventive medications but successfully aborted his attacks with recreational marijuana use; subsequent use of dronabinol provided equally effective pain relief. The beneficial effect may be related to the high concentration of cannabinoid receptors in the hypothalamus, which has been implicated as a site of dysfunction in neuroimaging studies of patients with cluster headache.

• Authors: Matthew S Robbins, Sara Tarshish, Seymour Solomon, Brian M Grosberg
• Journal: Headache (Headache) Vol. 49 Issue 6 Pg. 914-6 (Jun 2009) ISSN: 1526-4610 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 19220500 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Analgesics, Non-Narcotic
• Topiramate
• Fructose
• Dihydroergotamine
• Valproic Acid
• Dronabinol
• Diphenhydramine
• Melatonin
• Metoclopramide

Topics

• Analgesics, Non-Narcotic (administration & dosage)
• Cannabis (chemistry)
• Cluster Headache (drug therapy, metabolism, physiopathology)
• Dihydroergotamine (therapeutic use)
• Diphenhydramine (therapeutic use)
• Dronabinol (administration & dosage)
• Drug Resistance (physiology)
• Drug Therapy, Combination
• Fructose (analogs & derivatives, therapeutic use)
• Humans
• Male
• Melatonin (therapeutic use)
• Metoclopramide (therapeutic use)
• Topiramate
• Treatment Outcome
• Valproic Acid (therapeutic use)
• Young Adult