Are cannabinoids an effective treatment for chronic non-cancer pain?

Abstract

The use of cannabinoids has been proposed as an analgesic for different painful conditions, especially for chronic pain refractory to usual treatment. However, its real efficacy and safety remains controversial. We sought to determine whether cannabinoids are an effective treatment for chronic non-cancer pain. To answer this question, we used Epistemonikos, the largest database of systematic reviews in health, which is maintained by screening multiple information sources, including MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane, among others. We identified 37 systematic reviews including 41 studies overall, of which 32 were randomized trials relevant for the question of interest. We extracted data from the systematic reviews, reanalyzed data of primary studies, conducted a meta-analysis and generated a summary of findings table using the GRADE approach. We concluded it is not clear whether cannabinoids decrease pain in patients with chronic non-cancer pain because the certainty of available evidence is very low. On the other hand, they are associated with significant adverse effects.

• Authors: Rubén F Allende-Salazar, Gabriel Rada
• Journal: Medwave (Medwave) Vol. 17 Issue Suppl2 Pg. e6972 (Jun 14 2017) ISSN: 0717-6384 [Electronic] Chile
• Vernacular Title: ¿Son los cannabinoides un tratamiento efectivo para el dolor crónico no asociado a cáncer?
• PMID: 28622286 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Meta-Analysis)

Chemical References

• Analgesics
• Cannabinoids

Topics

• Analgesics (adverse effects, therapeutic use)
• Cannabinoids (adverse effects, therapeutic use)
• Chronic Pain (drug therapy)
• Databases, Factual
• Humans
• Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
• Treatment Outcome