Positive therapeutic trials treating chronic painful conditions with cannabinoids.67–78
| Type of Pain and Condition (if described) | Number of Subjects | Cannabinoid Type, Preparation | Dosage and Route | Treatment Duration | Study Design | Results | Author, Reference # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NEUROPATHIC PAIN | |||||||
| HIV | 50 | Marijuana | 3.56% THC, smoked 3 tid | 5d | RCT | Significant pain reduction in active treatment group | Abrams et al.67 |
| Chronic NP pain | 34 | THC+CBD 1:1 | Oral mucosal, variable dose | 12 wks | RCT | Positive pain relief (not otherwise specified) | Notcutt et al.68 |
| Chronic NP pain | 21 | CT-3 (THC analogue) | Oral, 20 mg bid × 4d, then 40 mg bid × 3d | 7d | RCT cross-over | Significant decrease in hyperalgesia, allodynia, and VAS pain intensity scores | Karst etal.69 |
| Multiple sclerosis | 630 | THC cannabis extract | Oral, variable dose | 15 wks, with 52 wks continuation | RCT | Statistically significant reduction in pain scores and clinically meaningful sense of improvement | Zajicek et al.70 |
| Multiple sclerosis | 24 | Dronabinol | Oral, 10 mg | 3 wks | RCT cross-over | Significant pain reduction with active treatment | Svendsen et al.71 |
| Multiple sclerosis | 137 | THC+CBD 1:1 (Sativex™) | Oral mucosal, variable dose | 10 wks controlled trial followed by 52 wks open label | RCT and open label | Significant pain reduction with active treatment; continued pain relief in about half of long-term use patients | Wade et al.72 |
| Multiple sclerosis | 66 | THC+CBD 1:1 (Sativex™) | Oral mucosal, variable dose | 4 wks | RCT | Significant pain reduction with active treatment | Rog etal.73 |
| Chronic NP pain conditions | 24 total: MS−18; BPI−1 SCI−4; PLP−1 | THC+CBD 1:1 | Oral mucosal, variable dose | 2 wks | RCT cross-over | Significant pain reduction with active treatment | Wade et al.74 |
| Brachial plexus injury | 48 | THC-CBD 1:1 (Sativex™)) vs THC vs placebo spray | Oral mucosal, variable dose | 3 × 2-week treatment periods | RCT cross-over | Significant pain reduction with both active treatments | Berman et al.75 |
| Peripheral NP pain | 125 | THC+CBD 1:1 (Sativex™) | Oral mucosal, variable dose | 5 wks controlled trial followed by 52 wks extension | RCT | Significant pain reduction with active treatment | Nurmikko etal.76 |
| INFLAMMATORY PAIN | |||||||
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 58 | THC+CBD 1:1 (Sativex™) | Oral mucosal, variable dose | 5 wks | RCT | Significant pain reduction in active treatment group both at rest and with movement | Blake et al.77 |
| Acute pancreatitis | Not specified | HU-210 (synthetic CB, and CB2 agonist) | Oral | Not specified | Not specified | Significant pain reduction | Michalski et al.78 |
bid, twice a day; BPI, brachial plexus injury; CBD, cannabidiol; d, days; HIV, human immunodeficiency virus; MS, multiple sclerosis; NP, neuropathic pain; PLP, phantom limb pain; RCT, randomized controlled trial; SCI, spinal cord injury; THC, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol; tid, three times a day; wks, weeks.