TY - JOUR
T1 - Medicinal cannabis in the treatment of chronic pain
AU - Henderson, Luke A.
AU - Kotsirilos, Vicki
AU - Cairns, Elizabeth A.
AU - Ramachandran, Alister
AU - Peck, Chris C.
AU - McGregor, Iain S.
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - Background Chronic pain is a major health issue, adversely affecting millions of Australians and costing billions of dollars annually. Current pharmaceutical treatments may be limiting, and in some cases ineffective, while carrying substantial liabilities. Medicinal cannabis is an increasingly popular, albeit controversial, alternative. Objective The aim of this article is to briefly review the scientific evidence related to medicinal cannabis for the treatment of chronic pain and update physicians on relevant issues and optimal prescribing practices. Discussion To date, >130,000 medicinal cannabis approvals have been issued in Australia, mostly by general practitioners, with approximately 65% of these to treat chronic non-cancer pain. Available products deliver Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and/or cannabidiol (CBD). Despite robust supportive data from animal models, current clinical trial evidence for THC and CBD efficacy in chronic pain is incomplete. In their prescribing decisions, doctors must balance patient demand and curiosity with caution regarding potential risks and limited efficacy.
AB - Background Chronic pain is a major health issue, adversely affecting millions of Australians and costing billions of dollars annually. Current pharmaceutical treatments may be limiting, and in some cases ineffective, while carrying substantial liabilities. Medicinal cannabis is an increasingly popular, albeit controversial, alternative. Objective The aim of this article is to briefly review the scientific evidence related to medicinal cannabis for the treatment of chronic pain and update physicians on relevant issues and optimal prescribing practices. Discussion To date, >130,000 medicinal cannabis approvals have been issued in Australia, mostly by general practitioners, with approximately 65% of these to treat chronic non-cancer pain. Available products deliver Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and/or cannabidiol (CBD). Despite robust supportive data from animal models, current clinical trial evidence for THC and CBD efficacy in chronic pain is incomplete. In their prescribing decisions, doctors must balance patient demand and curiosity with caution regarding potential risks and limited efficacy.
UR - https://hdl.handle.net/1959.7/uws:77830
U2 - 10.31128/AJGP-04-21-5939
DO - 10.31128/AJGP-04-21-5939
M3 - Article
SN - 0300-8495
VL - 50
SP - 724
EP - 732
JO - Australian Journal of General Practice
JF - Australian Journal of General Practice
IS - 10
ER -
