The dose effects of short-term dronabinol (oral THC) maintenance in daily cannabis users.
Ryan Vandrey, Maxine L Stitzer, Miriam Z Mintzer, Marilyn A. Huestis, Jeannie A Murray, Dayong Lee
Drug and Alcohol Dependence February 1, 2013 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2012.08.001 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Within-subject crossover study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 13 |
| Population | Daily cannabis smokers |
| Interventions | Dronabinol (oral THC) smoked cannabis |
| Dose | 0, 30, 60 and 120 mg dronabinol per day; five puffs of smoked cannabis |
| Duration | 5 consecutive days per dronabinol dose condition, separated by 9 days of ad libitum cannabis use |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Key points | Dronabinol dose-dependently attenuated cannabis withdrawal with few adverse side effects or cognitive decrements, and 60 and 120 mg doses reduced cannabis-induced heart-rate increases, but it did not alter the subjective effects of smoked cannabis. The authors propose dronabinol may be therapeutically useful for individuals trying to stop cannabis use and that doses up to 120 mg/day appear safe. |
Abstract
Prior studies have separately examined the effects of dronabinol (oral THC) on cannabis withdrawal, cognitive performance, and the acute effects of smoked cannabis. A single study examining these clinically relevant domains would benefit the continued evaluation of dronabinol as a potential medication for the treatment of cannabis use disorders. Thirteen daily cannabis smokers completed a within-subject crossover study and received 0, 30, 60 and 120mg dronabinol per day for 5 consecutive days. Vital signs and subjective ratings of cannabis withdrawal, craving and sleep were obtained daily; outcomes under active dose conditions were compared to those obtained under placebo dosing. On the 5th day of medication maintenance, participants completed a comprehensive cognitive performance battery and then smoked five puffs of cannabis for subjective effects evaluation. Each dronabinol maintenance period occurred in a counterbalanced order and was separated by 9 days of ad libitum cannabis use. Dronabinol dose-dependently attenuated cannabis withdrawal and resulted in few adverse side effects or decrements in cognitive performance. Surprisingly, dronabinol did not alter the subjective effects of smoked cannabis, but cannabis-induced increases in heart rate were attenuated by the 60 and 120mg doses. Dronabinol's ability to dose-dependently suppress cannabis withdrawal may be therapeutically beneficial to individuals trying to stop cannabis use. The absence of gross cognitive impairment or side effects in this study supports safety of doses up to 120mg/day. Continued evaluation of dronabinol in targeted clinical studies of cannabis treatment, using an expanded range of doses, is warranted.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on cannabis, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cannabidiol inhibits THC-elicited paranoid symptoms and hippocampal-dependent memory impairment Healthy participants | 2012 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 48 |
| Distinct Effects of Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol and Cannabidiol on Neural Activation During Emotional Processing Healthy, English-native, right-handed men who had used cannabis 15 times or less in... | 2009 | Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled crossover trial | n = 15 |
| Acute Effects of a Single, Oral dose of d9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and Cannabidiol (CBD) Administration in Healthy Volunteers Healthy male subjects | 2012 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 16 |
| Modulation of Mediotemporal and Ventrostriatal Function in Humans by Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol Healthy, native English-speaking, right-handed men of white race/ethnicity who had used... | 2009 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 15 |
| Cannabidiol (CBD) content in vaporized cannabis does not prevent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)-induced impairment of driving and cognition Healthy volunteers with a history of light cannabis use | 2019 | Randomized, double-blind, within-subjects crossover | n = 14 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 9
- Classic and non‐classic psychedelics for substance use disorder: A review of their historic, past and current research Addiction Neuroscience June 22, 2022
- SYNTHETIC CANNABIS OVERDOSE AND WITHDRAWAL IN A YOUNG ADULT: A CASE-REPORT AND COMMENTARY ON REGULATION Journal of Addiction and Dependence 2017
- Helpful or Harmful? The Therapeutic Potential of Medications with Varying Degrees of Abuse Liability in the Treatment of Substance Use Disorders. Current Addiction Reports August 15, 2022
- Dark Classics in Chemical Neuroscience: Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol. ACS Chemical Neuroscience May 15, 2019
- Cannabis use and the development of tolerance: a systematic review of human evidence. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews October 2018
and 4 more in the library
Cites 6
- Dronabinol for the treatment of cannabis dependence: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Drug and Alcohol Dependence July 1, 2011
- The diverse CB1 and CB2 receptor pharmacology of three plant cannabinoids: delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol, cannabidiol and delta9-tetrahydrocannabivarin. British Journal of Pharmacology January 2008
- Effects of oral THC maintenance on smoked marijuana self-administration. Drug and Alcohol Dependence August 1, 2002
- Marijuana abstinence effects in marijuana smokers maintained in their home environment. Archives of General Psychiatry October 2001
- Abstinence symptoms following oral THC administration to humans. Psychopharmacology February 1, 1999
and 1 more in the library