Tag Archives: dronabinol (THC)

Study: Oral THC Administration Mitigates Sleep Apnea

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“The oral administration of synthetic THC reduces symptoms of sleep apnea, according to clinical trial data published online in the scientific journal Frontiers in Psychiatry. Sleep apnea is a medical disorder characterized by frequent interruptions in breathing of up to ten seconds or more during sleep. The condition is associated with numerous physiological disorders, including fatigue, headaches, high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, heart attack and stroke.

Investigators at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Medicine assessed the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of dronabinol (oral THC in sesame seed oil) in 17 subjects with Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

Oral THC administration was associated with a significant change in Apnea Hypopnea Index over a 21-day period. Authors further determined dronabinol treatment to be safe and well tolerated.

They concluded, “These findings should be confirmed in a larger study in order to identify sub-populations with OSA that may benefit from cannabimimetic pharmacologic therapy.”

Dronabinol, marketed under the trade name Marinol, is FDA-approved to treat nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy.”

http://norml.org/news/2013/02/14/study-oral-thc-administration-mitigates-sleep-apnea

Proof of Concept Trial of Dronabinol in Obstructive Sleep Apnea

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“… Δ9-TetraHydroCannabinol (Δ9THC) stabilizes autonomic output during sleep, reduces spontaneous sleep-disordered breathing, and blocks serotonin-induced exacerbation of sleep apnea. On this basis, we examined the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of dronabinol (Δ9THC), an exogenous Cannabinoid type 1 and type 2 (CB1 and CB2) receptor agonist in patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)…

Conclusion: Dronabinol treatment is safe and well-tolerated in OSA patients at doses of 2.5–10mg daily and significantly reduces AHI in the short-term. These findings should be confirmed in a larger study in order to identify sub-populations with OSA that may benefit from cannabimimetic pharmacologic therapy…

This proof of concept study demonstrates that dronabinol is safe, well-tolerated, and reduces AHI by approximately a third over 3 weeks of oral administration. Dronabinol treatment may be a viable alternative or adjunctive therapy in selected patients with OSA.”

Full text: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3550518/

The Cannabinoid CB2 Receptor as a Target for Inflammation-Dependent Neurodegeneration

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“THE CANNABINOID CB2 RECEPTOR AS A BIORATIONAL TARGET FOR THE TREATMENT OF NEURODEGENERATION. The presence of CB2 receptors in microglia in the human Alzheimer’s diseased brain suggests that CB2 may provide a novel target for a range of neuropathologies.

 The first approved cannabinoid drugs were analogues of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC). Dronabinol is a natural isomer of THC that is found in the cannabis plant, and Marinol™ contains synthetic dronabinol. Marinol, and another analogue nabilone (Cesamet™ ) are used to prevent nausea and vomiting after treatment with anti-cancer medicines. More recently, GW-100 (Sativex™) which combines nearly equal amounts of Δ9-THC and cannabidiol in a whole plant extract from cultivated cannabis, has been approved in Canada…

We conclude that the administration of CB2 agonists and antagonists may differentially alter microglia-dependent neuroinflammation. CB2 specific compounds have considerable therapeutic appeal over CB1 compounds, as the exclusive expression of CB2 on immune cells within the brain provides a highly specialised target, without the psychoactivity that plagues CB1 directed therapies.

In addition, CB2 activation appears to prevent or decrease microglial activation.

In a rodent model of Alzheimer’s disease microglial activation was completely prevented by administration of a selective CB2 agonist.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18615177

Effects of dronabinol on anorexia and disturbed behavior in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

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“A placebo-controlled crossover design to investigate effects of dronabinol (THC) in patients with a diagnosis of probable Alzhemer’s disease who were refusing food. 

These results indicate that dronabinol is a promising novel therapeutic agent which may be useful not only for treatment of anorexia but also to improve disturbed behavior in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9309469

Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol for nighttime agitation in severe dementia.

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Psychopharmacology

“Nighttime agitation occurs frequently in patients with dementia and represents the number one burden on caregivers today. Current treatment options are few and limited due to substantial side effects.

OBJECTIVES:

The aim of the study was to measure the effect of the cannabinoid dronabinol (THC) on nocturnal motor activity.

RESULTS:

Compared to baseline, dronabinol led to a reduction in nocturnal motor activity. These findings were corroborated by improvements in Neuropsychiatric Inventory total score as well as in subscores for agitation, aberrant motor, and nighttime behaviors . No side effects were observed.

CONCLUSIONS:

The study suggests that dronabinol (THC) was able to reduce nocturnal motor activity and agitation in severely demented patients. Thus, it appears that dronabinol (THC) may be a safe new treatment option for behavioral and circadian disturbances in dementia.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16521031

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00213-006-0343-1

Dronabinol for the Treatment of Cannabis Dependence: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial

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   “The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of dronabinol, a synthetic form of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, a naturally occurring pharmacologically active component of marijuana, in treating cannabis dependence… This is the first trial using an agonist substitution strategy for treatment of cannabis dependence. Dronabinol showed promise, it was well-tolerated, and improved treatment retention and withdrawal symptoms. Future trials might test higher doses, combinations of dronabinol with other medications with complementary mechanisms, or with more potent behavioral interventions.

The agonist substitution strategy has been effective for other substance use disorders, mainly nicotine (nicotine patch, other nicotine replacement products, varenicline) and opioid dependence (methadone, buprenorphine). Therefore, dronabinol, an orally bioavailable synthetic form of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive component of marijuana acting at the cannabinoid 1 (CB1) receptor, seems a logical candidate medication for cannabis dependence. An ideal agonist medication has low abuse potential, reduces withdrawal symptoms and craving, and decreases the reinforcing effects of the target drug, thereby facilitating abstinence. Dronabinol has been shown to reduce cannabis withdrawal symptoms in laboratory settings among non-treatment seeking cannabis users. Although dronabinol produced modest positive subjective effects among cannabis users in the laboratory, there is little evidence of abuse or diversion of dronabinol in community settings. We conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of dronabinol for patients seeking treatment for cannabis dependence. This is, to our knowledge, the largest clinical trial to date to evaluate a pharmacologic intervention for cannabis dependence, and the first to attempt agonist substitution.

.In conclusion, agonist substitution pharmacotherapy with dronabinol, a synthetic form of THC, showed promise for treatment of cannabis dependence, reducing withdrawal symptoms and improving retention in treatment, although it failed to improve abstinence. The trial showed that among adult cannabis-dependent patients, dronabinol was well accepted, with good adherence and few adverse events. Future studies should consider testing higher doses of dronabinol, with longer trial lengths, combining dronabinol with other medications acting through complementary mechanisms or more potent behavioral interventions. Moreover, the field should particularly seek to develop high affinity CB1 partial agonists.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3154755/