Background: While six U.S. states have already officially authorized cannabinoids to substitute opioids and treat opioid use disorder, the therapeutic benefits of cannabinoids remain unclear, especially when weighted against their adverse effects.
Methods: We conducted a systematic review of studies examining the association between opioid withdrawal and cannabis use or delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) administration. We searched multiple databases from inception to July 30, 2022, and assessed study quality.
Results: Eleven studies were identified, with a total of 5330 participants, of whom 64 % were male. Nine observational studies examined the association between cannabis use and opioid withdrawal. Two randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials (RCTs) investigated the withdrawal-alleviating effects of dronabinol, a synthetic form of THC. Four observational studies found an association between cannabis use and the alleviation of opioid withdrawal; one reported exacerbation of opioid withdrawal symptoms; and four reported no association. RCTs reported that THC alleviated opioid withdrawal, albeit with dose-dependent increases in measures of abuse liability, dysphoria, and tachycardia. There was high heterogeneity in measurements of opioid withdrawal and the type and dose of opioid at baseline.
Conclusions: Although there is preliminary evidence that cannabis and its main psychoactive constituent, THC, may alleviate opioid withdrawal, these effects are likely to have a narrow therapeutic window. Further, the potential of cannabinoids to alleviate opioid withdrawal is determined by complex interactions between patient characteristics and pharmacological factors. Collectively, these findings have clinical, methodological, and mechanistic implications for treating opioid withdrawal during cannabinoid use, and for efforts to alleviate opioid withdrawal using non-opioid therapeutics.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9772106 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2022.109702 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Direct Induction of Buprenorphine Extended-Release: A Case Report.
J Addict Med
December 2024
From the Integrated Psychiatry, Pain, and Addiction Service, Vancouver General Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (PA, JSHW, JM, MN, VWL, MJI, NM); Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (PA, MN, VWL, MJI, NM); Addictions and Concurrent Disorders Research Group, Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (JSHW, RMK); Substance Use Response and Facilitation Service, BC Children's Hospital, Provincial Health Services Authority, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (MJI); BC Mental Health & Substance Use Services, Provincial Health Services Authority, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (NM); Bridge, Public Health Institute, Oakland, CA (AAH); Department of Emergency Medicine, Highland General Hospital-Alameda Health System, Oakland, CA (AAH); Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA (AAH); The C4 Foundation, Coronado, CA (RM); British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (JSGM); Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (JSGM); and Pharmacokinetics Modeling and Simulation Laboratory, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (ARM).
Buprenorphine has superior safety in opioid use disorder compared with alternatives due to its action as a partial opioid agonist, which limits its ability to cause respiratory depression. There is a risk of precipitated opioid withdrawal after buprenorphine exposure in someone using full opioid agonists. Buprenorphine induction strategies that avoid precipitated withdrawal remain a crucial component for starting buprenorphine in individuals actively using opioids.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLessons Learned from the Implementation of the Wake County, North Carolina EMS Medication for Opioid Use Disorder Program.
Prehosp Emerg Care
January 2025
Wake County Emergency Medical Services, 331 S. McDowell St, Raleigh, NC 27601.
Objectives: Buprenorphine has recently emerged as a prehospital treatment for opioid use disorder. Limited data exist regarding the implementation of prehospital buprenorphine programs. Our objective was to describe the development, deployment, lessons learned, and ongoing evolution of the Wake County EMS buprenorphine program using data from the first year following implementation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPrehospital buprenorphine in treating symptoms of opioid withdrawal - a descriptive review of the first 131 cases in San Francisco, CA.
Prehosp Emerg Care
January 2025
EMS Bridge, Public Health Institute, Oakland, CA.
Objectives: Opioid use disorder (OUD) remains a common cause of overdose and mortality in the United States. Emergency medical services (EMS) clinicians often interact with patients with OUD, including during or shortly after an overdose. The aim of this study was to describe the characteristics and outcomes of patients receiving prehospital buprenorphine for the treatment of opioid withdrawal in an urban EMS system.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPrecipitated withdrawal induced by prehospital naloxone administration.
Prehosp Emerg Care
January 2025
Department of Emergency Medicine, College of Medicine, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ.
Objectives: Buprenorphine is becoming a key component of prehospital management of opioid use disorder (OUD). It is unclear how many prehospital patients might be eligible for buprenorphine induction, as traditional induction requires that patients first have some degree of opioid withdrawal. The primary aim of this study was to quantify how many patients developed precipitated withdrawal after receiving prehospital naloxone for suspected overdose, as they could be candidates for prehospital buprenorphine.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCharacteristics of Patients Experiencing Opioid Overdose and Eligibility for Prehospital Treatment with Buprenorphine.
Prehosp Emerg Care
January 2025
Co-Principal Investigator, EMS Bridge, Alameda Health System - Highland Hospital, Emergency Medicine, 1141 E 31st. St, Oakland, CA, 94602.
Objectives: Opioids kill tens of thousands of patients each year. While only a fraction of people with opioid use disorder (OUD) have accessed treatment in the last year, 30% of people who died from an overdose had an Emergency Medical Services (EMS) encounter within a year of their death. Prehospital buprenorphine represents an important emerging OUD treatment, yet limited data describe barriers to this treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!