Tetrahydrocannabinol for treatment of chronic pain

Introduction. Even in the last century cannabis was used in the treatment o f chronic pain. The main active component of cannabis Delta-9-Tetrahydrocan nabinol (THC) has been increasingly used in the treatment of nausea, vomiti ng, loss of appetite a nd depression. It is also recommended in the treatme nt of chronic pain. We present our first experiences with THC in the treatm ent of patients with chronic pain. Methods. All patients treated with THC in the period from February 1998 unt il January 2000 were evaluated. Pain relief and side effects of THC were ex amined retrospectively. Results. In the period of investigation 6 patients had been treated with TH C because of chronic pain. Dosages between 5 and 20 mg/d had been used. A s ufficient pain relief had been achieved in three patients. The other three suffered from intolerable side effects such as nausea, dizziness and sedati on without a reduction of pain intensity. In these cases the treatment was continued with other analgesics. Conclusion. This retrospective evaluation of 6 case reports of patients tre ated with THC showed large individual differences in the effectiveness of T HC in pain management. Prospective studies are necessary to evaluate the im portance THC in the treatment of chronic pain.