Cannabinoids for Acute Pain Management: Approaches and Rationale
Mihai O Botea 1, Lukas Andereggen 2 3, Richard D Urman 4, Markus M Luedi 5 6, Carolina S Romero 7 8
- 1Department of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care, Medicover Pelican Clinic Hospital, Oradea, Romania.
- 2Department of Neurosurgery, Cantonal Hospital of Aarau, Aarau, Switzerland.
- 3Faculty of Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
- 4Department of Anaesthesiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA.
- 5Department of Anaesthesiology, Rescue- and Pain Medicine, Cantonal Hospital of St, Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland. markus.luedi@extern.insel.ch.
- 6Department of Anaesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland. markus.luedi@extern.insel.ch.
- 7Department of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care, Hospital General Universitario De Valencia, Valencia, Spain.
- 8Research Methods Department, Universidad Europea de Valencia, Valencia, Spain.
Affiliationer
Purpose of the review: Acute pain management remains a challenge and postoperative pain is often undermanaged despite many available treatment options, also including cannabinoids.
Recent findings: In the light of the opioid epidemic, there has been growing interest in alternative care bundles for pain management, including cannabinoids as potential treatment to decrease opioid prescribing. Despite the lack of solid evidence on the efficacy of cannabinoids, their use among patients with pain, including those using opioids, is currently increasing. This use is supported by data suggesting that cannabinoids could potentially contribute to a better pain management and to a reduction in opioid doses while maintaining effective analgesia with minimum side effects. The scientific basis for supporting the use of cannabis is extensive, although it does not necessarily translate into relevant clinical outcomes. The use of cannabinoids in acute pain did not always consistently show statistically significant results in improving acute pain. Large randomized, controlled trials evaluating diverse cannabis extracts are needed in different clinical pain populations to determine safety and efficacy.
