Administration of nabilone for postoperative pain control in the marijuana-addicted: Case study

Summary 

Cannabis has been used for the treatment of pain for centuries. Case reports, small uncontrolled studies among health care providers suggest that cannabis and cannabinoids can be helpful for the relief of pain. However, controlled studies and systematic reviews have been less conclusive. Attempts to administer synthetic cannabinoids for postoperative pain control are disappointing. Moreover, marijuana addiction is an exclusion criterion in all published articles.

We report the first, at least to our knowledge, administration of nabilone, a synthetic cannabinoid, for postoperative pain control in a marijuana-addicted patient as an adjuvant drug. The results suggest that nabilone can be considered as part of a multimodal analgesic regimen for habitual marijuana abusers. Nabilone optimizes pain control, improves sleep, decreases irritability and promotes early return of bowel function.

Keywords: Cannabinoids, Marijuana addiction, Nabilone, Postoperative pain