Research Update: Cannabis-Extract Helps to Reduce Postoperative Pain

On the heels of the FDA's bogus press release condemning the therapeutic value of cannabis, Anesthesiology, the official journal of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, published the results of a multi-centered study in England indicating that cannabis is effective in reducing postopertative pain.

To assess the safety, efficacy, and proper dosage of a new cannabis extract capsule called Cannador, researchers in England conducted a dose-escalation study at twelve centers throughout Britain investigating the analgesic and adverse effects of the extract for postoperative pain management. For this study, patients between the ages of 18 and 75 received a single dose of 5, 10, or 15 mg Cannador after stopping patient-controlled analgesia. Starting with 5 mg, dose escalation was based on the number of patients requesting rescue analgesia or reporting adverse effects.

Patients receiving 5 mg all requested rescue pain relievers less than six hours after medicating and half of the patients receiving 10 mg Cannador also requested additional medication. Only one-quarter of the patients receiving 15 mg Cannador needed more pain medication and patients in this group did exhibit some minor side effects including drop in heart rate and slowed hear rate which subsided quickly without medication.

Researchers concluded that "the optimal dose was determined to be 10 mg Cannador because it was effective in providing pain relief at rest without serious or severe side effects in a fit adult group of post-surgical patients."

(Source: Holdcroft A, Maze M, Dore C, Tebbs S, Thompson S. A multicenter dose-escalation study of the analgesic and adverse effects of an oral cannabis extract (Cannador) for postoperative pain management. Anesthesiology, 2006;104(5):1040-1046)