title: Role of cannabinoids in the treatment of pain and (painful) spasticity.
abstract: Both the discovery of the endocannabinoid system (ECS) and its role in the control of pain and habituation to stress, as well as the significant analgesic and antihyperalgesic effects in animal studies, suggest the usefulness of cannabinoids in pain conditions. However, in human experimental or clinical trials, no convincing reduction of acute pain, which may be caused by a pronociceptive, ECS-triggered mechanism on the level of the spinal cord, has been demonstrated. In contrast, in chronic pain and (painful) spasticity, an increasing number of randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies have shown the efficacy of cannabinoids, which is combined with a narrow therapeutic index. Patients with unsatisfactory response to other methods of pain therapy and who were characterized by failed stress adaptation particularly benefited from treatment with cannabinoids. None of the attempts to overcome the disadvantage of the narrow therapeutic index, either by changing the route of application or by formulating balanced cannabinoid preparations, have resulted in a major breakthrough. Therefore, different methods of administration and other types of cannabinoids, such as endocannabinoid modulators, should be tested in future trials.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesiology, Pain Clinic, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany. karst.matthias@mh-hannover.de
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karst
authors.forename: Sonja
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wippermann
authors.forename: Jörg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ahrens
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000700:Analgesics / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000818:Animals; D063385:Cannabinoid Receptor Modulators / Q000378:metabolism; D002186:Cannabinoids / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006801:Humans; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D009128:Muscle Spasticity / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D009437:Neuralgia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics; D063385:Cannabinoid Receptor Modulators; D002186:Cannabinoids