title: Are cannabinoids effective in multiple sclerosis?
abstract: Multiple beneficial effects have been proposed lately for cannabinoids in different clinical situations. Among them, it has been postulated they would control symptoms of multiple sclerosis. However, there is no consensus about their real clinical role. To answer this question, we searched in Epistemonikos database, which is maintained by screening multiple databases. We identified 25 systematic reviews including 35 studies overall, of which 26 were randomized trials. We extracted data, conducted a meta-analysis and generated a summary of findings table using the GRADE approach. We concluded cannabinoids in multiple sclerosis do not reduce spasticity or pain, and are probably associated to frequent adverse effects.
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile; Proyecto Epistemonikos, Santiago, Chile. Email: radagabriel@epistemonikos.org. Address: Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Diagonal Paraguay 476, Santiago Centro, Chile.
authors.forename: Rodrigo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Meza
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile; Proyecto Epistemonikos, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Peña
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile; Proyecto Epistemonikos, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: García
authors.affiliation: Proyecto Epistemonikos, Santiago, Chile; Departamento de Medicina Interna, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Oscar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Corsi
authors.affiliation: Proyecto Epistemonikos, Santiago, Chile; Programa de Salud Basada en Evidencia, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile; Departamento de Medicina Interna, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile; GRADE working group; The Cochrane Collaboration.
authors.forename: Gabriel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rada
mesh_terms: D002186:Cannabinoids / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D009128:Muscle Spasticity / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D002186:Cannabinoids