Trial reportPsychopharmacology2014
Lithium carbonate in the management of cannabis withdrawal: a randomized placebo-controlled trial in an inpatient setting.
Trial report in Psychopharmacology, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 42 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pharmacotherapies for cannabis use disorder.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025Pooled it
- Pharmacotherapies for cannabis use disorder: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.The International journal on drug policy · 2021Pooled it
- Pharmacotherapies for cannabis dependence.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2019Pooled it
- Systematic review of outcome domains and measures used in psychosocial and pharmacological treatment trials for cannabis use disorder.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2019Pooled it
- The effect of daily aerobic cycling exercise on cannabis withdrawal: An inpatient randomised controlled trial.Scientific reports · 2026Trial
- The Effects of Lithium Carbonate Supplemented with Nitrazepam on Sleep Disturbance during Cannabis Abstinence.Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine · 2015Trial
- Review
- Treatments for Cannabis Use Disorder across the Lifespan: A Systematic Review.Brain sciences · 2024Review
- Mechanisms of cannabinoid tolerance.Biochemical pharmacology · 2023Review
- A narrative review of outcome measures used in drug and alcohol inpatient withdrawal treatment research.Drug and alcohol review · 2023Review
- Clinical management of cannabis withdrawal.Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2022Review
- Gabapentin attenuates somatic signs of precipitated THC withdrawal in mice.Neuropharmacology · 2021Article
- The state of clinical outcome assessments for cannabis use disorder clinical trials: A review and research agenda.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2020Review
- Therapeutic potential of medicinal marijuana: an educational primer for health care professionals.Drug, healthcare and patient safety · 2018Review
- The Current State of Pharmacological Treatments for Cannabis Use Disorder and Withdrawal.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2018Review
- Evidence-based Treatment Options in Cannabis Dependency.Deutsches Arzteblatt international · 2016Review
- Treatment of Cannabis Use Disorder: Current Science and Future Outlook.Pharmacotherapy · 2016Review
- Sleep abnormalities associated with alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, and opiate use: a comprehensive review.Addiction science & clinical practice · 2016Review
- Article
- Progress toward pharmacotherapies for cannabis-use disorder: an evidence-based review.Substance abuse and rehabilitation · 2016Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
rationalePreclinical studies suggest that lithium carbonate (lithium) can reduce precipitated cannabinoid withdrawal in rats by stimulating release of the neuropeptide oxytocin, while two open-label studies indicate lithium may ameliorate cannabis withdrawal symptoms in humans.
objectivesThis study was conducted to examine the efficacy and safety of lithium in the inpatient management of cannabis withdrawal and to determine whether lithium affects plasma oxytocin and the rate of elimination of plasma cannabinoids during abstinence.
methodsTreatment-seeking cannabis-dependent adults (n = 38) were admitted for 8 days to an inpatient withdrawal unit and randomized to either oral lithium (500 mg) or placebo given twice a day under double-blind randomized controlled trial (RCT) conditions. Primary outcomes included withdrawal severity [cannabis withdrawal scale (CWS)], rates of detoxification completion, and adverse events. Plasma cannabinoids, plasma oxytocin and serum lithium levels were measured repeatedly over admission. Follow-up research interviews were conducted at 14, 30, and 90 days postdischarge.
resultsLithium did not significantly affect total CWS scores relative to placebo, although it significantly reduced individual symptoms of "loss of appetite," "stomach aches," and "nightmares/strange dreams." No significant group differences were found in treatment retention or adverse events. Lithium did not increase plasma oxytocin levels nor influence the rate of elimination of cannabinoids. Both placebo- and lithium-treated participants showed reduced levels of cannabis use (verified by urinalysis) and improved health and psychosocial outcomes at 30- and 90-day follow-up relative to pretreatment baselines.
conclusionsDespite the strong rationale for the present study, the efficacy of lithium over placebo in the management of cannabis withdrawal was not demonstrated.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.