Trial reportDrug and alcohol dependence2015
Buspirone treatment of cannabis dependence: A randomized, placebo-controlled trial.
Trial report in Drug and alcohol dependence, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 39 papers, 5 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
39 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 68 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
- Sex- and Gender-Based Analysis in Cannabis Treatment Outcomes: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Pooled 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
- A preliminary randomized controlled trial of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation applied to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in treatment seeking participants with cannabis use disorder.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2024Trial
- Varenicline as a treatment for cannabis use disorder: A placebo-controlled pilot trial.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2021Trial
- Depressive symptoms and cannabis use in a placebo-controlled trial of N-Acetylcysteine for adult cannabis use disorder.Psychopharmacology · 2020Trial
- Exogenous progesterone for cannabis withdrawal in women: Feasibility trial of a novel multimodal methodology.Pharmacology, biochemistry, and behavior · 2019Trial
- Gender differences among treatment-seeking adults with cannabis use disorder: Clinical profiles of women and men enrolled in the achieving cannabis cessation-evaluating N-acetylcysteine treatment (ACCENT) study.The American journal on addictions · 2017Trial
- Vilazodone for cannabis dependence: A randomized, controlled pilot trial.The American journal on addictions · 2016Trial
- Cannabis craving and cross-substance substitution during cannabis treatment: Initial insights across seven cannabis use disorder clinical trials.Addictive behaviors · 2026Article
- Developing the Dopamine D3 Receptor (D3R) Antagonist, (R)-VK4-116, as a Non-Opioid Medication for the Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder.Medicinal research reviews · 2026Review
- Not just neurons: glial mechanisms driving sex-specific vulnerability to withdrawal and relapse in substance use disorder.Frontiers in neuroendocrinology · 2026Review
- Pharmacotherapy for Cannabis Use Disorder: Preclinical and Clinical Models.Current topics in behavioral neurosciences · 2026Review
- Cannabis use across the menstrual cycle: The impact of negative affect and cannabis use motives.Addictive behaviors · 2025Article
- Sexism and Cannabis-Related Problems Among Women in the U.S.: The Role of Negative Affect and Coping-Motivated Cannabis Use.Substance use & misuse · 2025Article
- Rastafarianism: When Religious Beliefs Conflict With Medical Necessity-A Case Report and Review of the Literature Around an Ethically Complicated Case.Case reports in psychiatry · 2025Article
- Association of Cannabis Use Reduction With Improved Functional Outcomes: An Exploratory Aggregated Analysis From Seven Cannabis Use Disorder Treatment Trials to Extract Data-Driven Cannabis Reduction Metrics.The American journal of psychiatry · 2024Article
- Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of buspirone, a partial 5-HT1A agonist, for treatment of cannabis dependence.
methodsOne hundred seventy-five cannabis-dependent adults were randomized to receive either up to 60mg/day of buspirone (n=88) or placebo (n=87) for 12 weeks combined with a brief motivational enhancement therapy intervention and contingency management to encourage study retention. Cannabis use outcomes were assessed via weekly urine cannabinoid tests.
resultsParticipants in both groups reported reduced cannabis craving over the course of the study; however, buspirone provided no advantage over placebo in reducing cannabis use. Significant gender by treatment interactions were observed, with women randomized to buspirone having fewer negative urine cannabinoid tests than women randomized to placebo (p=0.007), and men randomized to buspirone having significantly lower creatinine adjusted cannabinoid levels as compared to those randomized to placebo (p=0.023). An evaluation of serotonin allelic variations did not find an association with buspirone treatment response.
conclusionsBuspirone was not more efficacious than placebo in reducing cannabis use. Important gender differences were noted, with women having worse cannabis use outcomes with buspirone treatment. Considerations for future medication trials in this challenging population are discussed.
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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.