SynthesisSchmerz (Berlin, Germany)2016
Efficacy, tolerability and safety of cannabinoids in chronic pain associated with rheumatic diseases (fibromyalgia syndrome, back pain, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis): A systematic review of randomized controlled trials.
Synthesis in Schmerz (Berlin, Germany), 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 3 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 61 papers, 7 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.
Ambulatory Infusions of Lidocaine and Ketamine for Management of Chronic Pain: an Observational Prospective Study
A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Parallel Groups Study to Explore the Safety and Therapeutic Potential of Dronabinol as an Adjunct for Reducing Pain
A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Parallel Groups Study to Explore The Safety And Therapeutic Potential Of Cannabinoids As An Adjunct For Reducing Pain (Carp)- TCH
Who cites it
61 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 145 citations in OpenAlex.
- Efficacy and Safety of Cannabis Extracts for the Treatment of Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Preclinical and Human Studies.Pain research & management · 2026Pooled it
- Clinical Practice Guidelines for Cannabis and Cannabinoid-Based Medicines in the Management of Chronic Pain and Co-Occurring Conditions.Cannabis and cannabinoid research · 2024Pooled it
- [Cannabis and cannabinoids for the treatment of acute and chronic pain].Der Anaesthesist · 2021Pooled it
- A Mapping Literature Review of Medical Cannabis Clinical Outcomes and Quality of Evidence in Approved Conditions in the USA from 2016 to 2019.Medical cannabis and cannabinoids · 2021Pooled it
- Systematic review of systematic reviews for medical cannabinoids: Pain, nausea and vomiting, spasticity, and harms.Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien · 2018Pooled it
- Cannabinoids in Pain Management and Palliative Medicine.Deutsches Arzteblatt international · 2017Pooled it
- [Drug therapy of fibromyalgia syndrome : Updated guidelines 2017 and overview of systematic review articles].Schmerz (Berlin, Germany) · 2017Pooled it
- Efficacy, pharmacokinetics and safety of liposomal synthetic cannabidiol injected subcutaneously in dogs: a randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled, crossover clinical trial.Frontiers in veterinary science · 2025Trial
- The pharmacokinetics, efficacy, and safety of a novel selective-dose cannabis inhaler in patients with chronic pain: A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial.European journal of pain (London, England) · 2020Trial
- Cannabinoids for pain management in rheumatoid arthritis: a scoping review of clinical evidence and mechanisms.Rheumatology international · 2026Article
- Endocannabinoid system modulation in acute, chronic, and neuropathic pain: reviewing experimental models, clinical evidence, and nanotechnology delivery.Metabolic brain disease · 2026Review
- Correlates of Recreational and Medicinal Cannabis Use Among Non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic Men with Chronic Conditions.Journal of community health · 2025Article
- Review
- Review
- Cannabinoids in Chronic Pain Management: A Review of the History, Efficacy, Applications, and Risks.Biomedicines · 2025Review
- Effectiveness and safety of cannabis-based products for medical use in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome: A systematic review.Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy · 2024Review
- Emerging trends in cannabis administration for women with chronic pain.Mental health science · 2024Article
- Sleep Disorders in Connective Tissue Diseases-Coexisting Diseases or Disease Components?Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Review
- Cannabinoid Analgesia in Postoperative Pain Management: From Molecular Mechanisms to Clinical Reality.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Review
- Medicinal Cannabis and Implications for Workplace Health and Safety: Scoping Review of Systematic Reviews.Workplace health & safety · 2023Article
1 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIn the absence of an ideal treatment for chronic pain associated with rheumatic diseases, there is interest in the potential effects of cannabinoid molecules, particularly in the context of global interest in the legalization of herbal cannabis for medicinal use.
methodsA systematic search until April 2015 was conducted in Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), PubMed, www.cannabis-med.org and clinicaltrials.gov for randomized controlled trials with a study duration of at least 2 weeks and at least ten patients per treatment arm with herbal cannabis or pharmaceutical cannabinoid products in fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS), osteoarthritis (OA), chronic spinal pain, and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) pain. Outcomes were reduction of pain, sleep problems, fatigue and limitations of quality of life for efficacy, dropout rates due to adverse events for tolerability, and serious adverse events for safety. The methodology quality of the randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was evaluated by the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool.
resultsTwo RCTs of 2 and 4 weeks duration respectively with nabilone, including 71 FMS patients, one 4-week trial with nabilone, including 30 spinal pain patients, and one 5-week study with tetrahydrocannbinol/cannabidiol, including 58 RA patients were included. One inclusion criterion was pain refractory to conventional treatment in three studies. No RCT with OA patients was found. The risk of bias was high for three studies. The findings of a superiority of cannabinoids over controls (placebo, amitriptyline) were not consistent. Cannabinoids were generally well tolerated despite some troublesome side effects and safe during the study duration.
conclusionsCurrently, there is insufficient evidence for recommendation for any cannabinoid preparations for symptom management in patients with chronic pain associated with rheumatic diseases.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.