Trial reportDrug and alcohol dependence2016
Effects of fixed or self-titrated dosages of Sativex on cannabis withdrawal and cravings.
Trial report in Drug and alcohol dependence, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 43 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
43 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 94 citations in OpenAlex.
- Efficacy of cannabidiol alone or in combination with Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol for the management of substance use disorders: An umbrella review of the evidence.Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2025Pooled it
- Medical cannabinoids: a pharmacology-based systematic review and meta-analysis for all relevant medical indications.BMC medicine · 2022Pooled it
- How effective and safe is medical cannabis as a treatment of mental disorders? A systematic review.European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience · 2019Pooled it
- Pharmacotherapies for cannabis dependence.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2019Pooled it
- A Systematic Review of the Efficacy of Cannabinoid Agonist Replacement Therapy for Cannabis Withdrawal Symptoms.CNS drugs · 2018Pooled it
- Trial
- Sativex Associated With Behavioral-Relapse Prevention Strategy as Treatment for Cannabis Dependence: A Case Series.Journal of addiction medicineTrial
- Cannabinoid-based Pharmacology for the Management of Substance Use Disorders.Current topics in behavioral neurosciences · 2026Review
- Randomised Controlled Trial Evidence on Medicinal Cannabis for Treatment of Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders: A Scoping Review.Clinical drug investigation · 2026Article
- Pharmacotherapy for Cannabis Use Disorder: Preclinical and Clinical Models.Current topics in behavioral neurosciences · 2026Review
- Cannabis use disorder: from neurobiology to treatment.The Journal of clinical investigation · 2024Review
- [Cannabis use and cannabis use disorders].Der Nervenarzt · 2024Review
- The Therapeutic Potential and Molecular Mechanisms Underlying the Neuroprotective Effects of SativexMini reviews in medicinal chemistry · 2024Review
- Cannabis and Pregnancy: A Review.Obstetrical & gynecological survey · 2023Review
- THC and CBD: Villain versus Hero? Insights into Adolescent Exposure.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Review
- Evidence from Human Studies for Utilising Cannabinoids for the Treatment of Substance-Use Disorders: A Scoping Review with a Systematic Approach.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Effects of sub-chronic nabiximols on biological markers of individuals undergoing a clinical trial for the treatment of cannabis use disorder.American journal of translational research · 2023Article
- Sex Differences in the Neuropsychiatric Effects and Pharmacokinetics of Cannabidiol: A Scoping Review.Biomolecules · 2022Article
- Monitoring the impact of cannabis use.Trends in psychiatry and psychotherapy · 2022Article
- Clinical management of cannabis withdrawal.Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2022Review
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 4 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThere is currently no pharmacological treatment approved for cannabis dependence. In this proof of concept study, we assessed the feasibility/effects of fixed and self-titrated dosages of Sativex (1:1, Δ(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)/cannabidiol (CBD)) on craving and withdrawal from cannabis among nine community-recruited cannabis-dependent subjects.
methodsParticipants underwent an 8-week double-blind placebo-controlled trial (an ABACADAE design), with four smoke as usual conditions (SAU) (A) separated by four cannabis abstinence conditions (B-E), with administration of either self-titrated/fixed doses of placebo or Sativex (up to 108 mg THC/100 mg CBD). The order of medication administration during abstinence conditions was randomized and counterbalanced. Withdrawal symptoms and craving were assessed using the Cannabis Withdrawal Scale (CWS), Marijuana Withdrawal Checklist (MWC) and Marijuana Craving Questionnaire (MCQ). Medication use was assessed during the study by means of self-reports, vial weight control, toxicology and metabolite analysis. Cannabis use was assessed by means of self-reports.
resultsHigh fixed doses of Sativex were well tolerated and significantly reduced cannabis withdrawal during abstinence, but not craving, as compared to placebo. Self-titrated doses were lower and showed limited efficacy as compared to high fixed doses. Participants reported a significantly lower "high" following Sativex or placebo as compared to SAU conditions. Cannabis/medication use along the study, as per self-reports, suggests compliance with the study conditions.
conclusionsThe results found in this proof of concept study warrant further systematic exploration of Sativex as a treatment option for cannabis withdrawal and dependence.
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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.