CHICAGO, IL — The use of oral THC mitigates sleep apnea symptoms compared to placebo, according to clinical trial data published online ahead of print in the journal Sleep.
Investigators at the University of Illinois at Chicago assessed the efficacy of dronabinol treatment in 73 adults diagnosed with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). They reported that oral THC administration prior to bedtime reduced symptom severity and improved subjective sleepiness.
The results of a prior clinical trial in 2013 similarly reported, “Dronabinol treatment may be a viable alternative or adjunctive therapy in selected patients with OSA.”
Full text of the study, “Pharmacotherapy of apnea by cannabimimetric enhancement, the PACE clinical trial: effects of dronabinol on obstructive sleep apnea,” appears in Sleep.
Tags: medical marijuana study, sleep, sleep apnea
