San Diego, CA: Neither the use of whole-plant cannabis or cannabis-based medicines (e.g., dronabinol) are associated with significant cognitive changes in people with HIV, according to the results of a meta-analysis published in the journal Current HIV/AIDS Reports.
Researchers affiliated with the University of California at San Diego reviewed data from 34 clinical studies. They reported, “Overall, the number of reported adverse effects were largely outnumbered by beneficial or null findings, providing insufficient support for the detrimental impact of CU [cannabis use] on cognition in PWH [people with HIV].”
They concluded, “[These results] suggest [that] cannabis and [cannabis-based] medications can be prescribed to PWH while posing little threat to cognitive function.”
Survey data shows that people with HIV frequently use cannabis for symptom relief. Studies have reported that cannabis use is associated with increased appetite, reduced inflammation, and greater levels of physical activity in patients with HIV.
In 1985, the US Food and Drug Administration approved synthetic oral THC capsules (dronabinol) for the treatment of HIV-induced cachexia.
Full text of the study, “The impact of cannabis use on cognition in people with HIV: Evidence of function-dependent effects and mechanisms from clinical and preclinical studies,” appears in Current HIV/AIDS Reports. Additional information on the use of cannabis in patients with HIV is available from NORML’s publication, Clinical Applications for Cannabis and Cannabinoids.