Berlin, Germany: The use of the FDA-approved THC prescription drug dronabinol reduces the frequency and intensity of nightmares in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to placebo-controlled clinical trial data published in the journal Nature.
German investigators assessed the safety and efficacy of the daily use of dronabinol (synthetic THC encapsulated in sesame seed oil) versus a placebo in a cohort of 171 patients suffering from PTSD-related nightmares. Eighty percent of the study’s participants were women, with most reporting trauma related to physical or sexual assault. Study participants consumed either oral THC or a placebo before bedtime for 10 weeks.
Patients taking dronabinol showed general improvements in their overall sleep quality and they experienced clinically meaningful reductions in the intensity and frequency of trauma-related nightmares as compared to those taking the placebo. Side effects specific to dronabinol were described as either “mild or moderate.”
“Taken together, our findings demonstrate that dronabinol is effective in reducing PTSD-related nightmares, with an acceptable safety profile,” the study’s authors concluded. “The pattern and magnitude of improvement indicate a clinically meaningful and specific benefit. … These results support the endocannabinoid system as a potential therapeutic target for PTSD-related sleep disturbances and justify further evaluation to assess sustained efficacy and long-term safety.”
Prior studies have shown similar sleep benefits in PTSD patients consuming botanical cannabis as well as THC prescription drugs, like nabilone.
Full text of the study, “Dronabinol for nightmares in post-traumatic stress disorder: A randomized controlled trial,” appears in Nature. Additional information on cannabis and post-traumatic stress is available from NORML’s publication, Clinical Applications for Cannabis & Cannabinoids.