Do cannabinoids constitute a therapeutic alternative for insomnia?

Contreras et al. ·Medwave Impact 0.3

No benefit demonstrated GRADE High 2 citations

Samplek = 3 Studien

Durationunclear

ControlPlacebo

EndpointSleep quality / insomnia…

Blindingunklar

DesignMeta-Analyse

Key finding

Cannabinoids show no clear effect on insomnia severity or sleep quality, possibly no effect on sleep onset and wake times, but are probably associated with frequent side effects.

Summary

Systematic review with meta-analysis on cannabinoids for insomnia; k=3 studies (2 RCTs). Unclear whether cannabinoids affect insomnia severity or sleep quality; possibly no effect on sleep onset latency, nocturnal awakening or daytime behaviour; frequent side effects likely.

PopulationAdults with insomnia – pooled from 3 primary studies (of which 2 RCTs)

InterventionCannabinoids (various)

ControlPlacebo

OutcomeUnclear effect on sleep quality and insomnia; probably no effect on sleep onset latency, awakening or waking behaviour; frequent adverse effects likely

Confidence in the evidence

High

The highest of four GRADE levels, the effect estimate is very reliable.

Quality profile

Sample size ★★★★★

Blinding —

Effect size No benefit

Citations / year ★★★★★

Authors

Contreras T, Bravo-Soto G, Rada G

DOI 10.5867/medwave.2018.01.7151↗

Design: Meta-Analyse

Abstract

Introduction: It has been suggested that cannabinoids would constitute a therapeutic alternative for patients with insomnia. Methods: To answer this question we used Epistemonikos, the largest database of systematic reviews in health, which is maintained by screening multiple information sources, including MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane, among others. We extracted data from the systematic reviews, reanalyzed data of primary studies, conducted a meta-analysis and generated a summary of findings table using the GRADE approach. Results And Conclusions: We identified eight systematic reviews including three studies overall, of which two were randomized trials. We concluded it is not clear whether cannabinoids have an effect on insomnia severity or on sleep quality; that they might have no effect on sleep conciliation, sleep awakening or behavior during wakefulness, and are probably associated with frequent adverse effects.

The impediment to action advances action. — Marcus Aurelius