Nabilone is used to treat nausea and vomiting in people underchemotherapy.[3][7]
Nabilone has shown modest effectiveness in relievingfibromyalgia.[4] A 2011 systematic review of cannabinoids for chronic pain determined there was evidence of safety and modest efficacy for some conditions.[8]
The main settings that have seen published clinical trials of nabilone include movement disorders such asparkinsonism, chronic pain,dystonia andspasticity neurological disorders, multiple sclerosis, and the nausea of cancer chemotherapy. Nabilone is also effective in the treatment ofinflammatory bowel disease, especiallyulcerative colitis.
In one study of current daily users of cannabis, oral nabilone at 4, 6, and 8 mg produced sustained and dose-dependent mood elevation andpsychomotor slowing comparable to 10 or 20 mg oraldronabinol (THC). Nabilone had a slower onset of peak action and a greater dose-dependence of effects, which the investigators attributed to greater bioavailability.[9]
Nabilone is sometimes used fornightmares inpost-traumatic stress disorder, but there have not been studies longer than nine weeks, so effects of longer-term use are not known.[12] Nabilone has also been used for medication overuse headache.[13]
Nabilone was originally developed byEli Lilly and Company; and was first approved byHealth Canada in 1981;[16][17] shortly followed by its approval inMexico, theUnited Kingdom, andGermany. Lilly received FDA approval in 1985 to market it, but withdrew that approval in 1989 for commercial reasons.[18]Valeant Pharmaceuticals acquired the rights from Lilly in 2004.[18] Valeant tried and failed to get the medication approved by the FDA again in 2005[19] and then succeeded in 2006.[18]
^Wissel J, Haydn T, Müller J, Brenneis C, Berger T, Poewe W, Schelosky LD (October 2006). "Low dose treatment with the synthetic cannabinoid Nabilone significantly reduces spasticity-related pain: a double-blind placebo-controlled cross-over trial".Journal of Neurology (Research article).253 (10):1337–41.doi:10.1007/s00415-006-0218-8.PMID16988792.S2CID24206300.
^Nielsen S, Germanos R, Weier M, Pollard J, Degenhardt L, Hall W, Buckley N, Farrell M (February 2018). "The Use of Cannabis and Cannabinoids in Treating Symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis: a Systematic Review of Reviews".Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports.18 (2): 8.doi:10.1007/s11910-018-0814-x.hdl:2123/18910.PMID29442178.S2CID3375801.
^Cunningham D, Bradley CJ, Forrest GJ, Hutcheon AW, Adams L, Sneddon M, Harding M, Kerr DJ, Soukop M, Kaye SB (April 1988). "A randomized trial of oral nabilone and prochlorperazine compared to intravenous metoclopramide and dexamethasone in the treatment of nausea and vomiting induced by chemotherapy regimens containing cisplatin or cisplatin analogues".European Journal of Cancer & Clinical Oncology (Randomized controlled trial).24 (4):685–9.doi:10.1016/0277-5379(88)90300-8.PMID2838294.
^Zhornitsky S, Pelletier J, Assaf R, Giroux S, Li CR, Potvin S (January 2021). "Acute effects of partial CB1 receptor agonists on cognition - A meta-analysis of human studies".Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry.104 110063.doi:10.1016/j.pnpbp.2020.110063.PMID32791166.S2CID221092170.
