140 Dronabinol
cluding sleeping difficulty, peevishness, fidgeting, perspiration, runny nose,
appetite loss, and loose bowel movements. In one study withdrawal symp-
toms lasted three days and gradually cleared up over that time. Addiction is
uncommon. No one in a five-month study, including persons who had pre-
viously abused other drugs, began abusing dronabinol; nor did any of these
persons exhibit changes of personality or changes of ability to function in
society. An effort to discover evidence of illicit use in San Francisco found
none. Apparently persons interested in recreational effects of dronabinol pre-
fer marijuana.
Drug interactions. Animal experimentation has found that dronabinol
substantially increases the pain relieving qualities ofcodeine,heroin,hydro-
morphone,meperidine,methadone,morphine, andoxymorphone. The an-
tinausea drug prochlorperazine appears to reduce the unwanted marijuana
actions of dronabinol.
Cancer.Dronabinol’s potential for causing cancer is unknown. The Ames
test, a standard laboratory procedure for detecting cancer-causing potential,
revealed none.
Pregnancy.No birth defects have been attributed to dronabinol in mice and
rat experiments, although more pregnancy failures occurred. THC passes from
a pregnant animal into the fetus. Pregnant women are advised to be cautious
with the drug. It passes into milk of nursing mothers, and levels in milk are
higher than in the mothers’ bloodstream.
Additional scientific information may be found in:Beal, J.E., et al. “Long-Term Efficacy and Safety of Dronabinol for Acquired Immuno-
deficiency Syndrome–Associated Anorexia.”Journal of Pain and Symptom Man-
agement14 (1997): 7–14.
Calhoun, S.R., G.P. Galloway, and D.E. Smith. “Abuse Potential of Dronabinol (Mari-
nol).”Journal of Psychoactive Drugs30 (1998): 187–96.
Devine, J.W., L.A. Mahr, and C.R. Rieck. “Effectiveness of Delta-9-
Tetrahydrocannabinol in Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting.”Jour-
nal of the Iowa Pharmacy Association54 (1999): 22–24, 47–50.
Gonzalez-Rosales, F., and D. Walsh. “Intractable Nausea and Vomiting Due to Gastro-
intestinal Mucosal Metastases Relieved by Tetrahydrocannabinol (Dronabinol).”
Journal of Pain and Symptom Management14 (1997): 311–14.
Haney, M., et al. “Abstinence Symptoms Following Oral THC Administration to Hu-
mans.”Psychopharmacology141 (1999): 385–94.
Kirk, J.M., and H. de Wit. “Responses to Oral Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol in Fre-
quent and Infrequent Marijuana Users.”Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior
63 (1999): 137–42.
Struwe, M., et al. “Effect of Dronabinol on Nutritional Status in HIV Infection.”Annals
of Pharmacotherapy27 (1993): 827–31.
Wright, P.L., et al. “Reproductive and Teratologic Studies with DELTA-9-
Tetrahydrocannabinol and Crude Marijuana Extract.”Toxicology and Applied
Pharmacology38 (1976): 223–35.