Overview
- The meta-analysis assessed THC-dominant, CBD-only, and THC/CBD combination drugs across 2,187 patients and found no convincing overall advantage over placebo.
- Combination products showed a small patient-reported improvement, with 268 of 1,000 feeling “much better” compared with 197 of 1,000 on placebo.
- Adverse effects were markedly higher with THC/CBD combinations, with nearly two-thirds reporting dizziness, balance problems, sleepiness, or concentration issues versus about one quarter on placebo.
- Reviewers cited small sample sizes, short durations often under 12 weeks, and exclusion of patients with common comorbidities as key methodological weaknesses.
- The authors call for larger, longer, well-designed trials to clarify benefits and harms, highlighting a gap between widespread pain prescribing in Germany and the weak evidence base.