Abstract

MALDONADO, JANICE; ALVAREZ PINZON, ANDRÉS MAURICIO  and  RODRIGUEZ MARTINEZ, MAYERLI. EFFECTIVITY AND SIDE EFFECTS OF CENTRAL NEUROPATHIC PAIN TREATMENT WITH CANNABINOIDS IN PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS. rev.fac.med [online]. 2010, vol.18, n.1, pp.77-83. ISSN 0121-5256.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an immunological neuro-demyelinating disease that affects population between 16 to 35 years. Pain is the most common symptom with 36% to 82% of patients reporting pain. MS has a worldwide prevalence of 4.41 per 100,000 people, affecting about 2.5 million people around the world and 400,000 in the United States; in Colombia 4.3 per 100,000 inhabitants suffer from this disease where most of the cases have been reported in the region of Risaralda and the capital city Bogotá. Central neuropathic pain syndrome is due to injury and dysfunction of the central nervous system, causing disability and impairing quality of life of patients. In this article, a review of the analgesic effectiveness and side effects of cannabinoids in the treatment of central neuropathic pain in patients with MS is conducted. A search strategy was performed to identify randomized clinical trials on the treatment of central neuropathic pain in MS with cannabinoids; six selected studies comparing cannabinoids versus placebo were selected and after analyzing them, it was found a significant decrease in pain with dronabinol (cannabinoid) treatment and low side effects. The most common side effects were drowsiness, dry mouth, dizziness and impaired balance, which did not compromise the quality of life of patients. Based on the review of articles it is concluded that there is a significant reduction in central neuropathic pain in patients with MS in therapy with cannabinoids and that side effects of treatment are very low.

Keywords : multiple sclerosis; pain; pain clinics; adverse effects; cannabinoids; dronabinol.

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