Introduction
chronic pain, pain
ADVERSE EVENTS, ADVERSE EFFECTS, CHRONIC PAIN, DRUG EFFECT
The potential synergistic effects of combining cannabinoids and opioids for analgesia have drawn significant attention following preclinical evidence that cannabinoids and opioid combinations have additive nociceptive benefit with limited adverse effects [Evidence for the cannabinoid-opioid synergistic effects in human laboratory studies remains tenuous, however [The present study rigorously evaluated the combined effects of Using a within-subject, double-blinded, randomized, and placebo-controlled design, the present study examined the independent and combined effects of dronabinol and hydromorphone on experimentally-induced acute and chronic pain models, clinical pain, physical and cognitive functioning, HAP ratings, and adverse events. A subset of participants provided blood samples that were analyzed for pharmacokinetic profiles, and the potential moderating effects of sex across outcomes were explored. To our knowledge, this is the first behavioral pharmacology study to examine the drug effect profile and analgesic response, as well as physical and cognitive functioning following co-administration of oral THC with an opioid in a clinical chronic pain sample.