A tablet with a cannabis derivative that is effective in sleep apnea

Omstudio/epictura

Published the 04.12.2017 to 16h45

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Keywords :

cannabis médicaldronabinolapnée sleep

A controlled clinical trial shows that a molecule of synthesis of the main psychoactive substance in cannabis, dronabinol, would be effective for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea. Dronabinol is a synthetic version of Delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
The clinical trial, a randomized, placebo-controlled, and whose results are published in the journal Sleep, involved 73 people with the syndrome of obstructive sleep apnea of moderate-to-severe.

The first drug for sleep apnea ?

The patients were drawn from 3 groups : a placebo group, and 2 groups dronabinol with 2 different doses in a tablet (2.5 and 10 mg per day taken an hour before bedtime for 6 weeks.
Dronabinol is already used in the treatment of nausea and vomiting in chemotherapy patients.
The sleepiness and the sleep state have been assessed using standardized tests, and an overall index of apnea/hypopnea was determined for each participant. Those who took the highest dose, that is to say 10 mg of dronabinol per day, reported the greatest improvement with treatment.

A common disorder and potentially serious

Obstructive sleep apnea is a frequent sleep disorder that is responsible for breathing pauses of several seconds. These affect the quality of sleep, with consequences in the life of every day, and increase the risk of cardiovascular events. There are currently no drugs available and the current treatment is based on the establishment of a treatment with a device with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) to wear all night. However, the adherence of patients to this option the mechanical is very bad. In addition, the device CPAP target the physical consequence but not the cause. The drug tested in this assay works by targeting the brain and nerves that regulate the muscles of the upper respiratory tract. It also alters levels of neurotransmitters in the brain to the muscles.

Interesting results

The sleepiness and the sleep state have been assessed using standardized tests, and an overall index of apnea/hypopnea was determined for each participant. Those who took the highest dose, that is to say 10 mg of dronabinol per day, benefited from a significant reduction in the signs of subjective sleepiness and a lower incidence of episodes of apnea and hypopnea. Compared to full adhesion of the patients to the mechanical device of the CPAP – which is rare – the new drug would reduce the symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea in 33%. The sleep-onset latency, sleep architecture and the parameters of blood oxygenation during sleep have not been modified.

A first test is still preliminary

It is a controlled trial, but a population is still limited (73 patients), and clinical trials, the most important are needed to determine the best way the exact mechanism by which cannabinoids act, and the best indications in the treatment of sleep apnea. Nevertheless, these results are promising.
The authors, however, caution against any attempts to replace this type of treatment in sleep apnea by inhalations of cannabis, because the latter does not provide the same benefits in sleep apnea. There are, indeed, different types of cannabis which have different compositions and the active ingredient may not be exactly at the same dose as with the delta-9 THC purified in sleep apnea.

These results are in favor of the therapeutic potential of cannabinoids in patients with obstructive sleep apnea. In comparison with placebo, dronabinol is associated with an index of apnea/hypopnea more low, to an improvement of subjective sleepiness, and greater overall satisfaction with treatment.