Opioid and cannabis utility: effects and side-effects in the of chronic pain

Abstract

This summary discusses the key findings of a dissertation on the pharmacological treatment of chronic pain, focusing on opioids and cannabis. Multiple studies investigated the effects and side effects of opioids and cannabis in both healthy volunteers and fibromyalgia patients.

One of the studies analyzes opioids, proposing the "utility" function as a method to measure the balance between pain relief and side effects such as respiratory depression. Oliceridine demonstrates a safer profile than morphine, with less respiratory depression.

The combination of cannabis and oxycodone has no impact on respiration but may cause cardiovascular side effects. A study on fibromyalgia patients shows that cannabis does not provide significant pain relief and leads to high dropout rates due to side effects. The combination with oxycodone reduces oxycodone consumption but increases the overall drug load and side effects.

The dissertation highlights the need for personalized pain treatments, careful opioid use, and caution with cannabis therapy due to a lack of evidence. Further research is required into alternative treatments and patient-centered care, especially for fibromyalgia, where current treatment options fall short.