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Original articles| Volume 10, ISSUE 2, P89-97, February 1995

Dronabinol as a treatment for anorexia associated with weight loss in patients with AIDS

Open ArchiveDOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/0885-3924(94)00117-4
Dronabinol as a treatment for anorexia associated with weight loss in patients with AIDS
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      Abstract

      The effects of dronabinol on appetite and weight were evaluated in 139 patients with AIDS-related anorexia and ≥2.3 kg weight loss in a multi-institutional study. Patients were randomized to receive 2.5 mg dronabinol twice daily or placebo. Patients rated appetite, mood, and nausea by using a 100-mm visual analogue scale 3 days weekly. Efficacy was evaluatee in 88 patients. Dronabinol was associated with increased appetite above baseline (38% vs 8% for placebo, P = 0. 015), improvement in mood (10% vs -2%, P = 0. 06), and decreased nausea (20% vs 7%; P = 0. 05). Weight was stable in dronabinol patients, while placebo recipients had a mean loss of 0.4 kg (P = 0.14). Of the dronabinol patients, 22% gained ≥2 kg, compared with 10.5% of placebo recipients (P = 0.11). Side effects were mostly mild to moderate in severity (euphoria, dizziness, thinking abnormalities); there was no difference in discontinued therapy between dronabinol (8.3%) and placebo (4.5%) recipients. Dronabinol was found to be safe and effective for anorexia associated with weight loss in patients with AIDS.

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      Article info

      Publication history

      Accepted: November 15, 1994

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      DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0885-3924(94)00117-4

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      © 1995 United States Cancer Pain Relief Committee. Published by Elsevier Inc.

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