Study: Cannabis use complicates sedation, cancer care

Editor's Note

Cannabis users may require higher doses of anesthetics during sedation and experience worse physical and psychological symptoms during cancer treatment, according to an April 7 announcement from the University of Oklahoma (OU).

Publishing in the journal Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, a multidisciplinary team of university researchers found that cannabis users undergoing endoscopy were 77% more likely to need higher doses of propofol and 57% more likely to require midazolam compared to non-users. Additionally, cannabis users more frequently required diphenhydramine for supplemental sedation. The study, which involved 976 patients, is considered the most comprehensive of its kind, the University reports.

As detailed in the article, similar findings were observed in a separate study by the OU College of Dentistry, published in the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. Researchers found that cannabis users undergoing outpatient oral surgery needed higher doses of propofol, midazolam, ketamine, and fentanyl compared to non-users.  

As for cancer symptom relief, 26% of 267 patients surveyed by the OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center reported using cannabis in the past 30 days, primarily for pain, sleep, anxiety, and nausea. While users reported benefits for sleep and nausea, they also indicated feeling worse physically and psychologically compared to non-users. A follow-up study split patients into three groups—regular users, occasional users, and non-users—and found that regular users reported the most severe symptoms.  

Researchers noted that while edible cannabis was the most preferred method, smoking was the second most common, followed by vaping, raising concerns about potential lung and organ damage. Further  clinical trials could determine whether cannabis exacerbates symptoms or is primarily used by patients already experiencing severe issues.