Atualizações no tratamento da dor crônica com cannabis medicinal.

Abstract

Chronic pain is a current problem that is difficult to handle. Therapy should ideally be multimodal, encompassing antidepressant and anticonvulsant drugs, physical modalities such as a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation unit, and psychotherapy. However, the literature and medical practice give us evidence of the recurrent failure to control pain within the traditional supply of recommended medications. Thus, the objective was to verify what evidence exists in the literature about the benefits and / or harms of the practice of medical cannabis use for this pathology, considering the discovery of the endocannabinoid system and its modulation about organ functions, like pain, it is the focus drug action. An integrative literature review was performed. LILACS and PUBMED databases were used, where publications were selected in the following languages: English, Portuguese and Spanish, from 2009 to 2019, with the following descriptors, in the three languages: "chronic pain" and "medical cannabis". A total of 28 articles were found. The conclusion of this study made evident the reduction in pain levels with medicinal cannabis, however, the medication would be of second choice. Rigid prescribing control, well-defined protocols, and larger studies are needed to make these protocols, as well as to ascertain the long-term safety of the drug. Keywords: Chronic pain. Medicinal cannabis.