A new proof-of-concept study published in Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology finds that vaporized cannabis may help reduce the severity of withdrawal symptoms triggered by naloxone, a medication commonly used to reverse opioid overdoses.
Researchers from Columbia University and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine tested the effects of vaporized cannabis on a 52-year-old male participant with opioid use disorder during a four-week inpatient trial. The participant was first stabilized on oral morphine (120 mg/day) before undergoing testing. Cannabis was administered 15 minutes before naloxone, with various dose combinations evaluated.
Naloxone alone produced a Clinical Opiate Withdrawal Scale (COWS) score of 22 at the 30-minute mark. When the participant received cannabis pretreatment, COWS scores dropped to 17 with a 12.5 mg dose and 14 with a 25 mg dose, indicating a notable reduction in withdrawal severity. Importantly, while combining naloxone and cannabis elevated heart rate and blood pressure, the increase was not greater than with naloxone alone, suggesting no added safety risks from the combination.
Although the study included only a single participant before a planned redesign, the findings provide early evidence that cannabinoids may blunt the harsh effects of naloxone-precipitated withdrawal. Researchers concluded that further investigation into combined naloxone and cannabinoid formulations as potential overdose reversal agents is warranted.
This exploratory research adds to a growing body of evidence pointing toward cannabinoids as possible therapeutic tools in addressing opioid dependence and improving the safety and tolerability of overdose interventions.
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