What conditions can medicinal cannabis be used for?
In Australia, medicinal cannabis products are not recommended as a first-line treatment for any health condition.
However, medical practitioners can use these products as a possible alternative treatment option when other approved medicines have been unsuccessful.1
The TGA provides guidelines to help medical practitioners and their patients make informed decisions about using medicinal cannabis products.1
Below is a summary of the clinical uses of medicinal cannabis products by medical practitioners. The information below is not intended as clinical guidelines but rather a summary of how these products are most commonly prescribed:
| Condition | Treatment Notes |
|---|---|
| Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting | High-THC products can be effective but should only be used if newer standard treatments have failed.[2] |
| Epilepsy in children | High-CBD (CBD-only) products have shown positive results in treating drug-resistant epilepsy and are TGA recommended for use alongside existing anti-epileptic drugs.[3] |
| Chronic non-cancer pain | Medicinal cannabis products can complement traditional treatment in relieving pain in some patients. Potential drug interactions can occur with other pain medication.[4] |
| Multiple sclerosis (MS) | Combined CBD:THC products may help relieve MS-related pain, reduce muscle spasticity and improve quality of life. To date, no studies have compared cannabinoids with standard MS treatments.[5] |
| Palliative (end-of-life) care | Medicinal cannabis products are reserved for patients who don’t respond to standard treatment. Potential drug interactions can occur with chemotherapy and other drugs used in palliative care.[6] |
| Cancer-related anorexia | Medicinal cannabis products are only recommended if standard treatment has failed.[7] |
Additional conditions which medicinal cannabis products have been prescribed to treat can be found on the TGA website. Research trials are also underway in Australia for treating insomnia and Tourette syndrome.
What are the side effects of medicinal cannabis?
Like other medicines, patients treated with medicinal cannabis can experience undesirable side effects. Below we list some of the common side effects for CBD-only and CBD:THC combination products.
The most commonly reported side effects include:
- appetite change
- mood change
- diarrhoea
- fatigue
- irritability
- nausea
- weight gain or loss.8,9
Less common side effects include:
- dose-related liver damage
- behavioural changes
- sedation.9
- The most commonly reported side effects include:
- confusion
- dry mouth
- a profound sense of unease or dissatisfaction (dysphoria)
- extreme happiness (euphoria)
- fatigue
- headaches
- nausea and vomiting
- vertigo.10
Less common side effects include:
- convulsions
- hallucinations
- paranoia
- uncontrollable vomiting (Hyperemesis syndrome).10
Like other medicines, medicinal cannabis products have the potential to react with prescription and over-the-counter medications, and herbal products.9
Will I experience withdrawal and dependence using medicinal cannabis products?
It is not uncommon for certain prescription drugs, even when taken as prescribed, to lead to physiological dependence. Withdrawal is the body’s response to not having a substance after regular use.
There is some research that has highlighted that CBD products are not likely to cause physiological dependence and may possess anti-addictive properties. In contrast, high-THC products – due to its psychoactive properties – may pose an increased risk for withdrawal and dependence.11,12
More research is needed to understand the dependence risks associated with different formulations of medicinal cannabis products.
Like other medicines, to minimise any risks associated with dependence and withdrawal, medicinal cannabis products must be supervised by a qualified medical professional and monitored appropriately.
- Therapeutic Goods Administration. Guidance for the use of medicinal cannabis in Australia: Overview [Accessed 22 August 2021].
- Therapeutic Goods Administration. Guidance for the use of medicinal cannabis for the prevention or management of nausea and vomiting in Australia. Australian Government Department of Health; 2017.
- Therapeutic Goods Administration. Guidance for the use of medicinal cannabis in the treatment of epilepsy in paediatric and young adult patients in Australia. Australian Government Department of Health; 2017.
- Therapeutic Goods Administration. Guidance for the use of medicinal cannabis in the treatment of chronic non-cancer pain in Australia. Australian Government Department of Health; 2017.
- Therapeutic Goods Administration. Guidance for the use of medicinal cannabis in the treatment of multiple sclerosis in Australia. Australian Government Department of Health; 2017.
- Therapeutic Goods Administration. Guidance for the use of medicinal cannabis in the treatment of palliative care patients in Australia. Australian Government Department of Health; 2017.
- Australian Centre for Cannabinoid Clinical and Research Excellence. Prescribing cannabis medicines for management of anorexia-cachexia in patients with advanced cancer [Accessed 24 August 2021].
- Meissner H, Cascella A. Cannabidiol (CBD) [Accessed 26 August 2021].
- Harvard Health. Cannabidiol (CBD) - what we know and what we don't [Accessed 26 August 2021].
- Therapeutic Goods Administration. Guidance for the use of medicinal cannabis in Australia: Patient information [Accessed 26 August 2021].
- Schlag AK, Hindocha C, Zafar R, Nutt DJ, Curran HV. Cannabis based medicines and cannabis dependence: A critical review of issues and evidence. J Psychopharmacol. 2021;35(7):773-85.
- Hay GL, Baracz SJ, Everett NA, Roberts J, Costa PA, Arnold JC, et al. Cannabidiol treatment reduces the motivation to self-administer methamphetamine and methamphetamine-primed relapse in rats. J Psychopharmacol. 2018;32(12):1369-78.