Can Cannabinoids Reduce Pain Associated with Medical Abortion?

Although ibuprofen is routinely recommended during medical abortion, many women still find the procedure painful — and some self-medicate with marijuana. To evaluate whether dronabinol, a synthetic cannabinoid, reduces abortion pain, investigators in a nonindustry sponsored study randomized 70 women to receive either 5-mg dronabinol or matching placebo 30 minutes before taking misoprostol in addition to standard treatment with ibuprofen. Women used structured text messages to rate their pain (scale, 0–10 with 10 indicating the worst pain).

Women in both groups rated their worst pain during the first 24 hours after misoprostol as 7. Anxiety, nausea, and satisfaction with pain control also did not differ between groups.