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Review
. 2018 Dec 23;6(1):3.
doi: 10.3390/medicines6010003.

Medicinal Cannabis-Potential Drug Interactions

Muhammad A Alsherbiny  1   2 , Chun Guang Li  3
Affiliations
Review

Medicinal Cannabis-Potential Drug Interactions

Muhammad A Alsherbiny et al. Medicines (Basel). .

Abstract

The endocannabinoids system (ECS) has garnered considerable interest as a potential therapeutic target in various carcinomas and cancer-related conditions alongside neurodegenerative diseases. Cannabinoids are implemented in several physiological processes such as appetite stimulation, energy balance, pain modulation and the control of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). However, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics interactions could be perceived in drug combinations, so in this short review we tried to shed light on the potential drug interactions of medicinal cannabis. Hitherto, few data have been provided to the healthcare practitioners about the drug⁻drug interactions of cannabinoids with other prescription medications. In general, cannabinoids are usually well tolerated, but bidirectional effects may be expected with concomitant administered agents via affected membrane transporters (Glycoprotein p, breast cancer resistance proteins, and multidrug resistance proteins) and metabolizing enzymes (Cytochrome P450 and UDP-glucuronosyltransferases). Caution should be undertaken to closely monitor the responses of cannabis users with certain drugs to guard their safety, especially for the elderly and people with chronic diseases or kidney and liver conditions.

Keywords: BCRP; CBD; Cannabis; MRPs; THC; UDP-glucuronosyltransferases; cannabinoids; cytochrome P450; drug–drug interactions; glycoprotein p; pharmacokinetic.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The PubMed retrieved publications (1990–2018) for studies on medicinal cannabis/marijuana/cannabinoids/tetrahydrocannabinol/cannabidiol.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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