Cannabinoids for obstructive sleep apnea: A systematic review

Cannabinoids have emerged as a potential treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This systematic review aimed to summarize the efficacy and safety of cannabinoids to treat OSA. Databases including Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, PsycINFO, and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts were searched; experimental and observational studies were eligible for inclusion. One-hundred seventy unique records were screened, and nine studies included: five full-text studies and four published abstracts. The five full-text studies were judged for quality appraisal: two studies deemed at low risk for bias, one study deemed to have some concerns for bias, and two studies deemed to have high risk for bias. Seven of nine total studies were experimental designs and evaluated dronabinol, and the other two studies were observational designs evaluating cannabis. The range of cannabinoid therapy duration spanned from 1 to 6 weeks, and the median duration was 3 weeks. Eight of nine total studies reported statistically significant, positive OSA outcomes due to cannabinoid therapy including reductions in the apnea hypopnea index and improvements in patient-reported daytime sleepiness scales.

Between 70% and 80% of study participants reported neuropsychiatric and gastrointestinal adverse events attributable to cannabinoids. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine does not recommend using cannabinoids to treat OSA due to a lack of long-term safety and efficacy data. This systematic review found similar limitations, with the median cannabinoid treatment duration being only 3 weeks. Adequately powered experimental trials over longer time frames are necessary to more completely assess the long-term efficacy and safety of cannabinoids in the treatment of OSA and its effects on common comorbid conditions, such as obesity and cardiovascular disease.