Marijuana, Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms, and Pain in the Urologic Patient

Urology. 2020 May:139:8-13. doi: 10.1016/j.urology.2020.01.029. Epub 2020 Feb 4.

Abstract

Objective: To describe marijuana's clinical role for urologic symptoms.

Methods: Studies related to marijuana, voiding dysfunction, lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), and pain through January 2019 from PubMed were evaluated for relevance and quality.

Results: Forty-eight studies were reviewed. Cannabinoids have mixed efficacy for neurogenic LUTS and little evidence for non-neurogenic LUTS, chronic non-cancer-related and perioperative pain. For cancer-related pain, high-level studies demonstrate cannabinoids are well-tolerated with unclear benefit.

Conclusion: Cannabinoids appear well-tolerated in the short-term, but their efficacy and long-term impact is unproven and unknown in urologic discomfort. Cannabinoids for urologic symptoms should be further explored with well-designed randomized controlled trials.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Cancer Pain / drug therapy*
  • Cannabidiol / therapeutic use
  • Cannabinoid Receptor Agonists / therapeutic use
  • Cannabinoids / adverse effects
  • Cannabinoids / therapeutic use*
  • Cannabis
  • Chronic Pain / drug therapy*
  • Cystitis, Interstitial / drug therapy
  • Dronabinol / therapeutic use
  • Drug Combinations
  • Humans
  • Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms / drug therapy*
  • Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms / etiology
  • Male
  • Medical Marijuana / adverse effects
  • Medical Marijuana / therapeutic use
  • Multiple Sclerosis / complications
  • Pain, Procedural / drug therapy
  • Pelvic Pain / drug therapy
  • Urinary Incontinence / drug therapy

Substances

  • Cannabinoid Receptor Agonists
  • Cannabinoids
  • Drug Combinations
  • Medical Marijuana
  • Cannabidiol
  • Dronabinol
  • nabiximols