A Cannabis-Derived Drug Was No Better Than Standard Medication for Radiation Therapy Nausea
In a randomized trial, the cannabis derivative levonantradol performed similarly to chlorpromazine for preventing vomiting from radiation therapy, with both drugs well tolerated and neither clearly superior.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Cannabinoid antiemetics had shown promise in chemotherapy, but their use in radiation therapy was largely untested. This trial compared levonantradol, a synthetic cannabis derivative, against chlorpromazine, a standard antiemetic, in patients receiving palliative single-fraction radiation to sites known to cause nausea.
Two doses of levonantradol (0.5 mg and 0.75 mg) were tested against 26 mg chlorpromazine. In both the pilot study and the randomized trial, the frequency of vomiting was similar across all three groups. Both drugs were well tolerated, with most patients treated as outpatients.
Key Numbers
Levonantradol doses: 0.5 mg and 0.75 mg. Chlorpromazine dose: 26 mg. Vomiting frequency was similar across all three groups in both the pilot and randomized phases.
How They Did This
Pilot study followed by a randomized trial comparing chlorpromazine (26 mg) with levonantradol at two doses (0.5 and 0.75 mg) in patients receiving palliative single-fraction radiotherapy to sites likely to cause nausea and vomiting.
Why This Research Matters
While cannabinoid antiemetics showed advantages in chemotherapy settings, this study showed they were not superior for radiation-induced nausea. This distinction matters because different treatments cause nausea through different mechanisms, and a drug that works for one may not work for another.
The Bigger Picture
This was an early attempt to extend cannabinoid antiemetic use beyond chemotherapy. The neutral result helped define the boundaries of cannabinoid effectiveness and contributed to the understanding that radiation-induced and chemotherapy-induced nausea may involve different pathways.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
The study used palliative single-fraction radiation, which may produce different nausea patterns than multi-fraction regimens. Sample size details were not provided in the abstract. Only two doses of levonantradol were tested.
Questions This Raises
- ?Would higher doses of levonantradol show an advantage?
- ?Do different radiation protocols produce nausea through different mechanisms than chemotherapy?
- ?Would THC itself perform differently than this synthetic derivative?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Vomiting frequency was similar across all treatment groups
- Evidence Grade:
- A randomized trial comparing active treatments, but without detailed sample size information and testing only a narrow radiation protocol.
- Study Age:
- Published in 1982. Modern radiation techniques and antiemetic protocols have evolved substantially.
- Original Title:
- Randomised clinical trial of levonantradol and chlorpromazine in the prevention of radiotherapy-induced vomiting.
- Published In:
- Clinical radiology, 33(6), 621-2 (1982)
- Authors:
- Lucraft, H H, Palmer, M K
- Database ID:
- RTHC-00024
Evidence Hierarchy
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or placebo groups to test cause and effect.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Did the cannabis derivative work better than the standard drug?
No. Both levonantradol and chlorpromazine produced similar vomiting rates. Neither was clearly superior.
Is this the same as using marijuana for nausea?
Levonantradol is a synthetic cannabis derivative, not natural marijuana or THC. Results may differ from those seen with natural cannabinoids.
Read More on RethinkTHC
- CBD-oil-quality-guide
- anxiety-medication-after-quitting-weed
- cannabis-chemotherapy-nausea
- cannabis-chronic-pain-research
- cannabis-epilepsy-CBD-Epidiolex
- cbd-anxiety-research-evidence
- cbd-for-weed-withdrawal
- cbd-vs-thc-difference
- medical-benefits-of-cannabis
- quitting-weed-before-surgery
- quitting-weed-medication-interactions
- quitting-weed-pregnancy
- quitting-weed-pregnant
- seniors-older-adults-cannabis-risks-medications
- weed-breastfeeding-THC-breast-milk
- cannabis-and-cancer-pain-beyond-chemo-nausea
Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-00024APA
Lucraft, H H; Palmer, M K. (1982). Randomised clinical trial of levonantradol and chlorpromazine in the prevention of radiotherapy-induced vomiting.. Clinical radiology, 33(6), 621-2.
MLA
Lucraft, H H, et al. "Randomised clinical trial of levonantradol and chlorpromazine in the prevention of radiotherapy-induced vomiting.." Clinical radiology, 1982.
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Randomised clinical trial of levonantradol and chlorpromazin..." RTHC-00024. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/lucraft-1982-randomised-clinical-trial-of
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.