THC medication made PTSD nightmares disappear for more than a third of patients
A prescription form of THC helped many people with PTSD escape recurring trauma-related nightmares, with more than one-third reporting that the nightmares disappeared completely after ten weeks. The results could point toward a long-awaited treatment for one of PTSD’s most distressing and stubborn symptoms.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often causes distressing nightmares, making sleep difficult and causing fear of bedtime. Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin researchers investigated whether THC, a compound in cannabis, could alleviate these disturbing dreams. Of the over 170 participants with frequent, severe PTSD-related nightmares, more than one-third reported their nightmares disappeared entirely after ten weeks of taking Dronabinol, a THC-based medication.
The drug, given as drops to participants each night before bed, showed greater effectiveness than a placebo in reducing nightmare severity. On a scale from zero to eight, the Dronabinol group experienced an average nightmare burden decrease of 3.7 points, compared to 2.2 points for the placebo group. Most patients in the Dronabinol group felt their health improved, without experiencing severe side effects or signs of dependence.
The study, led by Charité and supported by Bionorica SE, suggests THC may specifically target PTSD-related nightmares without impacting overall PTSD severity or depression.
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