Dronabinol for nightmares in post-traumatic stress disorder: a randomized controlled trial.

Dronabinol significantly reduces PTSD-related nightmares, showing greater improvement than placebo with a mean CAPS-IV B2 score decrease of -1.50 in a 10-week trial involving 171 adults.

• Why it matters: Nightmares are a core symptom of PTSD with limited pharmacological options, creating a need for effective treatments to improve patient quality of life and symptom management.
• What they did: A multicenter, double-blind, randomized controlled trial assigned adults with PTSD and recurrent nightmares to receive daily dronabinol (2.5-15 mg) or placebo for 10 weeks, measuring changes in nightmare severity.
• The result: Dronabinol effectively decreased nightmare frequency and intensity, but adverse events and serious side effects highlight the need for further research on its long-term safety and efficacy.