. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2013 Jun 24.

Published in final edited form as: Braz J Psychiatry. 2010 May;32(0 1):S46–S55.

Table 2.

Studies of potential medications for cannabis use disorders

Medication	Mechanism of action	Study type/Results
Atomoxetine⁷⁹	norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor	Open label trial/No effect on cannabis use, gastrointestinal side effects.
Bupropion^51,66	norepinephrine and dopamine reuptake inhibitor	Lab study/Exacerbated withdrawal but reduced effects of cannabis. Randomized clinical trial/No effects on withdrawal or cannabis use.
Buspirone^67,68	serotonin 5HT receptor partial agonist	Open label trial/Reduced cannabis use, craving, and irritability but high drop out. Randomized clinical trial/No effects on cannabis use and high drop out.
Clonidine⁵⁴	a₂ adrenergic agonist	Lab study/Reduced tachycardia, but not subjective effects of cannabis.
Divalproex^52,65	unknown	Randomized clinical trial/No effect on cannabis use. Lab study/Exacerbated withdrawal and increased subjective effects of cannabis.
Dronabinol^{52,58–60,71}	CB₁ receptor agonist	Lab studies (2)/Reduced cannabis withdrawal. Lab study/Reduced subjective effects, but not choice to administer cannabis. Lab study/Increased subjective effects of cannabis and did not reduce “relapse”. Open label trial/Associated with cannabis abstinence.
Lithium^69,70	unknown	Open label trials (2)/Associated with reduced withdrawal and cannabis use.
Lofexedine⁵⁹	a₂ adrenergic agonist	Lab study/Alone and in combination with dronabinol, reduced withdrawal and “relapse”.
Naltrexone^55–57	mu-opioid receptor antagonist	Lab studies/Variable, but mostly negative impact on subjective effects of cannabis; dose and history of subjects may moderate effects.
Nefazodone^53,66	norepinephrine and serotonin reuptake inhibitor, 5HT₂ receptor antagonist	Lab study/Reduced select withdrawal symptoms, no effect on overall severity, and did not alter subjective effects of cannabis. Randomized clinical trial/No effects on withdrawal or cannabis use.
Rimonabant^61,62	cannabinoid CB₁ receptor antagonist	Attenuated subjective and physiological effects of cannabis in laboratory studies. Reduced cannabis use in small open-label clinical study. Side effect concerns.