Dronabinol

The target daily dose in the BONG trial is 20 mg dronabinol, delivered as eight 2.5 mg capsules per day. The 20 mg maximum daily dose was selected because it is the highest recommended dose for appetite stimulation in the Marinol product characteristics. Dronabinol is a synthetic cannabis-based medication containing Δ9-THC that acts as a partial agonist at both cannabinoid receptor 1 and cannabinoid receptor 2. Dronabinol side effects include drowsiness, dizziness, confusion, euphoria, palpitations, tachycardia, hallucination, paranoia, and elevated liver enzymes, among others. Withdrawal from dronabinol treatment may cause irritability, insomnia, nervousness, tremor, and general discomfort. The psychoactive effects of dronabinol may undermine blinding integrity in the trial.