is it available in the U.S.? Not that I want to add another med, but i'm trying to keep up with the different options.

Hi Dabbo,
got this from Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nabilone


Nabilone is a synthetic cannabinoid with therapeutic use as an antiemetic and as an adjunct analgesic for neuropathic pain. It is a synthetic cannabinoid, which mimics the main ingredient of marijuana (THC) but it has more predictable side effects and causes no or minimal euphoria. Nabilone is not derived from the cannabis plant as is dronabinol. In Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Mexico, nabilone is marketed as Cesamet. It was approved in 1985 by the United States FDA for treatment of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting that has not responded to conventional antiemetics. Though it was approved by the FDA in 1985, the drug only began marketing in the United States in 2006. It is also approved for use in treatment of anorexia and weight loss in patients with AIDS.
Although it doesn't have the official indication (except in Mexico), nabilone is widely used as a adjunct therapy for chronic pain management. Numerous trials and case studies have demonstrate various benefits for condition such as fibromyalgia and multiple scerosis.
Nabilone is a racemate consisting of the (S,S) and the (R,R) isomers ("trans").

[edit] Clinical trials

The main settings that have seen published clinical trials of nabilone include movement disorders such as Parkinson's syndrome, chronic pain, dystonia and spasticity neurological disorders, fibromyalgiasyndrome, multiple sclerosis, and the nausea of cancer chemotherapy.
A study comparing nabilone with metoclopramide, conducted before the development of modern 5-HT3 inhibitor anti-emetics such as ondansetron, revealed that patients taking cisplatin chemotherapy preferred metoclopramide, while patients taking carboplatin chemotherapy preferred nabilone to control nausea and vomiting. [1] Another study compared nabilone alone to nabilone with dexamethasone. The study found that the combination worked better than the single medication. [2] An older study revealed that nabilone was more effective than prochlorperazine in controlling nausea, though in this study, only 9% of nabilone patients had complete resolution of symptoms. [3] A follow-up to this study revealed similar findings. [4]


References

1. ^ Cunningham D, Bradley C, Forrest G, Hutcheon A, Adams L, Sneddon M, Harding M, Kerr D, Soukop M, Kaye S (1988). "A randomized trial of oral nabilone and prochlorperazine compared to intravenous metoclopramide and dexamethasone in the treatment of nausea and vomiting induced by chemotherapy regimens containing cisplatin or cisplatin analogues". Eur J Cancer Clin Oncol 24 (4): 685-9. PMID 2838294.
2. ^ Niiranen A, Mattson K (1987). "Antiemetic efficacy of nabilone and dexamethasone: a randomized study of patients with lung cancer receiving chemotherapy". Am J Clin Oncol 10 (4): 325-9. PMID 3039831.
3. ^ Herman T, Einhorn L, Jones S, Nagy C, Chester A, Dean J, Furnas B, Williams S, Leigh S, Dorr R, Moon T (1979). "Superiority of nabilone over prochlorperazine as an antiemetic in patients receiving cancer chemotherapy". N Engl J Med 300 (23): 1295-7. PMID 375088.
4. ^ Einhorn L, Nagy C, Furnas B, Williams S. "Nabilone: an effective antiemetic in patients receiving cancer chemotherapy". J Clin Pharmacol 21 (8-9 Suppl): 64S-69S. PMID 6271844.

Found this as well
http://www.valeant.com/mediaCenter/n...?objectId=4188

http://www.drugs.com/mtm/nabilone.html

so I think it is available in the US.....depends on the doc and if he/she will give it to you for off label use.....

good luck,
Victoria

"It is a synthetic cannabinoid, which mimics the main ingredient of marijuana (THC) but it has more predictable side effects and causes no or minimal euphoria".

Just wondering how would this differ from smoking marijuana? Would smoking it cause less side effects, more control over dosage?
Hi Gibbrn; I hope you find a compatable dosage to help you with your pain levels. Do you or anyone else think that climate, etc. rain or dampness increases paain levels? It rained here all day today

Hi,
I think smoking would be the ideal way to go if were that easy.....
I believe real herbs are better than synthetic ones....

I for sure think rain effects pain!! It is cold and shivering that gets me....if you shiver it tends to upset already stressed muscles and can cause pain.....most arthritic patients I have looked after or talked to claim that the rain is always a factor in their pain levels and how much they can do physically. I think they find it causes increased joint pain...some can even tell when the rain is coming they can feel the pressure changing.

Thanks for asking about the doseage ......
I have decided to lower my dose and get rid of the side effects...I take only one pill 0.5mg at about 9pm and hope it wears off in 12 hours....I sleep well. but have found my snacking increasing......

Take care!
Victoria

Ok people lets get real i am sure there are more then yous are letting on that has or is smoking pot. I myself have tried it but was no good because it incresed my pain but did make me sleep the frist time and the second but the 3rd time i had to smoke more so that was it for me. My doctor gave me cesament same thing it very much gave me a body stone it was just like smoking the **** except you don't smell that order like pot has. I tried the pill form frist did not last long and we changed meds. Then later some other doctors i seen told me to have a toke i talked to my doctor and she said if i could get a joint go a head and try it if it works we will see about getting me on a scrept. Any ways you do what ever you need to with this pain we have to live with and if people can't be open with what they try then there is something wrong here. Sorry if you don't like what i have to say but lets be real