• Bronwyn Bebee, David M Taylor, Elyssia Bourke, Kimberley Pollack, Lian Foster, Michael Ching, and Anselm Wong.
• Austin Health, Melbourne, VIC.
• Med. J. Aust. 2021 May 1; 214 (8): 370-375.

ObjectiveTo assess the analgesic efficacy and safety of single-dose oral cannabidiol (CBD) as an adjunct to standard care for patients presenting to an emergency department with acute low back pain.DesignRandomised, double blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial.SettingThe tertiary emergency department of Austin Hospital, Melbourne.ParticipantsPatients who presented with acute, non-traumatic low back pain between 21 May 2018 and 13 June 2019.InterventionOne hundred eligible patients were randomised to receiving 400 mg CBD or placebo in addition to standard emergency department analgesic medication.Main Outcome MeasuresPain score two hours after administration of study agent, on a verbal numerical pain scale (range, 0-10). Secondary outcomes were length of stay, need for rescue analgesia, and adverse events.ResultsThe median age of the 100 participants was 47 years (IQR, 34-60 years); 44 were women. Mean pain scores at two hours were similar for the CBD (6.2 points; 95% CI, 5.5-6.9 points) and placebo groups (5.8 points; 95% CI, 5.1-6.6 points; absolute difference, -0.3 points; 95% CI, -1.3 to 0.6 points). The median length of stay was 9.0 hours (IQR, 7.4-12 hours) for the CBD group and 8.5 hours (IQR, 6.5-21 hours) for the placebo group. Oxycodone use during the four hours preceding and the four hours after receiving CBD or placebo was similar for the two groups, as were reported side effects.ConclusionCBD was not superior to placebo as an adjunct medication for relieving acute non-traumatic low back pain in the emergency department.Trial RegistrationAustralian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12618000487213 (prospective).© 2021 AMPCo Pty Ltd.

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