Description and Brand Names

Drug information provided by: Merative, Micromedex®

US Brand Name

  1. Marinol
  2. Syndros

Descriptions


Dronabinol is used to treat nausea and vomiting caused by cancer medicines. It is used only when other kinds of medicine for nausea and vomiting did not work. This medicine is also used to treat anorexia (loss of appetite) in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) who have lost weight.

This medicine is available only with your doctor's prescription.

This product is available in the following dosage forms:

  • Solution
  • Capsule, Liquid Filled

Before Using

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For this medicine, the following should be considered:

Allergies

Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to this medicine or any other medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods, dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully.

Pediatric

Appropriate studies have not been performed on the relationship of age to the effects of dronabinol in the pediatric population. However, children are more sensitive to the mental and nerve effects of this medicine. Safety and efficacy have not been established.

Geriatric

Appropriate studies performed to date have not demonstrated geriatric-specific problems that would limit the usefulness of dronabinol in the elderly. However, elderly patients are more likely to have dementia or age-related liver, kidney, or heart problems, which may require caution and an adjustment in the dose for patients receiving dronabinol.

Breastfeeding

There are no adequate studies in women for determining infant risk when using this medication during breastfeeding. Weigh the potential benefits against the potential risks before taking this medication while breastfeeding.

Drug Interactions

Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking this medicine, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive.

Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is not recommended. Your doctor may decide not to treat you with this medication or change some of the other medicines you take.

  • Disulfiram
  • Metronidazole

Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required in some cases. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.

  • Carbamazepine
  • Itraconazole

Other Interactions

Certain medicines should not be used at or around the time of eating food or eating certain types of food since interactions may occur. Using alcohol or tobacco with certain medicines may also cause interactions to occur. Discuss with your healthcare professional the use of your medicine with food, alcohol, or tobacco.

Other Medical Problems

The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of this medicine. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:

  • Alcohol use disorder, history of or
  • Substance use disorder, history of—Dependence on dronabinol may develop.
  • Allergy to alcohol, history of—Syndros® should not be used in patients with this condition.
  • Allergy to sesame oil, history of—Marinol® should not be used in patients with this condition.
  • Bipolar disorder (manic or depressive illness), or history of or
  • Heart disease or
  • Hypertension (high blood pressure) or
  • Schizophrenia (mental illness), or history of or
  • Seizures, history of—Use with caution. May make these conditions worse.

Proper Use

Take this medicine only as directed by your doctor. Do not take more of it, do not take it more often, and do not take it for a longer time than your doctor ordered. To do so may increase the chance of side effects.

This medicine comes with a patient information leaflet. Read and follow the instructions carefully. Ask your doctor if you have any questions.

Swallow the capsule whole. Do not crush, break, or chew it.

If you are taking this medicine for treatment of nausea and vomiting caused by cancer medicines, take the first dose on an empty stomach, at least 30 minutes before meal. After your first dose, you can take it with or without food.

Measure the oral liquid with a marked oral syringe. The average household teaspoon may not hold the right amount of liquid.

To use the oral liquid:

  • Open the bottle by pushing down firmly on the child-resistant cap and turn it counter-clockwise.
  • Place the open bottle upright on a flat surface. Push down on the adapter until the ribbed end of the adapter fits into the neck of the bottle as far as it will go. The top edge of the adapter should be in full contact with the top rim of the bottle. Do not remove the adapter from the bottle.
  • Use one hand to hold the oral syringe. Push down the plunger with your other hand. Keep the bottle in an upright position, insert the syringe tip firmly into the adapter.
  • Turn the bottle upside down with the syringe tip still inserted into the adapter. Slowly pull back on the plunger until the measuring ring is at the line marking that matches the needed dose.
  • If you see air bubbles in the syringe, push in the plunger so that the oral liquid flows back into the bottle. Then, pull up the prescribed dose.
  • Leave the oral syringe in the adapter and turn the bottle to an upright position. Place the bottle onto a flat surface. Remove the oral syringe from the bottle adapter by gently pulling straight up.
  • Place the oral syringe in the back of your mouth on top of your tongue. Slightly tilt your head back and close your lips around the barrel of the syringe. Slowly push down the plunger and swallow. Drink a full glass of water.
  • If you are giving this medicine through a feeding tube: Place the oral syringe into the feeding tube. Slowly push down the plunger until syringe is empty. Flush the feeding tube with 30 mL water.

Do not eat grapefruit or drink grapefruit juice while you are using this medicine.

Dosing

The dose of this medicine will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor's orders or the directions on the label. The following information includes only the average doses of this medicine. If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so.

The amount of medicine that you take depends on the strength of the medicine. Also, the number of doses you take each day, the time allowed between doses, and the length of time you take the medicine depend on the medical problem for which you are using the medicine.

  • For loss of appetite and weight loss in patients with AIDS:
    • For oral dosage form (capsules):
      • Adults—At first, 2.5 milligrams (mg) 2 times a day, taken 1 hour before lunch and dinner. Your doctor may adjust your dose as needed and tolerated. However, the dose is usually not more than 20 mg per day.
      • Children—Use and dose must be determined by your doctor.
    • For oral dosage form (solution):
      • Adults—At first, 2.1 milligrams (mg) 2 times a day, taken 1 hour before lunch and dinner. Your doctor may adjust your dose as needed and tolerated. However, the dose is usually not more than 16.8 mg per day.
      • Children—Use and dose must be determined by your doctor.
  • For treatment of nausea and vomiting caused by cancer medicines:
    • For oral dosage form (capsules):
      • Adults—Dose is based on body surface area (BSA) and must be determined by your doctor. At first, 5 milligrams per square meter (mg/m[2]) of BSA taken 1 to 3 hours before chemotherapy and then every 2 to 4 hours after chemotherapy for a total of 4 to 6 doses per day. Your doctor may adjust your dose as needed and tolerated. However, the dose is usually not more than 15 mg/m(2) per dose for 4 to 6 doses per day.
      • Older adults—Dose is based on body surface area (BSA) and must be determined by your doctor. At first, 2.5 mg/m(2) of BSA once a day, taken 1 to 3 hours before chemotherapy. Your doctor may adjust your dose as needed and tolerated.
      • Children—Use and dose must be determined by your doctor.
    • For oral dosage form (solution):
      • Adults—Dose is based on body surface area (BSA) and must be determined by your doctor. The dose is usually 4.2 milligrams per square meter (mg/m[2]) of BSA taken 1 to 3 hours before chemotherapy and then every 2 to 4 hours after chemotherapy for a total of 4 to 6 doses per day. Your doctor may adjust your dose as needed and tolerated. However, the dose is usually not more than 12.6 mg/m(2) per dose for 4 to 6 doses per day.
      • Older adults—Dose is based on body surface area (BSA) and must be determined by your doctor. The dose is usually 2.1 mg/m(2) of BSA once a day, taken 1 to 3 hours before chemotherapy.
      • Children—Use and dose must be determined by your doctor.

Missed Dose

If you miss a dose of this medicine, take it as soon as possible. However, if it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular dosing schedule. Do not double doses.

Storage

Keep out of the reach of children.

Do not keep outdated medicine or medicine no longer needed.

Ask your healthcare professional how you should dispose of any medicine you do not use.

Store in the refrigerator. Do not freeze.

You may keep the opened bottle of oral liquid at room temperature for up to 42 days. Throw away any unused medicine 42 days after opening the bottle.

Precautions

It is very important that your doctor check your progress at regular visits to allow for changes in your dose and to check for any unwanted effects.

Do not use this medicine if you are using or have used disulfiram (Antabuse®) or metronidazole (Flagyl®) within the past 14 days. Do not use disulfiram or metronidazole within 7 days after treatment with Syndros®.

Using this medicine while you are pregnant may cause serious unwanted effects in your newborn baby. Tell your doctor right away if you think you are pregnant or if you plan to become pregnant while using this medicine.

Do not breastfeed during treatment and for 9 days after your last dose, if you are being treated for nausea and vomiting caused by cancer medicines.

Dronabinol is a synthetic cannabinoid and may be passed through your breast milk to your baby. This can affect your baby's feeding pattern and decrease his or her body weight. If you breastfeed during treatment with this medicine, your baby's weight will need to be monitored.

Check with your doctor before taking any of these medicines while you are using this medicine. The use of alcohol or other medicines that affect the CNS may worsen the side effects of this medicine, such as dizziness, poor concentration, drowsiness, unusual dreams, and trouble with sleeping. Some examples of CNS depressants are antihistamines or medicine for hay fever, allergies, or colds, sedatives, tranquilizers, or sleeping medicines, prescription pain medicine or opioids, medicine for attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, medicine for seizures or barbiturates, muscle relaxants, or anesthetics (numbing medicines), including some dental anesthetics. This effect may last for a few days after you stop taking this medicine.

This medicine may cause some people to become drowsy, dizzy, lightheaded, or to feel a false sense of well-being. Do not drive or do anything else that could be dangerous until you know how this medicine affects you.

Dizziness, lightheadedness, or fainting may occur when you get up suddenly from a lying or sitting position. Getting up slowly may help. Also, lying down for a while may relieve the dizziness or lightheadedness. If this problem continues or gets worse, check with your doctor right away.

If you develop any unusual or strange thoughts and behavior while using dronabinol, be sure to discuss it with your doctor.

If you think you or someone else may have taken an overdose of this medicine, get emergency help at once. Signs of overdose include: changes in mood, confusion, hallucinations, mental depression, nervousness or anxiety, and fast or pounding heartbeat.

Tell your doctor right away if you have a new or worsening nausea, vomiting, or stomach pain after taking this medicine.

Do not take other medicines unless they have been discussed with your doctor. This includes prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicines and herbal or vitamin supplements.

Side Effects

Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.

Check with your doctor immediately if any of the following side effects occur:

Less common

  1. Changes in mood
  2. confusion
  3. delusions
  4. fast or pounding heartbeat
  5. feelings of unreality
  6. loss of memory
  7. mental depression
  8. nervousness or anxiety
  9. problems with memory
  10. seeing, hearing, or feeling things that are not there

Rare

  1. Blurred vision
  2. chills
  3. dizziness, faintness, or lightheadedness when getting up suddenly from a lying or sitting position
  4. sweating
  5. unusual tiredness or weakness

Incidence not known

  1. Fainting
  2. feeling of warmth
  3. hives or rash
  4. redness of the face, neck, arms, and occasionally, upper chest
  5. seizures
  6. sores in the mouth
  7. swelling of the lips
  8. tightness in the throat
  9. trouble sleeping

Get emergency help immediately if any of the following symptoms of overdose occur:

Symptoms of overdose

  1. Being forgetful
  2. change in how fast you think time is passing
  3. change in your sense of smell, taste, sight, sound, or touch
  4. constipation
  5. decrease in motor coordination
  6. drowsiness (severe)
  7. dryness of the mouth (severe)
  8. false sense of well-being
  9. feeling sluggish
  10. panic reaction
  11. problems in urinating
  12. redness of the eyes
  13. seizures
  14. slurred speech
  15. unusual drowsiness or dullness

Some side effects may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. Also, your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects. Check with your health care professional if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome or if you have any questions about them:

More common

  1. Clumsiness or unsteadiness
  2. dizziness
  3. drowsiness
  4. false sense of well-being
  5. nausea
  6. trouble with thinking
  7. vomiting

Less common or rare

  1. Flushing of the face
  2. lack or loss of strength
  3. restlessness
  4. stomach pain

Rare

  1. Burning, dry, or itching eyes
  2. continuing ringing or buzzing or other unexplained noise in the ears
  3. cough
  4. diarrhea
  5. discharge, excessive tearing
  6. headache
  7. hearing loss
  8. redness, pain, swelling of the eye, eyelid, or inner lining of the eyelid
  9. sneezing
  10. stuffy or runny nose

Other side effects not listed may also occur in some patients. If you notice any other effects, check with your healthcare professional.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Portions of this document last updated: May 01, 2024

Original article: https://www.mayoclinic.org/zh-hans/drugs-supplements/dronabinol-oral-route/precautions/drg-20063560