Dronabinol - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Here's some info, TokinChick. Marinol/dronabinol is designed to stimulate appetite and suppress nausea and vomiting, but it also has psychoactive effects on plenty of patients. Not all of them, but lots do report that happening. Problem is, it's not generally described as a pleasant high. That's because it's purely synthetic THC, and in real whole cannabis, there are numerous other cannabinoids (like CBD and about 65 others, I believe) that, in combination with the THC, modulate those psychoeffects make for a pleasant experience in most people. In marinol, those accompanying modulating chemicals aren't present in the same way. Marinol's not labeled as an analgesic (pain reliever), although what my PDR reference says is that it does have that result in some patients.

They taught us in school that a lot of people have pretty good luck w/ marinol but that it acts very slowly and that, for serious nausea and definitely for pain, there are likely probably other drugs that are more effective for those specific symptoms. Some people have fairly good luck with it helping them get control over their nausea/vomiting and helping them gain weight. We had a friend who had terminal breast cancer a few years ago who had very good luck with it helping her overcome some of her chemo symptoms. She would have been one of those who'd have benefited from real cannabis, I'm sure. Pisses me off that that wouldn't have been a legal option for her in Texas.

Real sorry about your friend's mom!