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Nabilone Side Effects

The most commonly reported side effects of nabilone include pain, off label use, and musculoskeletal stiffness, based on 2,024 FDA adverse event reports from 2004 to 2025. 18.0% of reports found the drug to be ineffective.

Nabilone side effects

Percentages show how often each reaction appears relative to total reports for nabilone.

1
Pain23.5%475
2
Drug Ineffective18.0%365
3
Off Label Use17.3%351
4
Musculoskeletal Stiffness14.1%285
5
Insomnia13.2%268
6
Rheumatoid Arthritis13.2%268
7
Drug Hypersensitivity12.5%254
8
Gait Disturbance11.9%240
9
Nausea11.2%226
10
Fatigue11.1%225
11
Arthralgia11.1%224
12
White Blood Cell Count Abnormal9.5%193
13
Diarrhoea9.2%187
14
Malaise8.9%180
15
Headache8.7%176

These are voluntary reports and do not establish that nabilone caused these reactions.

Report severity

97.2%Serious1,967 reports
39.5%Hospitalizations799 reports
5.2%Fatal105 reports

Seriousness is determined by the reporter, not by OpenClaim.

Nabilone drug interactions

Other drugs that appear in adverse event reports alongside nabilone. Drugs flagged as a suspected cause appear in the first column. Drugs taken at the same time but not suspected appear in the second.

Also suspected

1
Fentanyl21.0%426
2
Rituximab17.3%350
3
Duloxetine-hydrochloride15.7%318
4
Gabapentin12.3%248
5
Abatacept11.1%224
6
Sulfasalazine11.1%224
7
Hydromorphone-hydrochloride11.0%223
8
Tocilizumab10.7%216
9
Celecoxib10.6%214
10
Amoxicillin10.5%212
11
Bupropion10.3%208
12
Leflunomide10.0%203
13
Dihydrocodeine-bitartrate9.8%198
14
Fluoxetine-hydrochloride9.5%192
15
Diclofenac9.1%184

Taken alongside

1
Acetaminophen25.0%507
2
Prednisone21.9%443
3
Hydromorphone-hydrochloride15.8%320
4
Gabapentin14.9%301
5
Pantoprazole-sodium14.9%301
6
Baclofen13.5%273
7
Ondansetron10.7%216
8
Diphenhydramine10.4%211
9
Lorazepam10.4%210
10
Ergocalciferol9.4%190
11
Pregabalin9.1%184
12
Eszopiclone8.0%162
13
Levothyroxine-sodium7.1%143
14
Methylprednisolone7.0%142
15
Folic-acid6.5%131

Co-occurrence in adverse event reports does not establish a drug interaction. Patients often take multiple medications, and these lists reflect prescribing patterns rather than causal relationships. Consult a healthcare provider about potential drug interactions.

Who reports nabilone side effects

58.6% of nabilone adverse event reports involve female patients and 29.2% involve male patients. The largest age group is adult at 66%. These figures reflect who reports side effects, not underlying risk.

Sex

Female58.6%
Male29.2%
Unknown12.2%

Age group

< 2<0.1%
2–113.6%
12–177.2%
18–6465.7%
65+23.4%

What is nabilone used for

Conditions and purposes for which patients were taking nabilone when the adverse event was reported.

Affective DisorderAggressionAgitationAkathisiaAnalgesic TherapyAntiemetic Supportive CareAnxietyAppetite DisorderArnold-chiari MalformationArthralgiaAbdominal PainAgitationAnalgesic TherapyArthralgiaBack Pain

Showing 15 of 94 indications

Nabilone brand names and reporting trend

Nabilone is sold under the brand name Cesamet.

Brand names

Cesamet2,232

Quarterly reports (20042025)

20042010201520202025

An upward trend reflects increased FAERS reporting overall, not necessarily increased risk.

Taking nabilone with another medication?

Ask OpenClaim about your specific drug combination. Get a sourced report using FDA data, drug labels, and medical literature.