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Sleep Medicine

(1324) Efficacy of Dronabinol for Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Saturday, October 17, 2026

Presenting Author(s)

Sofia Khan, DO

Resident Physician (PGY-3)
Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Buffalo
Buffalo, New York, United States

Co-Author(s)

Patrick C. Keefe, BFA

Osteopathic Medical Student
Midwestern University, Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine
Downers Grove, Illinois, United States
Srivatsa Surya Vasudevan, MD MS

Postdoctoral Fellow
Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center - Shreveport
Shreveport, Louisiana, United States
Douglas P. Nanu, MD

Resident Physician
Duke University Hospital
Durham, North Carolina, United States

Senior Author(s)

Michele M. Carr, DDS MD MEd PhD

Professor
Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo, Dept of Otolaryngology
Buffalo, NY, United States

Introduction: Continuous positive airway pressure remains the standard first-line treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Alternative pharmacologic therapies, including dronabinol, have been explored. This study aimed to systematically evaluate the effect of dronabinol on polysomnographic outcomes in patients with OSA.

Methods: PubMed, Scopus, and CINAHL were searched from inception to October 20th, 2025 and analyzed for sleep-related outcomes following dronabinol therapy for OSA. Eligible studies reported baseline and post-treatment polysomnographic data. A random-effects meta-analysis model was used to account for inter-study heterogeneity. Pooled outcomes included OSA severity, sleep continuity, sleep efficiency (SE), arousal burden, and sleep architecture. Effect estimates were expressed as mean differences (MD), with statistical significance assessed using two-sided p-values.

Results: Out of the 534 articles, 4 studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the quantitative synthesis. Dronabinol therapy was associated with a significant improvement in OSA severity, with apnea–hypopnea index (AHI) decreasing significantly (MD: -9.44 events/hour, p = .007). Sleep continuity and efficiency also improved following treatment: total sleep time (TST) increased (MD: 40.04 minutes, p < .0001), wake after sleep onset (WASO) decreased (MD: -31.36 minutes, p < .0001), and sleep efficiency (SE) increased (MD: 9.41%, p = .0005). No significant difference was observed in arousal index (AI) (MD: -1.51, p = .70). With respect to sleep architecture, non–rapid eye movement sleep proportion (NREM %TST) decreased modestly but significantly (MD: -2.63%, p = .02), while rapid eye movement sleep proportion (REM %TST) did not change significantly (MD: -0.92%, p = .72).

Conclusions: Dronabinol therapy is associated with significant improvements in OSA severity and key sleep continuity metrics, including increased TST, reduced WASO, and improved SE.