An Introduction to Dosing With Dronabinol
The dose of
dronabinol (
Marinol®) your healthcare provider recommends will vary, depending on a number of factors, including:
- The reason you are taking dronabinol
- Your height and weight
- How you respond to the drug
- Side effects you experience.
Your healthcare provider will adjust your dosage to give you the maximum benefit with the least likelihood of side effects. As is always the case, do not adjust your dose unless your healthcare provider specifically tells you to do so.
Dronabinol Dosage for AIDS-Associated Anorexia
People with
AIDS often suffer from severe
anorexia, or an inability to eat (this is different from
anorexia nervosa, the well-known
eating disorder), which results in weight loss. The standard initial dronabinol dose for appetite stimulation in people with AIDS is 2.5 mg twice daily: before lunch and before dinner.
This amount may be reduced to 2.5 mg just once daily, at dinner or bedtime, in people who experience significant
side effects of dronabinol. If higher doses are needed, the amount may be gradually increased to a maximum of 10 mg twice a day.
Dronabinol Dosage for Chemotherapy-Related Nausea and Vomiting
This medication may be given one to three hours before cancer chemotherapy and then every two to four hours after chemotherapy, for a total of four to six doses a day. Your healthcare provider will recommend a specific dosage of dronabinol using your body surface area, which is usually calculated using your height and weight.
HealthSavvy Sign In
|
