Cannabis and Alzheimers

Researchers and clinicians have been busy investigating the effects of cannabinoids and their medicinal and recreational properties for some time now. One thing they have studied is whether cannabinoids can reduce agitation.

Agitation is an expected change in behaviour in individuals with Alzheimer's disease. Therefore, agitation should always be first treated via non-drug approaches. Still, medications may be needed for severe agitation that doesn't respond to other methods. Some existing medications can treat this type of behaviour, but many have harmful side effects. In addition, the most effective medicines can occasionally lead to stroke or potential death.

Cannabinoids interact with the body differently means they may be safer and more effective for someone encountering agitation. Some of their effects may even help to reduce brain cell death.

So far, few studies have looked at cannabinoids as a remedy, particularly for people with Alzheimer's disease. However, further analysis is critical because it's possible that cannabinoids may not exert the same influence on the brain of someone living with Alzheimer's disease as they may on a healthy brain.

Following support from several Alzheimer's research programs, a study was undertaken to explore further.

Several adults with moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease in a 14-week trial and given a synthetic cannabinoid called Nabilone to treat agitation and aggression. Nabilone is currently approved to treat chemotherapy-induced nausea.

The experiment was to determine whether Nabilone can reduce agitation without causing any significant side effects that may be commonly encountered with other medications.

Pain and weight loss are also primary concerns for people with progressive Alzheimer's. Additionally, they are often associated with agitation and aggression. Seeing as cannabinoids are also associated with inducing improvements in pain and appetite, changes in those symptoms in trial participants were also observed.

It was found that Nabilone significantly reduced agitation compared to the placebo and helped reduce behavioural symptoms. However, in some cases, it did increase sedation. The next step would be to conduct another trial with more people to substantiate the findings, particularly regarding effectiveness and safety.

While hopeful that the study will lead to further research on the use of cannabinoids to treat symptoms of Alzheimer's, doctors, people with dementia and families are precautioned that more research is needed before cannabinoids can be recommended to treat agitation. In addition, we need more studies to replicate our findings and investigate anticipated side effects of cannabinoids, such as sedation and memory loss.

More research will help to clarify the potential benefits and drawbacks of medical cannabis and help to implement advised guidelines, procedures and benchmarks. That way, we can focus less on short-term attempts to counter behaviour and more on the mental well-being of people with dementia.

While there is continuous optimistic research on the effects of cannabis, there is currently no solid evidence that cannabis is helpful for treating or preventing Alzheimer's disease. In addition, some research suggests that long-term use of cannabis could be harmful and result in further memory problems.

If you, or someone you know is living with Alzheimer's disease or dementia and have questions about cannabis, it's recommended that you consult your family doctor or another healthcare provider.