“They were awake, alert, more comfortable and less agitated, and this led to significant improvement in the caregiving quality of life.”
By Sarah Ladd, Kentucky Lantern
New research—which Kentucky participated in as a trial site—shows a combination of cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) can help late-stage dementia patients feel less agitation.
Dr. Greg Jicha, the director of clinical trials at the University of Kentucky’s Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, said this combination, given to patients all over the state who participated in trials, lowered agitation scores by eight points, a “striking” reduction.
“We’ve seen a lot of Alzheimer’s research really move towards the early stages in terms of prevention, and that’s really left a huge hole in the field where we have limited options to provide quality of life, dignity and respect for those that are in the later stages of disease,” Jicha said during a Tuesday morning virtual press conference. “We have very few medications that we can use for patients that may be agitated and/or have other neuropsychiatric symptoms, and these can be quite disruptive, especially for our families in our area who choose to care for their loved one at home.”
Kentucky has a medical cannabis program, approved by the legislature in 2023, which
Read full article on Marijuana Moment
