Alzheimer's disease is the most widespread neurodegenerative disease in the US, affecting around 6.7 million Americans aged 65 and older. Agitation is a common symptom of Alzheimer's disease, and is characterized by excess motor activity such as pacing or repetitive movement alongside verbal and/ or physical aggression.
Agitation is known as one of the most distressing symptoms of Alzheimer's disease and commonly leads individuals with dementia to require treatment in the emergency department or long-term-care facilities. While it is possible to moderate mild agitation through behavioral interventions, in moderate to severe cases, medication is usually required.
In the current study, researchers investigated the effects of dronabinol, a synthetic version of cannabis's psychoactive ingredient tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), on patients with severe Alzheimer's agitation. To do so, they recruited 75 patients across five clinical sites. The participants were randomly selected to receive either 5 mg of dronabinol in pill form or a placebo twice daily for three weeks.
Ultimately, the researchers found that those in the dronabinol group experienced a 30% decrease in symptoms of agitation when compared to those in the placebo group, whose agitation levels were unaffected. They additionally noted that dronabinol was well-tolerated compared to current treatments for agitation.
Limitations to the findings include a small sample size and a short intervention period. Furthermore, Medical News Today reported that patients in both intervention and placebo groups were also receiving other antipsychotic and antidepressant treatments, which may have affected the results.
The researchers now intend to conduct longer-term studies of dronabinol for Alzheimer's disease with larger sample sizes. They also hope to explore other ways that medical cannabis may benefit patients and caregivers.
Sources: EurekAlert, EMPR, Medical News Today