Research into Synthetic Cannabis to Treat Dementia Agitation
NBC reports that a synthetic cannabis drug may help calm agitation in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. The drug is currently used to treat nausea in cancer patients.
Agitation is a symptom of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, and can be difficult for a family member or caregiver to manage. Dementia patients are often prescribed antipsychotic drugs, and in extreme circumstances, they are physically restrained to treat agitation. For those seeking treatment for agitation with a sedative, anxiety drug or other medication, they are now looking at synthetic cannabis as an option.
“Agitation, aggression, sleep disturbances — all have a significant impact on both their quality of life and their caregiver’s quality of life,” said Heather Snyder, senior director of medical operations for the Alzheimer’s Association.
According to NBC, “Doctors have long been looking for a drug that could safely treat agitation in Alzheimer’s patients.”
“Currently prescribed treatments for agitation in Alzheimer’s do not work in everybody, and when they do work the effect is small and they increase risk of harmful side effects, including increased risk of death,” Krista Lanctôt of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center and the University of Toronto, who led the research, said in a statement.
Read the full article here: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/cannabis-drug-eases-agitation-alzheimer-s-patients-n894111
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