Researchers at King’s College, London are all set to conduct a first-of-a-kind study that was long overdue. The objective of the research is to find out whether Sativex has any positive impact on the behavior of patients of Alzheimer, who are often a victim of increased agitation and extreme anger.
For those who aren’t already aware of the drug- Sativex is a peppermint-flavored ‘medicine’ that contains both the non-psychoactive CBD and the psychoactive THC. However, in the United Kingdom, it is usually used to treat muscle stiffness in patients suffering from multiple sclerosis.
For the study, researchers plan to recruit many volunteers in the age-group of 55-90, all of whom are patients of Alzheimer’s, are living in care homes and have confirmed symptoms of aggression and agitation.
While half of the volunteers will receive measured doses of Sativex for a month, the remaining will instead be given placebos. After a month, the results of the two groups will be compared. If the inferences are positive, the drug will be pushed for further testing in a larger clinical trial.
In extreme cases of dementia, antipsychotic medication can always be considered. However, in mild cases, there is a dire need of a better approach/treatment as Alzheimer’s patients can hurt people around them too.
Upon listening to this piece of news, the Alzheimer’s society welcomed the research with open arms as no such study has been conducted so far that shows if cannabis chemicals – CBD and THC — can be effectively used to treat the two chronic symptoms of dementia- aggression and agitation.
A similar study was conducted in Toronto which made use of ‘synthetic’ form a cannabinoid named nabilone. This study found that besides significantly cooling down the aggression as compared to the placebo, the drug was quite successful at improving the overall behavior of the patients.
