A new study from Colombia’s Universidad de Antioquia, published in the peer reviewed journal Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids, highlights CBD-rich oil as a treatment option for neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) in Alzheimer’s disease (AD).
CBD oil.
In a two-year prospective study, researchers observed that a majority of patients experienced significant improvements in symptoms and a reduction in caregiver distress. This open-label study reveals that CBD oil could provide a safer, effective alternative for managing challenging AD symptoms, particularly for those with disease onset after age 65.
The study, titled Treatment of Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Alzheimer’s Disease with a Cannabis-Based Magistral Formulation: An Open-Label Prospective Cohort Study, was conducted between July 2020 and July 2023 with researchers from Universidad de Antioquia and two research hospitals in Colombia. It aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of CBD-rich oil in treating neuropsychiatric symptoms for Alzheimer’s patients, a common issue impacting both patients and their caregivers.
In the trial, patients with Alzheimer’s onset after age 65 and untreated neuropsychiatric symptoms were administered CBD-rich oil sublingually every 8 to 12 hours, with weekly up-titration to achieve an optimal dose. At the study’s start, the median severity score for neuropsychiatric symptoms was 24, while caregivers’ distress scores were as high as 29. After three months of CBD treatment, the results were notable: the median NPI-Q severity score dropped to 12, while caregivers reported their distress score reduced to 14, both showing statistically significant changes (p < 0.001).
Furthermore, 94.9% of patients achieved at least a 30% reduction in neuropsychiatric symptoms after 12 weeks, with 54.2% seeing an improvement of over 50%. Researchers tracked these improvements across a follow-up period of up to 24 months, finding that the benefits were sustained over time, reinforcing the potential long-term efficacy of CBD for these symptoms.
The study concludes, “This study shows that CBD-rich oil is an effective and safe therapy for treating NPS in AD patients, while also reducing the caregivers’ distress.” With Alzheimer’s patients and their families frequently struggling to find effective and safe treatments, these findings suggest that CBD could offer a valuable alternative for improving quality of life.
