CBD and Parkinson’s: effects and benefits

How Cannabidiol Affect Parkinson’s Symptoms

Current treatments for psychosis work by blocking dopamine receptors in the brain, which can aggravate other symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, such as tremor. What is interesting about cannabidiol is that it seems to act in a different way, without causing other side effects. However, the clinical trial will determine how accurate this is for people with Parkinson’s.

CBD as a treatment for Parkinson’s

Some studies suggest CBD may have some positive effects, especially when it comes to nonmotor symptoms, such as depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders.

Pain

A small study of 22 individuals with Parkinson’s found that using cannabis helped improve pain. However, this study was conducted with medical marijuana, which contains both CBD and THC

But animal studies have suggested CBD alone has benefits for reducing pain and inflammation, two factors that can affect people with PD regularly.

Tremors

Some of the most common treatments for Parkinson’s disease can cause medicine-related tremors or uncontrolled muscle movements. Treatment with the medicine won’t make it better — and it could make it worse.

As a possible solution, an older, smaller study has suggested that CBD may be able to help ease these muscle movements.

Psychosis

Psychosis is a possible complication of Parkinson’s disease. It can cause hallucinations, delirium, and delusions, and it’s more common in people in the later stages of the disease.

In fact, up to 50 percent of people with PD experience this complication.

While medications are available to treat Parkinson’s psychosis, some people have wondered if CBD might be beneficial.

A 2009 study in people with Parkinson’s disease and psychotic symptoms found that the compound reduced the severity of symptoms. It also caused no adverse effects.

Sleep

Sleep disruption and a lack of quality sleep is a serious concern for people with Parkinson’s disease. Vivid dreams or nightmares, as well as movement during sleep, is common.

Highly respected database from the National Institutes of Health have found that both cannabis and CBD alone might help with sleep disturbances.

Quality of life

Because of the many potential benefits of CBD for people with Parkinson’s, researchers have suggested using the compound might help improve quality of life. This is a major concern for individuals living with Parkinson’s disease

One study found that people who had Parkinson’s disease and no psychiatric symptoms or conditions experienced an improved quality of life with CBD use. This study, too, was done in a very small group of people, so further research is needed to thoroughly support the findings.

CBD and the gold-star treatment for Parkinson’s

Remember, there’s an established treatment for Parkinson’s disease — but it’s not perfect.

Levodopa is the most effective and most commonly used treatment for PD. This medication helps replenish the level of dopamine in the brain.

Levodopa addresses many of the motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. That includes tremors or muscle stiffness.

However, this drug does nothing to address the non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. These are the symptoms that can dramatically affect a person’s quality of life. These include anxiety, depression and sleep quality.

What’s more, prolonged use of levodopa may cause side effects like agitation, anxiety, confusion, and nausea. It may also cause a type of tremor that’s the result of the medication itself, not PD.

CBD appears to be best suited to address those nonmotor issues and potential side effects, rather than motor issues. One study Trusted Source with more than 200 people found that that use of cannabis had a high effectiveness on nonmotor symptoms. However, this study included THC with CBD, not CBD alone. 

In conclusion:

The cannabinoid not only could relieve the symptoms of the degenerative disease itself, but it could alleviate the side effects of the most common treatment. Some doctors are becoming more and more open to CBD as a complementary treatment, so talk to your doctor about these issues and how to get relief using CBD oil.

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