CBD - effective, or snake oil?

Health
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Mom’s dementia is starting to make her delusional, especially as it starts to get dark at night. Dad has tried CBD drops with her and so far isn’t sure if it’s helping. He tried a relatively low dose 17mg (?) per drop, and slowly increased over a couple of weeks up to 3-4 drops. It might have made her sleepy–he’s not sure. This was from a co. called Blue Moon Hemp. Maybe we need the more potent (100 mg?) per dose formula? It’s over $1 per drop, so we want to be sure it’s actually worth it.

The goal is to get something natural that helps her calm down and go to sleep. Doctor prescriptions have not helped–only made things worse. This included the “2 most prescribed meds for dementia” each of which just made her more delusional; and a “sleeping pill” that advertises on big network news broadcasts. It’s addictive and says do NOT use more than 2 weeks. The listed side effects are scary.

That’s the background, now here’s my question for the forum…

Has anyone tried CBD–oil or gummies–and noticed definite improvement with relaxation, reduction in anxiety, and/or helping you (or someone you have observed) go to sleep? If yes, what dosage worked, and which company(ies) did you purchase from?

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I’ve been through this for the past few years, with dementia. Lots of people in the caregivers groups talked about CBD like it was wonderful, but I started to take this with a grain of salt because it seemed some of them were joining the group to market their own products. I did try it with my wife briefly and saw little difference. Anxiety was our biggest challenge throughout.

Regarding CBD, it may do lots of things, but the evidence just isn’t clear at this point. I’ll find a summary in a minute and share.

I did not try edibles or any of the THC included products, but maybe I should have. It was still in the process of becoming legal and the logistical challenges were significant.

I think both are worth a try and you could get great results or nothing. The only downside is the waste of $ if it doesn’t work. People will say you need to get a certain type or with a certain kind of testing or whatever, but that’s more speculative than evidence-based.

Good luck.

1 Like
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This is 2.5 years old now, but it’s a reasonable summary of the evidence.

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I’ve been told that the CBD with a little THC is better for pain conditions, I would also like to know if it helps with dementia.

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The only honest, objective answer is that we don’t know yet. Some think it helps with symptoms like anxiety, but not many good studies.

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Cannabis, CBD oil and dementia | Alzheimer's Society.

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Thc can be good for pain. Mild to moderate.

One thing I like about thc. It’s about impossible to “overdose”.

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From the cited article, “However, trials and studies so far have generally been small or low quality making it difficult to come to a conclusion.”

So who knows.

The placebo effect probably plays a significant role in many evaluationas.

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That’s why the gold standard is the double blind study.

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My girlfriends has stress related insomnia and she uses THC, either in gummy form or a bong which is faster and works better for the purpose. I doubt CBD almost because of the prevalence of it, when you can buy CBD at the gas station that makes you wonder if it’s real.

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Don’t doubt cbd jtself. I’m not sold on it but it may work. Doubt the quality of most products out there.

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I know that I’m just one person, but I can attest that it works better than Xanax for anxiety. I’ve been using it for 2 years and no longer find that I need xanax. The test for me was Christmas 2019…we took my grandson to see Santa a Union Station and tour the Christmas train. Wall to wall people and a very tight space in the train. I didn’t feel the least bit anxious. I wouldn’t know about dementia, but it is definitely not snake oil for me.

On a side note, in Kansas it is illegal to sell CBD with any THC content, regardless of how small. So the entire benefit for anxiety is CBD alone. I got a sample in Missouri and there was an extremely small amount of THC in it. It was before I indulged in special brownies, but I had a urine test at my doctors office later that week…and tested positive for THC. So if you’re going for a new job and have to be drug tested, do NOT take CBD with THC in it.

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A+

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Thanks for your feedback KC. What dosage did you use?

If I understand, the “isolate” CBD means no possibility of even trace THC in it. “Broad spectrum” CBD could contain up to .03% THC. Good advice re: anyone who might be drug tested for work.

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Thanks for the link. I think I might try her on the highest dose CBD (100mg?) just to see what happens. If we see no noticeable improvement after a few tries, then my arthritic Dad can give it a try.

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It’s doubtful it would show up on a drug test. Drug test work in ranges to avoid false positives.

Drug test typically work by detecting metabolites. The metabolites can last 3-30 days in your system.

Benzos are the same way.

You can buy marijuana test on Amazon if you have concerns.

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It did. Prior to this I had NEVER used marijuana in any form. I got a sample of CBD in Missouri and had it Sunday. I tested positive for THC on Tuesday. That’s why I said that you might want to avoid any with THC …even with trace amounts. I wouldn’t be surprised if they tested me a couple of months later, but prior to that, the only THC I had was in that CBD.

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I used American Shaman Cloud Tincture. I buy the larger bottle and it says that there are 300mg per container. For anxiety, one dropper full works quite well. Again…I don’t know it’s effect, if any, on dementia. It says that there are 60 doses per bottle, and the bottle I have costs $65. If they have stores near you, you might go in and see if you can get a sample size. They used to to that a couple of years ago. Here is their store locator https://cbdamericanshaman.com/store-locator