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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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US: Synthetic cannabis could help Alzheimer's patients Rael Martell Health-news.co.uk Thursday 21 Aug 2003 A synthetic version of the active ingredient in cannabis may reduce agitation and result in weight gain among patients with Alzheimer's disease, say US researchers. Dronabinol - a synthetic form of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which occurs naturally in cannabis - is already used in the treatment of anorexia in HIV/AIDS patients and for the nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy. But now a team of researchers from New Jersey's Meridian Health System say that it could also have a role in treating the symptoms of agitation, which affect an estimated 75 per cent of people with Alzheimer's disease. Their study looked at 48 patients with a mean age of 77 living in a dementia unit of an assisted living facility or a nursing home - all of whom met approved criteria of suffering from possible Alzheimers' disease. The patients' families and caregivers all said that the subjects had unsatisfactory control of their agitation. The mini mental status examination (MMSE) test was used to measure cognitive skills and activities of daily living prior to treatment with dronabinol, and at one month. Initially, patients received a daily dose of 5mg of the drug and this was later increased to 10mg per day. In addition, all patients were treated with atypical neuroleptics and at least four medications to control their behaviour. Caregivers evaluated their charges' agitation levels after one month of treatment and found a significant improvement in 66 per cent of the subjects after taking dronabinol. Functional improvement was observed in 69 per cent of the patients and after treatment all of the patients had gained weight, said the researchers. 'Our research suggests dronabinol may reduce agitation and improve appetite in patients with Alzheimer's disease, when traditional therapies are not successful,' says Dr Joshua Shua-Haim, lead investigator of the study and medical director of the Meridian Institute of Aging, an affiliate of the Meridian Health System. 'In the study, dronabinol appeared to be safe and effective for these patients. The results point to a promising direction for future research,' he said. Source: International Psychogeriatric Association HMG Worldwide 2003 http://www.health-news.co.uk/
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