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Experts say half of people with dementia can be helped by a cannabis-based oral spray.
British researchers want to check whether peppermint treatment can reduce the restlessness felt by many people with the disease.
Getty – Contributor
At present, about 850,000 Britons are suffering from dementia – and this figure is expected to reach one million within 10 years.
There is currently no cure, although some medications may limit symptoms.
In addition to memory problems and confusion, half of dementia sufferers have a challenging behavior, such as increased aggression.
MS drug tested in patients with dementia
Alzheimer's Research UK is funding a £ 300,000 trial to determine if Sativex can help mitigate these changes.
The cannabis drug is currently licensed in the UK for the treatment of MS patients.
Scientists at King's College in London are currently recruiting volunteers with Alzheimer's disease who live in health care facilities and have symptoms of agitation.
Participants will take the drug for four weeks or a dummy drug.
Aggression is a common and painful symptom
Professor Dag Aarsland, a researcher in psychiatry, said, "Many people with Alzheimer's disease can become agitated or aggressive, which can be difficult for the person with the disease and their loved ones.
"Current treatments for behavioral and psychiatric symptoms of dementia are very limited and we desperately need to develop alternatives.
"Doctors sometimes prescribe antipsychotic medications.Although these medications may have significant benefits, they must be weighed against the risk of very serious side effects."
Sativex contains two essential cannabinoids found in illicit drugs: delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD).
Hope for thousands
Experts said that if these first tests were successful, a much larger clinical trial would follow.
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Dr. David Reynolds, Scientific Director of Alzheimer's Research UK, warned that there is no evidence that smoking cannabis can reduce the symptoms of dementia.
He said: "In the absence of new treatments for dementia for over 15 years, it is essential that we test a wide range of approaches in order to find effective ways to help people affected by this disease.
"If one of the main goals of dementia research is to develop drugs that slow down or stop the progression of the physical diseases that cause dementia, the important thing is that drugs benefit every day in the world. population.
"The trial opens the door to a treatment that could help alleviate a set of extremely difficult symptoms."
Getty – Contributor
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