Tips Best meds for woman with dementia

[momofthegoons]

I got a frantic call from a friend today. Her elderly mother has dementia and is now suffering from the sun downers and anxiety that go with it. They've tried pharma meds and are at their wits end because it zombifies her. And really doesn't seem to be helping. She can't sleep and wakes up screaming and literally tearing out her hair and hitting herself.

She asked me if cannabis would help. They had gotten some CBD gummies....... and were hoping they might help her sleep.

While I realize the real answer is that the poor woman probably needs to go into a hospice and be given the proper medications to keep her comfortable, that will eventually come and I would love to help in some way in the meantime. I don't know that CBD is going to do much in this situation.

What do you guys think? Would an abv tincture maybe be an answer? You would get the sedative effects without the trippy feeling that the thc gives. It's something they could add to a nice cup of hot chocolate before bedtime. Or would you go straight out with some canna butter/oil in small doses and work up? Or regular tincture? Or glycerine tincture?

I'm hoping some of you might have some answers (@Killick @Shredder or anyone else who has made for others?)

 

[Shredder]

I got a frantic call from a friend today. Her elderly mother has dementia and is now suffering from the sun downers and anxiety that go with it. They've tried pharma meds and are at their wits end because it zombifies her. And really doesn't seem to be helping. She can't sleep and wakes up screaming and literally tearing out her hair and hitting herself.

She asked me if cannabis would help. They had gotten some CBD gummies....... and were hoping they might help her sleep.

While I realize the real answer is that the poor woman probably needs to go into a hospice and be given the proper medications to keep her comfortable, that will eventually come and I would love to help in some way in the meantime. I don't know that CBD is going to do much in this situation.

What do you guys think? Would an abv tincture maybe be an answer? You would get the sedative effects without the trippy feeling that the thc gives. It's something they could add to a nice cup of hot chocolate before bedtime. Or would you go straight out with some canna butter/oil in small doses and work up? Or regular tincture? Or glycerine tincture?

I'm hoping some of you might have some answers (@Killick @Shredder or anyone else who has made for others?)

I'm kinda dealing with the same issues myself. My 95 yr old mom is staying with us and she has a mild dementia. The dementia was worse (zombie like wasn't far off) until we had her dr change her scrips and lower dosages on others. We have not given mom any canna concoctions, mostly due to family objections, including mom, who is mostly sane and capable of making her own decisions.

If I did try to help with mj, I'd go full spectrum with both thc and CBD in light dosages and watch her carefully. I prefer canna caps so you can monitor dosage but oil or medibles would be fine, just go very light to start.

This really is a situation our govt made worse. Ideally we should work with our doctors, but our drs don't know shit about canna, and insurance companies they seem to work for, too scared to help. It's left to us to feel our way through.

 

[momofthegoons]

I'd go full spectrum with both thc and CBD in light dosages and watch her carefully. I prefer canna caps so you can monitor dosage but oil or medibles would be fine, just go very light to start.

Thanks for your input. That's sort of what I was thinking as well.

 

[Killick]

Thanks for the tag @momofthegoons - It's sad to hear of people suffering. It's a difficult decision to send someone to a home or hospice. Many of us will be dealing with that eventually. We can only do what we can do. My mother in law had to send her husband there because she simply wasn't able to provide the level of assistance he required. Fortunately he was placed in a hospice just a couple of blocks away so they were able to spend time together.

I'm with @Shredder, except my own mom is also now on cannabinoid therapy. She's on less meds, and we've also had great success using cannabis-infused DMSO helped her deal with the phantom pain associated with a recent amputation. It's working for several other patients, as well.

I can't recall where I read it, but a blend of CBD:THC can negate the psychotropic effect of THC. The article suggested 7 parts CBD to 1 part THC, which got me thinking that this is a good place for new users to start. Hemp-source CBD is better than nothing, so if thats what you can get use it. Start with 3-5 drops under tongue twice per day. After a few days you'll have an idea of whether it's doing anything and you can adjust the dose based on feedback from the patient. But she'll need regular and consistent dosing to help her ECS become active. The first few days of using CBD, even hemp-sourced, may make her much sleepier than usual due to the analgesic effect.

Because she's already on pharma it's important for both family and the medical team to understand the role of the cytochrome P450 enzyme in metabolic processing when combined with cannabinoid therapies: https://www.projectcbd.org/science/cannabis-pharmacology/cbd-drug-interactions-role-cytochrome-p450

And here's a great article: https://www.salk.edu/news-release/c...forming-alzheimers-proteins-from-brain-cells/

 

[momofthegoons]

@Killick thank you so much for weighing in here. You are always the source of such great info and advice.

I did mention the need for them to understand the drug interactions when combining pharma with cannabis. And showed them that exact article.

we've also had great success using cannabis-infused DMSO helped her deal with the phantom pain associated with a recent amputation.

THIS might be one of the best pieces of advice. She suffers terribly from neuropathy and feels like ants are crawling on her legs. I'll bet this would help with that as well.

Truth of the matter is I have no control over what they are doing. They went to a dispensary and picked up some gummies. I have no clue if they are CBD or full spectrum. You can lead a horse to water but.... getting them to listen is a whole different story. Hopefully they took my advice of starting very small and keeping an eye on her to heart.

I think I'll drop some of my salve off to them tomorrow. Might not help but it certainly can't hurt. And then I can see what transpired since I talked to her yesterday. And reinforce what I can.....