CBD for Aggression

Studith

My DH has had several occasions where he's struck someone in his memory care unit.  He has never been violent, has always been fun loving and loves people.  99% of the time he's great, but the neuro is giving him risperidone to try to settle him.  Risperidone's side effects are dire, and I don't want him to be the statistic of sudden death or stroke (he's at mild risk anyway).

The meta-studies around CBD for aggression show promise, and anecdotally show success. Has anyone used CBD for this purpose?

Lynne D

I have used 1:1 THC to CBD. All I got was a silly aggressive person.

Cherjer

I tried CBD/THC (5mg/5mg) in a gummy for several days...had no affect on DH. He just was constantly eating and more jittery. I wish it would help, though. He enjoyed the taste of the gummys, though!

jmlarue

I have a friend who manages a pot shop here in Washington State. He hooked me up with the person who formulates the CBD concoctions for treating various conditions. We spent a good amount of time discussing DH's troublesome behaviors and cognitive deficits at that time. Two weeks later, 60 days of gelatin capsules of  CBD mixed with olive oil arrived free of charge. We were both anxious to see what effect we could get with CBD (no THC content). Primary doc gave it wink and a nod. Basically said he could see no harm in trying. I couldn't detect a single positive or negative effect over that 2 month period. No harm, no foul, but I'm surely glad we were able to give it a try without spending a couple of hundred bucks for the experiment.

Studith

Thanks.  Keep hoping for a miracle; find one every day.  Just not for this, eh?

jmlarue

Keep in mind that our experiment with CBD is purely anecdotal. Just because I saw no real change in DH's troublesome behavior while taking it, doesn't mean that your LO won't benefit from it. There are verifiable studies from reputable medical research sources that have suggested a benefit to taking CBD - it's just not 100% effective in every case. This is really no different than most of big pharma's drug offerings for people with dementia, but without the litany of adverse side effects. Personally, the only thing that keeps me from trying it again is that I can't justify the extra cost when we saw no discernible improvement. If money were no object, however, I would absolutely keep trying.

Rescue mom

I tried CBD alone on my DH with Alzheimer’s, and later, with doctors OK, some very mild CBD/THC combos. None had any discernible effect. The stronger THC version might have made him sleepier, but he sleeps a lot anyway. Didn’t seem to affect his occasional delusions and/or aggression.

Again, this is just IME with him, and others may have different outcomes.

The geriatric psychiatrist later gave him a Dx for Seroquel for his delusions/aggressions. The first amount totally knocked him out, now in process of reducing dosage so he’s not so out of it.