CBD for the Elderly (Surprising Results [My Personal Experience])

CBD Oil For The Elderly

This is a story about my experience with CBD oil and my mother (an elderly woman).

As I’m beginning to write this, I peer across the dining room into the living room. I see her sitting there all pale, her body disfigured from ailments and hard work.

It has been weather-beaten from all the shipwrecks that have landed on the shore, what we call life.

You see:

She has had a very difficult life growing up, gone through famine, two great wars and struggled to raise five children.

This all while being mostly alone and subject to abuse. She has spent most of her last ten years in pain, and all I can ever think of is how I can make her life easier and pain-free.

I’m talking about the greatest “wonder woman” I know, or that you may have been so lucky to have in your life.

Yes.

My mom and as we call her “yia-yia”. You might call her “babushka”, “abuela”, “nonna”, etc. or just know her as grandma.

If you bare with me, I’ll reveal how a little bottle of CBD oil helped grandma with her maladies.

Some Background Information

I am her primary caregiver and have seen first hand how within the last five years, her health has deteriorated tremendously.

She lost 50 pounds in one year and went from 5’3” to 4’7” just like that. She was diagnosed with a hiatal hernia, heart disease, osteoporosis, arthritis, severe kyphosis, hardening of the arteries, as well as stenosis.

Also:

She has been on prescription drugs for the heart, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, hiatal hernia, and pain for many years.

And she doesn’t tolerate medications very well and gets even the rarest side effects recorded. Moreover, she’s gone through two surgeries (angioplasty) in order to have stents put into her arteries.

Due to her intolerance of medications, the doctors were unable to successfully finish the procedure.

At this time in her life, we have eliminated all of the medications except for one that is for the heart.

Now:

A lot of the side effects have subsided but a few plagues remain prominent.

Most of the time she is in pain due to the condensation of the spine, as well as the kyphosis. Nausea is an ongoing occurrence and sleep is almost non-existent. I forgot to mention, that she cannot take any kind of pain medication because it bothers her stomach.

Trying CBD Oil for the First Time

I was left with the sole task in what to offer her in order to alleviate her distress. That’s when I got the idea from my own experience.

I have to confess, this wasn’t my 100% personal idea, after talking with my son, nephew and a few other family members about all of CBD oil’s benefits, I became convinced that giving her CBD oil would be good for her.

Great!

Since it had little and non-severe side effects, what did I have to lose?

One day I walked into the house and grandma was having one of her many headaches. I popped out the little CBD bottle of oil and placed a full dropper into her mouth.

I should note here that I used full spectrum CBD oil.

Almost immediately, she asked me: What was that you’ve given me? She claimed she had this cool feeling come over her and her headache was gone.

Now:

For the next month or so I continued giving her CBD oil in the morning and at night. The results were subtle at first, but nevertheless, I saw an overall improvement over time.

Suddenly one morning I switched brands of CBD and she called me over and asked once again, “what was that you gave me?” (up until this point I had not revealed to her what I was giving her). I asked, “why?” Her response was, “because my body feels different”. “In what sense?” I replied. “It feels like it’s not mine, with all the aches like before, it feels good,” she said.

Other Surprising Effects of Taking CBD

Another tremendous milestone was when she asked me for food. This was a big one because she has always had nausea, and had to be coaxed into eating. This past appointment with her doctor I was told she had gained 2 pounds, which was unheard of in the past.

So:

After reporting the promising progress to her doctor, we eventually came to the mutual conclusion that she would do well with a prescription medical marijuana, for a more effective treatment.

So I got grandma certified through a certified medical marijuana Doctor and went to a dispensary and picked up her first bottle of medical marijuana oil (which by the way was more costly than over the counter CBD) (Insurance companies do not pay for certification or the oil).

After giving her a few doses for about a week, (The lowest dose, once in the morning and once in the night) I noticed the following:

The first day she seemed calm and feeling good.

The second day she became kind of groggy.

The third and fourth days she was pretty much sleepy most of the time, and feeling good.

By the end of the week she seemed completely anesthetized, and sleeping all the time. When trying to wake her she became incoherent. She wasn’t waking up easily and looked like she was under anesthesia.

My Conclusion

Although medical marijuana oil helped her in some ways (pain, sleep and nausea) I feel it’s counterproductive for her. She needs to be able to walk around and function normal and not be inactive. And because she has balancing issues, there’s the fear of falling.

It’s my opinion that medical marijuana would benefit more someone with a terminal illness or chronic disease or someone who is confined to a bed to help ease the symptoms.

In the end I went back to giving my mom the original CBD (over the counter) and she continues to do well on that with no pronounced side effects.  

For you who might have an older adult such as a parent or grandparent, and they are going through pain or another bothersome suffering, try CBD. It has helped my mom tremendously.

The Science Behind CBDs Effectiveness for Seniors

If you follow current news, you’ve probably heard of the ongoing debates and ideological clashes regarding cannabis use.

Proponents of cannabis legalization, especially, like to point out its favorable effects on senior citizens.

Now:

CBD, being extracted from the hemp plant, shows markedly similar benefits to marijuana (without inducing any “high” effect, because it is low in THC).

So you may be wondering, how potent is it? Moreover, is there evidence to buttress these claims?

Let’s take a look into what the most leading and authoritative studies have to say.

What Does the Latest Research Say?

There is a general consensus amongst researchers today that CBD may be a viable alternative to THC, especially for seniors.

CBD is now understood to be the major non-psychoactive constituent of cannabis with great potential benefits.

As for the studies:

According to a recent 2017 study authored by Dr. James Corroon at the Center for Medical Cannabis Education in California:

“CBD does not have the same action at the cannabinoid receptor as THC, the primary intoxicating constituent in cannabis. To avoid adverse effects, particularly in elderly populations, the application of CBD-dominant cannabis varietals and preparations may be warranted.”

So, CBD represents a safe alternative that may evade the risk of intoxication that cannabis, (which is high in THC) may present, particularly in seniors.

Moreover, the same paper states that more research into the effects of cannabis, particularly varieties that are CBD-dominant, is warranted, even more so than THC-dominant strains:

“There is a need for more research on mental health disorders and cannabis use, particularly with a focus on CBD rather than THC-dominant cannabis.”

Another recent study showed surprising results for senior patients who were prescribed cannabis.

When comparing states that allowed Medicare prescriptions of cannabis for seniors, to states that do not, the study found that medical cannabis states prescribed fewer drugs that treat anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders.

Do Doctors Recommend CBD?

It’s always best to speak with a medical professional before trying any new supplement.

That being said, many licensed doctors do recommend CBD; some even take it themselves.

According to Dr. William Cole, D.C.:

“I have been using CBD on various patients at my functional medicine center for some time, and we’re loving the clinical results! I use it to support healthy balanced inflammation levels in people with autoimmunity, pain, and anxiety. For some, CBD has truly been the missing link in their health puzzle. It’s one of the few things that I, too, take every day.”

Another medical professional, Dr. Carrie Diulus, M.D., states:

“Ultimately there’s a role for CBD in a variety of conditions. It decreases anxiety, is anti-inflammatory, and can help with sleep. It also has some positive impact on pain. Some of it may be for the reasons I listed above… I do have patients who anecdotally find that it’s helpful when used topically for arthritis and orally (spray) for pain. I think often it’s beneficial because it helps with sleep and anxiety, which both can be an issue with both acute and chronic pain.”

Moreover, Marcel Bonn-Miller, professor of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine notes that CBD studies conducted on humans in clinical trials show that CBD could be efficacious in the treatment of myriad symptoms of anxiety, specifically social anxiety.

However:

Timothy Welty, current chair of clinical sciences at Drake College of Pharmacy, notes that despite CBD’s purported benefits, the FDA advisory panel has only recommended approval of CBD medication for treatment of epilepsy (in the form of the drug Epidiolex).

He states that epilepsy is the only real area where there’s solid research evidence proving the efficacy of CBD.

As for the rest of CBD’s potential benefits, there’s too little research evidence to make a firm conclusion.

Now, this doesn’t mean that CBD is not effective; it just means that more research needs to be conducted on the matter.

What About the Potential Hazards of CBD Use?

At the time being, a few studies on CBD have pointed to potential risks, though none of which are very serious.

These mostly have to do with concerns about CBD’s possible interaction with other drugs that a patient may be taking.

A prominent example is in epilepsy studies, in which it was found that upon taking CBD, patients showed an increase in the blood levels of anti-epileptic drugs.

This may indicate that CBD is interacting with these drugs and causing them to last longer in the blood by preventing their metabolization by the body.

Now:

An implication of this is that patients administered anti-epilepsy drugs and CBD might need to have their dosage adjusted downwards to avoid potentially negative side effects.

There also is a slight indication that CBD may impact the liver.
Specifically, roughly 10 percent of patients who took CBD in clinical studies had elevated levels of liver enzymes.

Increases in liver enzymes are often considered a sign of possible liver damage by physicians.

Dr. Welty, chair at Duke College of Pharmacy, recommends that people interested in CBD seek out a doctor who has knowledge of the extract and its potential advantages before committing to its use.

“My advice is that people need to be under the care of a health care provider who understands CBD. They need to be monitored and managed by that individual, and not just go out and buy CBD”.

So, Should you Try CBD for Seniors?

Based on contemporary studies, and the suggestions of medical professionals, it may be effective.

Now:

I can attest first hand to CBD’s efficacy for my mother (an elderly woman).

This includes the alleviation of symptoms such as headaches, nausea, chronic pain, and sleeplessness. This is my utmost genuine opinion and eyewitness validity.

However:

Before giving CBD to anyone, ask their doctor.

This is because I’m not sure how it might interact with any medication or ailment they may have. For my mom, it did not, but not everyone is the same.

With that in mind, I wish you and your loved ones a pain-free life.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment. I look forward to hearing from you and responding to your inquiries.