Long-term safety of medical cannabis in Parkinson's disease: A retrospective case-control study

Tomer Goldberg, Yonatan Redlich, David Yogev, Tsvia Fay-Karmon, Sharon Hassin-Baer, Saar Anis*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Whole-plant medical cannabis (MC) products are widely used for controlling symptoms associated with Parkinson's disease (PD). Despite its widespread use, few studies have investigated the long-term impact of MC on the progression of PD or its safety profile. This study examined the effects of MC on PD in a real-life setting. Methods: A retrospective case-control study of 152 idiopathic PD patients (mean age 69.1 ± 9.0 years), followed at the Sheba Medical Center Movement Disorders Institute (SMDI) from 2008 to 2022 was conducted. Seventy-six patients who used licensed whole-plant medical cannabis (MC) for at least a year were compared to a matched group who did not receive MC in terms of their Levodopa Equivalent Daily Dose (LEDD), Hoehn and Yahr (H&Y) stage, and cognitive, depressive, and psychotic symptoms. Results: The median monthly dose of MC was 20 g (IQR: 20–30), with a median Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) percentage of 10 (IQR: 9.5–14.15) and a median Cannabidiol (CBD) percentage of 4 (IQR: 2–10). There were no significant differences between the MC and the control groups for LEDD or H&Y stage progression (p = 0.90, 0.77, respectively). A Kaplan-Meier analysis showed no evidence of relative worsening of psychotic, depressive, or cognitive symptoms reported by patients to their treating physicians over time in the MC group (p = 0.16–0.50). Conclusion: Over the 1–3 years of follow-ups, the MC treatment regimens appeared to be safe. MC did not exacerbate neuropsychiatric symptoms and had no detrimental effects on disease progression.

Original languageEnglish
Article number105406
JournalParkinsonism and Related Disorders
Volume112
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 2023

Funding

FundersFunder number
Parkinson's and Movement Disorders in Madrid

    Keywords

    • Adverse events
    • Cannabinoids
    • Cannabis safety
    • Idiopathic Parkinson's disease

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