Medical marijuana helps 91 percent of older adults improve their pain, insomnia and mood or behavioral symptoms, a new study has found.

The research involved 124 people over the age of 65 who received medical cannabis from a specialized practice in Colombia and whose symptoms were measured at baseline, 44 of whom had a follow-up visit after three months.

Most of the participants had not previously used marijuana, and the most frequent diagnoses they presented with were pain-related and musculoskeletal disorders, cancer and neurodegenerative and non-degenerative neurological disorders—with their top therapeutic objectives being relief of pain, mood/behavioral issues, insomnia and motor symptoms.

Patients’ symptoms were recorded by treating physicians and then coded by researchers on a four-point scale (0 = absent, 1 = mild, 2 = moderate, and 3 = severe), “classified according to its documented impact on patients’ autonomy, basic and instrumental activities of daily living, and participation in meaningful daily activities,” the paper said.

“Symptom severity decreased significantly across the three main symptom domains, with improvement in approximately 90% of patients.”

Symptom improvement was defined as a reduction of at least one point in severity relative to baseline, and 91 percent of participants met that threshold, the study, which has not yet been published in a journal and has been made available as a preprint, found.

“The first documented improvement occurred at visit 2 in 67.7% of patients with pain, 65.4% of those with insomnia, and 73.9% of those with mood or behavioral symptoms, with median times to first improvement of three, two, and one month, respectively,” the researchers wrote.

“Symptom evolution between baseline and the last available follow-up visit demonstrated a consistent reduction in symptom severity across the three most prevalent clinical domains. Median severity scores for pain, insomnia, and mood or behavioral symptoms decreased significantly from baseline to the last available assessment, and no patient showed worsening of symptom severity.”

Analyses also showed that there were “strong effect sizes” for descriptive improvements in digestive and motor symptoms, appetite, well-being and physical strength—though those were not statistically significant.

There was a “significant progressive decline in symptom severity over successive follow-up visits for pain, insomnia, and mood or behavioral symptoms.”

While total resolution of symptoms was uncommon, a small numbers of patients with pain, insomnia and mood/behavioral issues did report complete relief.

Notably, the researchers said that the clinically effective doses of cannabis, which was most commonly administered in oral oil-based formulations, was “low”—typically using just a few milligrams per day of THC, CBD and/or CBG.

The study, which received funding from the European Union, also measured patients’ ongoing use of other medications after starting cannabis, finding that while the “overall medication burden remained stable,” there were dose reductions or discontinuations of concomitant medications in a quarter of the patients.

Overall, there was a “favorable longitudinal evolution of the three most prevalent symptom domains—pain, insomnia, and mood or behavioral symptoms—during routine treatment with supervised medical cannabis,” the paper said.

“Symptom intensity decreased from predominantly moderate to mild levels, and most patients experienced at least a one-point reduction in the severity of their principal symptom during follow-up. Longitudinal analyses further showed progressive improvement across successive follow-up visits, suggesting that these changes reflected a sustained clinical trajectory rather than an isolated difference between baseline and the final assessment.”

“In this retrospective real-world study, older adults receiving supervised medical cannabis experienced favorable symptom evolution during follow-up, while treatment showed a clinically acceptable safety profile and was characterized by consistently low documented clinically effective doses,” the researchers concluded.

The findings, they said, “add to the growing evidence that cannabis may represent a therapeutic option for selected older adults under specialist supervision.”

The researchers cautioned that the observational nature of the study means that causality cannot be inferred, though they do plan to follow up with larger cohorts of patients in Colombia, Argentina and Chile, which they said will “improve statistical power, increase the diversity of clinical practice settings, and allow more robust evaluation of treatment patterns, effectiveness, and safety across different healthcare contexts.”

A separate recent federally funded study published by the American Medical Association (AMA) found that “older adults are increasingly turning to cannabis for symptom management”—with many motivated to try marijuana “as an alternative to traditional pharmaceuticals due to concerns about adverse effects.”

“As cannabis legalization becomes more widespread, older adults are increasingly turning to it not just for recreational use, but to manage symptoms associated with aging, including pain, sleep disturbances, and mental health concerns,” that research found.

AMA separately adopted a resolution this year that recognizes both the risks and potential therapeutic benefits of marijuana use among older adults.

Photo courtesy of Max Pixel.

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Depression is a condition in which you can’t think, feel and act properly. You feel like an empty vessel with no energy or interest in anything. Depression can make you sleep for many hours or very little.

Does depression happen out of the blue?

No. There are certain reasons due to which you might experience depression or other mood disorders.

Causes of Depression

Depression can happen due to:

1. Environment: if your surroundings consist of violence and hopeless circumstances
2. Personal or professional reasons can also lead to depression (Shock or trauma)
3. Hormonal Changes and genetic reasons can contribute to making you feel depressed.

There may be reasons for depression, but help is available.

Antidepressants  

People use antidepressants to cope with the problem of depression; however, they can have side effects ranging from:

• low libido
• Headaches
• Constipation
• Emotional numbness
• Insomnia (sleep issues)
• Weight gain/ Weight loss

Apart from antidepressants people try to use Alcohol and overeating as a way to cope with depression, but it makes things worse in the long run.

Alcohol and overeating can numb the feeling for a while in exchange for making your health worse.

Instead of using antidepressants with side effects, there is a much safer and natural way to help you with depression.

The better alternative is CBD.

CBD and Depression

What is CBD?

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a active compound present in cannabis plant that has many healing properties used for dealing with many mental and physical ailments.

It can help you get out of depression because most individuals suffering from depression don’t have the capacity to make lifestyle changes but also stick with the changes till they feel better.

“In the treatment of complex mental health challenges and multiple diagnoses, I would often prescribe mindfulness and breathing techniques alongside medications and supplements. However, it became obvious that patients in a depressed state often didn’t have the brain motivation or mental resources to stick with a technique long enough to reap the benefits. I realised that they needed a quicker win to get to a point where mindfulness and breathwork might help them.”  

–The CBD Bible by Dani Gordon, MD

CBD can help you deal with depression because it has shown positive results in scientific studies such as:

Many individuals have used it for dealing with depression.

CBD’s medicinal properties include:

•  anti – tumour effects

•  neuroprotective qualities

•  analgesic properties

•  anti – anxiety and antidepressant

•  antipsychotic effects

•  anticonvulsant (used to treat seizures)

•  antioxidant

•  anti – nausea (in some people works best with THC)

•  anti – sebum and anti – acne effects

•  counteracts THC intoxication and THC side effects (very useful where medical cannabis is prescribed for patients who may need some THC for severe symptoms but who do not want to feel intoxicated).

-The CBD Bible by Dani Gordon, MD

Research Findings (How CBD helps with Depression)

1. “Cannabidiol (CBD) has shown promising antidepressant-like effects in preclinical models, primarily mediated through serotonin receptor activation and the enhancement of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression.” – source
2. “Patients reported significant reductions in depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms following cannabis use, with high CBD / low THC strains being associated with the largest reduction in depression ratings.” – source
3. “CBD exhibits rapid and sustained antidepressant-like action by modulating synaptic plasticity, neuroinflammation, and hippocampal neurogenesis.” – source
4. “Cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) displayed potent antidepressant-like effects in genetic rat models of depression, demonstrating pharmacological activity at doses substantially lower than CBD.” – source
5. “Cannabidiol induces antidepressant-like and anxiolytic-like effects mainly through its interaction with neuroreceptors, promoting enhanced serotonergic signaling in cortical and subcortical brain regions.” – source
6. “CBD and its acidic precursor CBDA alleviate depressive-like behaviors by restoring synaptic connectivity and upregulating neurotrophic pathways within the prefrontal cortex.” – source
7. “The antidepressant properties of CBD are strongly linked to its ability to facilitate adult neurogenesis in the hippocampus and promote structural plasticity.” – source
8. “Preclinical evidence overwhelmingly supports the therapeutic potential of CBD for mood disorders, citing safety profiles superior to conventional psychiatric medications and absence of psychotomimetic side effects.” – source
9. “Targeting neuroinflammatory cascades through CBD administration leads to reduced microglial activation and decreased pro-inflammatory cytokine expression associated with depressive states.” – source
10. “CBD represents a multi-target therapeutic candidate for major depressive disorder and anxiety, operating through complex interactions across the endocannabinoid, serotonergic, and neuroinflammatory systems.” – source

Consult with a Doctor

Before you use any CBD products make sure to consult with a Doctor. The doctor’s guidance will help you get an accurate dosage for a specific type of chronic pain.

Conclusion

Depression is difficult to deal with. Emotional Numbing, low energy, and suicidal thoughts negatively impact your mental health.

Using antidepressants for depression can help to a certain extent but may come with huge side effects. Therefore, a better and safer alternative than antidepressants is CBD.

Use CBD to manage depression naturally and more safely.

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