Home › Alzheimer's Disease › NCT04436081
Effects of THC-Free CBD Oil on Agitation in Patients With Alzheimer's Disease
RecruitingPhase 2
Who can join
Ages 50 to 90 · All sexes
Full eligibility criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Males/females over 50 years old. * Have a diagnosis of dementia due to AD or mixed AD with another type of dementia. * A Mini-Mental State Exam score (MMSE) between 4 and 28 inclusive. * Presence of agitation with a Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI)-agitation/aggression subscore \> 3. * Participants and their informal caregivers must be fluent in English (includes reading, writing, and speech) and able to give informed consent. * For patients treated with cognitive-enhancing medications (cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEI) and/or memantine), the dosage must be stable for at least 1 month (30 days). If the ChEI and/or memantine has been discontinued, patients may enroll after 15 days. * Eligible caregivers must either live with the participant or have a minimum of 4 hours of daily contact with them. Exclusion Criteria: * Diagnosis of non-AD or non-mixed dementias. * Very mild dementia or advanced dementia (MMSE: greater than 28 or less than 4). * NPI-agitation-aggression score \< 3. * Having a serious or unstable medical illness including cardiovascular, hepatic, renal, respiratory, endocrine, neurologic or hematologic disease which might confound assessment of safety outcomes as determined by the study physician. * Presence or history of other serious psychiatric disorders or neurological conditions (e.g. psychotic disorders, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia). * Current abuse of/dependence on marijuana, current drug abuse, current alcohol abuse. * Having seizure disorders. * Pregnant or breastfeeding * Indication of baseline delirium as determined by the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM). * Current use of lithium. * Inability to swallow CBD oil softgels. * Changes in dosage of anti-depressives within 4 weeks before randomization and during the study. * Changes in dosage of antipsychotics or benzodiazepines within 1 week prior to randomization and during the study. * Contraindications to CBD oil (history of hypersensitivity to any cannabinoid). * Frequent falling due to orthostatic hypotension. * Use of tricyclic antidepressants (TCA), fluoxetine, and/or carbamazepine. -Patients who reside in nursing homes.
About the study
This is a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, crossover trial that aims to 1) determine the efficacy of THC-free cannabidiol (CBD oil) in reducing the severity of agitation among participants and 2) determine whether THC-free CBD oil can reduce the burden on caregivers and increase the participants' quality of life.
What is being tested
- THC-free CBD Oil (drug)
- Placebo (drug)
Sponsor: Eastern Virginia Medical School · Participants: 40 · Started: Feb 26, 2021
Contact the study team
- David Elkins, MS · Phone: 757.446.5675
Official record on ClinicalTrials.gov — NCT04436081
Locations in the U.S.
| Virginia | Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk |
Conditions
From ClinicalTrials.gov, data retrieved Sep 30, 2026. Each study sets its own eligibility; the study team decides who can join.