CBD for Alzheimer’s Symptoms: What a New Study Reveals About Supporting Behavioural Changes in Dementia

When a loved one is living with Alzheimer’s disease, the challenges rarely stop at memory loss. Families often find themselves navigating something far more unpredictable: sudden agitation, anxiety, sleepless nights, restlessness, or moments of fear and confusion that seem to come from nowhere. These behavioural and emotional changes, known as neuropsychiatric symptoms, can be just as difficult as cognitive decline itself.

For many carers, the hardest part is feeling as though these moments pull the person they love even further away. It can strain relationships, disturb routines, and leave families desperately searching for support options that feel safe, gentle, and grounded in evidence.

In recent years, CBD has become part of that conversation. Not as a cure or a medical treatment, but as a plant-based compound that researchers are increasingly studying for its potential to support stress, agitation, mood, and sleep. And a 2024 prospective cohort study has now explored how CBD-rich oil may help ease behavioural symptoms in people with Alzheimer’s, while also reducing the emotional burden on caregivers.

This article walks you through the findings, helping you understand what this research means - and what it doesn’t - for families living with dementia.

Understanding the Behavioural Side of Alzheimer’s

It’s easy to associate Alzheimer’s primarily with forgetfulness, disorientation, or trouble completing everyday tasks. But for many families, the more distressing changes are behavioural.

These behavioural changes, officially called neuropsychiatric symptoms, can include:

• Agitation or restlessness

• Anxiety or fearfulness

• Irritability or sudden mood swings

• Sleep disturbances

• Hallucinations

• Suspicion or delusional thinking

• Night-time wandering

• Loss of interest or motivation

They affect between 80 and 90 per cent of people with Alzheimer’s at some point during their illness. And beyond impacting the person experiencing them, they place enormous pressure on caregivers. The study’s introduction highlights this clearly: these symptoms often disrupt feeding, personal hygiene, communication and daily care, increasing stress and sometimes leading to hospitalisation or long-term care placement. 

Traditional medications can sometimes help, but they may also carry risks, particularly for older adults. This is why researchers continue to explore alternative, gentler options - including the use of CBD.

Why CBD Is Being Studied for Alzheimer’s Symptoms

CBD, short for cannabidiol, is one of the main non-psychoactive compounds found in the cannabis plant. Unlike THC, it doesn’t create a “high.” Instead, CBD interacts with a network in the body called the endocannabinoid system - a system involved in mood, stress responses, sleep, inflammation and communication between brain cells.

Researchers are interested in CBD because early evidence suggests it may influence pathways linked to agitation, anxiety, sleep quality and emotional balance. These early mechanisms are discussed in the scientific paper, which describes how CBD interacts with several receptors that help regulate mood, stress and inflammation. 

This doesn’t mean CBD is a treatment for Alzheimer’s. But it does explain why scientists are studying whether it may offer supportive benefits for some behavioural symptoms.

A Closer Look at the Study

The research behind this article was carried out at a medical cannabis clinic in Colombia and followed 59 adults with Alzheimer’s disease for at least three months. All participants had been experiencing untreated behavioural symptoms such as agitation, anxiety, irritability or disrupted sleep.

Here are the study’s key features:

Who took part:
Adults over 65 living with Alzheimer’s disease and experiencing behavioural symptoms.

What they received:
A CBD-rich oil taken under the tongue, starting at a low dose and increased gradually. The oil contained a high ratio of CBD to THC (50:1).

How they were monitored:
Participants and their caregivers visited the clinic monthly. Doctors measured changes using a structured questionnaire called the NPI-Q, which assesses both symptom severity and caregiver distress. Blood tests were performed to monitor safety.

How long the study lasted:
Participants used the CBD-rich oil for an average of 23 months, with most completing at least three months of follow-up.

This type of research - an open-label prospective cohort - is designed to observe real-world outcomes over time. It isn’t a placebo-controlled clinical trial, but it can still offer valuable insights into how people respond to CBD in everyday settings.

What the Researchers Found

The results were striking, especially considering the complexity of behavioural symptoms in dementia.

Significant reductions in behavioural symptoms

By the three-month mark, the vast majority of participants showed meaningful improvements. In fact:

• 94.9 per cent experienced more than a 30 per cent reduction in behavioural symptom severity.

• More than half saw improvements greater than 50 per cent.

These improvements were measured using the NPI-Q scale, which looks at symptoms such as agitation, anxiety, irritability, nighttime behaviours, hallucinations and appetite changes.

One particularly notable finding: all twelve symptom categories measured showed improvement, from agitation and anxiety to sleep disruptions and appetite-related changes. 

Benefits extended to caregivers too

Behavioural symptoms don’t occur in isolation; they shape the emotional landscape of the entire household. For this reason, the study also measured caregiver distress - essentially, how stressful or overwhelming it felt to support their loved one through these behavioural episodes.

The results were encouraging:

• 94.9 per cent of caregivers experienced at least a 30 per cent reduction in distress.

• 86.4 per cent saw a reduction of 50 per cent or more.

This suggests that stabilising behavioural symptoms may help create calmer, more predictable daily routines and reduce emotional strain on caregivers.

Improvements that lasted over time

For those who continued using the CBD-rich oil beyond three months, benefits tended to continue. In the group that completed 6, 12, 18 and even 24 months of follow-up, most maintained their improvements in both symptom severity and caregiver stress. 

That durability is particularly interesting for families who struggle with symptoms that fluctuate or return once medications wear off.

How Might CBD Influence Behavioural Symptoms?

While the study wasn’t designed to explain mechanisms in detail, it summarises several biological pathways that researchers believe could be relevant.

Here’s what the science suggests:

1. CBD may influence mood and anxiety signals
CBD interacts with receptors involved in regulating stress, emotional responses and anxiety, including serotonin receptors, which play an important role in calmness and mood stability.

2. It may help regulate inflammation in the brain
Chronic inflammation is known to play a role in Alzheimer’s progression. CBD interacts with receptors that participate in inflammatory pathways, helping researchers understand why it’s being studied for brain health support.

3. It may support more balanced communication between brain cells
Certain receptors affected by CBD are involved in how brain cells communicate. When these systems become overactive, agitation, restlessness or irritability can increase.

4. It may play a role in sleep-wake rhythms
Disrupted sleep is common in Alzheimer’s, and CBD’s interaction with receptors linked to sleep regulation has drawn research interest.

It’s important to stress that these are emerging ideas. More research is needed before firm conclusions can be made, but they offer helpful context for why CBD is being explored as a potential supportive option.

Is CBD Safe for Older Adults?

Safety is a major concern when discussing any new supplement in older adults, especially those taking multiple medications.

In this study, CBD was generally well tolerated:

• Only one participant experienced significant drowsiness during dose increases, which resolved after stopping the product.

• Blood tests monitoring liver function, kidney function and blood markers remained stable over 12 months.

• Slow and gradual dose increases appeared to help reduce side effects.

These findings are promising, though individual responses to CBD can vary widely. Anyone considering CBD should always speak with a healthcare professional, especially if taking prescription medications.

What This Study Means for Families Living With Alzheimer’s

The results are hopeful, but it’s important to place them in context.

CBD is not a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. It cannot reverse memory loss or stop the condition from progressing. But this study suggests that CBD-rich oil could be a supportive tool for easing behavioural symptoms that make daily life difficult - and reducing the emotional strain felt by caregivers.

For many families, even small improvements in agitation, sleep or irritability can transform daily routines and improve quality of life. That may explain why more carers are exploring natural, plant-based options alongside conventional care.

This study offers a valuable contribution to a growing area of research, showing that CBD may be worth further investigation as part of a holistic approach to dementia care.

Limitations to Keep in Mind

No single study can provide all the answers, and this one has important limitations:

• It did not include a placebo group, meaning some improvements could be due to expectation or natural symptom fluctuations.

• The study was conducted at a single clinic, which limits generalisation.

• Participants were carefully selected and excluded if they had certain medical issues or were taking specific medications, meaning results may not apply to everyone.

• Only one specific CBD-rich formulation was used, so findings cannot automatically be applied to all CBD products.

These limitations highlight the need for more rigorous trials, ideally larger and randomised, to understand CBD’s role more clearly.

How to Approach CBD Safely and Thoughtfully

If you are considering CBD as a supportive option, here are some general guidelines:

1. Speak to a healthcare professional
This is especially important for people taking medications metabolised by the liver.

2. Choose high-quality, lab-tested CBD
Look for transparent brands that provide certificates of analysis.

3. Start with a low dose and increase slowly
This mirrors the approach used in the study and may reduce side effects.

4. Monitor changes carefully
Keep notes on behaviour, sleep, mood and overall wellbeing.

5. Be patient
CBD’s effects can be subtle and may take time to appear.

These steps can help ensure that CBD is approached responsibly and safely.

Conclusion: A Promising Step Toward Gentler Support

Behavioural symptoms in Alzheimer’s can be unpredictable, overwhelming and emotionally draining for families. While there is no single solution, research like this 2024 study provides a hopeful glimpse into how CBD-rich oil may offer supportive benefits for some individuals - not as a medical treatment, but as a natural compound that interacts with systems linked to mood, stress and sleep.

The results suggest that CBD could play a role in helping some people with Alzheimer’s feel calmer, more settled and more at ease in their daily routines, while also easing the emotional load carried by loved ones. And as researchers continue exploring CBD for Alzheimer’s symptoms, families will gain clearer, more reliable information to guide their decisions.

Curious to learn more? Reach out with any questions - our team is here to help!

Sources

[1] Navarro CE, Pérez JC. Treatment of Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Alzheimer's Disease with a Cannabis-Based Magistral Formulation: An Open-Label Prospective Cohort Study. Med Cannabis Cannabinoids. 2024 Sep 12;7(1):160-170.