Marijuana Use in the Elderly: Implications and Considerations

Mahvan, Tracy; Hilaire, Michelle L.; Mann, Allison E.; Brown, A. C. D.; Linn, Becky S; Gardner, Taylor; Lai, Beryen

doi:10.4140/tcp.n.2017.341

Cited by 31 publications

(21 citation statements)

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“…Marijuana use has been associated with injury ( Asbridge et al, 2014 ; Blows et al, 2005 ; Choi, Marti, et al, 2017 ; Wettlaufer et al, 2017 ), mental health problems ( Choi et al, 2016 ; Choi et al, 2016a ; Hall & Degenhardt, 2009 ; Manrique-Garcia et al, 2012 ), cardiovascular disease ( Alshaarawy & Elbaz, 2016 ; Hackam, 2015 ; Hemachandra, McKetin, Cherbuin, & Anstey, 2016 ; Lindsay, Foale, Warren, & Henry, 2005 ; Reece, Norman, & Hulse, 2016 ), respiratory problems ( Howden & Naughton, 2011 ; Macleod et al, 2015 ; Martinasek, McGrogan, & Maysonet, 2016 ; Moore, Augustson, Moser, & Budney, 2005 ), metabolic syndrome ( B. A. Yankey, Rothenberg, Strasser, White, & Okosun, 2017 ; B. N. Yankey, Strasser, & Okosun, 2016 ), cancer ( Aldington et al,2008a , 2008b ; Zhang et al, 1999 ), unhealthy diet ( Foltin, Fischman, & Byrne, 1988 ; Smit & Crespo, 2001 ), and drug–drug interactions ( Lasota, 2015 ; Mahvan et al, 2017 ). In addition, the use of marijuana with other substances, including prescription drugs, tobacco, alcohol, and other illicit substances, may exacerbate the negative effects of marijuana use in aging bodies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Marijuana Use Among Adults 50 Years or Older in the 21st Century

Lloyd

Striley

2018

Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine

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Background: Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug among older adults. As an older population grows in the United States that has a tolerant attitude toward marijuana use, the dynamics of marijuana use and the effects of marijuana on personal, social, and health outcomes among older adults require attention. Objectives: This review summarizes epidemiological literature on marijuana use among older adults. Method: A literature search was conducted using PubMed, AgeLine, and an online search engine from January 2000 to December 2017, resulting in 18 articles. Results: The greatest increase in marijuana use was observed among those in the older adult population 50 years or older, and those 65 years or older had the greatest increase in marijuana use in the older adult population. Common correlates of marijuana use among those in the older population included being male, being unmarried, having multiple chronic diseases, having psychological stress, and using other substances such as alcohol, tobacco, other illicit drugs, and prescription drugs. Conclusion: The increased use of marijuana in older populations requires surveillance and additional research to understand the use and effects of marijuana in older populations to avoid negative health outcomes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Marijuana Use Among Adults 50 Years or Older in the 21st Century

Lloyd

Striley

2018

Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine

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“…Currently, the evidence supports a benefit for the use of medical cannabis for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting; bladder frequency, pain, and spasticity in multiple sclerosis; and glaucoma. ( 14 ) Some small, preliminary studies have suggested a potential benefit of using cannabis for the relief of symptoms associated with PTSD. ( 15 ) CBD extract may also be of benefit in certain psychiatric conditions such as Social Anxiety Disorder and schizophrenia, ( 16 ) although the data on efficacy and safety remains very limited and may not be applicable to older adults due, in part, to age-related changes in pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental Health and Cognition in Older Cannabis Users: a Review

et al. 2020

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Background The impact of cannabis use on mental health and cognition in older adults remains unclear. With the recent legalization of cannabis in Canada, physicians will need up-to-date information about the mental and cognitive effects of cannabis use in this specific population. Method A narrative review was conducted to summarize the literature on mental health and cognitive effects of cannabis use in older adults using Medline (OvidSP). Results A total of 16 studies were identified, including nine cross-sectional studies on mental health comorbidities reported by older cannabis users. The self-reported prevalence of mental and substance use disorders is approximately two to three times higher in older adults who report past-year cannabis use, compared to older adults who report using more than one year ago or never using. The remaining seven clinical trials found that short-term, low-dose medical cannabis was generally well-tolerated in older adults without prior serious mental illness. However, mental/cognitive adverse effects were not systematically assessed. Conclusion Although preliminary findings suggests that low-dose, short-term medical cannabis does not carry significant risk of serious mental health and cognitive adverse effects in older adults without prior psychiatric history, epidemiological studies find a correlation between past-year cannabis use and poor mental health outcomes in community-dwelling older adults. These findings may indicate that longer term cannabis use in this population is detrimental to their mental health, although a direct causal link has not been established. Larger, longitudinal studies on the safety of medical cannabis in older adults are needed.

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“…For these people, MC might offer a way of managing symptoms with fewer side effects, in a situation with a good possibility of decreasing administered drug usage [3,7,28,29] . Moreover, although some recent studies have shown increasing use of cannabis by the elderly, only a few such populations have been analyzed [23,30,31] and to the best of our knowledge, no one has analyzed the use of MC in a nursing home.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Will medical cannabis treatment reduce pharmaceutical residues in the aquatic environment? A case study from an elderly nursing home

2020

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High drug consumption and polypharmacy, especially in the elderly, is one of the 21 st century phenomenon. It has different undesirable side effects, which may directly affect the environment. It is known that pharmaceutical residues are excreted via patients' urine or feces to waste water, which is then discharged to the environment. Therefore high drug consumption is contributing to the continual rise in pharmaceutical residues in the aquatic environment, and address a rising cause for concern. Alternative treatments that can relieve or improve the patient's clinical condition, thereby reducing the consumption of pharmaceuticals, hold great potential for reducing drug residues in the environment. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the reduction in pharmaceutical consumption in a nursing home for the elderly, as a result of treatment with medical cannabis. With time, medical cannabis treatment dramatically improved patients' symptoms and their medical indexes. As a result, the local physicians stopped prescribing drugs that were defined as unnecessary. Overall, 39 dosages of prescription drugs were cancelled for the 19 elderly individuals included in this research, indicating that medical cannabis can be an effective treatment that also reduces the environmental drug load, thereby preventing water pollution.

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Marijuana Use in the Elderly: Implications and Considerations

Abstract: With this review, pharmacists will be informed on recommendations on the use of marijuana in the older adult. Monitoring of therapy, as well as adverse effects, will be reviewed, including some legal issues and challenges.

Cited by 31 publications

References 0 publications

Marijuana Use Among Adults 50 Years or Older in the 21st Century

Marijuana Use Among Adults 50 Years or Older in the 21st Century

Mental Health and Cognition in Older Cannabis Users: a Review

Will medical cannabis treatment reduce pharmaceutical residues in the aquatic environment? A case study from an elderly nursing home

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