It is the hope of a new treatment for patients with schizophrenia. Researchers have shown that cannabidiol can be used as an adjunct.
600,000 people are schizophrenic in France. Almost half of them make a suicide attempt during their lifetime. After several years of treatment, it is possible for patients to reach a phase of remission. This concerns about a third of them. Medicine is constantly on the lookout for new drugs or ways to relieve the sick.
Researchers have just shown that cannabidiol has anti-psychotic properties in a controlled study. This substance is a cannabinoid found in cannabis. Scientists assure that it is an effective and safe remedy. Their research was published in the American Journal of Psychiatry.
Treatment well supported by patients
Tests have been carried out on animals and humans. After six weeks of treatment, in a double-blind, controlled study, the group that received cannabidiol had fewer hallucinations and delusions than the placebo group. Because the symptoms of the disease are classified into two groups: positive symptoms, which are paranoia, megalomania, delusions, hallucinations. The negative symptoms are on the contrary an affective and emotional impoverishment, an isolation, a loss of interest.
The group that received cannabidiol also made the most progress in their cognitive performance. The treatment was well tolerated by the patients.
Cannabidiol could help patients who do not tolerate “classic” anti-psychotics, with sometimes very restrictive side effects.
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