Date of Award

5-2020

Document Type

Scholarly Project

Degree Name

Master of Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS)

Department

Physician Assistant Studies

First Advisor

Russel Kauffman

Keywords

cannabinoids, cannabidiol, CBD, marijuana, cannabis, tetrahydrocannabinol, THC, movement disorders, neurodegenerative disorders, neurodegenerative conditions, Parkinson’s disease, levodopa-induced dyskinesia, dyskinesia, adverse effects, adverse events, and safety

Abstract

Fueled by news media reports, cannabis use has been ever growing in popularity for the treatment of both motor and non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD). The purpose of this literature review is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of using cannabis to treat the motor symptoms and levodopa-induced dyskinesia of PD. In this literature review electronic databases were searched and included PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, DynaMed Plus, Cochrane Library, Academic Search Premier, and Clinical Key. A variety of keywords and MeSH terms, as listed below, were used to define a set of literature. There were 16 studies chosen for review that were completed within the last 20 years, included only human subjects, and were excluded if it was a case study with only one subject. Much of the research displayed discrepancies on the evidence for cannabis use to treat the motor symptoms and dyskinesia of PD; however, a large amount of the research deems cannabis safe for use in most PD patients. The current research available does not conclusively provide enough quality evidence to suggest using cannabis is an effective treatment for motor symptoms and dyskinesia in PD. Furthermore, there is a significant need for more quality research on the effects of cannabinoids for PD, to better comprehend the pharmacology, therapeutic benefits, and adverse effects of various cannabis formulations.

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