Using THC Edible Gummies for Behavioral Symptoms of Dementia: Reply to Goldman and Markov

See letter by Goldman and Markov and article by Sawicki et al

To the Editor: In their letter to the editor,¹ Drs. Goldman and Markov question the use of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) gummies for neuropsychiatric symptoms of dementia rather than the readily available prescription option of dronabinol. In a future prospective study on efficacy, this would be a reasonable option in order to better control for dosing; however, our study² arose from patient and caregiver preference for “natural remedies,” ie, nonprescription alternatives.

It is crucial to consider the demographics of our study population, where the majority of patients and caregivers were people of color. Unfortunately, there exists a deep-seated mistrust in the United States within racial and ethnic minority groups towards health care providers and institutions, rooted in historical events and perpetuated by ongoing systemic challenges and discrimination.³

Given the retrospective nature of our study, our primary goal was improvement of patients’ symptoms via shared decision-making of treatment options; data gathering was secondary.

We welcome future research on the efficacy of THC using standardized doses of dronabinol as well as “real-world” use of cannabis products from dispensaries. We appreciate the opportunity to further discuss our findings and express gratitude for your engagement with our research.

Article Information

Published Online: June 5, 2024. https://doi.org/10.4088/JCP.24lr15255a
© 2024 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.
J Clin Psychiatry 2024;85(2):24lr15255a
To Cite: Zahradnik EK, Hernandez C. Using THC edible gummies for behavioral symptoms of dementia: Reply to Goldman and Markov. J Clin Psychiatry. 2024;85(2):24lr15255a.
Author Affiliations: Department of Medicine, University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois (Zahradnik), Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois (Zahradnik), University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois (Hernandez).
Corresponding Author: Erin K. Zahradnik, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, 5841 S Maryland Ave, Chicago, IL 60637 ([email protected]).
Relevant Financial Relationships: None.
Funding/Support: The study discussed in this letter [J Clin Psychiatry. 2023;84(6):23m14791] utilized REDCap software, which receives support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) CTSA UL1 TR000430. The project was also supported by funding from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) Grant #5T35AG029795- 15. The funders had no role in the conduct and publication of the study.
Role of the Funders/Sponsors: No supporting organization was involved in the study planning, design, implementation, or reporting.