Cannabidiol (CBD) Use by Older Adults for Acute and Chronic Pain.
Brooke Porter, Barbara St Marie, Gary Milavetz and 1 others
PMID 34191653WHAT IT FOUND
Evidence for CBD in older adults' pain is weak and mixed, and products may be mislabeled, interact with medications, and cause drowsiness or liver test elevations.
Clinicians should ask about CBD use, review interactions, and monitor liver tests.
Key findings
01Evidence on CBD safety and efficacy for pain is weak, results are mixed, and few studies included older adults.
02CBD products may be inaccurately labeled, including unexpected THC or less CBD than stated.
03CBD can interact with CYP3A4 and CYP2C19 medications and may reduce clopidogrel activation.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This is a narrative review with no described search methods, no original participants, and no primary outcome, so it cannot establish CBD efficacy or safety. The evidence it summarizes is weak and mixed, and few studies included older adults; fewer than 250 older adults have been included in cannabis studies. Much of the dosing and safety detail comes from Epidiolex seizure studies, healthy volunteers, or younger adults, not older adults with pain. CBD products are not uniformly regulated, and labeling accuracy varies by country and state, so one product's content may not match another. The paper recommends randomized trials in older adults before CBD is deemed efficacious for pain.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that CBD is safe or effective for older adults' pain. The paper says evidence is weak and mixed, few studies included older adults, and products may be mislabeled or contain unexpected THC. It also says CBD can interact with common medications and may cause drowsiness or liver test elevations.