UC San Diego Researchers to Study Cannabis Effect on Essential Tremor
Researchers at UC San Diego announced plans to conduct a trial on the use of cannabis to treat a common movement disorder known as essential tremor.
The nervous system disorder is often confused for Parkinson’s disease because it causes involuntary shaking of body parts, especially the hands. The condition is currently treated with medication originally designed for high blood pressure and seizures.
The researchers plan to conduct the study in early 2019 using an oral cannabis supplement that includes a 20:1 ratio of cannabidiol to THC. They plan to recruit 16 adults with essential tremor for the double-bllind study, giving placebos to half of the participants as a control group.
“If found to be safe and effective, cannabis would not only serve as an exciting new addition to the limited treatment options currently available for patients with ET, but it might also provide scientists with new insights on essential tremor,” said Dr. Fatta Nahab, a neurologist at UC San Diego Health.
Nahab estimates that researchers will have results in 2020.
