Parkinson’s disease : current treatments and the possible use of Cannabis

Abstract

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative movement disorder common in old age. The current prevalence of this condition in the western world is estimated to be 0.3% of the entire population, and this value is expected to increase due to the ageing world population.

Although there is no cure for Parkinson’s disease, many therapies aimed to relieve patients from its motor and/or non-motor symptoms exist, both pharmacological and surgical such as levodopa and deep brain stimulation, respectively. However, these therapies have their own problems and disadvantages, for instance levodopa-induced dyskinesia.

As there is currently a movement bringing about the legalisation of cannabis use for medicinal purposes, many studies are being carried out to discover if cannabis or cannabinoids can be used as a treatment modality, hopefully with less side effects than current treatments, to alleviate patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease from their symptoms.

In this paper we seek to review the current treatment options available to these patients and what the latest studies in cannabinoids have determined with regards to their use in Parkinson’s disease.